HE HAS been dubbed the “father of Scottish democracy” for his campaign of pioneering political reforms.
For two-and-a-half centuries, the name Thomas Muir has been synonymous with one of Scotland’s most notorious court cases.
But now legal papers, which have been missing for more than 200 years, have suggested the notoriety of the celebrated political reformer’s earliest campaigning may have contributed to his later treatment.
The Court of Session documents highlight the early period of Muir’s life, before his famous 1790s trial, where he was sentenced to 14 years in Botany Bay.
They were unearthed in archives belonging to the Faculty of Advocates and are to feature in a new book to be launched this week.
Experts say the lawyer from Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, upset key members of Scotland’s political and legal establishment, some of whom were instrumental in having him banished to Australia in 1793.
One of those involved in the discovery, Professor Gerard Carruthers of Glasgow University, said the documents suggest Muir courted controversy in his early years.
Previous biographers of 18th century reformer Muir had assumed the papers were long lost.
Mr Carruthers said: “I think partly the reason why these papers were overlooked was because they didn’t deal with the 1790s trial in which Muir is sentenced.
“These papers dealt with an earlier period when he is involved in local kirk politics.”
He added: “The real significance of these papers is they show he was a well-kent face, and the same people that sat in judgment on him in Edinburgh in 1793 were, just a few years earlier, aware of Thomas Muir making trouble as a representative of his local church.”
The papers detail a chapter in Muir’s early life while representing his local church, when he challenged local land owners, contesting their right to choose a church minister.
Over 80 pages of this new material bring into focus Muir’s activity representing his local kirk congregation at Cadder, in today’s East Dunbartonshire, in the period 1790-92.
They show the minutiae of Muir’s opposition to James Dunlop of Garnkirk, a local land owner who wished to control the appointment of a minister for the parish rather than allow the congregation to have a free hand in appointment.
Angela Grahame, QC, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, spokes of her delight the “treasure trove” of historical documents has provided a “new insight into the man who holds such a prominent place in Scottish history and culture”.
After his trial for sedition in 1793, Muir was found guilty and banished to Botany Bay for 14 years. He escaped from Australia two years later and fled to France, calling on the French Government to “liberate Scotland” but he died two years later.
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