Victorian grief....

The son of Duncan McLaren, a former Provost of Edinburgh and Member of Parliament, Lord McLaren was born in Edinburgh. He attended Edinburgh University before being admitted to the Scottish bar in 1856.

McLaren wrote a number of books on legal topics, including 'Law of Wills and Succession.

He was an eminently successful judge, and edited works on Scots law. He was also a student of astronomy and mathematics, and was awarded honorary degrees from Edinburgh University, the University of Glasgow and the University of Aberdeen.

But what I note here is the age of his children at the time of their death! How hard Victorian life was.

I know several of his descendants, interestingly still at law!