Lord Justice Clerk

The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Lord Beckett, who was appointed to the position on 4 February 2025, succeeding Lady Dorrian who had been the first female to hold the office.

History

In modern times, most judges appointed as Lord Justice Clerk later become Lord President of the Court of Session.

Originally clericus justiciarie or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord Clerk Register, the status of the office increased over time and the Justice-Clerk came to claim a seat on the Bench by practice and custom. This was recognised by the Privy Council of Scotland in 1663 and the Lord Justice Clerk became the effective head of the reformed High Court of Justiciary in 1672 when the court was reconstituted. The Lord Justice Clerk now rarely presides at criminal trials in the High Court, with most of their time being spent dealing with civil and criminal appeals.

The Lord Justice Clerk has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and, as President of the Second Division of the Inner House, is in charge of the Second Division of Judges of the Inner House of the Court of Session. The office is one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland.

Officeholders

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• William de Camera - Justice-Clerk to David II (1324–71)
• Adam Forester
• Before 1374: Alan de Lawedre of Whitslaid & Haltoun, etc.<ref>Alan de Lawedre was Justiciary Clerk "upon the south side of the Water of Forth" and received, in 1374, a pension for same of £10 per annum. Refer: "Early Notices of the Bass Rock and its Owners" by John J. Reid, BA., FSA Scot., in "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland", 14 December 1885, p. 56.</ref>
• 1426: James de Lawedre (d. after 1459)(Grandson of Alan)<ref>Reid, 1885, p.58.</ref>
• 1478: William Halket of Belsico
• 1489/90: Richard Lawson of High Riggs.<ref>Joseph Bain, Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, 1357–1509, 4 (Edinburgh, 1888), no. 1564.</ref>
• 1507: James Henderson of Fordel (k. Battle of Flodden 1513)
• 1513: James Wishhart of Pittarrow
• 1524: Nicholas Crawfurd of Oxengangs
• 1537: Adam Otterburn of ReidhallTemplate:Citation needed
• 1537: Thomas Scot of Pitgorn
• 1539: Thomas Bellenden of Auchnoule
• 1540: Henry Balnaves
• 1547: Sir John Bellenden of Auchnole & Broughton (d.1576)
• 1577: Sir Lewis Bellenden of Auchnole & Broughton (d.1591)
• 1591: Sir John Cockburn of Ormiston (d.1623)
• 1625: Sir George Elphinstone of Blythswood
• 1634: Sir James Carmichael of that Ilk
• 1637: Sir John Hamilton of Orbiston
• 1651–63: Sir Robert Moray<ref name="Walker">Walker, David M., The Oxford Companion to Law, Appendix I, list of Lords Justice-Clerk of Scotland from 1660, pp. 1342–1343.</ref>
• 1663–71: Sir John Home, of Renton, Lord Renton<ref name="Walker" />
• 1671–74: Sir James Lockhart of Lee<ref name="Walker" /> (d. 4 June 1674)
• 1674–75: Sir William Lockhart of Lee<ref name="Walker" />
• 1675–80: Sir Thomas Wallace of Craigie, Lord Craigie<ref name="Walker" />
• 1680–84: Richard Maitland, 4th Earl of Lauderdale<ref name="Walker" />
• 1684–88: Sir James Foulis of Colinton, Lord Colinton
• 1688–90: Sir John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair<ref name="Walker" />
• 1690–92: Sir George Campbell of Cessnock<ref name="Walker" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 1692–99: Sir Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston<ref name="Walker" />
• 1699–1702: Sir John Maxwell of Pollok, Lord Pollok<ref name="Walker" />
• 1702–04: Roderick Mackenzie of Prestonhall, Lord Prestonhall<ref name="Walker" />
• 1704–05: Sir William Hamilton of Whitelaw, Lord Whitelaw<ref name="Walker" />
• 1705–10: Sir Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston<ref name="Walker" />
• 1710–14: Sir James Erskine, Lord Grange<ref name="Walker" />
• 1714–35: Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston<ref name="Walker" />
• 1735–48: Andrew Fletcher, Lord Milton<ref name="Walker" />
• 1748–63: Charles Erskine, Lord Tinwald<ref name="Walker" />
• 1763–66: Gilbert Elliot, Lord Minto<ref name="Walker" />
• 1766–87: Thomas Miller, Lord Barskimming<ref name="Walker" />
• 1787–99: Robert Macqueen, Lord Braxfield<ref name="Walker" />
• 1799–1804: David Rae, Lord Eskgrove<ref name="Walker" />
• 1804–11: Charles Hope, Lord Granton<ref name="Walker" />
• 1811–41: David Boyle, Lord Boyle<ref name="Walker" />
• 1841–58: John Hope, Lord Hope<ref name="Walker" />
• 1858–67: John Inglis, Lord Glencorse<ref name="Walker" />
• 1867–69: George Patton, Lord Glenalmond<ref name="Walker" />
• 1869–88: James Moncreiff, Lord Moncreiff
• 1888–1915: John Macdonald, Lord Kingsburgh<ref name="Walker" />
• 1915–22: Charles Dickson, Lord Dickson<ref name="Walker" />
• 1922–33: Robert Munro, Lord Alness<ref name="Walker" />
• 1933–41: Craigie Aitchison, Lord Aitchison<ref name="Walker" />
• 1941–47: Thomas Cooper, Lord Cooper<ref name="Walker" /><ref name="gazette-1941-cooper-clerk">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1947: Alexander Moncrieff, Lord Moncrieff<ref name="Walker" /><ref name="gazette-1947-moncrieff-clerk">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1947–62: George Thomson, Lord Thomson<ref name="Walker" /><ref name="gazette-1947-lord-j-clerk">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1962–72: William Grant, Lord Grant<ref name="Walker" /><ref name="gazette-1962-grant-senator">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1972: John Wheatley, Baron Wheatley<ref name="gazette-wheatley-ljc">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1985: Donald Ross, Lord Ross
• 1997: William Cullen, Lord Cullen<ref name="2001_appointment">Template:Cite press release</ref>
• 2001: Brian Gill, Lord Gill<ref name="2001_appointment"/>
• 2012: Colin Sutherland, Lord Carloway<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
• 2016: Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian<ref name="scts-dorrian-ljc">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 2025: John Beckett, Lord Beckett

See also

• Lord President of the Court of Session, to whom the Lord Justice Clerk is deputy.

References

• For listings to 1637 (may be wanting) refer to The Staggering State of the Scots' Statesmen, by Sir John Scot of Scotstarvet, Director of Chancery, Edinburgh, 1754, p. 183.