Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 60.djvu/145

 was created a baronet of the United Kingdom in 1803, and became postmaster-general of Scotland.

[Historical Papers relating to the Jacobite Period (New Spalding Club), 1896; List of Persons concerned in the Rebellion in 1745 (Scottish History Soc.), 1890; Douglas's Scottish Baronage, p. 282; Burke's Peerage and Baronetage; Webster's Genealogical Account of the Wedderburn Family (privately printed at Nantes), 1819.]  WEDDERBURN, PETER (1616?–1679), Scottish judge, was the third son of James Wedderburn, town clerk of Dundee. Sir Alexander Wedderburn [q. v.] was his elder brother. He was born at Dundee about 1616, and was educated at St. Andrews, where he graduated M.A. in 1636. He was admitted advocate on 19 Jan. 1642, and speedily attained prominence at the bar. In January 1658–9 he acquired the estate of Gosford, Haddingtonshire, from Sir Alexander Auchmuty, not, as is stated in Douglas's ‘Baronage,’ from his uncle, Sir John Wedderburn [q. v.], who advanced money for the purpose as he had no children and had decided to make Peter his heir. Wedderburn remained firmly attached to the royalists during the civil war; and at the Restoration he was knighted and made keeper of the signet for life, with power to appoint deputies. In July 1661 he was appointed clerk to the privy council, and on 17 June 1668 he was raised to the bench as an ordinary lord of session, with the title of Lord Gosford. He represented the constabulary of Haddington in the conventions almost continuously from 1661 until 1674. He died at Gosford on 11 Nov. 1679. He married, first, in 1649, Christian Gibson, by whom he had one son, who died in infancy; and secondly, in 1653, Agnes, daughter of John Dickson, Lord Hartree of session, and had five sons and four daughters. The second son, Peter (1658–1746), assumed the name of Halkett on marrying Jane, daughter of Sir Charles Halkett, and heiress of her brother, Sir James Halkett; he is represented by Sir Peter Arthur Halkett of Pitfirrane, bart. Sir Peter Wedderburn's third son was grandfather of Alexander Wedderburn, first earl of Rosslyn [q. v.] Lord Gosford published ‘A Collection of Decisions of the Court of Session from 1 June 1668 till July 1677,’ which is still accepted as authoritative. He was regarded as an eloquent advocate and an upright judge, ‘whose deeds were prompted by truthfulness, and whose law was directed by justice and sympathy.’

A portrait of Sir Peter is in the possession of Sir William Wedderburn at Meredith, and is reproduced in ‘The Wedderburn Book.’ Another portrait was at Leslie House, and was sold in 1886.

[Brunton and Haig's Senators of the College of Justice, p. 394; Millar's Roll of Eminent Burgesses of Dundee, pp. 163, 196; The Wedderburn Book (privately printed, 1898), p. 363; Millar's Compt Buik of David Wedderburn (Scottish Hist. Soc.); Douglas's Baronage.]  WEDGE, JOHN HELDER (1792–1872), colonial statesman, was born in England in 1792. He arrived in Tasmania in 1827, having received an appointment in the survey department. In 1828 he was ordered by government to make a preliminary survey of the country before the patent of the grant about to be made to the Van Diemen's Land Company was settled. In accordance with his report the grant to the company was increased from 250,000 to 350,000 acres, but his recommendation to reserve land at Emu Bay for a township was disregarded, though it was the only site suitable for a port not already in the company's possession. Some years later with Frankland, the surveyor-general, he explored the country from the headwaters of the Derwent to Fort Davey, tracing the Huon river from its source. In 1835 he went to Port Phillip as agent for a syndicate of fifteen Tasmanians to take up a large tract of land in the territory of what is now Victoria. Six hundred thousand acres were purchased by Wedge from the natives before the syndicate's expedition, led by John Pascoe Fawkner [q. v.], arrived. The purchase was disallowed by the Sydney government, though at a later period the syndicate received a grant of land in partial compensation, Wedge selling his share in 1854 for 18,000l. While at Port Phillip he aided in rescuing William Buckley (1780–1856) [q. v.], who had lived over thirty years among the Australian natives. After the collapse of this syndicate Wedge visited England, returning in 1843, with Francis Russell Nixon [q. v.], bishop of Tasmania, as manager of the Christ College estate at Bishopsbourne. In 1855 he was elected member of the Tasmanian legislative council for the district of Morven, and in 1856 for the district of North Esk. He was a member of the cabinet without office in Thomas George Gregson's short ministry from 26 Feb. to 25 April 1857. At a later date he represented Hobart, and afterwards the Huon in the legislative council, retaining his seat until his death. For many years he resided on his estate, Leighlands, near Perth, but in 1865 removed to the estate of Medlands, on the river Forth, where he died on 22 Nov. 1872. In 1843 he married an English lady