Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet, of Minto
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The Right Honourable Sir Gilbert Elliot Bt |
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| Member of the Great Britain Parliament for Selkirkshire |
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In office 1753–1765 |
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| Preceded by | John Murray |
| Succeeded by | John Pringle |
| Treasurer of the Chamber | |
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In office 1762–1770 |
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| Member of the Great Britain Parliament for Roxburghshire |
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In office 1765–1777 |
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| Preceded by | Walter Scott |
| Succeeded by | Sir Gilbert Elliot, Bt (son) |
| Treasurer of the Navy | |
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In office 1770–1777 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 1722 Minto, Roxburghshire, Scotland |
| Died | 11 February 1777 (aged 54) Marseille, France |
| Spouse(s) | Agnes Dalrymple-Murray-Kynynmound |
| Parents | Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, of Minto and Helen Steuart |
Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet, (of Minto) (September 1722 – 11 February 1777) was born at Minto, Roxburghshire, and was a Scottish statesman, philosopher and poet.
He was the son of Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, of Minto, and Helen Steuart. One of nine children, Elliot was educated at Dalkeith grammar school and from 1735 at Edinburgh University. A period of study at the University of Utrecht (1743) was followed by a tour of the Netherlands and the German states during 1744–5. Elliot was "a distinguished classical scholar" who claimed in a letter to another intimate companion, David Hume, to have "read over almost all the classics, both Greek and Latin". Elliot's friendship with Hume had begun while both were students at Edinburgh University. He was trained for the Scottish Bar, and passed Advocate on 10 December 1743. On the death of his father on 16 April 1766 he inherited the Baronetcy.
Elliot was the author of Amynta, which Sir Walter Scott described as "the beautiful pastoral song", and which began:
My sheep I neglected; I broke my sheep-hook
Other works by Elliot include Twas at the hour of dark midnight, describing the death of Colonel James Gardiner (1686–1745) during the Battle of Prestonpans, published in the third volume of 'The Scots Musical Museum' and Thoughts occasioned by the funeral of the earl and countess of Sutherland in Holyrood House which appeared anonymously in the Scots Magazine for October 1766.
In March 1748 Elliot was appointed as Roxburghshire's first sheriff-depute, one of the judges introduced in Scotland by legislation passed in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Elliot served in the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Selkirkshire (1753–1765), and then Roxburghshire (1765–1777), and was a supporter of the policies of King George III in the American colonies. His Papers concerning the Boston Tea Party are in Harvard University Library. At one time he was a candidate for the Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons. He was made a Lord of the Admiralty in 1756, a position he held until his resignation in support of William Pitt in April 1757, and to which he was reinstated in June with Pitt's return to office
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