Alexander Nicolson, Advocate

Alexander Nicolson, Advocate - Research paper

This paper is intended to shine some light on the life of a remarkable man from Skye, whose legacy continues in many diverse areas: law, Gaelic culture, mountaineering and poetry”

Sheriff Alexander Nicolson (1827-1893) was an advocate, law reporter, Royal Commissioner, poet and mountaineer. An expert on Gaelic culture, he was a proponent of Gaelic education and “the right to roam”. Nicolson made the first recorded ascent of the highest peak on Skye, now known as Sgurr Alasdair.

His life inspired the research paper Alexander Nicolson: Lawyer, Mountaineer and Poet by Roderick MacLeod, advocate which is available to read here.

Library staff have created a small exhibition for Members of Faculty, which highlights related items in the Advocates Library collections, as well as volumes on loan from Roderick MacLeod. It will be located in the Reading Room during April and May 2026.  

To read the paper, please click here.