Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session in Scotland from 1532 to 1762, and were part of the historical judiciary of Scotland. When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President, 14 Ordinary Lords and three or four Extraordinary Lords. The Extraordinary Lords were nominees of the Monarch of Scotland, and did not need to be legally qualified; Extraordinary Lords were unsalaried, and free to sit or not as they pleased. This may have been a device to conciliate the barons, but it facilitated royal interference in the work of the courts, and the Extraordinary Lords tended to sit only in cases where they had a personal interest. The number of Extraordinary Lords rose to eight in 1553 but, after protest, was reduced to four and continued at around that level until 1723 when it was provided that no future vacancies should be filled. Archbishop Burnet was the last cleric to hold judicial office, being an Extraordinary Lord from 1664 to 1668, and John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale was the last Extraordinary Lord, holding office from 1721 to 1762. The practice of appointing Extraordinary Lords ceased in 1721, and the office of Extraordinary Lord was abolished by the Section 2 of the Court of Session Act 1723. Section 1 of the same restated that Orindary Lords of Session should be legally qualified. Extraordinary Lords of Session 1539: William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven 1539: John, Lord Erskine 1541: William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal 1541: William, Earl of Rothes 1541: Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell 1541: John Lindsay, 5th Lord Lindsay 1542: George Seton, 6th Lord Seton 1542: Alexander, Lord Livingston 1542: James Ogilvy, 4th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie 1542: John, Lord Innermeath 1554: Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington 1554: Adam Livingstone of Dunipace 1561: William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal 1561: William Maitland of Lethington 1561: James Balfour, parson of Flisk 1562: John Wood of Tulliedairie 1563: Adam, Bishop of Orkney 1565: Alexander, Bishop of Galloway 1566: Edward Henryson 1566: John Wood of Tulliedairie 1566: Gavin Hamilton, Commendator of Kilwinning 1567: Sir John Wishard of Pitarrow incomplete list 1641: Archibald, Earl of Argyll 1641: Archibald, Lord Angus 1641: John, Lord Lindsay 1641: John Lord Balmerino 1649: John, Lord Coupar 1649: John Kennedy, 6th Earl of Cassilis 1661: John Lindsay, 17th Earl of Crawford 1661: John, Earl of Rothes 1661: John,