Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Ogilvy, Alexander (d.1727)

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
1406088Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 42 — Ogilvy, Alexander (d.1727)1895Thomas Finlayson Henderson ‎

OGILVY, Sir ALEXANDER (d. 1727), of Forglen, Scottish judge, under the title Lord Forglen, was the second son of George Ogilvy, second Lord Banff, and Agnes Falconer, only daughter of Alexander, first Lord Halkerston. On 28 March 1685 he was sued by Sir Alexander Forbes of Tolquhoun for the value of a silver cup, which it was alleged he had taken out of the house of Forbes; but on 23 April he pursued Forbes for defamation in making him the thief and resetter (receiver) of the cup, the result being that the council fined Forbes in twenty thousand merks, the one half to the king's cashier, and the other half to the party aggrieved. The king's half of the fine was subsequently remitted, but the council compelled Forbes to pay Ogilvy's half (Lauder of Fountainhall, Decisions, i. 369, 362, 421, 427, 442).

Ogilvy was created a baronet 29 June 1701, and sat in the Scots parliament as member for the burgh of Banff in 1701-2 and 1702-7. In June 1703 he and Lord Belhaven were ordered into custody for having quarrelled in the parliament house in the presence of the lord high commissioner and come to blows. On the 30th of the month it was moved that, as they had acknowledged their offence, they should be set at liberty; but the lord high commissioner would not consent until his majesty's pleasure was known. Ultimately, Lord Belhaven, for striking Ogilvy, was ordered to pay a fine of 5,000l., and to ask pardon on his knees at the bar of the lord high commissioner; but his grace was pleased to dispense with the kneeling (cf. Narcissus Luttrell, Short Relation, v. 314, 316, 332). On 26 March 1706 Ogilvy was appointed a lord of session, and he took his seat on 23 July following, with the title Lord Forglen. He was also named one of the commissioners for the union with England, which he warmly supported in parliament. He died 3 March 1727. By his first wife, Mary, eldest daughter of Sir John Allardice of Allardice, Kincardineshire, he had four sons, of whom the second, Alexander, succeeded him, and the others died without issue. By his second wife, Mary, daughter of David Leslie, first Lord Newark, and relict of Sir Francis Kinloch of Gilmerton, he left no issue.

[Lauder of Fountainhall's Decisions; Foster's Members of the Scottish Parliament; Brunton and Haig's Senators of the College of Justice; Douglas's Scottish Peerage (Wood), i. 193-4.]

T. F. H.