Greenbank, High Street
Robert McGeorge (1851-1920) ran his legal practice with his son James from offices in his house, Greenbank.
Scotland, England/Wales and Ireland have three different legal systems, although there is some integration between them.
Differences between Scottish and English legal systems included:
| Type | Scotland | England |
|---|---|---|
| Terminology | Advocate | Barrister |
| Terminology | Writer*/solicitor | Solicitor |
| Age of legal capacity | 16 | 18 |
| Parental consent for marriage (minimum age: male 14, female 12) | No parental consent required | Parental consent required if under 21 |
| Number of people on juries | 15 (criminal); 12 (civil) | 12 (criminal and civil) |
| Jury verdicts available | Guilty, not guilty, not proven | Guilty, not guilty |
The lack of requirement for parental consent for marriage in Scotland resulted in a high number of marriages just north of the border with England, particularly in Gretna and Coldstream. This was restricted from 1856 by a law requiring 21 days’ prior residence in Scotland by at least one of the marriage partners.
The minimum age for marriage in both England and Scotland was raised in 1929 to 16 for both husband and wife, although parental consent was still required in England if under 21 (reduced to 18 in 1969). The minimum age was raised to 18 in England in 1923 and remains 16 in Scotland. An English resident over 16 and under 18 can legally marry in Scotland but the marriage is not recognised in England.
Three types of ‘irregular’ marriage were recognised in Scotland, although marriages formed in these ways were not usually deemed valid in England:
- Agreement before a witness.
- Promise of marriage followed by consummation.
- Cohabitation (marriage by ‘habit and repute’).
In Scotland, solicitors typically conducted all aspects of property rentals and sales, whereas in England property transactions were usually arranged by ‘estate agents’, with solicitors’ roles being restricted to handling only the legal aspects.
There were a considerable number of residential properties advertised in 1915 due to accommodation being vacated by departing soldiers.
Robert McGeorge’s father-in-law was Hugh Dobie (1832-1873), the town’s chief magistrate, who died at age 42. Although Robert was only 23, he succeeded his father-in-law as chief magistrate, although his title was preceded by ‘acting’ for a number of years. He named his private legal practice ‘Dobie & McGeorge’.
He held a number of positions:
- Local recruiting officer: jointly with Provost Thomas Easton.
- Langholm School Board: clerk
- Esk and Liddle Fisheries Association: secretary
- Langholm Curling Club: president
- Eskdale Unionist Association: secretary
Other earlier affiliations included:
- Langholm District Committee: member
- Langholm Golf Club: committee member
- Langholm New Town Bowling Club: member
- Common Riding Committee: treasurer
His wife Margaret Dobie (1868-1897) died of an intestinal obstruction at age 30 while visiting a cousin in Edinburgh.
Their son James played rugby for Edinburgh Academicals, West of Scotland and Langholm. He was a lieutenant in 1st/5th KOSB, serving on the front line in the Dardanelles. He got enteric fever (typhoid) there and recuperated in a hospital in Alexandria, Egypt.
James’s correspondence was sometimes provided by recipients for publication in the newspaper, for example thanking Langholm townsfolk for parcels sent to his company and giving news about casualties (e.g. see 21st June 1915 in the Diary, informing Robert Ramage of the death of his son William).
He returned to Langholm in June 1916 to lead some new recruits to Egypt and was promoted to captain the same month.
Robert’s older daughter Margaret (1891-1971) married James (‘J J’) Paterson of Terrona farm in 1917.
His younger daughter Lilian (1900-1966) was a member of the Chartered Society of Massage and Medical Gymnastics, renamed the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in 1944. She had three CSMMG qualifications: Massage, Medical Gymnastics and Medical Electricity. ‘Medical gymnastics’ were therapeutic physical exercises, pioneered by Pehr Henrik Ling in Sweden. ‘Medical electricity’ was electrotherapy. Below is Lilian’s medical electricity certificate registration, gained while she was staying at the Twentieth Century Club in Notting Hill, London, a residence for working gentlewomen.
Lilian was a member of the Langholm tennis club. She remained at Greenbank all her life.
Robert died in 1920, aged 69.