William Guthrie

Born at Culhorn House, Stranraer, on August 17, 1835, he was educated at Stranraer Academy and at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. He was called to the Scottish bar in 1861, but became better known for scholarship and public service than for courtroom practice.

He edited the Journal of Jurisprudence, served as an official reporter of Court of Session cases, and held important legal posts including registrar of friendly societies for Scotland and sheriff-substitute of Lanarkshire. In 1903 he became sheriff-principal at Glasgow, and he also received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Edinburgh.

He was an industrious legal author and editor, producing editions and translations of major law texts, including works connected with Savigny, Erskine, and Bell. He died in Glasgow on August 31, 1908, leaving behind a career remembered for careful legal writing and steady public usefulness.