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Thomas Shaw, 1st Baron Craigmyle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named Thomas Shaw, see Thomas Shaw (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable
The Lord Craigmyle
PC
Shaw in 1905
Member of Parliament
for Hawick Burghs
In office
4 July 1892 – 28 February 1909
Preceded byAlexander Laing Brown
Succeeded byJohn Nicholson Barran
Solicitor General for Scotland
In office
1894–1895
Preceded byAlexander Asher
Succeeded byAndrew Murray
Lord Advocate
In office
December 1905 – February 1909
Preceded byCharles Scott Dickson
Succeeded byAlexander Ure
Personal details
BornThomas Shaw
(1850-05-23)23 May 1850
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Died28 June 1937(1937-06-28) (aged 87)
Glasgow, Scotland
Resting placeTorphins Cemetery
PartyLiberal
Spouse
Elspeth Forrest
​
(m. 1879)​
Children4, including Alexander
Education
Occupation
  • Politician
  • judge

Thomas Shaw, 1st Baron Craigmyle, PC (23 May 1850 – 28 June 1937), known as The Lord Shaw from 1909 to 1929, was a Scottish radical[1] Liberal Party politician and judge.

Early life and education

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Shaw was born on 23 May 1850, in Dunfermline,[2] the son of Alexander Shaw. He was educated at the Dunfermline High School. Shaw gained an LLD from St Andrews University in October 1902[3] and from the University of Aberdeen in 1906. He received a Master of Arts from Edinburgh University in 1874, where he was a Hamilton Fellow in mental philosophy and received the Lord Rector's Prize Essay.[4]

Career

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Shaw was appointed an advocate in 1875 and became a Queen's Counsel in 1894.

Shaw sat as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hawick Burghs from 1892 to 1909[5][6] and served as Solicitor General for Scotland from 1894 to 1895 and as Lord Advocate from December 1905[7] to 1909. He resigned from parliament and ministerial office and was created a life peer as Baron Shaw, of Dunfermline in the County of Fife, on 20 February 1909,[8] so that he could sit in the House of Lords and serve as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.

Shaw retired from this office in 1929 and was made an hereditary peer as Baron Craigmyle, of Craigmyle in the County of Aberdeen, on 7 March 1929.[9]

Personal life and death

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Shaw married Elspeth, daughter of George Forrest, in 1879.[10] Following their marriage, Elspeth assumed the title "Dowager Lady Craigmyle". Elspeth died on 31 May 1939, aged 92, in Woldingham.[11]

He died on 28 June 1937, aged 87, in Glasgow, and was buried in Torphins Cemetery.[2] He was succeeded in the hereditary barony by his son, Alexander.

Arms

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Coat of arms of Thomas Shaw, 1st Baron Craigmyle
Crest
A demi-savage holding in his dexter hand a club resting on his shoulder Proper.
Escutcheon
Ermine a fir tree growing out of a mount in base Proper between two piles Azure issuing from a chief Gules charged with a scroll Argent with seal pendant Proper.
Supporters
Misericordia Fidelitas Jus (Mercy Fidelity Right)[12]

References

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  1. ^ Fry, M. (5 February 1987). Patronage and Principle: A Political History of Modern Scotland. Aberdeen University Press. ISBN 9780080350639.
  2. ^ a b "Lord Craigmyle Thomas Shaw: in the UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. ^ "University intelligence". The Times. No. 36906. London. 23 October 1902. p. 9.
  4. ^ Wilton, G. W. (1921). "The Right Hon. Lord Shaw of Dunfermline". Journal of Comparative Legislation and International Law. 3 (3): vii–ix. ISSN 1479-5949.
  5. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 511. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  6. ^ "Hawick District of Burghs 1832-1918 (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  7. ^ "No. 27864". The London Gazette. 15 December 1905. p. 9008.
  8. ^ "No. 28238". The London Gazette. 2 April 1909. p. 2589.
  9. ^ "No. 33493". The London Gazette. 10 May 1929. p. 3124.
  10. ^ "SHAW, Rt. Hon. Thomas". Who's Who. Vol. 59. 1907. p. 1591.
  11. ^ "Dowager Lady Craigmyle Dead". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 1 June 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  12. ^ Debrett's Peerage. 1921.

Footnotes

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  • Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, [page needed]
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