View source for Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn

{{Short description|Scottish lawyer and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2023}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
|name = The Earl of Rosslyn
|honorific-suffix = [[His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|PC]] [[King's Counsel|KC]]
|image = 1stEarlOfRosslyn.jpg
| caption = Portrait by [[Joshua Reynolds]], 1785
|office1 = [[Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain]]{{efn|Remained Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain from the Act of Union in January 1801 as the [[Lord Chancellor of Ireland|Lord High Chancellor of Ireland]] remained in office until the [[Irish Free State (Consequential Provisions) Act 1922]].}}<br>{{small|[[Lord High Steward]] for the [[Impeachment of Warren Hastings|trial]] of:{{Collapsible list|[[Warren Hastings]]}}}}
|monarch1            = [[George III]]
|primeminister1      = [[William Pitt the Younger]]
|term_start1 = 28 January 1793
|term_end1 = 14 April 1801
|predecessor1 = ''In Commission ''
|successor1 = [[John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon|The Lord Eldon]]
|office2 = [[Attorney General for England and Wales]]
|term_start2 = 1778
|term_end2 = 1780
|predecessor2 = [[Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow|Edward Thurlow]]
|successor2 = [[James Wallace (British politician)|James Wallace]]
|office3 = [[Chief Justice of the Common Pleas]]
|term_start3 = 1780
|term_end3 = 1793
|predecessor3 = [[William de Grey, 1st Baron Walsingham|Sir William de Grey]]
|successor3 = [[James Eyre (judge)|Sir James Eyre]]
| office4      = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br>[[Lord Temporal]]
| term_start4         = June 1780
| term_end4    = 2 January 1805<br/>[[Hereditary peer]]age
| predecessor4 = ''[[Earl of Rosslyn|Peerage created]]''
| successor4   = [[James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn|The 2nd Earl of Rosslyn]]
|birth_date = {{birth-date|3 February 1733}}
|death_date = {{death-date and age|2 January 1805|3 February 1733}}
|spouse = Charlotte Courtenay
|parents = [[Peter Wedderburn, Lord Chesterhall]]<br />Janet Ogilvy
|relatives = [[James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn]] (nephew)
| footnotes           = {{notelist}}
}}
'''Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn''', [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]], [[King's Counsel|KC]]  (3 February 1733 – 2 January 1805) was a Scottish lawyer and politician who sat in the [[House of Commons]] between 1761 and 1780 when he was raised to the [[peerage]] as [[Baron Loughborough]]. He served as [[Lord Chancellor|Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain]] from 1793 to 1801.
==Life==
Wedderburn  was the eldest son of [[Peter Wedderburn, Lord Chesterhall]] (a [[lord of session]]), and was born at Chesterhall near [[Dunbar]] in [[East Lothian]].{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
He received his initial education at [[Dalkeith]] and then the [[Royal High School (Edinburgh)|Royal High School]], [[Edinburgh]], and matriculated at the [[University of Edinburgh]] aged 14. During his studies in Edinburgh he resided at his father's townhouse on Elphinstone Court, south of the [[Royal Mile]], around 200m from the university. He qualified as an [[advocate]] serving in [[Scotland]] in 1752 aged only 19. He did not see eye to eye with others in the courts and on one occasion felt so insulted at comments on his age that he threw off his gown and never again appeared in the Scottish courts. He instead passed the [[English bar]] and went to practice in England, famously acting as counsel to [[Robert Clive|the 1st Baron Clive]].<ref>Grant's Old and New Edinburgh vol.2 p.272</ref>
His father was called to the Scottish bench in 1755, and for the next three years Wedderburn returned to Edinburgh, where he employed his oratorical powers in the [[General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]], and passed his evenings in social and argumentative clubs.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
In 1755 the precursor of the later [[Edinburgh Review]] was started, and Wedderburn edited two of its issues. The dean of faculty at this time, [[Alexander Lockhart, Lord Covington|Alexander Lockhart (later Lord Covington)]], a lawyer notorious for his harsh demeanour, in the autumn of 1757 assailed Wedderburn with more than ordinary insolence. Wedderburn retorted with extraordinary powers of invective, and, on being rebuked by the bench, declined to retract or apologise.  Instead, he left the court forever.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
==Legal career==
Wedderburn was called to the English bar at the [[Inner Temple]] in 1757. To shake off his Scottish accent and to improve his oratory, he engaged the services of [[Thomas Sheridan (actor)|Thomas Sheridan]] and [[Charles Macklin]]. He studied the forms of English law in order to secure business and to conduct his cases with adequate knowledge.  He solicited [[William Strahan (publisher)|William Strahan]], a printer, to get him employed in city causes, and he entered into social intercourse with busy London solicitors. His local connections and the incidents of his previous career brought him to the notice of his countrymen Lord Bute and Lord Mansfield.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
When [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|Lord Bute]] was prime minister, Wedderburn used to go on errands for him, and it is to Wedderburn's credit that he first suggested to the premier the propriety of granting [[Samuel Johnson]] a pension.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
Through the favour of Lord Bute, he was returned to parliament for the [[Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr Burghs]] in 1761. In 1763 he became king's counsel and bencher of [[Lincoln's Inn]], and for a short time went the northern circuits, but was more successful in obtaining business in the [[Court of Chancery]]. In 1767, he married Betty Anne Dawson, only child and heiress of John Dawson of [[Marly, Yorkshire|Marly]], [[Yorkshire]] who brought him considerable wealth in addition to his own. (Carlyle puts the amount at £10,000) {{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
==Political career==
[[File:Baron Loughborough coa.png|thumb|250px|Arms of Alexander Wedderburn (as Baron Loughborough).]]
When [[George Grenville]], whose principles leaned to [[Tory]]ism, quarrelled with the court, Wedderburn affected to regard him as his leader in politics. At the dissolution in the spring of 1768 he was returned by Sir Lawrence Dundas for [[Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond]] as a Tory, but in the questions that arose over [[John Wilkes]] he took the popular side of Wilkes and liberty, and resigned his seat in May 1769. In the opinion of the people he was now regarded as the embodiment of all legal virtue; his health was toasted at the dinners of the [[British Whig Party|Whigs]] amid rounds of applause, and, in recompense for the loss of his seat in parliament, he was returned by Lord Clive for his pocket-borough of [[Bishop's Castle (UK Parliament constituency)|Bishop's Castle]], in Shropshire, in January 1770.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
During the next session he acted vigorously in opposition, but his conduct was always viewed with distrust by his new associates, and his attacks on the ministry of [[Frederick North, Lord North|Lord North]] grew less and less animated in proportion to its apparent fixity of tenure. In January 1771 he was offered and accepted the post of [[Solicitor General for England and Wales|solicitor-general]]. The high road to the woolsack was now open, but his defection from his former path has stamped his character with general infamy. [[Junius (writer)|Junius]] wrote of him, "As for Mr Wedderburn, there is something about him which even treachery cannot trust," and Colonel Barr attacked him in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]]. The new law officer defended his conduct with the assertion that his alliance in politics had been with [[George Grenville]], and that the connection had been severed on his death.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
[[File:Lord Loughborough by Mather Brown.jpg|thumb|Lord Loughborough, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas]]
All through the [[American War of Independence]] he consistently declaimed against the colonies, and he was bitter (and, some historians say, downright slanderous) in his attack on [[Benjamin Franklin]] before the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]]. In June 1778 Wedderburn was promoted to the post of attorney-general, and in the same year he refused the dignity of chief baron of the exchequer because the offer was not accompanied by the promise of a [[peerage]]. At the dissolution in 1774 he had been returned for [[Okehampton (UK Parliament constituency)|Okehampton]] in [[Devon]], and for [[Castle Rising (UK Parliament constituency)|Castle Rising]] in [[Norfolk]], and selected the former constituency; on his promotion as leading law officer of the crown he returned to Bishops Castle. The coveted peerage was not long delayed. In June 1780 he was created [[Chief Justice of the Common Pleas]], with the title of Baron Loughborough.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
During the existence of the coalition ministry of North and [[Charles James Fox|Fox]], the great seal was in commission (April to December 1783), and Lord Loughborough held the leading place among the commissioners. For some time after that ministry's fall he was considered the leader of the Whig party in the [[House of Lords]], and, had the illness of the [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] brought about the return of the Whigs to power, the great seal would have been placed in his hands. The king's restoration to health secured [[William Pitt The Younger]]'s continuance in office, and disappointed the Whigs. In 1792, during the period of the [[French Revolution]], Lord Loughborough seceded from Fox, and on 28 January 1793 he received the great seal in the Tory cabinet of Pitt. The resignation of Pitt on the question of [[Catholic emancipation]] (1801) put an end to Wedderburn's tenure of the Lord Chancellorship, for, much to his surprise, no place was found for him in [[Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth|Addington]]'s cabinet.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}} Pitt's friends believed he had been guilty of treachery over the Emancipation issue; and even the King, who used Loughborough as a spy in Cabinet, later commented that his death removed "the greatest knave in the Kingdom".
==Marriages and later life==
His first wife died childless in 1781, and the following year he married Charlotte, youngest daughter of [[William Courtenay, 1st Viscount Courtenay|William, Viscount Courtenay]]; her only son died in childhood. Lord Loughborough accordingly obtained in 1795 a re-grant of his barony with remainder to his nephew, [[James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn|Sir James St Clair Erskine]]. The end of his tenure as Lord Chancellor in 1801 was softened by the grant of an earldom (he was created Earl of Rosslyn on 21 April 1801, also with remainder to his nephew), and by a pension of £4000 per annum. After this date he rarely appeared in public, but he was a constant figure at all the royal festivities. He was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in 1787 <ref>{{cite web| url = http://www2.royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27wedderburn%27%29| title = Library and Archive catalogue| publisher = Royal Society| access-date = 2012-02-25}}{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and accepted an honorary vice presidency at London's charitable [[Foundling Hospital]] in 1799.
He attended a festive gathering, quite typical for this time in his life, at [[Frogmore]], in December 1804. On the following day he was seized with an attack of gout in the stomach, and on 2 January 1805 he died of an [[apoplectic fit]] at his country seat of [[Baylis House|Baylis]], near Salt Hill, [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]]. He was buried in [[St Paul's Cathedral]] on 11 January 1805.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}} [[Rosslyn House]] and [[Rosslyn Hill]] in [[Hampstead]] took their names from the Earl.<ref>Wade, Christopher. ''The Streets of Belsize''. Camden History Society, 1991. p.71-72</ref>
==Assessment==
At the bar Wedderburn was the most elegant speaker of his time, and, although his knowledge of the principles and precedents of law was deficient, his skill in marshalling facts and his clearness of diction were marvellous; on the bench his judgments were remarkable for their perspicuity, particularly in the appeal cases to the House of Lords. For cool and sustained declamation he stood unrivalled in parliament, and his readiness in debate was universally acknowledged. In social life, in the company of the wits and writers of his day, his faculties seemed to desert him. He was not only dull, but the cause of dullness in others, and even Alexander Carlyle confesses that in conversation his illustrious countryman was stiff and pompous. In Wedderburn's character ambition banished all rectitude of principle, but the love of money for money's sake was not among his faults.{{sfn|Courtney|1911}}
==Quote==
Regarding the [[Thellusson v Woodford|Thellusson Will Case]], the Lord Chancellor stated:
{{blockquote|A fortune in circulation, even if spent in luxuries, waste, and dissipation, did more good to the public, and afforded more emulation to industry, and better encouragement to arts and manufactures, than any useless accumulation of money could do.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9X1HAAAAYAAJ&q=A%20fortune%20in%20circulation%20even%20if%20spent%20in%20luxuries%2C%20waste%2C%20and%20dissipation%2C%20did%20more%20good%20to%20the%20public&pg=PA77|title=The Parliamentary Register; Or, History of the Proceedings and Debates of the Houses of Lords and Commons, p. 77|access-date=September 27, 2011|last1=Parliament|first1=Great Britain|year=1800}}</ref>}}
==See also==
*[[Wedderburn baronets]], distant relations
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Rosslyn, Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of|volume=23 |last1= Courtney |first1= William Prideaux |author1-link= William Prideaux Courtney | page = 753 |short=1}}
*{{cite DNB|wstitle=Wedderburn, Alexander (1733-1805)|first= Alexander Hastie|last=Millar|volume=60}}
*{{cite ODNB|first=Alexander|last=Murdoch|title=Wedderburn, Alexander, first earl of Rosslyn (1733–1805)|id=28954}}
==External links==
*{{Hansard-contribs | mr-alexander-wedderburn | the Earl of Rosslyn }}
{{S-start}}
{{s-par|gb}}
{{s-bef| before = [[Lord Frederick Campbell]]}}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr Burghs]]
| years  = 1761–1768 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[James Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie|James Archibald Stuart]]  }}
{{s-bef
| before  = [[Sir Ralph Milbanke, 5th Baronet|Sir Ralph Milbanke]]
| before2 = [[Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dundas|Thomas Dundas]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond]]
| years = 1768–1769
| with  = [[Sir Lawrence Dundas, 1st Baronet|Lawrence Dundas]] 1774 – Jan 1775
| with2 = [[William Norton, 2nd Baron Grantley|William Norton]] from Jan 1775
}}
{{s-aft
| after  = [[Charles John Crowle]]
| after2 = [[William Norton, 2nd Baron Grantley|William Norton]]
}}
{{s-bef
| before  = [[William Clive]]
| before2 = [[George Clive (died 1779)|George Clive]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Bishop's Castle (UK Parliament constituency)|Bishop's Castle]]
| years  = 1770–[[1774 British general election|1774]]
| with   = [[George Clive (died 1779)|George Clive]]
}}
{{s-aft
| after  = [[Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet|Henry Strachey]]
| after2 = [[George Clive (died 1779)|George Clive]]
}}
{{s-bef
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| before2 = [[George Clive (died 1779)|George Clive]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Bishop's Castle (UK Parliament constituency)|Bishop's Castle]]
| years  = 1778–[[1780 British general election|1780]]
| with   = [[George Clive (died 1779)|George Clive]] 1778–1779
| with2  = [[William Clive]] 1779–1780
}}
{{s-aft
| after  = [[Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet|Henry Strachey]]
| after2 = [[William Clive]]
}}
{{s-legal}}
{{succession box | title=[[Solicitor General for England and Wales]] | before=[[Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow|Edward Thurlow]] | after=[[James Wallace (British politician)|James Wallace]] | years=1771–1778}}
{{succession box | title=[[Attorney General for England and Wales]] | before=[[Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow|Edward Thurlow]] | after=[[James Wallace (British politician)|James Wallace]] | years=1778–1780}}
{{succession box | title=[[Chief Justice of the Common Pleas]] | before=[[William de Grey, 1st Baron Walsingham|Sir William de Grey]] | after=[[James Eyre (judge)|Sir James Eyre]] | years=1780–1793}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | title=[[Lord High Steward]] | before=[[Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow|The Lord Thurlow]] | after=&mdash; | years=1793–1795}}
{{succession box | title=[[Lord Chancellor|Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain]] | before=In Commission | after=[[John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon|The Lord Eldon]] | years=1793–1801}}
{{s-reg|uk}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Earl of Rosslyn]]
| years  = 1801–1805 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn|James St Clair-Erskine]] }}
{{s-reg|gb}}
{{s-new| rows   = 2 | creation}}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Earl of Rosslyn|Baron Loughborough]]
| years  = 1780–1805 }}
{{s-non| reason = Extinct }}
|-
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Earl of Rosslyn|Baron Loughborough]]
| years  = 1795–1805 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn|James St Clair-Erskine]] }}
{{S-end}}
{{Lord Chancellor}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosslyn, Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of}}
[[Category:1733 births]]
[[Category:1805 deaths]]
[[Category:Nobility from East Lothian]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Attorneys general for England and Wales]]
[[Category:British MPs 1761–1768]]
[[Category:British MPs 1768–1774]]
[[Category:British MPs 1774–1780]]
[[Category:Burials at St Paul's Cathedral]]
[[Category:Chief justices of the Common Pleas]]
[[Category:Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Lord chancellors of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Lord High Stewards]]
[[Category:Members of the Inner Temple]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Okehampton|Wedderburn, Alexander]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Solicitors general for England and Wales]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies|Wedderburn, Alexander]]
[[Category:Wedderburn family|Alexander]]
[[Category:Peers of Great Britain created by George III]]<!--as Baron Loughborough-->