Patrick Fraser, Lord Fraser LLD (1817–1889) was a Scottish judge and legal scholar.

Life

He was born in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

in 1819 the son of Patrick Fraser, a merchant. After studies at

Perth Grammar School Perth Grammar School is a secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It is located in the Muirton district of Perth at the junction of Bute Drive and Gowans Terrace. The catchment serves the area to the north of Perth between Murthly and Methven w ...

and then studying law at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

, he was admitted to the bar of the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

in 1843, where he participated in some of the most prominent cases of his time. In 1864 he was made

Sheriff of Renfrew A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...

shire. The

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1871 for his historical research. Following the resignation of Lord Gifford due to ill-health, Fraser became a Lord of Session, and was given the title Lord Fraser. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates from 1878 to 1881 and was created

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1880. In Edinburgh he lived at 5 Heriot Row in the New Town.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1861-62 Fraser published widely in the area of commercial and family law. He was among those who established the tradition of scientific

monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...

s treating specific questions of law from a critical historical and philosophical point of view. He died at Gattonside House near

Melrose Melrose may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Melrose, Scottish Borders, a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland ** Melrose Abbey, ruined monastery ** Melrose RFC, rugby club Australia * Melrose, Queensland, a locality in the South Burnett R ...

on 27 March 1889. He is buried in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

on the south side of one of the north paths in the original cemetery, towards the west end.

Family

He married Margaret Ann Sharp, daughter of a

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

merchant. They had one son and four daughters.

Publications

*''A Treatise on the Law of Scotland as applicable to Personal and Domestic Relationships'' (1846) *''Tytler's History of Scotland Examined'' (1848) *''Domestic Economy, Gymnastics and Music'' (1855) *''The Conflict of Laws in Cases of Divorce'' (1860) *''A Sketch of the Career of Duncan Forbes of Culloden'' (1875) *''A treatise on Husband and Wife, according to the Law of Scotland'' (1876) *''Treatise on Master and Servant, Employer and Workman, and Master and Apprentice according to the Law of Scotland'' (1882)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Patrick 1817 births 1889 deaths Lawyers from Edinburgh People from Perth, Scotland Alumni of the University of St Andrews Scottish sheriffs Senators of the College of Justice Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish legal scholars 19th-century Scottish judges