Author: Erskine, Thomas
Biography:
ERSKINE, Thomas (1750-1823: ODNB)
The third son of Henry David Erskine (1710-67), the 10th earl of Buchan, and his wife Agnes Steuart (d 1778), he was born in Edinburgh, on 10 Jan. 1750. Likely he was tutored by his mother at home where he also had access to the distinguished men and women who attended her salons. The family moved to St. Andrews in about 1760 where he attended the grammar school and classes at the university. In 1764 he became a midshipman on HMS Tartar and sailed for the West Indies. On his return to Scotland in 1768 he joined the 2nd battalion of the Royals as an ensign and was posted to Berwick upon Tweed and to St. Helier in Jersey. He had begun writing verse and his Berwick Beauties was issued in 1768. On 29 Mar. 1770 he married Frances Moore at Gretna Green when he was still underage; they had numerous children before Frances’s death in Dec. 1805. In 1772 he sold his commission. Erskine entered Lincoln’s Inn to study law on 26 Apr. 1775 and on 13 Jan. 1776 he matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, (MA 1778, honorary LLD 1811). He was called to the bar on 3 July 1778. He rapidly became known for his eloquence and skill as he successfully argued prominent cases including at the bar of the House of Commons. A whig, he was elected MP for Portsmouth and became the attorney general for the Prince of Wales in 1783. His parliamentary career was mixed but the popular appeal of some of the legal causes he supported made him a national hero who stood for reform and freedom of the press. In Feb. 1806 he was made chancellor and became Baron Erskine of Restormel Castle in Cornwall; he held office until Apr. 1807 when he resigned. On 12 Oct. 1818 at Gretna Green he married Sarah Buck—he is recorded as Lord Erskine Berkeley in the register—but they separated in 1821; several children were born before and during the marriage. Although he profited financially as a barrister, various investments failed during his later life. Erskine became ill while travelling to Scotland to visit his brother and he died on 17 Nov. 1823. He was buried at Uphall, the family’s Scottish home. His publications include a political romance, Armata (1817). (ODNB 3 June 2024; ancestry.co.uk 3 June 2024)
Other Names:
- Erskine
- Baron Erskine