James Erskine, Lord Grange facts for kids

James Erskine, Lord Grange (1679–1754) was an important Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician. He held high positions like Lord Justice Clerk and Lord of Justiciary, which were senior judge roles in Scotland.

James Erskine was the son of Charles Erskine, Earl of Mar, and his mother was Lady Mary. He was also the brother of John Erskine, who was the 6th Earl of Mar. An "Earl" is a noble title, like a duke or a baron. James trained to be a lawyer and became a judge on October 18, 1706. He was appointed a Lord of Justiciary on June 6, 1706, and took the title Lord Grange. On July 27, 1710, he became the Lord Justice Clerk, another very important judge role.

He did not take part in the Jacobite rising of 1715, which was a rebellion by people who supported the return of the Stuart kings to the throne. However, he sometimes communicated with the Jacobites. He was known for being very religious and for supporting the Presbyterians, a group within the Church of Scotland.

In 1724, James Erskine and David Erskine, Lord Dun, bought back the Earldom of Mar from the government. This land had been taken from his family. They then reorganized the land and sold parts of it.

Around 1732, James Erskine's wife, Rachel Chiesley, disappeared and was believed to have died. However, she actually lived until May 1745.

In 1734, Lord Grange left his jobs as a judge. He then became a Member of Parliament, which means he was elected to help make laws for the country. In Parliament, he strongly disagreed with Sir Robert Walpole, who was a very powerful politician at the time. James Erskine wanted to become the Secretary of State for Scotland, a major government job, but he did not succeed. For a short time after leaving Parliament, he went back to being a lawyer.

Views on Witchcraft

James Erskine disagreed with the Witchcraft Act of 1735. This new law was different from older laws because it did not assume that witches actually existed or made deals with evil spirits. Instead, it said that anyone who claimed to practice witchcraft was trying to trick people. James Erskine was the only person who strongly opposed this law. He truly believed that witchcraft was real. His strong opposition to the Act made him seem unusual to other Members of Parliament. His political opponents, like Robert Walpole, used this against him. Walpole reportedly said that he no longer saw Erskine as a serious political threat because of his embarrassing views on the Act.

His home in Edinburgh was on the east side of Niddry Wynd, which is now Niddry Street, near the Royal Mile.

James Erskine died in London on January 20, 1754, when he was 75 years old.

Family Life

He married Rachel Chiesley. Rachel's father, John Chiesley, had committed a murder in 1689. After this, Rachel was raised by her uncle, Robert Chieslie, who was a Lord Provost of Edinburgh (a bit like a mayor). Rachel inherited a lot of money that was given as compensation to her uncles. They had lost money in a big trading project called the Darien scheme, and they were paid back after the Act of Union in 1707.

In Fiction

James Erskine, Lord Grange, appears as a character in Andrew Drummond's fantasy novel, The Books of the Incarceration of the Lady Grange (2016).

Images for kids

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  James Erskine (around 1750)

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  Portrait of James Erskine as a boy, painted by John Scougall