James Loch was a Scottish economist, advocate, barrister, estate commissioner and later a Member of Parliament.
In 1801 Loch was admitted an advocate in Scotland, and was called to the bar in England at Lincoln's Inn on 15 November 1806, but abandoned the law after a few years of conveyancing practice.
He became interested in the management of estates, and was simultaneously auditor to the George, Marquis of Stafford (who married Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland, and became shortly before he died Duke of Sutherland), to Lord Francis Egerton, afterwards Earl of Ellesmere, to the Bridgewater trustees, to the Earl of Carlisle, and to the trust estates of the Earl of Dudley and of George, Viscount Keith.
In this capacity he was responsible for muJames Loch was a Scottish economist, advocate, barrister, estate commissioner and later a Member of Parliament.
In 1801 Loch was admitted an advocate in Scotland, and was called to the bar in England at Lincoln's Inn on 15 November 1806, but abandoned the law after a few years of conveyancing practice.
He became interested in the management of estates, and was simultaneously auditor to the George, Marquis of Stafford (who married Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland, and became shortly before he died Duke of Sutherland), to Lord Francis Egerton, afterwards Earl of Ellesmere, to the Bridgewater trustees, to the Earl of Carlisle, and to the trust estates of the Earl of Dudley and of George, Viscount Keith.
In this capacity he was responsible for much of the policy respecting the agricultural labourers and the improvement of agriculture pursued over tens of thousands of acres both in England and Scotland. The "Sutherlandshire clearances" of George, Marquis of Stafford, by which between 1811 and 1820 fifteen thousand tenants were removed from the inland to the seacoast districts, were carried out under his supervision.
The manner in which the evictions were carried out could be exceedingly harsh, particularly in the valley of Strathnaver. An eye witness, Angus Mackay, commented that "It would be a very hard heart but would mourn to see the circumstances of the people... you would have pitied them, tumbling on the ground and greeting, tearing the ground with their hands...".
In June 1827 Loch entered parliament as member for St. Germans in Cornwall for the Whigs, and having held that seat until 1830, he was then returned without opposition for the Wick Burghs, and was regularly re-elected until 1852, when he was defeated, by 119 votes to 80, by Samuel Laing....more
Sign in with Facebook
