Alexander Brodie (1617–1680), of Brodie,

lord of session The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...

, was descended from an old family, which in 1311 received the lands of Brodie in

Elginshire Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It ...

from Alexander III.

Early life

Brodie, born on 25 July 1617, was the eldest son of David Brodie of Brodie and Grizzel, daughter of Thomas Dunbar, and niece on her mother's side of the

Admirable Crichton James Crichton, known as the Admirable Crichton (19 August 1560 – 3 July 1582), was a Scottish polymath noted for his extraordinary accomplishments in languages, the arts, and sciences before he was murdered at the age of 21. Ear ...

. In 1628 he was sent to England, where he remained till 1632. In the latter year he enrolled as a student in

King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Abredonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Universi ...

, but he didn't take a degree. On 19 May 1636 he was served heir of his father by a dispensation of the lords of council, and on 28 Oct. of the same year he married the widow of John Urquhart of Craigston, by whom he had a son and daughter.

Iconoclast

Brodie was a strong Presbyterian, and, in December 1640, headed a party which demolished two oil paintings of the Crucifixion and the Day of Judgment in the cathedral of Elgin and also mutilated the finely carved interior of the building as unsuitable for a place of worship. This extreme puritanical zeal exposed him to the revenge of Montrose, who, in February 1645, burned and devastated his property, and carried off the family papers of the house of Brodie.

Shire commissioner

In 1643 he was chosen as Shire Commissioner for the

county of Elgin Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It w ...

in parliament, and frequently served on parliamentary committees. He was also elected a representative to the

general assembly of the church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

. On 6 March 1649 he was appointed a commissioner to meet Charles II at the Hague.

Lord of Session

After Brodie's return from the Hague he was nominated a

on 22 June. He took the oaths in the presence of parliament on 23 July, and took his seat on the bench on 1 Nov. In February 1650 he was sent as commissioner of the general assembly to Breda, to induce the king to sign the national covenant. He was also a member of the various committees of estates during the attempt of Charles to wrest from Cromwell his dominion. In June 1653 he was cited by Cromwell to London to arrange for a union between the two kingdoms, but did not obey the summons, and 'resolved', as he expressed it, 'in the strength of the Lord to eschew and avoid employment under Cromwell.' He retired to his estate until Cromwell's death, when, on 3 Dec. 1658, he again took his seat on the bench. At the Restoration he was superseded and was also subjected to a fine of £4,000, Scots. In 1661 he paid a lengthy visit to London. He died on 17 April 1680.

Diary

The Diary of Alex. Brodie, from 25 April 1652 to 1 Feb. 1654, was published in Edinburgh in 1740 by an unknown editor. The complete Diary, from 1650 to 17 April 1680, with a continuation by his son, James Brodie (1637-1708), to February 1685, was published by the Spalding Club in 1863, with an introduction by David Laing. The part published in 1740 is chiefly concerned with his religious experiences, and is not an adequate sample of the Diary as a whole, which conveys much important information regarding political events, and a specially interesting account of his visit to London, and of the persons with whom he there came into contact. See also Shaw's History of the Province of Moray; Genealogy of the Brodie family, by William Brodie (1862).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodie, Alex 1617 births 1680 deaths Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Senators of the College of Justice