Justiciar of Lothian facts for kids

The Justiciar of Lothian was a really important legal job in the old Kingdom of Scotland during the Middle Ages. Think of them as a super-judge!

These Justiciars were in charge of making sure royal laws were followed in a big area called Lothian. This wasn't just the small Lothian we know today. It was a huge part of Scotland, stretching south of the River Forth and River Clyde. The only part they didn't cover was Galloway, which had its own special judge, and the lands north of the Forth and Clyde, which had the Justiciar of Scotia.

This important job might have started way back when King David I was king (he died in 1153). One of the first people known to hold this job was David Olifard. Even though the Justiciars of Lothian weren't as famous as some other high-ranking officials, they owned a lot of land and were very powerful people in Scotland.

Who Were the Justiciars of Lothian?

The Justiciars of Lothian were like the top legal officers for the king in their region. Their main job was to make sure that the king's laws were followed and that justice was served. They would travel around their area, holding courts and making decisions on important cases.

This job was very powerful because they represented the king's authority. They helped keep order and peace in a large part of medieval Scotland. Many of these Justiciars were important landowners themselves, which added to their influence.

List of Justiciars of Lothian (incomplete)

Here is a list of some of the people who held the important job of Justiciar of Lothian:

• David Olifard (around 1165 to 1170)
• Robert Avenel, Richard Comyn, Robert de Quincy, Geoffrey de Melville (around 1170 to 1178)
• Walter Olifard the Elder (around 1178 to 1188)
• William de Lindsay of Crawford (1189 to 1199)
• Patrick I, Earl of Dunbar (died 1232) (around 1195 to 1205)
• David de Lindsay of Crawford and Gervase Avenel (around 1206 to 1215)
• Alexander de Stirling, Sheriff of Stirling and Walter Lindsay, Sheriff of Berwick (around 1206 to 1215)
• Walter Olifard the Younger (died 1242) (around 1221 to 1242)
• David de Lindsay of the Byres (1242 to 1249 or 1251)
• William Olifard (mentioned as Justiciar in 1247)
• David de Graham of Dundaff, deputy (1248, 1253)
• Alan Durward, Knight (1250)
• Thomas de Normanville (around 1251 to 1253 or 1255)
• Walter de Moray of Petty (1255 or 1257)
• Hugh Barclay (1258)
• Thomas de Normanville and Stephen Fleming (1259)
• Stephen Fleming (around 1260)
• Hugh de Berkeley (around 1261 to after February 1275-76)
• William de Soules (died 1292 or 1293) (around 1279 to 1292 or 1293)
• Geoffrey de Mowbray (1294 to 1296)
• Adam de Gordon and John de Lisle (1305 to 1306)
• Alexander Lindsay of Barnweill (until 1309)
• David Lindsay
• James Douglas (around 1314 to 1318)
• Sir Robert de Lawedre of The Bass (died September 1337) (served before September 1319 until his death)
• Sir Walter Oliphant of Gask, Knight (after 1337)
• William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas (1371 to 1384)
• Sir Robert de Lawedre of The Bass (died 1451) (from 1425 until his death)