The Hon. 'Henry Erskine' (
1 November 1746 –
8 October 1817) was a Scottish politician and lawyer.
The second son of
Henry David Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan and brother of the
Lord Chancellor Thomas Erskine, he studied at
St Andrews University,
Edinburgh University and the
University of Glasgow.
He was appointed
Lord Advocate from 1783 to 1784 in the
Fox-North Coalition and again from 1806 to 1807 in the
Grenville ministry. He was advocate and state councillor to the
Prince of Wales in Scotland from 1783. He was Dean of the
Faculty of Advocates from 1785 to 1795, but was not re-elected, having condemned the "sedition" and "treason" bills as unconstitutional.
He was
Member of Parliament for
Haddington burghs from April to November 1806, and for
Dumfries burghs from 1806 to 1807. He was appointed as a Commissioner to inquire into administration of justice in Scotland in 1808. In 1811 he gave up his practice at the bar and retired to his country residence of Almondell, in
Linlithgowshire.
His eldest son,
Henry David, succeeded as 12th
Earl of Buchan on his uncle's death in 1829
Described as a "friend of the poor", he published ''The Emigrant, an Eclogue'', 1773 and other poems.