Andrew McDowall (or Douall), Lord Bankton (1685–1760) was a Scottish lawyer and
Senator of the College of Justice
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); ...
.
Life

He was born the second son of Robert McDowall of Logan,
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headq ...
and his wife, Sarah Shaw daughter of John Shaw of
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of ...
. Andrew trained in Law at
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI i ...
and passed the Scottish bar as an advocate around 1705. He became a successful advocate in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
.
In 1745 he purchased
Bankton House
Bankton House is a late 17th-century house situated south of Prestonpans in East Lothian, Scotland. The house is located between the A1 road and the East Coast Main Line railway at .
Pre-Reformation
In the 12th century, the monks of Newbattle Ab ...
in
Prestonpans
Prestonpans ( gd, Baile an t-Sagairt, Scots: ''The Pans'') is a small mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the Council area of East Lothian. The population as of is. It is near the site of the 1745 ...
, east of Edinburgh, from the estate of the late Col.Gardiner who had been killed in the
Battle of Prestonpans
The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745.
Jacobite forces, led by the Stuart exile ...
.
On 5 July 1755 he was elected a
Senator of the College of Justice
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); ...
in place of the late
John Sinclair, Lord Murkle
John Sinclair, Lord Murkle (died 5 June 1755) was a Scottish judge.
A son of John Sinclair, 8th Earl of Caithness and Janet Carmichael of the Hyndford family, he was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates on 7 February 1713. On 18 January 1721 he w ...
.
He died at Bankton House on 22 October 1760. His position as Senator was filled by
James Veitch, Lord Elliock
James Veitch, Lord Elliock FRSE (25 September 1712 – 1 July 1793) was a Scottish advocate, judge, politician and landowner who became a Senator of the College of Justice.
Life
He was born in Edinburgh in September 1712, the son of Christian Th ...
.
Publications
*''An Institute of the Laws of Scotland in Civil Rights'' (4 vols) 1751 to 1758 which compares the differences between Scottish and English Laws and continues in use as a reference book.
Family
In 1743 (aged 58) he was married to Helen Grant. They had no children.
Artistic Recognition
He was portrayed around 1756 by William Millar and the
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...
hold an etching of Lord Bankton by
Thomas Worlidge
Thomas Worlidge (1700−1766) was an English painter and etcher.
Life
He was born in Peterborough of Roman Catholic parents, and studied art in London as a pupil of the Genoese refugee Alessandro Maria Grimaldi (1659−1732). He painted portrait ...
.
[https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/101185/andrew-mcdouall-lord-bankton1685-1760-judge-lord-court-session-scotland]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDowall
1685 births
1760 deaths
Senators of the College of Justice