Charles John Guthrie, Baron Guthrie

Charles John Guthrie, Baron Guthrie (4 April 1849, Edinburgh – 28 April 1920, Edinburgh) was a Scottish lawyer.

Guthrie was the son of the Rev. Thomas Guthrie, editor of the Sunday Magazine. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and Edinburgh University, and in 1875 was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates. He was from 1881 to 1900 legal adviser to the Church of Scotland, and in 1897 became a Q.C. In 1907 he was appointed a judge of the court of session and created a life peer. Lord Guthrie was a member of the royal commissions on historical monuments in Scotland (1908) and on divorce (1909), and was chairman of the houseletting commission (1906-7). From 1910 to 1919 he was president of the Boys' Brigade of Great Britain and Ireland, and was a member of various antiquarian societies.

When young he had been a friend of Robert Louis Stevenson, and published in 1914 an appreciation of "Cummy," Stevenson's nurse. His other works include John Knox and his House (1898), and an edition of Knox's History of the Reformation in Scotland (1898), besides contributions to the memoir of his father, Thomas Guthrie (1875).

In one of his first trials as a Judge, that of Oscar Slater, Lord Guthrie misdirected the jury and made highly prejudicial attacks on the character of the accused contributing to a guilty verdict. Guthrie also failed to highlight misleading comments made by the Liberal Party's Lord Advocate, Alexander Ure, in his summing up. Slater was convicted, sentenced to death but fortunately this was commuted and he was subsequently freed on appeal 20 years later being awarded £6,000 in compensation.

Guthrie married the daughter of Rev. J.C. Burns, D.D., of Kirkliston, and there were two sons and three daughters to the marriage.^[1]

He died at Edinburgh April 28 1920.

References

1. ^ "Death Of Lord Guthrie Scottish Judge And Friend Of R. L. Stevenson.". London: The Times. Thursday, Apr 29, 1920; Issue 42397. p. 18; col F. 

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

• Works by or about Charles John Guthrie, Baron Guthrie in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Persondata
Name	Guthrie, Charles John, Baron Guthrie
Alternative names
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Date of birth	4 April 1849
Place of birth
Date of death	28 April 1920
Place of death