Moir Tod Stormonth Darling, Lord Stormonth-Darling Explained

Moir Tod Stormonth Darling, Lord Stormonth-Darling FRSE DL LLD (3 November 1844 – 2 June 1912) was a Scottish Conservative Party politician and judge.

Life

Stormonth-Darling was born on 3 November 1844, the son of Elizabeth Moir Tod, daughter James Tod of, Deanstoun, and James Stormonth Darling of Lednathie WS (1830-1881). The family lived at 40 Drummond Place in Edinburgh's New Town.[1]

He was educated at Kelso Grammar School then studied law at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an MA.

In November 1888, he was elected in an unopposed by-election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities.[2] from 1888 appointed as Solicitor General for Scotland. He resigned the seat in 1890, when he was appointed to judiciary as a Lord of Session, an office which he held until 1908[3]

In 1897 he was President of the Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club and gave the Toast to Sir Walter at the club's annual dinner. In 1900 he featured in a set of Copes cigarette cards of well known golfers. The card, numbered 49, depicts him standing in a bunker and is entitled "Duffers Yet".

He was a Director of both Scottish Provident and the Bank of Scotland, a member of the Court of the University of Edinburgh, a Railway Commissioner for Scotland and (like his father) a member of the Royal Company of Archers. He wrote books on golf and also collected ballads.[4]

In later years he lived at Balvarran in Perthshire and 10 Great Stuart Street, an impressive Georgian townhouse on the Moray Estate in Edinburgh's West End.[5]

He died at home on 2 June 1912 aged 67.

Family

He was married to Ethel Hay Young, daughter of Major William Baird Young (a relation of Brigham Young), in 1892.[6]

His parents are buried together in the small graveyard at Buccleuch Parish Church.

Notes and References

  1. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1844
  2. Book: Craig , F. W. S. . F. W. S. Craig

    . F. W. S. Craig . British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 . 1974 . 2nd . 1989 . Parliamentary Research Services . Chichester . 0-900178-27-2 . 571.

  3. Web site: Archived copy . 2017-02-03 . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20170203065452/http://www.leighrayment.com/misc/lordofsessions.htm . 3 February 2017.
  4. Seekers of Truth: The Scottish Founders of Modern Public Accountancy, by Thomas Alexander Lee
  5. Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1911-12
  6. Book: Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1783–2002: Part 1 (A–J) . C D Waterston . A Macmillan Shearer . . 090219884X . July 2006 . 18 September 2015 . 24 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130124115814/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf . dead.