PEERAGES
Last updated 21/07/2018 (24 Apr 2024)
Date	Rank	Order	Name	Born	Died	Age
KABERRY OF ADEL
23 Sep 1983 to     13 Mar 1991	B[L]		Sir Donald Kaberry, 1st baronet Created Baron Kaberry of Adel for life 23 Sep 1983 MP for Leeds North West 1950‑1983 Peerage extinct on his death	18 Aug 1907	13 Mar 1991	83
KADOORIE
22 Sep 1981 to     25 Aug 1993	B[L]		Sir Lawrence Kadoorie Created Baron Kadoorie for life 22 Sep 1981 Peerage extinct on his death	2 Jun 1899	25 Aug 1993	94
KAGAN
30 Jun 1976 to     18 Jan 1995	B[L]		Sir Joseph Kagan Created Baron Kagan for life 30 Jun 1976 Peerage extinct on his death For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	6 Jun 1915	18 Jan 1995	79
KAHN
6 Jul 1965 to     6 Jun 1989	B[L]		Richard Ferdinand Kahn Created Baron Kahn for life 6 Jul 1965 Peerage extinct on his death	10 Aug 1905	6 Jun 1989	83
KAKKAR
22 Mar 2010	B[L]		Ajay Kumar Kakkar Created Baron Kakkar for life 22 Mar 2010 PC 2014; KG 2024	28 Apr 1964
KALDOR
9 Jul 1974 to     30 Sep 1986	B[L]		Nicholas Kaldor Created Baron Kaldor for life 9 Jul 1974 Peerage extinct on his death	12 May 1908	30 Sep 1986	78
KALMS
1 Jun 2004	B[L]		Sir Harold Stanley Kalms Created Baron Kalms for life 1 Jun 2004	21 Nov 1931
KEANE
23 Dec 1839	B	1	John Keane Created Baron Keane 23 Dec 1839	6 Feb 1781	26 Aug 1844	63
26 Aug 1844		2	Edward Arthur Wellington Keane	4 May 1815	25 Jul 1882	67
25 Jul 1882 to     27 Nov 1901		3	John Manly Arbuthnot Keane Peerage extinct on his death	1 Sep 1816	27 Nov 1901	85
KEARTON
5 Feb 1970 to     2 Jul 1992	B[L]		Sir Christopher Frank Kearton Created Baron Kearton for life 5 Feb 1970 Peerage extinct on his death	17 Feb 1911	2 Jul 1992	81
KEDLESTON
28 Jun 1921	E	1	George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston Created Earl of Kedleston and Marquess Curzon of Kedleston 28 Jun 1921 Peerages extinct on his death	11 Jan 1859	20 Mar 1925	66
KEEN OF ELIE
8 Jun 2015	B[L]		Richard Sanderson Keen Created Baron Keen of Elie for life 8 Jun 2015 Advocate General for Scotland 2015‑2020	29 Mar 1954
KEITH
16 Mar 1797 15 Dec 1801 17 Sep 1803> 1 Jun 1814 to     10 Mar 1823	B[I] B B V	1 1 1 1	George Keith Elphinstone Created Baron Keith [I] 16 Mar 1797, Baron Keith [UK] 15 Dec 1801 and 17 Sep 1803 and Viscount Keith 1 Jun 1814 For details of the special remainders included in the creations of the Baronies of 1797 and 1803, see the notes at the foot of this page MP for Dunbartonshire 1781‑1790 and Stirlingshire 1796‑1801 On his death the Viscountcy, and the Barony of 1801 became extinct, whilst the Barony of 1797 and the Barony of 1803 passed to -	7 Jan 1746	10 Mar 1823	77
10 Mar 1823 to     11 Nov 1867		2	Margaret de la Billardrie She subsequently [1837] succeeded as Baroness Nairne in her own right (7th in line). On her death the Keith peerages became extinct, while the Barony of Nairne passed to her daughter - see that title	12 Jun 1788	11 Nov 1867	79
KEITH OF AVONHOLM
4 Nov 1953 to     29 Jun 1964	B[L]		James Keith Created Baron Keith of Avonholm for life 4 Nov 1953 Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1953‑1961; PC 1953 Peerage extinct on his death	20 May 1886	29 Jun 1964	78
KEITH OF CASTLEACRE
6 Feb 1980 to     1 Sep 2004	B[L]		Sir Kenneth Alexander Keith Created Baron Keith of Castleacre for life 6 Feb 1980 Peerage extinct on his death	30 Aug 1916	1 Sep 2004	88
KEITH OF INVERURY
20 Jun 1677	B[S]	1	John Keith Created Lord Keith of Inverury and Earl of Kintore 20 Jun 1677 See "Kintore"		12 Apr 1715
KEITH OF KINKEL
10 Jan 1977 to     21 Jun 2002	B[L]		Sir Henry Shanks Keith Created Baron Keith of Kinkel for life 10 Jan 1977 Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1977‑1996; PC 1976 Peerage extinct on his death	7 Feb 1922	21 Jun 2002	80
KELBURN
12 Apr 1703	V[S]	1	David Boyle Created Lord Boyle of Kelburn, Stewartoun, Cumbra, Largs and Dalry 31 Jan 1699, and Lord Boyle of Stewartoun, Cumbraes, Finnick, Largs and Dalry, Viscount of Kelburn and Earl of Glasgow 12 Apr 1703 See "Glasgow"	1666	1 Nov 1733	67
KELHEAD
26 Jun 1893 to     19 Oct 1894	B	1	Francis Archibald Douglas Created Baron Kelhead 26 Jun 1893 Peerage extinct on his death For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	3 Feb 1867	19 Oct 1894	27
KELLIE
12 Mar 1619	E[S]	1	Thomas Erskine Created Lord Dirletoun 8 Jul 1604, Viscount Fentoun 18 Mar 1606 and Earl of Kellie 12 Mar 1619 KG 1615	1566	12 Jun 1639	72
12 Jun 1639		2	Thomas Erskine	c 1615	3 Feb 1643
3 Feb 1643		3	Alexander Erskine		May 1677
May 1677		4	Alexander Erskine	14 Sep 1677	8 Mar 1710	32
8 Mar 1710		5	Alexander Erskine		3 Apr 1756
3 Apr 1756		6	Thomas Alexander Erskine	1 Sep 1732	9 Oct 1781	49
9 Oct 1781		7	Archibald Erskine	22 Apr 1736	8 May 1797	61
8 May 1797		8	Sir Charles Erskine, 8th baronet	1764	28 Oct 1799	35
28 Oct 1799		9	Thomas Erskine Lord Lieutenant Fife 1824‑1828 For information on this peer's wife, see the note at the foot of this page	c 1745	6 Feb 1828
6 Feb 1828		10	Methven Erskine For information on this peer's wife, see the note at the foot of this page	c 1750	3 Dec 1829
3 Dec 1829		11	John Francis Miller Erskine He had previously succeeded to the Earldom of Mar in 1828 with which title this peerage then merged and so remains	28 Dec 1795	19 Jun 1866	70
KELSO
25 Apr 1707	E[S]	1	John Ker, 5th Earl of Roxburghe Created Lord Ker of Cessfurd & Cavertoun, Viscount of Broxmouth, Earl of Kelso, Marquess of Bowmont & Cessfurd and Duke of Roxburghe 25 Apr 1707 See "Roxburghe"	c 1680	24 Feb 1741
KELVEDON
11 Jun 1997 to     27 Jan 2007	B[L]		Henry Paul Guinness Channon Created Baron Kelvedon for life 11 Jun 1997 MP for Southend West 1959‑1997; Minister of State, Northern Ireland 1972; Minister of Housing & Construction 1972‑1974; Minister of State, Civil Service 1979‑1981; Minister for the Arts 1981‑1983; Minister of Trade 1983‑1986; Secretary of State for Trade & Industry 1986‑1987; Secretary of State for Transport 1987‑1989; PC 1980 Peerage extinct on his death	9 Oct 1935	27 Jan 2007	71
KELVIN
23 Feb 1892 to     17 Dec 1907	B	1	Sir William Thomson Created Baron Kelvin 23 Feb 1892 PC 1902; OM 1902 Peerage extinct on his death	26 Jun 1824	17 Dec 1907	83
KEMPSELL
11 Jul 2023	B[L]		Ross John Kempsell Created Baron Kempsell for life 11 Jul 2023	8 May 1992
KEMSLEY
3 Feb 1936 12 Sep 1945	B V	1 1	Sir James Gomer Berry, 1st baronet Created Baron Kemsley 3 Feb 1936 and Viscount Kemsley 12 Sep 1945	7 May 1883	6 Feb 1968	84
6 Feb 1968		2	Geoffrey Lionel Berry MP for Buckingham 1943‑1945	29 Jun 1909	28 Feb 1999	89
28 Feb 1999		3	Richard Gomer Berry	17 Apr 1951
KENDAL
16 May 1414 to     14 Sep 1435	E	1	John Plantagenet Created Earl of Kendal and Duke of Bedford 16 May 1414 See "Bedford"	20 Jun 1389	14 Sep 1435	46
28 Aug 1443 to     27 May 1444	E	1	John Beaufort Created Earl of Kendal and Duke of Somerset 28 Aug 1443 Peerages extinct on his death	1404	27 May 1444	39
c 1446 to     1462	E	1	John de Foix Created Earl of Kendal c 1446 KG 1446 He surrendered the peerage in 1462		c 1485
1666 to     22 May 1667	D	1	Charles Stuart Designated Baron of Holdenby, Earl of Wigmore and Duke of Kendal 1666 Third son of James II Peerages extinct on his death	4 Jul 1666	22 May 1667	-
9 Apr 1689 to     28 Oct 1708	E	1	George, Prince of Denmark Created Baron Ockingham, Earl of Kendal and Duke of Cumberland 9 Apr 1689 Husband of Queen Anne; KG 1684; PC 1685 Peerages extinct on his death	2 Apr 1653	28 Oct 1708	55
19 Mar 1719 to     10 May 1743	D[L]		Ermengarde Melusina Schulenberg Created Baroness of Dundalk, Countess and Marchioness of Dungannon and Duchess of Munster for life 18 Jul 1716, and Baroness Glastonbury, Countess of Feversham and Duchess of Kendal for life 19 Mar 1719 Mistress of George I Peerages extinct on her death For further information on this peeress, see the note at the foot of this page	25 Dec 1667	10 May 1743	75
24 May 1784 to     24 May 1802	B	1	James Lowther Created Baron Lowther, Baron of the Barony of Kendal, Baron of the Barony of Burgh, Viscount of Lonsdale, Viscount of Lowther and Earl of Lonsdale 24 May 1784 Peerages extinct on his death	5 Aug 1736	24 May 1802	65
KENILWORTH
10 Jun 1937	B	1	Sir John Davenport Siddeley Created Baron Kenilworth 10 Jun 1937	5 Aug 1866	3 Nov 1953	87
3 Nov 1953		2	Cyril Davenport Siddleley	27 Aug 1894	11 Aug 1971	76
11 Aug 1971		3	John Tennant Davenport Siddeley	24 Jan 1924	26 Dec 1981	57
26 Dec 1981		4	John Randle Siddeley	16 Jun 1954
KENLIS
10 Sep 1831	B	1	Thomas Taylour, 2nd Marquess of Headfort Created Baron Kenlis 10 Sep 1831 See "Headfort"	4 May 1787	6 Dec 1870	83
KENMARE
12 Feb 1798 3 Jan 1801	V[I] E[I]	1 1	Sir Valentine Browne, 7th baronet Created Baron Castlerosse and Viscount Kenmare 12 Feb 1798, and Viscount Castlerosse and Earl of Kenmare 3 Jan 1801	Jan 1754	3 Oct 1812	58
3 Oct 1812 17 Aug 1841 to     31 Oct 1853	B	2 1	Valentine Browne Created Baron Kenmare 17 Aug 1841 Lord Lieutenant Kerry 1831‑1853; PC [I] 1834 On his death the Barony became extinct whilst the Earldom passed to -	15 Jan 1788	31 Oct 1853	65
31 Oct 1853 12 Mar 1856	B	3 1	Thomas Browne Created Baron Kenmare 12 Mar 1856	15 Jan 1789	26 Dec 1871	82
26 Dec 1871		4 2	Valentine Augustus Browne MP for Kerry 1852‑1871; Lord Lieutenant Kerry 1866‑1905; PC 1857, KP 1872	16 May 1825	9 Feb 1905	79
9 Feb 1905		5 3	Valentine Charles Browne Lord Lieutenant Kerry 1905‑1922	1 Dec 1860	14 Nov 1941	80
14 Nov 1941		6 4	Valentine Edward Charles Browne	29 May 1891	20 Sep 1943	52
20 Sep 1943 to     14 Feb 1952		7 5	Gerald Ralph Desmond Browne Peerages extinct on his death	20 Dec 1896	14 Feb 1952	55
KENMURE
8 May 1633	V[S]	1	Sir John Gordon, 2nd baronet Created Lord Lochinvar and Viscount of Kenmure 8 May 1633	c 1600	12 Sep 1634
12 Sep 1634		2	John Gordon	10 Dec 1634	Aug 1639	4
Aug 1639		3	John Gordon	1620	Oct 1643	23
Oct 1643		4	Robert Gordon	Nov 1622	27 Feb 1663	40
27 Feb 1663		5	Alexander Gordon		20 Apr 1698
20 Apr 1698 to     24 Feb 1716		6	William Gordon He was attainted and the peerage forfeited		24 Feb 1716
[24 Feb 1716]			Robert Gordon	1714	10 Aug 1741	27
[10 Aug 1741]			John Gordon	1713	16 Jun 1769	55
[16 Jun 1769]			William Gordon	c 1748	7 Feb 1772
[7 Feb 1772] 17 Jun 1824		7	John Gordon Restored to the peerage 1824 MP for Kirkcudbright 1781‑1782	1750	21 Sep 1840	90
21 Sep 1840 to     1 Sep 1847		8	Adam Gordon On his death the peerage became dormant For further information on a claim made to these peerages, see the note at the foot of this page	9 Jan 1792	1 Sep 1847	55
KENNEDY
c 1452	B[S]	1	Gilbert Kennedy Created Lord Kennedy c 1452	c 1406	c 1480
c 1480		2	John Kennedy		1508
1508		3	David Kennedy He was created Earl of Cassillis c 1509 with which title this peerage then merged		9 Sep 1513
KENNEDY OF CRADLEY
19 Sep 2013	B[L]		Alicia Pamela Kennedy Created Baroness Kennnedy of Cradley for life 19 Sep 2013	22 Mar 1969
KENNEDY OF SOUTHWARK
21 Jun 2010	B[L]		Roy Francis Kennedy Created Baron Kennedy of Southwark for life 21 Jun 2010	9 Nov 1962
KENNEDY OF THE SHAWS
27 Oct 1997	B[L]		Helena Ann Kennedy Created Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws for life 27 Oct 1997 KT 2024	12 May 1950
KENNET
15 Jul 1935	B	1	Sir Edward Hilton Young Created Baron Kennet 15 Jul 1935 MP for Norwich 1915‑1923 and 1924‑1929, and Sevenoaks 1929‑1935; Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1921‑1923; Minister of Health 1931‑1935; PC 1922	26 Mar 1879	11 Jul 1960	81
11 Jul 1960		2	Wayland Hilton Young MEP 1978‑1979	2 Aug 1923	7 May 2009	85
7 May 2009		3	William Aldus Thoby Young	24 May 1957
KENNINGTON
27 Jul 1726 to     31 Oct 1765	E	1	HRH William Augustus Created Baron of Alderney, Viscount Trematon, Earl of Kennington, Marquess of Berkhampstead and Duke of Cumberland 27 Jul 1726 Second son of George II; KG 1730; PC 1746 Peerage extinct on his death	15 Apr 1721	31 Oct 1765	44
KENRY
12 Jun 1866	B	1	Edwin Richard Wyndham Wyndham‑Quin, 3rd Earl of Dunraven & Mount Earl Created Baron Kenry 12 Jun 1866	19 May 1812	6 Oct 1871	59
6 Oct 1871 to     14 Jun 1926		2	Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven & Mount Earl Peerage extinct on his death	12 Feb 1841	14 Jun 1926	85
KENSINGTON
24 Sep 1624	B	1	Henry Rich Created Baron Kensington 5 Mar 1623 and Earl Holland 24 Sep 1624 See "Holland"	19 Aug 1590	9 Mar 1649	58
20 Jul 1776	B[I]	1	William Edwardes Created Baron Kensington 20 Jul 1776 MP for Haverfordwest 1747‑1784 and 1786‑1801	c 1711	13 Dec 1801
13 Dec 1801		2	William Edwardes MP for Haverfordwest 1802‑1818	24 Apr 1777	10 Aug 1852	75
10 Aug 1852		3	William Edwardes Lord Lieutenant Pembroke 1861‑1872	3 Feb 1801	1 Jan 1872	70
1 Jan 1872 23 Mar 1886	B	4 1	William Edwardes Created Baron Kensington 23 Mar 1886 MP for Haverfordwest Boroughs 1868‑1885; Lord Lieutenant Pembroke 1872‑1896; PC 1880	11 May 1835	7 Oct 1896	61
7 Oct 1896		5 2	William Edwardes	25 Jul 1868	24 Jun 1900	31
24 Jun 1900		6 3	Hugh Edwardes	3 Sep 1873	4 Mar 1938	64
4 Mar 1938		7 4	William Edwardes	15 May 1904	19 Aug 1981	77
19 Aug 1981		8 5	Hugh Ivor Edwardes	24 Nov 1933	12 Sep 2018	85
12 Sep 2018		9 6	William Owen Alexander Edwardes	21 Jul 1964
KENSWOOD
27 Jun 1951	B	1	Ernest Albert Whitfield Created Baron Kenswood 27 Jun 1951 Lord Kenswood was blind from his early 20s	15 Sep 1887	21 Apr 1963	75
21 Apr 1963		2	John Michael Howard Whitfield	6 Apr 1930	2 Jul 2016	86
2 Jul 2016		3	Michael Christopher Whitfield	3 Jul 1955
KENT
1067 to     May 1088	E	1	Odo, Bishop of Bayeux Created Earl of Kent 1067 He was deprived of the peerage in May 1088	c 1030	Feb 1097
1141 to     1155	E	1	William de Ipres Created Earl of Kent 1141 He was deprived of the peerage in 1155	by 1115	24 Dec 1162
11 Feb 1227 to     12 May 1243	E	1	Hubert de Burgh Created Earl of Kent 11 Feb 1227 Peerage extinct on his death	c 1175	12 May 1243
28 Jul 1321 to     19 Mar 1330	E	1	Edmund Plantagenet, Lord Woodstock Created Earl of Kent 28 Jul 1321 5th son of Edward I He was attainted and the peerage forfeited	5 Aug 1301	19 Mar 1330	28
1331		2	Edmund Plantagenet Restored to the peerage 1331	c 1328	1333
1333		3	John Plantagenet Succeeded as 4th Lord Wake 1349	7 Apr 1330	27 Dec 1352	22
27 Dec 1352		4	Joan Holand She married -	1331	8 Jul 1385	54
20 Nov 1360	E	1	Thomas de Holand Created Earl of Kent 20 Nov 1360 KG 1348		28 Dec 1360
28 Dec 1360		2	Thomas de Holand KG 1376 Succeeded as 6th Lord Wake 1385	1350	25 Apr 1397	46
25 Apr 1397		3	Thomas de Holand Created Duke of Surrey Sep 1397 KG 1397	1374	6 Jan 1400	25
6 Jan 1400 to     18 Sep 1408		4	Edmund de Holand KG 1403 Peerage extinct on his death	6 Jan 1384	18 Sep 1408	24
30 Jun 1461 to     9 Jan 1463	E	1	William Nevill Created Earl of Kent 30 Jun 1461 KG 1440 Peerage extinct on his death		9 Jan 1463
20 May 1465	E	1	Edmund Grey, 4th Lord Grey de Ruthyn Created Earl of Kent 20 May 1465	c 1420	22 May 1489
22 May 1489		2	George Grey	c 1460	21 Dec 1503
21 Dec 1503		3	Richard Grey KG 1505	1481	3 May 1524	42
3 May 1524		4	Henry Grey	c 1495	24 Sep 1562
24 Sep 1562		5	Reginald Grey		17 Mar 1573
17 Mar 1573		6	Henry Grey Lord Lieutenant Bedford 1587	1541	31 Jan 1615	73
31 Jan 1615		7	Charles Grey	c 1545	26 Sep 1623
26 Sep 1623		8	Henry Grey	c 1583	21 Nov 1639
21 Nov 1639		9	Anthony Grey	1557	9 Nov 1643	86
9 Nov 1643		10	Henry Grey MP for Leicestershire 1640‑1643; Lord Lieutenant Rutland 1644 and Bedford 1646	24 Nov 1594	28 May 1651	56
28 May 1651		11	Anthony Grey	11 Jun 1645	19 Aug 1702	57
19 Aug 1702 14 Nov 1706 28 Apr 1710 to     5 Jun 1740	M D	12 1 1	Henry Grey Created Viscount Goderich, Earl of Harold and Marquess of Kent 14 Nov 1706, Duke of Kent 28 Apr 1710 and Marquess Grey 19 May 1740 Succeeded his mother as 2nd Baron Lucas of Crudwell 1 Nov 1702 Lord Privy Seal 1719‑1720; Lord Lieutenant Hampshire 1704‑1715, Bedford 1711‑1740, Buckingham 1711‑1712 and Herefordshire 1704‑1714; PC 1704; KG 1712 All peerages (except the Marquessate of Grey and Barony of Lucas of Crudwell) extinct on his death	28 Sep 1671	5 Jun 1740	68
24 Apr 1799 to     23 Jan 1820	D	1	Edward Augustus Created Earl of Dublin and Duke of Kent and Strathearn 24 Apr 1799 4th son of George III; Governor of Gibraltar 1802‑1820; KP 1783; KG 1786; PC 1799 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page Peerage extinct on his death	2 Nov 1767	23 Jan 1820	52
24 May 1866 to     30 Jul 1900	E	1	Alfred Ernest Albert Created Earl of Ulster, Earl of Kent and Duke of Edinburgh 24 May 1866 KG 1863; KT 1864; PC 1866; KP 1880 Peerages extinct on his death	6 Aug 1844	30 Jul 1900	55
12 Oct 1934	D	1	HRH George Edward Alexander Edmund Created Baron Downpatrick, Earl of St. Andrews and Duke of Kent 12 Oct 1934 4th son of George V; KG 1923; KT 1935; PC 1937	20 Dec 1902	25 Aug 1942	39
25 Aug 1942		2	HRH Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick KG 1985	9 Oct 1935
KENYON
9 Jun 1788	B	1	Sir Lloyd Kenyon, 1st baronet Created Baron Kenyon 9 Jun 1788 MP for Hindon 1780‑1784 and Tregony 1784‑1788; Attorney General 1782‑1783 and 1783‑1784; Master of the Rolls 1784‑1788; Chief Justice of the Kings Bench 1788‑1804; Lord Lieutenant Flint 1796‑1798; PC 1784	5 Oct 1732	4 Apr 1802	69
4 Apr 1802		2	George Kenyon	22 Jul 1776	25 Feb 1855	78
25 Feb 1855		3	Lloyd Kenyon MP for St. Michaels 1830‑1832	1 Apr 1805	14 Jul 1869	64
14 Jul 1869		4	Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon Lord Lieutenant Denbigh 1918‑1927	5 Jul 1864	30 Nov 1927	63
30 Nov 1927		5	Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon	13 Sep 1917	16 May 1993	75
16 May 1993		6	Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon	13 Jul 1947	17 Aug 2019	72
17 Aug 2019		7	Lloyd Nicholas Tyrell-Kenyon	9 Apr 1972	27 Dec 2023	51
27 Dec 2023		8	Alexander Simon Tyrell-Kenyon	29 Nov 1975
KEPPEL
22 Apr 1782 to     2 Jun 1786	V	1	Augustus Keppel Created Viscount Keppel 22 Apr 1782 MP for Chichester 1755‑1761, Windsor 1761‑1780 and Surrey 1780‑1782; First Lord of the Admiralty 1782‑1783 and 1783; PC 1782 Peerage extinct on his death	2 Apr 1725	2 Jun 1786	61
KER OF CESSFURD AND CAVERTOUN
18 Sep 1616	B[S]	1	Sir Robert Ker Created Lord Roxburghe 29 Dec 1599 and Lord Ker of Cessfurd & Cavertoun and Earl of Roxburghe 18 Sep 1616 See "Roxburghe"	c 1570	18 Jan 1650
25 Apr 1707	B[S]	1	John Ker, 5th Earl of Roxburghe Created Lord Ker of Cessfurd & Cavertoun, Viscount of Broxmouth, Earl of Kelso, Marquess of Bowmont & Cessfurd and Duke of Roxburghe 25 Apr 1707 See "Roxburghe"	c 1680	24 Feb 1741
KER OF KERSHEUGH
17 Jul 1821	B	1	William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian Created Baron Ker of Kersheugh 17 Jul 1821 See "Lothian"	4 Oct 1763	27 Apr 1824	60
KER OF WAKEFIELD
24 May 1722	E	1	Robert Ker, later [1741] 2nd Duke of Roxburghe Created Baron Ker and Earl Ker of Wakefield 24 May 1722 See "Roxburghe" - peerages extinct 1804	c 1709	23 Aug 1755
KEREN
1 May 1947	V	1	Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Viscount Wavell Created Viscount Keren and Earl Wavell 1 May 1947 See "Wavell"	5 May 1883	24 May 1950	67
KERR OF KINLOCHARD
30 Jun 2004	B[L]		Sir John Olav Kerr Created Baron Kerr of Kinlochard for life 30 Jun 2004	22 Feb 1942
KERR OF MONTEVIOT
22 Nov 2010	B[L]		Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian Created Baron Kerr of Monteviot for life 22 Nov 2010 See "Lothian"	7 Jul 1945
KERR OF NEWBOTTLE
23 Jun 1701	B[S]	1	Robert Kerr Created Lord Kerr of Newbottle, Viscount of Briene, Earl of Ancram and Marquess of Lothian 23 Jun 1701 See "Lothian"	8 Mar 1636	15 Feb 1703	66
KERR OF NISBET
24 Jun 1633	B[S]	1	Robert Carr Created Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun and Dolphinstoun and Earl of Ancram 24 Jun 1633 See "Ancram"	1578	1654	76
KERR OF TONAGHMORE
29 Jun 2009 to     1 Dec 2020	B[L]		Sir Brian Francis Kerr Created Baron Kerr of Tonaghmore for life 29 Jun 2009 Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland 2004‑2009; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 2009; Justice of the Supreme Court 2009‑2020; PC 2003 Peerage extinct on his death	22 Feb 1948	1 Dec 2020	72
KERDESTON
27 Jan 1332	B	1	Roger de Kerdeston Summoned to Parliament as Lord Kerdeston 27 Jan 1332	c 1273	1 Jul 1337
1 Jul 1337 to     14 Oct 1361		2	William de Kerdeston On his death the peerage fell into abeyance	1307	14 Oct 1361	54
KERRY
c 1223	B[I]	1	Thomas Fitzmaurice Created Baron of Kerry c 1223		c 1260
c 1260		2	Maurice Fitzthomas Fitzmaurice		1303
1303		3	Nicholas Fitzmaurice		1324
1324		4	Maurice Fitzmaurice		Oct 1339
Oct 1339		5	John Fitzmaurice		1348
1348		6	Maurice Fitzmaurice		1398
1398		7	Patrick Fitzmaurice		c 1410
c 1410		8	Thomas Fitzmaurice		1469
1469		9	Edmond Fitzmaurice		1498
1498		10	Edmond Fitzmaurice He resigned the peerage in favour of -		1543
c 1535		11	Edmond Fitzmaurice Created Baron Odorney and Viscount Kilmaule 1537		1541
1541		12	Patrick Fitzmaurice		1547
1547		13	Thomas Fitzmaurice		1549
1549		14	Edmond Fitzmaurice		1549
1549		15	Gerard Fitzmaurice		1 Aug 1550
1 Aug 1550		16	Thomas Fitzmaurice	c 1502	16 Dec 1590
16 Dec 1590		17	Patrick Fitzthomas Fitzmaurice	c 1541	12 Aug 1600
12 Aug 1600		18	Thomas Fitzmaurice	1574	3 Jun 1630	55
3 Jun 1630		19	Patrick Fitzmaurice	1595	5 Jan 1661	65
5 Jan 1661		20	William Fitzmaurice	1633	Mar 1697	63
Mar 1697 17 Jan 1723	E[I]	21 1	Thomas Fitzmaurice Created Viscount Clanmaurice and Earl of Kerry 17 Jan 1723 MP [I] for Kerry County 1692‑1693 and 1695‑1697; PC [I] by 1711	1668	16 Mar 1741	72
16 Mar 1741		2	William Fitzmaurice PC [I] 1746	2 Mar 1694	4 Apr 1747	53
4 Apr 1747		3	Francis Thomas Fitzmaurice	9 Sep 1740	4 Jul 1818	77
4 Jul 1818		4	Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice He had previously succeeded to the Marquessate of Lansdowne in 1809 with which title this peerage then merged and so remains	2 Jul 1780	31 Jan 1863	82
KERSHAW
20 Jan 1947	B	1	Fred Kershaw Created Baron Kershaw 20 Jan 1947	6 Nov 1881	5 Feb 1961	79
5 Feb 1961		2	Herbert Kershaw	21 Aug 1904	18 Jul 1961	56
18 Jul 1961		3	Edward Aubrey Kershaw	29 Aug 1906	22 Feb 1962	55
22 Feb 1962		4	Edward John Kershaw	12 May 1936
KERSLAKE
17 Mar 2015 to     1 Jul 2023	B[L]		Sir Robert Walker Kerslake Created Baron Kerslake for life 17 Mar 2015 Peerage extinct on his death	28 Feb 1955	1 Jul 2023	68
KESTENBAUM
24 Jan 2011	B[L]		Jonathan Andrew Kestenbaum Created Baron Kestenbaum for life 24 Jan 2011	5 Aug 1959
KESTEVEN
15 Apr 1868	B	1	Sir John Trollope, 7th baronet Created Baron Kesteven 15 Apr 1868 MP for Lincolnshire South 1841‑1868; Chief Commissioner of the Poor Law Board 1852; PC 1852	5 May 1800	17 Dec 1874	74
17 Dec 1874		2	John Henry Trollope	22 Sep 1851	23 Jul 1915	63
23 Jul 1915 to     5 Nov 1915		3	Thomas Carew Trollope Peerage extinct on his death	1 May 1891	5 Nov 1915	24
KEYES
22 Jan 1943	B	1	Sir Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st baronet Created Baron Keyes 22 Jan 1943 MP for Portsmouth North 1934‑1943; Admiral of the Fleet 1930 For information on his son, Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes VC, see the note at the foot of this page	4 Oct 1872	26 Dec 1945	73
26 Dec 1945		2	Roger George Bowlby Keyes	14 Mar 1919	4 Mar 2005	85
4 Mar 2005		3	Charles William Packe Keyes	8 Dec 1951
KEYNES
6 Jul 1942 to     21 Apr 1946	B	1	John Maynard Keynes Created Baron Keynes 6 Jul 1942 Peerage extinct on his death	5 Jun 1883	21 Apr 1946	62
KIDRON
26 Jun 2012	B[L]		Beeban Kidron Created Baroness Kidron for life 26 Jun 2012	2 May 1961
KILBIRNY AND DRUMRY
10 Apr 1703	B[S]	1	John Lindsay-Crawford Created Lord Kilbirny, Kingsburn and Drumry, and Viscount of Mount Crawford 10 Apr 1703. These titles were altered, 26 Nov 1703, to Lord Kilbirny & Drumry, and Viscount of Garnock See "Garnock"	12 May 1669	24 Dec 1708	39
KILBRACKEN
8 Dec 1909	B	1	Sir John Arthur Godley Created Baron Kilbracken 8 Dec 1909	17 Jun 1847	27 Jun 1932	85
27 Jun 1932		2	Hugh John Godley	12 Jun 1877	13 Oct 1950	73
13 Oct 1950		3	John Raymond Godley	17 Oct 1920	14 Aug 2006	85
14 Aug 2006		4	Christopher John Godley	1 Jan 1945
KILBRANDON
4 Oct 1971 to     10 Sep 1989	B[L]		Charles James Dalrymple Shaw Created Baron Kilbrandon for life 4 Oct 1971 Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1971‑1977; PC 1971 Peerage extinct on his death	15 Aug 1906	10 Sep 1989	83
KILCLOONEY
17 Jul 2001	B[L]		John David Taylor Created Baron Kilclooney for life 17 Jul 2001 MP for Strangford 1983‑2001; MEP for Northern Ireland 1979‑1989; PC [NI] 1971	24 Dec 1937
KILCONNEL
25 Nov 1797	B[I]	1	William Power Keating Trench Created Baron Kilconnel 25 Nov 1797, Viscount Dunlo 3 Jan 1801 and Earl of Clancarty 12 Feb 1803 See "Clancarty"	1741	27 Apr 1805	63
KILCOURSIE
1 Apr 1647	V[I]	1	Charles Lambart, 2nd Baron Cavan Created Viscount Kilcoursie and Earl of Cavan 1 Apr 1647 See "Cavan"	Mar 1600	25 Jun 1660	60
KILCULLEN
Sep 1535	B[I]	1	Sir Thomas Eustace Created Baron Kilcullen Sep 1535 and Viscount Baltinglass 29 Jun 1541 See "Baltinglass"	c 1480	31 Jul 1549
KILDARE
14 Mar 1316	E[I]	1	John FitzThomas FitzGerald, 7th Lord FitzGerald of Offaly Created Earl of Kildare 14 Mar 1316	c 1250	10 Sep 1316
10 Sep 1316		2	Thomas FitzJohn FitzGerald Lord Justice of Ireland 1320‑1321 and 1326‑1328		9 Apr 1328
9 Apr 1328		3	Richard FitzThomas FitzGerald	1317	7 Jul 1329	12
7 Jul 1329		4	Maurice FitzThomas FitzGerald	1318	25 Aug 1390	72
25 Aug 1390		5	Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald		1410
1410		6	John FitzGerald		17 Oct 1427
17 Oct 1427		7	Thomas FitzGerald Lord Justice of Ireland 1460‑1461 and 1468‑1475; Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1463‑1467; Lord Deputy of Ireland 1471‑1475		25 Mar 1477
25 Mar 1477		8	Gerald FitzGerald Lord Justice or Lord Deputy of Ireland 1477‑1513; KG 1505	c 1456	3 Sep 1513
3 Sep 1513		9	Gerald FitzGerald	1487	13 Dec 1534	47
13 Dec 1534 to     1 May 1536		10	Thomas FitzGerald He was attainted and the peerage forfeited For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	1513	3 Feb 1537	23
13 May 1554 23 Feb 1569	E	1 11	Gerald FitzGerald Created Baron Offaly and Earl of Kildare 13 May 1554 Restored to the original Earldom 23 Feb 1569 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	28 Feb 1525	16 Nov 1585	60
16 Nov 1585		2 12	Henry FitzGerald	1562	30 Sep 1597	35
30 Sep 1597		3 13	William FitzGerald On his death the Earldom of 1554 became extinct, whilst the original Earldom passed to -		Apr 1599
Apr 1599		14	Gerald FitzGerald		11 Feb 1612
11 Feb 1612		15	Gerald FitzGerald	26 Dec 1611	11 Nov 1620	8
11 Nov 1620		16	George FitzGerald	23 Jan 1612	1660	48
1660		17	Wentworth FitzGerald MP for East Retford 1660‑1661	1634	5 Mar 1664	29
5 Mar 1664		18	John FitzGerald MP for Tregony 1694‑1695	c 1661	9 Nov 1707
9 Nov 1707		19	Robert FitzGerald PC [I] 1710	4 May 1675	20 Feb 1744	68
20 Feb 1744 3 Mar 1761	M[I]	20 1	James FitzGerald Created Viscount Leinster 21 Feb 1747, Earl of Offaly and Marquess of Kildare 3 Mar 1761 and Duke of Leinster 26 Nov 1766 See "Leinster"	29 May 1722	19 Nov 1773	51
3 May 1870	B	1	Charles William FitzGerald, later [1874] 4th Duke of Leinster Created Baron Kildare 3 May 1870 See "Leinster"	30 Mar 1819	10 Feb 1887	67
KILKEEL
16 Jul 2018	B	1	HRH Henry Charles Albert David Created Baron Kilkeel, Earl of Dumbarton and Duke of Sussex 19 May 2018 See "Sussex"	15 Sep 1984
KILKENNY
20 Dec 1793 to     16 Jul 1846	E[I]	1	Edmund Butler, 12th Viscount Mountgarret Created Earl of Kilkenny 20 Dec 1793 Peerage extinct on his death	6 Jan 1771	16 Jul 1846	75
KILLANIN
15 Jun 1900	B	1	Sir Michael Morris, Baron Morris of Spiddal [L] Created Baron Killanin 15 Jun 1900 PC 1889	14 Nov 1826	8 Sep 1901	74
8 Sep 1901		2	Martin Henry Fitzpatrick Morris MP for Galway 1900‑1901; Lord Lieutenant Galway 1918‑1922; PC [I] 1920	22 Jul 1867	11 Aug 1927	60
11 Aug 1927		3	Michael Morris	30 Jul 1914	25 Apr 1999	84
25 Apr 1999		4	George Redmond Fitzpatrick Morris	26 Jan 1947
KILLARD
17 Jul 1727	B[I]	1	John Monckton Created Baron of Killard and Viscount Galway 17 Jul 1727 See "Galway"	1695	15 Jul 1751	56
KILLARNEY
24 May 1892 to     6 May 1910	D	1	HRH George Frederick Ernest Albert Created Baron Killarney, Earl of Inverness and Duke of York 24 May 1892 Second son of Edward VII; KG 1884; KT 1893; KP 1897 He succeeded to the throne as George V in 1910 when the peerages merged with the Crown	3 Jun 1865	20 Jan 1936	70
3 Jun 1920 to     11 Dec 1936	B	1	HRH Albert Frederick Arthur George Created Baron Killarney, Earl of Inverness and Duke of York 3 Jun 1920 He succeeded to the throne as George VI in 1936 when the peerages merged with the Crown	14 Dec 1895	6 Feb 1952	56
KILLEARN
17 May 1943	B	1	Sir Miles Wedderburn Lampson Created Baron Killearn 17 May 1943 PC 1941	24 Aug 1880	18 Sep 1964	84
18 Sep 1964		2	Graham Curtis Lampson	28 Oct 1919	27 Jul 1996	76
27 Jul 1996		3	Victor Miles George Aldous Lampson	9 Sep 1941
KILLEEN
c 1426	B[I]	1	Christopher Plunkett Created Baron Killeen c 1426		1445
1445		2	Christopher Plunkett		1462
1462		3	Christopher Plunkett	1440	c 1469
c 1469		4	Edmond Plunkett	c 1450	15 Aug 1510
15 Aug 1510		5	John Plunkett		19 Mar 1550
19 Mar 1550		6	Patrick Plunkett	1521	c 1556
c 1556		7	Christopher Plunkett		c 1567
c 1567		8	James Plunkett	by 1542	13 Jan 1595
13 Jan 1595		9	Christopher Plunkett	1564	12 Oct 1613	49
12 Oct 1613		10	Luke Plunkett He was created Earl of Fingall in 1628 with which title this peerage then merged	1589	29 Mar 1637	47
KILLULTAGH
15 Mar 1627	V[I]	1	Edward Conway Created Baron Conway 24 Mar 1624, Viscount Killultagh 15 Mar 1627 and Viscount Conway 26 Jun 1627 See "Conway"		3 Feb 1631
KILLYLEAGH
23 Jul 1986	B	1	Andrew Albert Christian Edward Created Baron Killyleagh, Earl of Inverness and Duke of York 23 Jul 1986 Second son of Elizabeth II; KG 2006	19 Feb 1960
KILMAINE
8 Feb 1722 to     14 Jul 1773	B[I]	1	James O'Hara Created Baron Kilmaine 8 Feb 1722 He succeeded as 2nd Baron Tyrawley in 1724 - both peerages extinct on his death	1682	14 Jul 1773	91
21 Sep 1789	B[I]	1	Sir John Browne, 7th baronet Created Baron Kilmaine 21 Sep 1789 MP [I] for Newtown(ards) 1776‑1783 and Carlow Borough 1783‑1790	1730	7 Jun 1794	63
7 Jun 1794		2	James Caulfeild Browne MP [I] for Carlow Borough 1790	16 Mar 1765	23 May 1825	60
23 May 1825		3	John Cavendish Browne	11 Jun 1794	13 Jan 1873	78
13 Jan 1873		4	Francis William Browne For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	24 Mar 1843	9 Nov 1907	64
9 Nov 1907		5	John Edward Deane Browne For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	18 Mar 1878	27 Aug 1946	68
27 Aug 1946		6	John Francis Archibald Browne	22 Sep 1902	26 Jul 1978	75
26 Jul 1978		7	John David Henry Browne	2 Apr 1948	12 Jan 2013	64
12 Jan 2013		8	John Francis Sandford Browne	4 Apr 1983
KILMANY
2 Jun 1966 to     6 Aug 1985	B[L]		Sir William John St. Clair Anstruther-Gray, 1st baronet Created Baron Kilmany for life 2 Jun 1966 MP for Lanarkshire North 1931‑1945 and Berwick & East Lothian 1951‑1966; Lord Lieutenant Fife 1975‑1980; PC 1962 Peerage extinct on his death	5 Mar 1905	6 Aug 1985	80
KILMARNOCK
7 Aug 1661	E[S]	1	William Boyd, 10th Lord Boyd Created Earl of Kilmarnock 7 Aug 1661		Mar 1692
Mar 1692		2	William Boyd		20 May 1692
20 May 1692		3	William Boyd	c 1684	Sep 1717
Sep 1717 to     18 Aug 1746		4	William Boyd He was attainted and the peerage forfeited For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	12 May 1704	18 Aug 1746	42
17 Jun 1831	B	1	William George Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll Created Baron Kilmarnock 17 Jun 1831	21 Feb 1801	19 Apr 1846	65
19 Apr 1846		2	William Harry Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll	3 May 1823	3 Dec 1891	68
3 Dec 1891		3	Charles Gore Hay, 20th Earl of Erroll	7 Feb 1852	8 Jul 1927	75
8 Jul 1927		4	Victor Alexander Sereld Hay, 21st Earl of Erroll	17 Oct 1876	20 Feb 1928	51
20 Feb 1928		5	Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll	11 May 1901	24 Jan 1941	39
24 Jan 1941		6	Gilbert Allan Rowland Boyd	15 Jan 1903	15 May 1975	72
15 May 1975		7	Alastair Ivor Gilbert Boyd	11 May 1927	19 Mar 2009	81
19 Mar 2009		8	Robin Jordan Boyd	6 Jun 1941

	Joseph Kagan, Baron Kagan
	Kagan was born in Lithuania and was later sent by his father to Leeds University, where he took a degree in commerce. When he was visiting Lithuania, World War II broke out and he was interned for the duration. After the war had ended, he was able to return to England. He took a job as a salesman at Elland in Yorkshire, to where his father had transferred part of his business.
	Kagan made his fortune with a cloth called Gannex, in which air was sealed between nylon and wool linings to create a lightweight fabric that was also warm and waterproof. Prime Minister Harold Wilson wore a Gannex raincoat on a visit to Russia in 1966, with the result that Gannex received wide publicity. In the same year, Kagan was able to persuade the Duke of Edinburgh's valet to order a Gannex coat from Harrods, which immediately placed a large order.
	To capitalise on Wilson's patronage, Kagan became a major contributor to the Labour Party. He was rewarded by being created, firstly, a knight in 1970 and subsequently a life peer in Wilson's resignation honours list of 1976 - the infamous "Lavender List".
	In early 1980, Kagan, along with other members of his family, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the Inland Revenue between June 1974 and December 1978. He was further charged with the theft of 239 drums of indigo dye powder and falsification of documents. Kagan fled the country, initially seeking asylum in Israel, claiming he had been the victim of British anti-semitism. Israel turned him away, so he next tried Spain, which, at that time, had no extradition treaty with the UK. On 8 April 1980, he was arrested while on a trip to Paris, having apparently been informed upon by a disaffected mistress.
	He was extradited to the UK on 31 July 1980. He pleaded guilty to the theft and falsification of documents charges and, on 12 December 1980 was sentenced to 10 months in prison. His company was left to find £1.1 million in fines, tax liabilities and costs.
	In April 1981, he was stripped of the knighthood granted to him in 1970, but kept the life peerage, since to remove it would have required an Act of Parliament. In June 1981, Kagan was released, describing his imprisonment as "a fascinating experience which I am glad not to have missed". He immediately returned to the House of Lords, declaring that "I do not feel disgraced in any way".
	According to Rubinstein's "Biographical Dictionary of Life Peers", Kagan's father died in 1988 at the age of 109, the second oldest man in England at the time of his death.
	The special remainder to the Barony of Keith created in 1797
	From the London Gazette of 28 March 1797 (issue 13997, page 299):-
	Letters Patent have been passed under the Great Seal of this Kingdom, containing a Grant of the Dignity of a Baron of His Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland unto Sir George Keith Elphinstone, Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, and Vice-Admiral of the Blue Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet, and to the Heirs Male of his Body, by the Name, Style and Title of Baron Keith, of Stonehaven Marrischal, with Remainder (in Default of lssue Male) to Margaret Mercer Elphinstone, only Daughter of the said Sir George Keith Elphinstone, and to the Heirs Male of her Body."
	The special remainder to the Barony of Keith created in 1803
	From the London Gazette of 6 September 1803 (issue 15618, page 1179):-
	The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the Right Honorable George Keith, Baron Keith of Stonehaven Marischal, in the County of Kincardine, Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, and Admiral of the Blue Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet, and to the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Name, Style, and Title of Baron Keith, of Banlieath, in the County of Dumbarton; and in Default of such Issue, the Dignity of a Baroness to Margaret Mercer Elphinstone, only Daughter of the said Baron Keith, and the Dignity of a Baron to the Heirs Male of her Body lawfully begotten."
	Francis Archibald Douglas, Baron Kelhead
	Francis Douglas was the eldest son of the 9th Marquess of Queensberry. Until 1893, Douglas was known by the courtesy title of Viscount Drumlanrig. As a young man, he was a lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards.
	In 1892, William Gladstone became Prime Minister for the fourth and last time. The Foreign Secretary in his administration was Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. Rumours abound as to Rosebery's sexuality; although married with four children, it was often rumoured that he was bisexual. Whatever the truth of these rumours, there is no doubt that he made Francis Douglas his protégé. He was introduced to Rosebery around 1892 and, in spite of any obvious qualifications, Rosebery appointed him to be his private secretary. Seeking to advance his young friend, Rosebery obtained for him the position of a Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria. To qualify for this role, Francis needed to be a peer in his own right and he was accordingly created Baron Kelhead in June 1893.
	Francis' father, the hot-headed Marquess of Queensberry and later bane of Oscar Wilde, was furious when his son was given entry into the House of Lords. Because Queensberry held no English titles, he had to rely upon being elected as a representative peer of Scotland in order to sit in the Lords. Although he had been a representative peer between 1872 and 1880, his fellow peers declined to re-elect him in 1880, due to his publicly professed atheism. Between 1880 and 1893, Queensberry found himself embroiled in a number of scandals, further details of which can be found at the foot of the page containing details of his peerage. When he heard of Rosebery's plan to elevate his son to the House of Lords, his reaction was typically violent. He wrote angry letters to Gladstone and Rosebery. He even wrote to the Queen, complaining of Rosebery's 'bad influence' on his son, which was probably an oblique accusation of homosexuality.
	Soon after Francis' promotion, the Marquess pursued Rosebery to Bad Homburg in Germany where Rosebery was holidaying with the Prince of Wales. Queensberry, armed with a dog whip, was found lurking near Rosebery's hotel and the next day the local police chief was able to report to Rosebery that Queensberry had "found it advisable to depart this morning with the 7 o'clock train for Paris". However, news of the attempted assault started tongues wagging about the nature of the relationship between Rosebery and Lord Kelhead.
	During the summer of 1894, Francis became engaged to a young woman named Alix Ellis. In October of that year, he accepted an invitation for a weekend's shooting at Quantock Lodge, near Bridgwater, the home of Alix's uncle, Edward Stanley (MP for Somerset West 1882‑1885 and Bridgwater 1885‑1906. On 19 October, while out with his fellow shooters, he went into the next field. After a few minutes, his companions heard a shot and, hurrying into the field, found Francis dead from a gunshot wound. At the subsequent inquest, the coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death, although public opinion was widely in favour of suicide.
	Having lost one son in circumstances surrounded by rumours of homosexuality, it is possible that Queensberry was determined not to lose another, which may explain his implacable persecution of Oscar Wilde six months later.
	Anne, wife of Thomas Erskine, 9th Earl of Kellie, and Joanna, wife of Methven Erskine, 10th Earl of Kellie
	The following romantic histories of two of the Countesses of Kellie are taken from, firstly, Chapters from Family Chests by Edward Walford [2 vols, Hurst & Blackett, London 1886]:-
	It is not often that a coronet passes over sixteen or seventeen intervening heads to light upon that of a person eighteenth in remainder. Yet such an event happened in the middle of last century in the noble Scottish house of Erskine, which enjoys, among other honours, the earldom of Kellie. If anybody will be at pains of turning to the pages of Sharpe's Peerage, he will see that, while Mr. Methven Erskine was married to Joanna, daughter of Gordon of Ardoch, in Ross-shire, his brother Thomas was also married to that lady's sister Anne. He will also see that both of these gentlemen outlived their seniors, and became Earls of Kellie, and that their respective ladies also lived to become countesses. "Marriages", they say, "are made in heaven", but, as these two unions came about through a shipwreck, the truth of the statement may be doubted.
	The Castle of Ardoch stands perched on a rock high above the waves of the German Ocean [i.e. the North Sea], on a headland somewhere between Turbat and Fortrose. The owner of this domain (Mr. Adam Gordon) in one of the last years of the reign of George II, or soon after the accession of George III, was walking late one evening in his grounds, when he heard a gun fired as a signal of distress by a vessel in the offing. It was a very stormy night, and he knew that there was little chance for a good ship which got near the rocks of that headland when a strong east wind was blowing. He called his servants and tenants, however, and hastened down a cleft in the rocks to the beach, but no traces of the ill-fated vessel were to be found, except a few broken spars and some small fragments of timber floating hither and thither upon the waves. These they tried to collect as they came to the shore, and among other wreckage was a sort of tiny crib of wicker-work, inside of which was a female infant, alive, in spite of the cold and wet to which she had been exposed. It was the work of a few moments to rescue the little stranger, thrown, like a second Undine, upon a strange shore. [Undine is a figure from German mythology, a water nymph who has been often used as a motif in art, music and literature, notably by Debussy, Hoffman and Tchaikovsky.]
	From the clothes wrapped round its tiny body it was clear to Mr. Gordon that she was a child of parents of no low condition; but there was in her clothing no clue as to who or what her parents might be, nor was there anything to show the name of the vessel thus lost and swallowed up by the waves.
	It was a matter of course to a hospitable Scottish heart like that of Mr. Gordon to take the little foundling home and have her wants attended to by his wife and daughters. He doubtless supposed, and at first probably hoped, that ere long the little waif of the sea foam would be claimed; and in the meantime the latter was reared with his own children, who were young and who came soon to regard her as a sister.
	Years passed by, and the little foundling was growing up to womanhood, and was endearing herself more and more to all the members of the Ardoch family, when one wintry and stormy evening another alarm gun was fired by a vessel in distress off the same cliffs. "History", they say, "repeats itself", and it would seem occasionally in trifling as well as in important matters. Mr. Gordon hastened down to the beach, as he had done some sixteen years before, just in time to witness another shipwreck. The vessel went to pieces on the rocks but some, at all events, of the crew and a single passenger were saved. These were invited to rest and dry themselves at the "great house", where every hospitality and refreshment was offered them. The passenger was evidently a gentleman, and the next morning at breakfast he took particular notice of the daughters of his host, and of the other young lady whom I have already introduced to my readers. The stranger was evidently much struck with her appearance, and, finding that she was not like the other girls, he made some inquiries about her, when he heard the story of her coming to Ardoch as a "foundling", and having been saved from the jaws of the ocean as by a miracle. The stranger listened with great interest and emotion and said that at the date corresponding with her infancy his own sister, with a little infant, was lost in a vessel off the eastern coast of Scotland, which foundered in a storm.
	As is often the case, the unexpected not only is probable, but often does happen in reality. And so it was here. The cot or cradle in which the foundling came ashore, on being shown to the new‑comer, was pronounced to be singularly like that which his sister had made for her before she left India. The features of the young lady, too, corresponded with those of his own relatives. Further inquiries brought out other points of similarity, and a mark on the little lady's coverlet bore the initial letter of her father's and mother's name. The foundling orphan, there could be little doubt, was his own sister's child.
	The gentleman was a merchant, and the shipwreck which he had suffered hat not ruined him. He had a home at Gothenberg, in Sweden. It was open for the reception of his niece, and there was a little fortune ready for the young lady there in case she should ever be found. Twenty years, however, had endeared her to her sisters, as she called the Misses Gordon, and she was unwilling to go to Sweden with her newly-discovered uncle, unless one of the Misses Gordon would accompany her, and the other promised to come and stay with her upon her sister's return to Scotland.
	Accordingly, Miss Anne Gordon sailed with her adopted sister from the port of Leith for Sweden, where, in 1771, only a few weeks after landing at Gothenberg, she became the wife of Mr. Thomas Erskine, a younger brother of Sir William Erskine, of Cambo, in Fifeshire, who had been long settled there [Gothenberg] as a merchant, and was a man of wealth … Some nine or ten years later, Miss Joanna Gordon was married to Mr. Methven Erskine, the younger brother of her sister's husband. Deaths followed in rapid succession in the family of Lord Kellie, and in 1797 the earldom devolved on Charles Erskine. He lived, however, to enjoy the title little more than two years, for in 1799 he followed his ancestors to the grave, and the earldom of Kellie passed to his uncle and heir, Thomas Erskine, who had been for some time a consul in Sweden. And so it came to pass that the incident of a shipwreck twenty or thirty years before resulted in bestowing the coronet of a countess first on one [Anne, wife of the 9th Earl] and then on the other [Joanna, wife of the 10th Earl] of the two Misses Gordon of Ardoch.
	Secondly, from Romances of the Peerage by Thornton Hall [Holden & Hardingham, London 1914]:-
	The Earls of Mar and Kellie have many treasured heirlooms at Alloa House and Kellie Castle, but of which they are prouder than the wicker cradle and bundle of baby's clothes which recall a story as romantic as any to be found in the annals of the Peerage.
	One winter evening in the year 1763, when the third of our Georges was comparatively new to his crown, Mr. Adam Gordon was sitting with his wife before a roaring fire in the hall of Castle Ardoch. It was a night of storm and deluge; the rain was lashing the window-panes, the wind was howling among the turrets and shrieking down the chimneys, the castle walls were trembling under the fury of the gale.
	"What a terrible night!" said Adam Gordon to his wife, as he drew his chair nearer to the blazing logs. "There will be many a life lost to-night at sea, unless I am mistaken. It's thewildest storm I have known in my time." Scarcely had the words left his lips when through the pandemonium of the gale there came the low, faint boom of a cannon. "There!" he exclaimed, as the sound, so full of portent, died away. "Did you hear that? I knew it. There's a vessel on the rocks. God help those who are in her, for there is no hope for them!"
	To summon his men-servants and, armed with lanterns, to sally out into the dark night on the errand of mercy was the work of a few moments. In the teeth of the gale, drenched and buffeted, the handful of men fought their way to the beach, a few hundred yards distant, and with straining eyes looked out over the wild riot of waters. Yes; there, but a stone's throw away was the doomed ship, beating her life out on the cruel fangs of the rocks which guard the coast of Ross and Cromarty from the fury of the North Sea.
	That glance was sufficient; the vessel was indeed doomed. No boat could live for a moment in such a sea. All they could do was to wait and watch if by good chance any of the crew were washed ashore. Through the long dark hours of the night the patient vigil was kept; the watchers saw the vessel break up, just as the first faint streaks of dawn stole over the sky. A few moments later a shout drew the scattered men to a distant part of the beach where one of their number was stooping over the strangest piece of flotsam that was ever flung ashore by an angry sea.
	It was a wicker cradle, of curious foreign-looking make; and in it was lying a baby, with blue, open eyes of wonder, smiling up at the wild group of heads bent over it. The cradled infant thus miraculously flung ashore was all that the sea gave up from the ill-fated ship, save a few fragments of wreckage, none of which gave any clue to the identity of the vessel.
	It was a strange but happy procession that made its way back in the early morning to the hospitable shelter of Castle Ardoch, preceded by Adam Gordon with the sea-baby warmly tucked inside his overcoat, and followed by John Anderson, cradle in hand; and it was a warm welcome that the infant received from the motherly arms of Dame Gordon, who little dreamt as later she tucked it in the warm bed between her two little daughters that the waif of the sea was bringing to her house a coronet in each of her baby hands. She was destined, as this story will prove, to make a Countess of each of her child-bedfellows in the years to come.
	Who was this child of the sea and the storm who had come thus dramatically into the hospitable home of the Gordons? In vain did Adam and his lady try to solve the mystery. There was no clue or at least no clue that was of any use to the problem. That the wicker cradle, the frail bark which had brought the babe so miraculously over the raging waters, was from a foreign land there could be doubt. But where was that land?
	The child's clothing was beautiful in quality and texture; she was evidently the daughter of well-to-do parents; but it, too, furnished no clue beyond two embroidered and interwoven initials which conveyed no information as to identity. The wreck-baby was a complete mystery, as strange as the wonder of her advent; but she was none the less a welcome guest, who should be as carefully and lovingly tended as their own little girls.
	Thus the "Princess", as Adam Gordon used to call his sea-baby, found new parents in Adam and his good wife; and never for one moment did they regret that black night of storm that had given her to them. Every year she grew in strength and beauty and winsomeness. She was a little fairy who won all hearts, from those of her playmates and foster-sisters to the grim-visaged men-servants who to a man were the slaves of the little "Missie" they had saved from the sea.
	Thus happily the years passed. The "Princess" had blossomed into a lovely girl of sixteen; her sisters, equally fair, were a few years older, when the curtain was raised on the second scene of this strange drama. Again it was a night of wild storm and disaster; and again, through the thunders of wind and sea was heard the boom of the distress-gun; and once more, as sixteen years earlier, Adam Gordon and his men fared forth in the dark night on rescue bent.
	This time, as before, the vessel was ground to pieces on the deadly rocks; and of all on board only one was yielded to the shore and to life by the greedy sea. It was a man, battered, bruised, and unconscious, lashed to a piece of wreckage. Happily, life still lingered, and the senseless man was borne swiftly to Castle Ardoch, restoratives were administered, and when consciousness returned he was put to bed.
	The following morning the second sole survivor of a wreck was able to thank the Good Samaritans, his rescuers, and to explain who he was and how he came to be their guest. He was, he said, a Swedish merchant hailing from Gothenburg, and had been voyaging to Scotland when the storm flung his ship on the rocky coast of Ross and Cromarty. A few days later he was sufficiently recovered to join his host at the family meals, and thus to make the acquaintance of his daughters, and of their sister, the pretty sixteen-year-old "Princess".
	Then it was that Adam Gordon told him the story of that other night, many years earlier, which had brought such a welcome guest into his home, a story to which the stranger listened with growing interest and excitement. "That is indeed remarkable", said the stranger on its conclusion; "and to me of peculiar interest. I will tell you why. It is sixteen years since my sister left India in a vessel of which nothing more was ever heard with certainty. It was rumoured however, that she had been wrecked on the Scottish coast. And what is more singular, my sister had with her a baby girl, an infant only a few months old. How strange it would be if this young lady", pointing to the "Princess", "should prove to be my lost sister's child, and thus my niece. May I see the cradle in which the child was flung ashore?"
	The wicker cradle, which had been carefully preserved, was brought for inspection; and as the merchant examined it his excitement increased. It was undoubtedly of foreign make, and might well have been Indian. "Have you any other clue?" he asked. The baby-clothes were now produced, and at sight of the embroidered initials the stranger exclaimed, "Yes, it must be so. Those are the initials of my sister and her husband. This young lady, whom, like myself, the sea has brought to your home is surely my niece, my dear sister's daughter!"
	Such was the dramatic scene of which Castle Ardoch was the setting one winter day in the year 1779. The discovery, however welcome to the Swedish merchant, was by no means equally welcome to Adam Gordon and his family, who feared that now they would lose the girl whom they had learned to love so well.
	Nor were their fears misplaced, for the merchant proceeded to assert his claim to his niece. "It is", he said, "a poor return for your great kindness to try to rob you of one of your daughters. But I am comparatively a rich man, with no child of my own; and I owe it to my dear sister to take her place as the natural guardian of her daughter. Will you at least allow her to come to me for a year? If, at the end of the year, she wishes to return to you, I will put no obstacle in her way."
	"Oh, I am so happy here!" pleaded the "Princess". "Don't take me away!" In vain did Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, who, whatever the cost to themselves, felt that she should not refuse such a tempting offer, add their persuasions to those of her uncle. And it was only on condition that one of her "sisters" should accompany her that she at last tearfully consented to leave for a time the home she loved.
	Thus it was that, when the merchant left Castle Ardoch, he took with him to Sweden, not only his niece, but one of his host's daughters, who thus found themselves translated to a new world of gaiety, far removed from the peaceful humdrum days of their Scottish home. At Gothenburg their life was a constant round of pleasure; and it was not long before the two beautiful girls had lovers at their feet.
	Among Miss Anne Gordon's wooers was Thomas Erskine, a wealthy merchant of Gothenburg, and a scion of an old Scottish house, who made a speedy conquest of Adam Gordon's daughter. It was not only a desirable match in all ways, but it was a true union of hearts; and when the wooer wrote to Scotland for permission to make Anne his wife, a favourable answer was not long in coming.
	But excellent as the match was, we may be sure that Anne Gordon, as she stood at the Gothenburg altar with her husband, little dreamt that she was one day to wear a Countess's coronet. She knew that Thomas Erskine was of noble birth. He could look back, on his family-tree, to a long line of distinguished ancestors, headed by one Sir Robert, who was Scotland's Great Chamberlain when the second Alexander was king in the fourteenth century; and among those ancestors was a long list of Earls of Kellie. But between him and the Kellie coronet at that time were more than a dozen good lives, and if anyone had told him on his wedding-day that he would live to bear the title he would have laughed aloud.
	The coronet, however, came to Thomas Erskine when his wife had worn her wedding-ring a score of years; and Adam Gordon's daughter Anne lived to be a Countess, thanks to the little sea-waif who had, by such strange ways, led her to her husband. Nor was this the extent of the good fortune which the "Princess" brought to the family of Castle Ardoch.
	Before Anne Gordon had been a wife a year her sister Johanna arrived in Gothenburg to spend a few months as her guest; and there she met and learnt to love Methven Erskine, the handsome young brother of her sister's husband; and for the second time the wedding-bells were set a-ringing.
	Methven Erskine was also a substantial citizen of the Swedish town; and when, in process of time, Thomas, ninth Earl of Kellie and eighth Baronet, was laid in the family vault, Methven succeeded him in his titles and dignities, and made a Countess of Adam Gordon's second daughter. And thus it was that the sea-child brought two coronets with her in her wicker cradle when she was washed ashore that stormy night in the year 1763.
	As for the "Princess" herself, she could give coronets to others, but none came to her. Nor did she wish for one; for she found all the happiness she desired in the plain untitled husband who won her heart. He was the richest of all Gothenburg's merchants; and when to his money-bags was added the fortune that fell to his wife on her uncle's death, the "Princess" more than justified Adam Gordon's pet name by a hospitality and, above all, a charity which made her at once the most splendid and beloved woman in Gothenburg.
	Ermengarde Melusina Schulenberg, Duchess of Kendal
	The Duchess of Kendal was the long-standing mistress of King George I of England. The following biography is taken from the February 1962 issue of the Australian monthly magazine Parade:-
	When simple-minded little George Louis, Elector of Hanover, arrived in London in 1714 to become King George I of England, he brought with him (said a British annalist) "a flight of hungry Germans like so many famished vultures to fall on the fruitful soil of Britain". Among the "vultures" were George's two mistresses. One, the Baroness von Kilmansegge, was short and fat. The other, the Countess von Schulenberg, was so tall and lean that the London mob nicknamed her the "Maypole". Britain's contempt, however, soon turned to hearty detestation, for the angular countess - graced with the title of Duchess of Kendal - proved the most corrupt and rapacious of all the mistresses who ever enjoyed the favour of an English king.
	The greedy Melusina von Schulenberg had already been George's lover for 20 years before he succeeded Queen Anne to be the first Hanoverian monarch of England. Even the cynical politicians of early 18th century Britain were staggered at the blatant corruption with which she set out to amass a fortune. As Duchess of Kendal, she sold titles and offices, bartered her influence over King George for enormous bribes and forced the greatest statesmen to court her like a queen. She raked in pensions from ruined and starving Ireland. Her enemies called her "an ugly trull" and "the German witch". She was stoned and abused but her power over the dull-witted king lasted to the day of his death.
	Melusina von Schulenberg was born on Christmas Day, 1667, in Emden, the capital of a bankrupt little German province ruled by her father, Count Gustavus. The Schulenbergs were proud but poor. The girl grew up in an atmosphere of penny-pinching that left her with an insatiable hunger for money and security at any cost. At 25, Melusina was maid-of-honour to the raddled old Electress Sophia of Hanover, grand-daughter of James I of England and soon to become heiress to Britain's crown on the death of Queen Anne's children.
	In the electoral court, amid the fountains and lime avenues of Herrenhausen, Melusina first met and conquered the heart of Sophia's son, Prince George, the future King George I. George was already married to Sophie Dorothea of Celle, but in 1694 the match ended in a fearful explosion of tragedy and scandal that rocked the courts of Europe. Sophie's lover, the handsome and reckless Count von Koenigsmarck, was murdered mysteriously. George divorced his wayward bride and for 32 years till her death Sophie was a virtual prisoner in the gloomy castle of Ahlden.
	By about 1700, Melusina was Prince George's acknowledged mistress, sharing his favours with the chubby and good-natured Baroness von Kilmansegge. Neither had much to recommend them in looks. "Imagine those mawkins as my son's mistresses!" the old electress sneered. But she greatly under-estimated Melusina's influence and ambition. George was a coarse-grained man of homely tastes. He liked filling himself with oysters, sausages and Rhenish wine, and his favourite intellectual occupation was cutting painted figures out of cardboard. He was not much concerned with beauty, as long as his women were very fat and very willing - though Melusina was an exception to his weakness for well-padded feminine figures.
	The placid life of Herrenhausen was disrupted in 1714 by the sudden deaths of both Queen Anne and the Electress Sophia. In August, George was summoned to London to be crowned George I of England. With him went a troop of 100 Hanoverian courtiers, servants, pastry cooks, trumpeters, negro pages, and even the electoral washerwoman with five barrels of starch. Also in the retinue was the Baroness von Kilmansegge. Melusina, loaded with debts, watched her rival depart with dismay but was determined to follow her master to the rich plunder of Britain. Bilking her creditors, she slipped out of Hanover, joined the royal party at The Hague, and was in George's coach as it rolled, amid loyal acclamation, into the streets of London.
	Anne's death had plunged England into a fever of alarm. Rumours of a Jacobite invasion swept the land, as Anne's chief minister, Lord Bolingbroke, fled to the exiled Stuart court in Paris. The Whig potentates rallied to George's side. He might be a foreigner, a dull German who could not speak a word of English, but he represented the Protestant succession. The Old Pretender's invasion of Scotland a year later cemented popular support for King George. Soon, however, the Whig leaders found they also had to deal with a greedy and formidable mistress.
	In 1716 Melusina was created Duchess of Munster in the Irish peerage, with a pension of £7000 from the revenues of Ireland. This was small pickings to what soon followed. She was appointed Master of the Horse, an office worth £4000 a year and usually bestowed on a peer. Two customs house sinecures added another £4000. The new duchess also drove a lucrative trade in selling peerages. The banker, Sir Robert Child, paid her £10,000 for a title. A viscountcy bestowed on a Cornish squire brought her £11,000. The most blatant scandal followed the Treaty of Utrecht between England and France. Among the French possessions then acquired by Britain was the rich sugar island of St. Kitt's in the West Indies. Sales of the land to British planters realised £70,000, all of which was lavished by George on his mistresses despite the bitter protest of Charles Townshend and the other Whig chiefs. Infuriated by Townshend's opposition and his refusal to agree to her receiving an English title, Melusina forced the king to sack his ministers and bring the Tory Lord Sunderland to power.
	In 1719 she had her reward. She was created Duchess of Kendal, while her rival, Baroness von Kilmansegge, was fobbed off with the inferior title of Countess of Darlington. The countess was then grotesquely fat, with "two acres of cheeks spread with crimson, an ocean of neck and an overflowing body of which no part was restrained by stays".
	By now both the king's mistresses were the objects of ferocious contempt from the London mob. Hooting, filth-slinging crowds followed the Duchess of Kendal's coach and bawled ribald songs in her ear. Once she stuck her powdered head out of the coach window and demanded: "Vy do you abuse me, ven I am here only for your goots?" A stentorian voice answered: "Aye, damn ye, and for our chattels too!" Obscene lampoons were scrawled on the walls of St. James Palace, where statesmen and courtiers crowded the duchess' apartments to beg or bribe for her influence on the King. Military appointments, posts at court, peerages and pensions all went through her rapacious hands - while King George drowsed over his wine or played cards with his German favourites.
	In 1720, the sensational collapse of the South Sea Bubble brought Walpole back to power, beginning a Whig dictatorship in English politics that lasted for 40 years. The Norfolk squire Robert Walpole was robust, corrupt and ruthless, but even he had to ensure his power at first by cultivating the insatiable Duchess of Kendal. "I do everything through that woman", Walpole admitted privately. "She is the real Queen of England and she has got her skinny German fingers into a noble fortune."
	Another stream of wealth poured in to the duchess in 1722, when the British Government agreed to issue a new copper coinage for Ireland. The duchess obtained the patent for supplying the coins and promptly sold it to iron merchant William Wood [1671‑1730] for £10,000. To recoup the cost, Wood debased the metal in the coins. Impoverished Ireland rose in furious outcry against Wood's Half-pence, lashed by the acid-tipped pen of Dean Swift. The scandal brought a fresh load of hatred on the Duchess of Kendal's head. Even the Crown Jewels of England's queens were not safe from the Duchess of Kendal's greed for gold. When George II succeeded in 1727, his queen, Caroline, had to borrow pearls from courtier's wives and diamonds from Jewish money-lenders for her coronation robes.
	George had other mistresses, notably the lively Duchess of Shrewsbury and young Anne Brett, illegitimate daughter of the Countess of Macclesfield, but none rivalled the power of the domineering Duchess of Kendal. The elegant Lord Chesterfield might brand her "almost an idiot", but he was glad to marry Petronilla, the daughter of George and the Duchess, who was created [i.e. Countess of] Walsingham in 1722. Another daughter, Margaret, married the Count of [Schaumburg-]Lippe, and both had handsome dowries.
	In 1727, George set off on his last visit to his beloved Hanover. On the way, racked by gout from years of gross over-feeding and drinking he collapsed in his carriage and died. The Duchess, who was following him, heard the news by courier as she crossed the Rhine. By the time she returned to London, her world of influence and intrigue had fallen forever. Queen Caroline, wife of the new King George II, despised her. Walpole, safe in Caroline's favour and reputedly her lover, no longer needed the ageing and withered mistress of the dead monarch.
	The Duchess of Kendal retired to a villa at Isleworth on the Thames. She had a legacy of £40,000 by the will of George I, and no one could guess what other riches she had amassed. Till her death in May, 1743, she lived in retirement, eccentric and almost forgotten. Her most cherished companion was a jet-black raven which one day flew through her parlour window. [Apparently she believed the raven to be the dead king returning to visit her.]
	The Viscountcy of Kenmure
	In an article on 7 September 1847, The Times reported upon the death of Adam Gordon, 8th Viscount Kenmure and Lord of Lochinvar. The article concludes with the statement that "whether the title, in consequence of the death of the late Viscount, becomes extinct or not is, we believe, altogether undetermined". Since that time, peerage books of reference have treated the peerage as being dormant, although there appears to have been a number of lines of descent from the first Viscount.
	The following interesting article appeared in the Hobart Mercury of 6 January 1876:-
	There has just died, at his residence in Coatbridge, a well-known townsman, named James Gordon. Generally believed, says the Glasgow Herald, to be descended from the stock of the Gordons of Lochinvar or Kenmure, "Young Jamie", apparently inheriting the patriotic though, perhaps, diminished military ardour of his forefathers, entered into foreign service at the early age of 17. Although so very young, he was tall, muscular, and strongly built. He continued abroad for several years, and was "under fire" in several of the sanguinary conflicts of the Peninsula War - his first engagement, it is believed, being the final and successful investment of Badajoz, which resulted in the taking of the city by storm, after a 20 days' siege, in which our brave army suffered severely; but the garrison and their commander became prisoners of war. Gordon also served in the Royal Sappers and Miners. He lost an eye by an accident in a mining operation, and was discharged at Woolwich on the 30th of September, 1820, with a pension of 9d. a day.
	Throughout his whole service he was a zealous and exemplary soldier, and bore about him the stamp and evidences if a loftier region than his humble station gave reason to expect. When Gordon returned to Scotland, he took service under several coal-masters, and was engaged at first principally in "shanking" operations. While in the employment of the Dundyvan Company the excitement about the heirship to the estate of Kenmure and its belongings cropped up, and so general was the belief entertained that Gordon was the legitimate heir that funds were quickly subscribed to carry the case into court. After a rather tedious litigation he was successful, and thus "one of the most singular events in life occurred, which make contrasts at times appear almost fabulous". "The soldier turned peer" had often been the player's jest, but it now became a veritable reality when, in September, 1848 [sic for 1847], this James Gordon, the private soldier, succeeded, as heir to his grandfather, to the titles of Viscount Kenmure and Lord Lochinvar. When the exciting news reached Coatbridge, a great demonstration of popular feeling was made. Bonfires were kindled in the principal thoroughfares of the then small village, and a brilliant display of fireworks was made from the windows of the Coatbridge inn.
	The lucky heir was meanwhile most hospitably entertained to supper, and the health of "Earl [sic] Kenmure", "Viscount Gordon", "Lord Lochinvar", etc. - all titles pertaining to the successor of the Gordon family - was most enthusiastically proposed, amidst the universal rejoicings of the populace.
	But the party in possession kept good their seats, and "Poor Jamie", although served with the titles, never got possession of the estate. One friend after another who had helped him in his long litigious struggle "dropped off" when another case was threatened, and when the "supplies" were no longer forthcoming, "Lord" Gordon had again to settle down as a humble artisan in the rich mineral fields surrounding the iron village of Coatbridge. Here he continued in his humble occupation, serving for many years under Messrs. Neilson, of Summerlee, where latterly, after old age began to creep upon him, he was granted a pension, although he had failed to obtain what he termed his "rights" from the Crown. His naturally vigorous constitution kept firm to the last, and the "Earl" [sic] could often be observed stalking along the main street, staff in hand, or enjoying a social glass. His wife died many years ago, and the only relative that is left is a daughter. The remains of the unfortunate "Earl" have been interred in Mount Zion Churchyard, the funeral procession being witnessed by a large crowd of sympathisers.
	Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
	Edward was the fourth son of King George III. He was educated in Europe by a tutor named Baron Wangenheim, a petty-minded tyrant who allowed the young prince one guinea a week pocket-money, censored his letters and kept him well away from feminine society. In January 1791, he returned to England, but because he had come home without his father's permission, he was hustled into the Army and packed off to Gibraltar.
	He was already a fussy martinet whose rabid insistence on the smallest details of parade ground etiquette soon caused mutterings of discontent among the troops. Within a few months, the Prince's regiment was seething with mutiny. To save face, in May 1791 he was shipped off to join the army in Canada, but not before he had to sell his equipment to pay his debts.
	He had barely set foot in Quebec when he met the woman who was to be his mistress for the next 27 years. She was Alphonsine Therese Bernardine Julie de St. Laurent, daughter of a French family which had fled France following the Revolution. He soon installed her as his mistress in a simple log house near Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they were happy for seven years. In October 1798 his horse crashed through rotten timbers of a bridge on his estate, throwing him heavily and injuring his head. Doctors urged him to return to England for treatment.
	On his return to London, Julie was installed in a discreet house in Knightsbridge, while Edward spent his time running up enormous debts. To escape his creditors, he returned to Canada, this time as Commander in Chief. Once again, his savage ideas of military discipline caused him to be hated. Hundreds of troops deserted and any deserter who was captured was punished with ruthless ferocity. One man was sentenced to 999 lashes, but died under the whip long before this count could be reached. A group of soldiers, maddened by his savagery, planned to mutiny, kill the Duke and flee to the woods, but were betrayed, flogged unmercifully and sent back to England to rot in the prison hulks.
	In October 1800 he was recalled to England, on the grounds of ill-health, but more probably because the authorities were concerned that his behaviour would drive the Canadians into rebellion. As a typical parting gesture, he sentenced 11 soldiers to death for breaches of discipline. Back in England, he begged his father to let him restore order in rebellious Ireland, but the King shrank from letting his son loose on his Irish subjects.
	Early in 1802 he was offered the post of Governor of Gibraltar. The garrison at the Rock was demoralised by drink and debauchery, discipline had almost vanished and there was a constant threat of invasion by Napoleon's Mediterranean fleet. The Duke's task was to return the garrison to a warlike state - a job after his own heart. When he arrived in May 1802, he was appalled by the conditions he found, which gave him ample excuse for his usual harshness. Within a week he had closed most of the wine shops, flogged a large number of drunken soldiers and enforced every detail of parade ground drill with pedantic efficiency.
	On Christmas Eve of 1802, the smouldering mutiny burst into flames. Two regiments broke out of their quarters and called on their comrades to join them. Three of the ringleaders were hanged, but reports reaching London caused a storm and the Duke was recalled, his military career over (although he remained Governor of Gibraltar until his death).
	For the next 15 years he lived in seclusion with Julie St. Laurent. In November 1817, there occurred the death of George III's [then] only legitimate grandchild, the Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales. This caused a sudden flurry of belated ventures into matrimony by George's sons, including the Duke of Kent. In 1818, Julie de St. Laurent, his faithful mistress of 27 years, retired into a Belgian convent. On 29 May 1818, the Duke married Princess Mary Louise Victoria, widow of the Prince of Leiningen. Too poor to return to England, the couple lived in Leiningin until early in 1819, when it became apparent that the Duchess would soon produce the long-awaited royal heir. They dashed home and, on 24 May 1819, a girl was born who would later become Queen Victoria.
	The Duke had done his duty, but Parliament refused to pay his massive debts. At the end of 1819, he and his Duchess retired to live simply at the coastal town of Sidmouth in Devon. Here, on a freezing winter's day, the Duke went for a walk, was soaked to the skin and died three days later, just six days before his father.
	The Duchess lived on until 1861, surrounded by feuds with her daughter and rumours that the Duke was not the father of Victoria. For further details of the feuding, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of Sir John Conroy, baronet. After the birth of Queen Victoria's first child, mother and daughter were reconciled and she remained close to her daughter until her death.
	As for the rumours of the Duke not being Victoria's father, it has been pointed out that none of Victoria's descendants suffered from porphyria which ran in the Duke's family. Equally, before the birth of any of Victoria's children, haemophilia was unknown in any of the families of the Duke, his Duchess or Prince Albert, although the disease can arise spontaneously. Believers of this theory also point out that, during the 27 years living with Julie St. Laurent, no children were born, possibly because the Duke was infertile. Against this theory is the low likelihood of the Duchess having an affair so soon after her marriage, together with Victoria's strong resemblance to her Hanoverian relatives. For further reading, see Queen Victoria's Gene: Haemophilia and the Royal Family by D M Potts and W T W Potts, Sutton Publishing 1995.
	Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes (18 May 1917‑18 Nov 1941), son of the 1st Baron Keyes
	Keyes was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after he was killed leading an attack against Rommel's headquarters in North Africa in November 1941. The citation reads:-
	War Office, 19th June, 1942.
	The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the VICTORIA CROSS to the undermentioned officer: -
	Major (temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes, M.C. (71081), The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armoured Corps (Buckingham).
	Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes commanded a detachment of a force which landed some 250 miles behind the enemy lines to attack Headquarters, Base Installations and Communications.
	From the outset Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes deliberately selected for himself the command of the detachment detailed to attack what was undoubtedly the most hazardous of these objectives - the residence and Headquarters of the General Officer Commanding the German forces in North Africa. This attack, even if initially successful, meant almost certain death for those who took part in it.
	He led his detachment without guides, in dangerous and precipitous country and in pitch darkness, and maintained by his stolid determination and powers of leadership the morale of the detachment. He then found himself forced to modify his original plans in the light of fresh information elicited from neighbouring Arabs, and was left only with one officer and an N.C.O. with whom to break into General Rommel's residence and deal with the guards and Headquarters staff.
	At zero hour on the night of 17th-18th November, 1941, having despatched the covering party to block the approaches to the house, he himself with the two others crawled forward past the guards, through the surrounding fence and so up to the house itself. Without hesitation, he boldly led his party up to the front door, beat on the door and demanded entrance.
	Unfortunately, when the door was opened, it was found impossible to overcome the sentry silently, and it was necessary to shoot him. The noise of the shot naturally aroused the inmates of the house and Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes, appreciating that speed was now of the utmost importance, posted the N.C.O. at the foot of the stairs to prevent interference from the floor above.
	Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes, who instinctively took the lead, emptied his revolver with great success into the first room and was followed by the other officer who threw a grenade.
	Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes with great daring then entered the second room on the ground floor but was shot almost immediately on flinging open the door and fell back into the passage mortally wounded. On being carried outside by his companions he died within a few minutes.
	By his fearless disregard of the great dangers which he ran and of which he was fully aware, and by his magnificent leadership and outstanding gallantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes set an example of supreme self sacrifice and devotion to duty.
	For a more complete narrative of this attack, see Victoria Cross Heroes by Michael [Baron] Ashcroft (London 2006).
	Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare
	The following biography of the 10th Earl of Kildare appeared in the April 1969 issue of the Australian monthly magazine Parade:-
	His enemies contemptuously called him "Silken Thomas", but beneath all his swagger and dandified exterior, Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare, was one of the most extraordinary figures in Ireland's stormy history. He was little more than a boy, not yet 21, when he launched the rebellion that in a few bloody months rocked the authority of Henry VIII of England to its foundations. He dreamt briefly of reviving his country's ancient glory by crowning himself monarch of Ireland, as a vassal of England's mortal foe, the King of England's mortal foe, the King of Spain. Then, within a year, the glittering vision of Silken Thomas had collapsed in a welter of massacre, treachery and civil war. Abandoned by his fellow countrymen, hunted like an animal by English armies, and finally lured into surrender by false promises, FitzGerald tasted the atrocious fate reserved for unsuccessful rebels. One winter's day in 1537 he was dragged on a hurdle to London's Tyburn scaffold. With him were five of his uncles, members of what had been the proudest and most powerful family in Ireland. And there Silken Thomas, the man who had hoped to be a king, was hanged, disembowelled and quartered before the eyes of the howling rabble.
	Since the days of the English conquest in the 12th century no baronial family had played a more impressive role in Irish history than the mighty clan of FitzGerald. In Kildare and large areas of central Ireland they ruled like independent princes. They owned a dozen great castles and could raise an army of 10,000 from their own vassals and allied Irish chieftains. Silken Thomas's father, the 9th Earl of Kildare, had a full share of the pride and fiery temper that had typified the FitzGeralds for generations. As Henry VIII's Viceroy and Governor of Ireland, he was constantly in trouble, both with the turbulent Irish baronage and the English monarch who suspected his boundless ambitions.
	Early in 1534 Kildare's enemies, especially the Butler family and Archbishop [John] Allen of of Dublin [1476‑1534], succeeded in having the viceroy summoned to England for questioning. Before he left in February, the Earl called a meeting of his council at Drogheda and announced that his 20-year-old son, Thomas, would act as deputy during his absence. To the Irish nobility this was simply another example of FitzGerald arrogance. Thomas was a beardless boy, a handsome, pleasure-loving youth, without the slightest experience in the tasks of government. He was a swaggerer and dandy, whose luxurious clothes and daintily clad cavalcade of squires had already earned him the scornful nickname of Silken Thomas. Yet, within a few months of receiving the symbolic sword of state from his father at Drogheda, Thomas FitzGerald was to show a very different side of his character.
	In May 1534 he was hunting at Maynooth Castle, the ancestral family stronghold in Kildare, when staggering news reached him from London. Because of the machinations of his foes in Ireland, his father, the Earl of Kildare, had been thrown into the Tower and summarily beheaded for treason. The story of the execution was untrue, although Kildare was doomed nevertheless. He was languishing in a dungeon in the Tower where he was to die miserably seven months later. Believing his father murdered by the tyrant Henry VIII, young FitzGerald - half-crazed with rage and grief - hurried to Dublin to summon a meeting of the vice-regal council. There, within the ancient walls of St. Mary's Abbey, he flung down his sword of state, renounced his allegiance to King Henry and declared war to the death against the English rule in Ireland. Some of the council joined him. Others shrank in terror from the prospect of treason. Civil war convulsed Dublin and quickly spread to the nearby country. Many of FitzGerald's enemies - including Archbishop Allen, whom he hated with special virulence - fled into Dublin Castle to seek shelter with the English garrison.
	Meanwhile, realising that he must control Dublin to have any hope of raising the whole country, the rebel leader returned to Kildare to gather his army. By mid-July he was back outside the walls of Dublin. Beneath the diagonal red cross banner of the FitzGeralds were 5,000 of his own followers and a host of clansmen sent by his allies, the O'Neills, O'Connors and O'Briens. Told that the whole city would be laid in ashes if they resisted, the citizens flung open the gates and Silken Thomas marched through the streets to besiege the walls of Dublin Castle.
	Week after week the mighty bastion of English power defied the rebels. The only satisfaction FitzGerald had was closing his account with Archbishop Allen. On the rainy night of July 27 Allen contrived to slip out of the castle, reach a waiting boat on the River Liffey and sail with a few servants down into Dublin Bay. There, however, the little vessel was driven aground and Allen was forced to seek refuge in a nearby village. Before dawn next day his whereabouts had been betrayed to FitzGerald's headquarters. Silken&nsbp;Thomas himself rode from Dublin with a squad of soldiers to see the man whom he blamed above all others for his father's fate. Frantically the Archbishop knelt and begged for his life. After watching him grovel, FitzGerald shouted to his men, "Take the clown away!" and then dug his spurs into his horse. As he galloped off, the soldiers beat out Allen's brains with their iron maces and flung his bloody corpse into a ditch. No one could say whether Silken Thomas ordered the barbaric slaying. But it was significant that he at once sent a priest off to Rome to seek papal absolution - an errand that ended in his excommunication instead of pardon.
	Meanwhile, though half Ireland was in a turmoil of rebellion, Dublin Castle still stubbornly held out against every assault. And by the end of August alarming reports were drifting in to the rebel council which FitzGerald had installed in St. Mary's Abbey. A fleet carrying a great English army under the veteran general Sir William Skeffington [c 1465‑1535] was reputed to be awaiting a favourable wind off the island of Anglesey. More immediately menacing was the terrible ravaging of Kildare by the FitzGeralds' inveterate foes, Lord Ossory and his powerful Butler clan.
	Dozens of villages were burnt and their inhabitants butchered, crops destroyed and cattle seized, until Thomas FitzGerald could delay no longer. Bitterly he raised the siege of Dublin Castle, marched his army back to his ancestral lands and launched a pitiless campaign against the invaders. To the upheaval of rebellion was now added the horrors of civil war as partisans of the FitzGeralds and their enemies fought murderously over a large part of central Ireland. Nevertheless, Silken Thomas refused to despair, even when the English army landed in Dublin in October to be welcomed with open arms by the fickle citizens.
	In much of the country the authority of King Henry had all but collapsed. English garrisons had been killed or driven out and no power rivalled that of Thomas FitzGerald. News of his father's death and his succession as 10th Earl of Kildare made his authority unquestioned among the rest of the family, including his five uncles, who were all great barons in their own right.
	Throughout the winter the 21-year­old new Earl remained within the stout walls of Maynooth Castle, making preparations for renewing the rebellion on a greater scale in the spring of 1535. He entertained grandiose visions of having himself crowned King of Ireland, though he knew that he could not maintain himself alone against the might of England. In January 1535 he dispatched emissaries to King Charles V of Spain with gifts of fine Irish horses, falcons and hunting dogs and proposals for a military alliance. FitzGerald even offered to hold his Irish realm as a vassal of the Spanish monarch if he would send soldiers, guns and money to support the rebel cause. A string of vague promises was all that Silken Thomas got in return. Then, in March 1535, the critical days of the rebellion began. While FitzGerald was absent mustering his allies, Skeffington's army cut a swath of ruin through Kildare and closed around the impregnable walls of Maynooth Castle. For days the English siege guns battered in vain at the ramparts. Every assault was hurled back with heavy losses.
	Treachery finally brought Maynooth's downfall - a foretaste of the betrayals that were to drag Silken Thomas down to destruction in the months to come. Bribed with gold, the garrison commander one night ensured that the watch on the walls was drunk. Then, while his men "lay snorting like hogs", he gave the signal for the English to storm the battlements. Hastening towards Maynooth with 7,000 men, FitzGerald was stunned to hear that the castle had already fallen and its garrison slaughtered without mercy [an act known as the "Maynooth Pardon"].
	A few weeks later, on the desperate battlefield of Clane, the last act in the tragic drama of Silken Thomas began. With his allies deserting him at every step, the rebel chief fell back into the heart of his ancestral domains. But nothing could halt the relentless enemy pursuit. Early in August the new English general, Lord Leonard Grey [later Viscount Grane], burned the last FitzGerald stronghold at Rathangan and hunted the fugitive deeper into the woods and bogs.
	At last, with only 16 half-starved followers left, FitzGerald sent an envoy to the English camp, offering to surrender on Grey's promise that he would have honourable treatment and not suffer death as an outlaw. On his own authority, Grey made the promise, but, when he took his famous prisoner to London, he found the vengeful King Henry had very different intentions. Attainted as a "notorious traitor", the Earl of Kildare was thrown into the darkest and filthiest hole in the Tower while the work of hounding down the rest of the FitzGerald clan went on. For 16 months, Silken Thomas rotted in his dungeon until all of his five uncles had been seized or betrayed to the English by their enemies in Ireland. Then, on February 3, 1537, the young Earl and his relatives were hanged and dismembered on the reeking butcher's block of Tyburn.
	Gerald Fitzgerald, 11th Earl of Kildare
	The following is taken from Chapter IX of True Irish Ghost Stories by St. John D. Seymour and Harry L. Nelligan (Hodges, Figgis & Co., Dublin 1914).
	Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, died in London on the 16th November, 1585; his body was brought back to Ireland and interred in St. Brigid's Cathedral, in Kildare. He was known as 'the Wizard Earl' on account of his practising the black art, whereby he was enabled to transform himself into other shapes, either bird or beast according to his choice; so notorious was his supernatural power that he became the terror of the countryside.
	His wife, the Countess, had long wished to see some proof of his skill, and had frequently begged him to transform himself before her, but he had steadily refused to do so, as he said if he did and she became afraid, he would be taken from her, and she would never see him again. Still she persisted, and at last he said he would do as she wished on condition that she should first of all undergo three trials to test her courage; to this she willingly agreed. In the first trial the river Greese, which flows past the castle walls, at a sign from the Earl overflowed its banks and flooded the banqueting hall in which the Earl and Countess were sitting. She showed no sign of fear, and at the Earl's command the river receded to its normal course.
	At the second trial a huge eel-like monster appeared, which entered by one of the windows, crawled about among the furniture of the banqueting hall, and finally coiled itself round the body of the Countess. Still she showed no fear, and at a nod from the Earl the animal uncoiled itself and disappeared. In the third test an intimate friend of the Countess, long since dead, entered the room, and passing slowly by her went out at the other end. She showed not the slightest sign of fear, and the Earl felt satisfied that he could place his fate in her keeping, but he again warned her of his danger if she lost her presence of mind while he was in another shape. He then turned himself into a black bird, flew about the room, and perching on the Countess's shoulder commenced to sing. Suddenly a black cat appeared from under a chest, and made a spring at the bird; in an agony of fear for its safety the Countess threw up her arms to protect it and swooned away. When she came to she was alone, the bird and the cat had disappeared, and she never saw the Earl again.
	It is said that he and his knights lie in an enchanted sleep, with their horses beside them, in a cave under the Rath on the hill of Mullaghmast, which stands, as the crow flies, five miles to the north of Kilkea Castle. Once every seven years they are allowed to issue forth; they gallop round the Curragh, thence across country to Kilkea Castle, where they re-enter the haunted wing, and return to the Rath of Mullaghmast. The Earl is easily recognised as he is mounted on a white charger shod with silver shoes; when these shoes are worn out the enchantment will be broken, and he will issue forth, drive the foes of Ireland from the land and reign for a seven times seven number of years over the vast estates of his ancestors. [The Curragh is a flat open plain in County Kildare, and a 'Rath' is a circular hill fort protected by earthworks. Many of these structures still exist in Ireland.]
	Shortly before '98 [i.e. 1798] he was seen on the Curragh by a blacksmith who was crossing it in an ass-cart from Athgarvan to Kildare. A fairy blast overtook him, and he had just time to say, "God speed ye Gentlemen" to the invisible "Good People", when he heard horses galloping up behind him; pulling to one side of the road he looked back and was terrified at seeing a troop of knights, fully armed, led by one on a white horse. The leader halted his men, and riding up to the blacksmith asked him to examine his [horse]shoes. Almost helpless from fear he stumbled out of the ass-cart and looked at each shoe, which was of silver, and then informed the knight that all the nails were sound. The knight thanked him, rejoined his troop, and galloped off. The blacksmith in a half-dazed state hastened on to Kildare, where he entered a public house, ordered a noggin of whisky, and drank it neat. When he had thoroughly come to himself he told the men that were present what had happened to him on the Curragh; one old man who had listened to him said: "By the mortal man, ye are after seeing 'Gerod Earla". This fully explained the mystery. Gerod Earla, or Earl Gerald, is the name by which the Wizard Earl is known by the peasantry.
	One other legend is told in connection with the Wizard Earl of a considerably later date. It is said that a farmer was returning from a fair in Athy late one evening in the direction of Ballintore, and when passing within view of the Rath of Mullaghmast he was astonished to see a bright light apparently issuing from it. Dismounting from his car he went to investigate. On approaching the Rath he noticed that the light was proceeding from a cave in which were sleeping several men in armour, with their horses beside them. He cautiously crept up to the entrance, and seeing that neither man nor beast stirred he grew bolder and entered the chamber; he then examined the saddlery on the horses, and the armour of the men, and plucking up courage began slowly to draw a sword from its sheath; as he did so the owner's head began to rise, and he heard a voice in Irish say, "Is the time yet come?" In terror the farmer, as he shoved the sword back, replied, "It is not, your Honour", and then fled from the place. It is said that if the farmer had only completely unsheathed the sword the enchantment would have been broken, and the Earl would have come to his own again.
	Francis William Browne, 4th Baron Kilmaine
	The 4th Baron Kilmaine committed suicide in 1907 in Paris. According to a report in The Times of 11 November 1907:-
	Our Paris correspondent telegraphed last night:- Lord Kilmaine, one of the representative Irish peers and a large landowner in Ireland, committed suicide about 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon [9 November] by throwing himself out of the window on the fourth floor of the Hôtel d'Iéna, where he was staying. Francis William Browne, the fourth Baron Kilmaine, who was born in 1843, had long suffered from acute nervous disease and had apparently come to Paris for medical treatment. Lady Kilmaine was with him in his sitting room yesterday, when he went quietly to the window as if to look out, and suddenly threw himself over the balcony. Death was instantaneous, the skull being fractured. Lady Kilmaine fainted on seeing her husband step over the balustrade. It is stated that the body is to be removed to the English church in the Rue d'Aguesseau, awaiting the arrival of Lord Kilmaine's son.
	Unfortunately, the 4th Baron's suicide was mirrored nearly 40 years later when the 5th Baron also committed suicide, as will be seen in the note below.
	John Edward Deane Browne, 5th Baron Kilmaine
	The Times of 30 August 1946 records the verdict of an inquest held into the death of the 5th Baron Kilmaine, as follows:-
	A verdict of "Suicide while of unsound mind" was recorded at an inquest at Bexhill, Sussex, yesterday on the body of Lord Kilmaine, 68, who died at Bexhill Hospital on Tuesday. Patrick Cornelius Crimmins, secretary-companion to Lord Kilmaine, said that on Tuesday afternoon, on returning from posting a letter, he found Lord Kilmaine in a sitting position on the floor in front of a chair. There was a bottle of disinfectant on a table near the chair. Lord Kilmaine seemed to be unconscious. Dr. Colin McIver, who stated that Lord Kilmaine died from carbolic acid poisoning, said that he attended him during the war years and his mental condition had deteriorated since an illness in June. His mind was not normal and he had been certified.
	William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock
	The following article, which also relates to Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerinoch (which title is spelled as Balmerino in the article) and Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, is taken from the Australian monthly magazine Parade in its issue for September 1955:-
	One of the most romantic episodes in the story of the British peoples is the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, when the "Bonnie Prince Charlie" made his gallant but ill-planned bid to win back the English throne for his exiled father, James III. But its consequences for himself and thousands of those who helped him made it also one of the most tragic. Of the many grim incidents that climaxed the "Forty-five" Rebellion, one of the most dramatic was the execution of the Scottish lords Kilmarnock and Balmerino on Tower Hill in April, 1746, for their parts in it. Eight months later they were followed to the scaffold by the clan chief of the Frasers, Lord Lovat.
	All three men were of widely differing temperaments, and together they formed a trio that exemplified the different motives that inspired those who rallied to the banner of the Stuarts whatever the odds. But each of them had this in common; they died with stoic bravery, even making a joke of death.
	Kilmarnock was 42 when he died; Balmerino 58 and Lovat 80. Kilmarnock died professing repentance for his part in the "Forty-Five" and asking for clemency for those who fought by his side. He claimed that poverty had driven him to support Prince Charles Stuart against England's imported Hanoverian king. Balmerino, a bluff dragoon of unquenchable spirit, went to his death cursing the Hanoverians and drinking a bumper to "the King over the water" - an uncompromising Highland rebel to the last. Lovat was a hoary old rascal, who had coolly played Jacobites against Hanoverians for 50 years for his own purposes, and who joined the Stuart cause when he felt sure of its success and of thereby reaping benefit for himself. But his courage in deathproved that a man need not necessarily live well to die well.
	Such were the types of men who from different motives supported the gay, blue-eyed Bonnie Prince when he landed in the Hebrides and raised the Stuart standard in the wild valley of Glenfinnan on August 19, 1745. Charles spent the night of September 15 at Falkirk where he was joined by William Boyd, fourth Lord Kilmarnock who lived with his wife in Callender House, a small castle a few miles from the camp.
	When the Prince's army entered Edinburgh, Arthur Elphinstone, Lord Balmerino, was among the stream of adherents who came flocking to Holyrood for the proclamation of Charles' father as King of Scotland, England and Ireland on September 18. Balmerino had been born in 1688, the year that James II was forced to abdicate and William and Mary assumed the crown. He had joined James II's son, the Old Pretender, in the abortive rebellion of 1715, but had escaped and had lived in exile until 1733, when his father secured a pardon for him.
	Three days after Balmerino joined the Prince, the Highlanders swooped on Sir John Cope's British force encamped at Prestonpans and hacked them to pieces in a few minutes. This ended the hesitancy of a number of clan chiefs who now rallied to the Stuart prince's support. Among them was Lord Lovat, senior chief of the Fraser clan, a man with as rascally a record as could be found in spite of his privileged birth. More than 50 years before he had left Aberdeen University and recruited 300 Fraser clansmen to form part of a regiment to serve William and Mary. Then when his cousin, the 10th Lord Lovat, died, he tried to marry his cousin's daughter as a means of consolidating his claims to the chieftainship and to his cousin's estates. Being baulked by the maiden's flight from home at his approach, he had turned on the widowed Lady Lovat, cut her clothes from her body, raped her in the presence of his followers, and forced her to marry him herself in order to gain her estates.
	He had been outlawed, but had escaped to France where as the 12th Lord Lovat he played a double game with English, Scots and French. For this he was imprisoned in France for ten years, but he had again escaped and had gone to England in 1714, eventually returning to Scotland to ingratiate himself in his countrymen's favour. For 25 years of alternating Jacobite and anti-Jacobite intrigues in which he calmly betrayed both sides, Lovat had been pre-occupied with the recovery of his own fortunes and estates. When the rebellion started he was torn between joining the Prince - in which case his titles and estates would be forfeit if the rebellion failed - and the promise of a dukedom given by Charles for his aid.
	The success of the Prince's forces at Prestonpans decided him that the Pretender would succeed in his mad venture, and he wrote to the Prince expressing regret that old age and infirmity prevented him taking the field himself, but informing him that he was sending his son with a strong force of Fraser clansmen to aid him. But to protect his own carcass in case the rebellion failed, he wrote at the same time a cordial letter to Duncan Forbes, Lord President of the Court of Session, expressing his regret that his son had taken this step and professing his own attachment to the House of Hanover. In point of fact, the son had been most unwilling to go, but had been compelled to do so by his cunning father.
	Balmerino and Kilmarnock were in the field in command of bodies of mounted grenadiers when Charles marched out from Edinburgh in November for the invasion of England, and on that fatal April 16, 1746, when the Scots, outnumbered and out-weaponed, lost their cause on the bare, windswept moor of Culloden. Kilmarnock surrendered on the field and Balmerino escaped only to be captured by Grant of Ballindalloch, who promptly handed him over to the Duke of Cumberland, the "Butcher of Culloden". Away in his lair, the wily old fox, Lovat, decided the game was up and fled to the Highlands. But after much hardship in his wanderings to evade the British redcoats, he was at last arrested on an island in Loch Morar.
	Balmerino and Kilmarnock had meanwhile been lodged in the Tower of London along with another Scots rebel, the Earl of Cromarty. The three were tried together by their peers, although they were taken in separate coaches to Westminster Hall. At the outset Balmerino proved his spirit. There was a dispute about which vehicle should carry the axe, and Kilmarnock, a nervous type, objected to travelling with it. But Balmerino called "Come, put in the coach with me". He pleaded not guilty to the charge of high treason, while Cromarty and Kilmarnock pleaded guilty, evidently with some hope of Royal clemency. For his part, Balmerino dragged out the proceedings by quibbling, like a true Scot, about an inaccurate rendering of his name and an incorrect dating of his entrance into Carlisle. At the Bar of the House Balmerino showed complete disregard for his fate, joked with the gentleman­gaoler, fingered the axe while he talked, and on one occasion pretended to use it as a fan.
	The trial lasted for nearly a week, during which time the three men were lodged in a cell at Westminster, where Balmerino made determined efforts to keep everyone's spirits high. With the best intentions in the world but somewhat tactlessly, he showed Kilmarnock how to lay his head on the block. "Don't wince, lest the stroke cut your skull or shoulders", he instructed, "but bite your lips". Kilmarnock, though less callous than Balmerino, conducted himself throughout the trial with such eloquent grace and dignity that many of the spectators wept, and one young lady fell extravagantly in love with him. Later he and Cromarty petitioned the King for pardons and George II exclaimed feelingly, "Heaven help me, will no one say a word of behalf of Lord Balmerino? He's a rebel, but at least he's an honest one!"
	Balmerino, however, disdained to ask pardon from a king he regarded as a usurper. Kilmarnock's appeal was refused, but Cromarty was allowed to go free after his wife - the mother of eight children and expecting a ninth - had fainted at George II's feet and had enlisted the help of the Prince of Wales for a pardon.
	While awaiting execution Kilmarnock regretted his fate and his part in the rebellion. "For the two Kings and their rights I care not a farthing which prevailed. But I was starving, and, by God, if Mahomet had set up his standard in the Highlands, I had been a good Mussulman for bread", he said. Balmerino, however, managed to enjoy himself in the shadow of the scaffold. He could actually view it from one window of his prison. The other windows were stopped up because they gave on to the street and he used to entertain passers-by with seditious quips.
	According to the custom of the day, prisoners in the Tower were treated not so much like criminals but as paying guests and were allowed to entertain friends and relatives. Balmerino was at dinner with his wife when the Lieutenant of the Tower brought in his death warrant. Lady Balmerino fainted. "Lieutenant", shouted the sanguine Scot, "you have spoilt my lady's stomach with your damned warrant!"
	The execution was scheduled for August 18, and on that summer's morning the two peers were taken to an apartment on Tower Hill. Kilmarnock was in black, but Balmerino wore a red-faced blue army coat and a flannel waistcoat over his shroud. When the Lieutenant of the Tower handed them over to the Sheriff, he cried, in accordance with custom: "Long Live King George". Kilmarnock meekly responded, "Amen", but Balmerino shouted at the top of his lungs: "Long Live King James!"
	Kilmarnock died with great courage. He asked that the cloth be lifted from the scaffold rails to give the spectators a better view, made a small speech, took off his coat and waistcoat, and, placing his head on the block, gave the signal to the executioner by dropping his handkerchief. His head was severed at one blow. Balmerino then came forward with military precision. Calling for a glass of wine, he asked the by­standers to drink "Ain degrae ta Haiven" (an ascent to Heaven). Then he inspected the axe, running his finger along the edge, gave the executioner three guineas for having despatched Kilmarnock so neatly, and commanded him to strike boldly - "for in that, my friend", he said, "will consist thy mercy". He took a paper out of his pocket, put on his spectacles, and read a declaration of his unshakeable loyalty to the House of Stuart and his repentance for having once held a commission in the service of Queen Anne. It was this treason, he assured them, which he was now expiating. He refused the further services of the clergymen, and, going to a corner of the scaffold, gave his wig to a warder, put on a bonnet of Scotch plaid, removed his coat and waistcoat and leant his head on the block. But the executioner was so thrown out by the antics of his victim that he struck the first blow irresolutely, and it took three to sever Balmerino's head - one for each guinea.
	Lovat, the old fox, had betrayed so many people in the course of his long life that, unlike the the other victims, his execution excited no pity, although he was then an infirm old man of 80. On April 18, 1747, the evening before his execution, the warder expressed his sorrow at the prospect of the bad day on the morrow. "Bad!" echoed Lovat. "For what? Do you think I am afraid of an axe? It is a debt we must all pay, and better this way than by a lingering disease." Like Balmerino, he responded "Long live King James" to the Lieutenant's cry. Part of the scaffold collapsed as the executioner was whetting his axe. Several spectators were crushed to death. As he surveyed the melee with a leer on his ugly old face, Lovat cried, "Ay, ay. The mair mischief, the better sport." He undressed when some order had been restored as methodically as though he were going to bed; then, as he laid his head on the block, the old Aberdeen University pupil Lovat had been repeated quietly the line of Horace, "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" [It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country].

	Copyright © 2003-2018 Leigh Rayment
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