Vol. 20, No. 568.] SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1832. [PRICE 2d.
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[Illustration: BIRTHPLACE OF THE EARL OF ELDON.]
Little need be said, by way of explanation, for the addition of the
present subject to our collection of the birthplaces of eminent
men. It is something to know that John Scott was born at
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the principal dwelling represented in the
above Engraving, in the year 1751; that he received the rudiments of
his education at the free grammar-school of the town; that he grew up
"a man of safe discretion;" that he enjoyed the highest legal honours
which his sovereign could bestow for a quarter of a century; and that
he still lives, a venerable octogenarian, in the enjoyment of "glory
from his conscience, and honour from men." The biography of so
distinguished an individual must have innumerable good tendencies:
it at once inculcates the wholesome truth that "every man is the
architect of his own fortune;" and it presents us, moreover, with
the encouraging picture of a well-regulated life, and its healthful
energies so employed in the discharge of important duties as to
entitle the subject to high rank among the worthies of his country.
John Scott, Lord Eldon, is the third son of William Scott, of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. "His father was by trade what in the language of
the place is called a 'fitter,' or agent for the sale and shipment
of coals. He had by industry and habits of close saving accumulated
rather considerable means from small beginnings. Beyond this he was
a man of great shrewdness and knowledge of the world," and quickly
perceiving the talents of the two younger boys, William (now Lord
Stowell,) and John, he wisely gave them an education in accordance
with their mental endowments. "It is said that the singular variety
in the talent of these two remarkable youths was manifested at a very
early age. When asked to 'give an account of the sermon,' which was a
constant Sabbath custom of their father, William, the eldest, gave at
once a condensed and lucid digest of the general argument. John,
on the other hand, would go into all the minutiae, but failed in
producing the lucid, general view embodied in half the number of words
by his brother."[1] The two boys received their early education at the
free grammar-school of Newcastle.[2] William was from the beginning
destined for the study of the law. John was at first intended for
the church, and was, accordingly, sent to Oxford: early marriage was,
however, the fortunate means of changing his destination, and he began
the world in the same profession with his brother. In 1757, John was
entered as a student at the Middle Temple, and was called to the bar
at the usual period. He at this time possessed an extensive stock of
legal information, having been an indefatigable reader, and spent the
two last years of his preliminary studies in the office of a special
pleader. At his outset he made no progress, his powers being palsied
by an oppressive diffidence. He therefore devoted his talents entirely
to being a draftsman in Chancery. His employment was laborious, and
not lucrative, while it materially injured his health. In a fit of
despondency he resolved to retire into humble practice in his native
county; and he had actually given up his chambers and taken leave of
his friends in the metropolis, when he was not only diverted from his
purpose by an eminent solicitor, but was even prevailed upon to make
one more trial at the bar. His first success was the undoubted fruit
of his extraordinary abilities, and is said to have originated in the
sudden illness of a leading counsel the night before the trial of a
complicated civil cause. It could not be put off, and the client
of the lost leader was in despair, when Scott courageously took the
brief, made himself in one night master of its voluminous intricacies,
and triumphed. From this time he gained confidence, and his forensic
reputation soon became established. He was much aided by the
encouragement which he received from Lord Thurlow, who praised his
abilities, and is said to have offered him a mastership in Chancery,
which Mr. Scott declined.
[1] Tait's Edinburgh Magazine for the present month.
[2] At this school also were educated Vice-Admiral Lord
Collingwood; Sir Robert Chambers; William Elstob, an antiquary
and divine; the poet, Akenside; the Rev. George Hall, Bishop
of Dromore; and the Rev. John Brand, author of a history of
Newcastle, and secretary to the Society of Antiquaries; all of
whom were born at Newcastle.
In 1783; Mr. Scott obtained a silk gown; and, through Lord Weymouth's
interest, he was introduced into parliament for the borough of Weobly.
It is stated that on the latter occasion, he stipulated for the
liberty of voting as he pleased. He took a decided part with the Pitt
administration; and in 1788, he was appointed solicitor-general,
and knighted; in 1793, he rose to be attorney-general, and in the
following year he conducted the trial of Hardy, Tooke, and Thelwall,
for treason. Erskine was opposed to him; and the prosecution failed,
though the speech of the attorney-general occupied nine hours in the
delivery.
In 1799, Sir John Scott was appointed to the chief justiceship of the
Common Pleas, on the resignation of Chief Justice Eyre; and in the
same year he was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Eldon. In
1801, he was made Lord Chancellor, which high office he retained till
the year 1827, with the exception of the short period during which the
Whigs were in office, in 1806. His lordship was raised to the dignity
of an earl at the coronation of George IV. in 1821.
The high character of the Earl of Eldon as Chancellor is thus lucidly
drawn by Sir Egerton Brydges: "Of all who, in the long lapse of ages,
have filled the sacred seat on which he now (1823) sits, none ever
had purer hands, none ever had a conscientious desire of equity more
ardent and more incessant than Lord Eldon. The amazing expanse of
his views, the inexpressible niceness of his discrimination, his
unrelaxing anxiety to do justice in every individual case, the
kindness of his heart, and the ductility of his ideas, all ensure that
attention to every suitor which must necessarily obtain the unbounded
admiration and attachment of the virtuous and the wise. Lord Eldon's
eloquence," continues Sir Egerton, "is rather adapted to cultivated
and thinking minds than to a popular audience. It generally addresses
the understanding rather than the fancy. It frequently wants fluency,
but occasionally is tinged with a high degree of moral pathos."
We could illustrate the conscientious character alluded to by the
above writer, with anecdotes of the chancellorship of Lord Eldon. As
the following have, we believe, but once appeared in print, they may
not, be familiar to the reader. Sir Richard Phillips relates:[3] "In
conversation with Mr. Butterman, (at Dronfield), I heard two anecdotes
of Lord Eldon, which, as an example to Lord Chancellors, and to
public spirited parishioners, I consider it my duty to introduce. The
incumbent, some years ago, thought proper to propose an exchange with
an incompetent clergyman; when Mr. B., as a friend to the church, and
some of his respectable neighbours took alarm at the negotiation, and
in the commencement he penned a letter to the Chancellor. The other
parties calculated on the arrangement, but, on applying to the
Chancellor he could consent to no exchange, but that if the parties
were tired of their positions, they might respectively resign, and
there were plenty of candidates. The determination was final, and the
scheme of exchange was abandoned. In another instance, a master
had been regularly appointed to the grammar school at Dronfield,
on liberal principles of education, but, within a few years, some
prejudice was excited against him, and the churchwardens for the time
thought proper to stop his salary. On this occasion, Mr. B. and some
friends combined in an application to Lord Eldon, and his lordship
instantly directed the churchwardens to render an account of the trust
within a few days. They claimed time, and were allowed a month, when,
without other form, he directed the salary to be paid to the appointed
master, with all expenses."
[3] In his Personal Tour through the United Kingdom, Part iii.
Newcastle contains memorials of Lord Eldon which indicate that
the inhabitants are proud of their distinguished fellow-freeman. A
spacious range of elegant buildings is called Eldon Square: and in the
Guildhall is a portrait of his lordship, opposite that of his brother,
Lord Stowell.
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