PEERAGES
Last updated 14/02/2018 (29 Jan 2024)
Date Rank Order Name Born Died Age
ABERCONWAY
21 Jun 1911 B 1 Sir Charles Benjamin Bright McLaren, 1st baronet
Created Baron Aberconway 21 Jun 1911
MP for Stafford 1880‑1886 and Bosworth 1892‑1910. PC 1908
12 May 1850 23 Jan 1934 83
23 Jan 1934 2 Henry Duncan McLaren
MP for Staffordshire West 1906‑1910 and Bosworth 1910‑1922
16 Apr 1879 23 May 1953 74
23 May 1953 3 Charles Melville McLaren 16 Apr 1913 4 Feb 2003 89
4 Feb 2003 4 Henry Charles McLaren 26 May 1948
ABERCORN
5 Apr 1603
10 Jul 1606
B[S]
E[S]
1
1
James Hamilton
Created Baron of Abercorn 5 Apr 1603 and Lord Paisley, Hamilton, Mountcastell and Kilpatrick, and Earl of Abercorn 10 Jul 1606
23 Mar 1618
23 Mar 1618 2 James Hamilton
Created Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane [I] 8 May 1617
He succeeded as 2nd Lord Paisley in 1621
c 1670
c 1670 3 George Hamilton c 1636 by 1683
by 1683 4 Claud Hamilton
He was outlawed after his death, and the Barony of Hamilton of Strabane was forfeited
13 Sep 1659 1690 30
1690 5 Charles Hamilton
He obtained a reversal of the attainder of the Barony of Hamilton of Strabane 24 May 1692
Jun 1701
Jun 1701 6 Sir James Hamilton, 2nd baronet
Created Baron Mountcastle [I] and Viscount Strabane [I] 2 Sep 1701
MP [I] for Tyrone County 1692‑1693 and 1695‑1699; PC [I] by 1711
1661 28 Nov 1734 73
28 Nov 1734 7 James Hamilton
PC 1738; PC [I] 1739
22 Mar 1686 11 Jan 1744 57
11 Jan 1744 8 James Hamilton
Created Baron Mountcastle [I] 23 Mar 1736 and Viscount Hamilton of Hamilton 24 Aug 1786
PC [I] 1756
22 Oct 1712 9 Oct 1789 76
9 Oct 1789
15 Oct 1790
 
M
9
1
John James Hamilton
Created Marquess of Abercorn [GB] 15 Oct 1790
MP for East Looe 1783‑1784 and St Germans 1784‑1790; PC [I] 1794; KG 1805
Jul 1756 27 Jan 1818 61
For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page
27 Jan 1818
10 Aug 1868
 
D[I]
2
1
James Hamilton
Created Marquess of Hamilton of Strabane and Duke of Abercorn 10 Aug 1868
Lord Lieutenant Donegal 1844‑1885; KG 1844; PC 1846; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1866‑1868 and 1874‑1876
21 Jan 1811 31 Oct 1885 74
31 Oct 1885 2 James Hamilton
MP for Donegal 1860‑1880; Lord Lieutenant Donegal 1886‑1913; KG 1892; PC [I] 1887
24 Aug 1838 3 Jan 1913 74
3 Jan 1913 3 James Albert Edward Hamilton
MP for Londonderry 1900‑1913; Governor of Northern Ireland 1922‑1945; Lord Lieutenant Tyrone 1917‑1951; KP 1922; KG 1928; PC [NI] 1923; PC 1945
30 Nov 1869 12 Sep 1953 83
12 Sep 1953 4 James Edward Hamilton
Lord Lieutenant Tyrone 1951‑1979
29 Feb 1904 4 Jun 1979 75
4 Jun 1979 5 James Hamilton
MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1964‑1970; Lord Lieutenant Tyrone 1987‑2009; KG 1999
4 Jul 1934
ABERCROMBIE
12 Dec 1647 B[S] 1 James Sandilands
Created Lord of Abercrombie [S] 12 Dec 1647
after 1658
after 1658
to    
1681
2 James Sandilands
Peerage extinct on his death
1681
ABERCROMBY
28 May 1801 B 1 Mary Anne Abercromby
Created Baroness Abercromby 28 May 1801
For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page
11 Feb 1821
11 Feb 1821 2 George Abercromby
MP for Edinburgh 1805‑1806 and Clackmannanshire 1806‑1807 and 1812‑1815; Lord Lieutenant Stirling 1837‑1843
14 Oct 1770 14 Feb 1843 72
14 Feb 1843 3 George Ralph Abercromby
MP for Clackmannanshire 1824‑1826 and 1830‑1831, Stirlingshire 1838‑1841 and Clackmannan & Kinross 1841‑1842; Lord Lieutenant Clackmannan 1840‑1852
30 May 1800 25 Jun 1852 52
25 Jun 1852 4 George Ralph Campbell Abercromby 23 Sep 1838 30 Oct 1917 79
30 Oct 1917
to    
7 Oct 1924
5 John Abercromby
Peerage extinct on his death
15 Jan 1841 7 Oct 1924 83
ABERDARE
23 Aug 1873 B 1 Henry Austin Bruce
Created Baron Aberdare 23 Aug 1873
MP for Merthyr Tydvil 1852‑1868 and Renfrewshire 1869‑1873; Under-Secretary Home Department 1862‑1864; Vice‑President of the Council of Education 1864‑1866; Home Secretary 1868‑1873; Lord President of the Council 1873‑1874; PC 1864
16 Apr 1815 25 Feb 1895 79
25 Feb 1895 2 Henry Campbell Bruce 19 Jun 1851 20 Feb 1929 77
20 Feb 1929 3 Clarence Napier Bruce 2 Aug 1885 4 Oct 1957 72
4 Oct 1957 4 Morys George Lyndhurst Bruce
Minister without Portfolio 1974; PC 1974
[Elected hereditary peer 1999-2005]
16 Jun 1919 23 Jan 2005 85
23 Jan 2005 5 Alastair John Lyndhurst Bruce
[Elected hereditary peer 2009-]
2 May 1947
ABERDEEN AND TEMAIR
30 Nov 1682 E[S] 1 Sir George Gordon, 3rd baronet
Created Lord Haddo, Methlick, Tarves and Kellie, Viscount of Formartine and Earl of Aberdeen 30 Nov 1682
3 Oct 1637 20 Apr 1720 82
20 Apr 1720 2 William Gordon
MP for Aberdeenshire 1708
22 Dec 1679 30 Mar 1745 65
30 Mar 1745 3 George Gordon 30 Aug 1801
30 Aug 1801 4 George Hamilton-Gordon
Created Viscount Gordon of Aberdeen 1 Jun 1814
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1828; Foreign Secretary 1828‑1830 and 1841‑1846; Prime Minister 1852‑1855; KG 1855; Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeen 1846‑1860; KT 1808; PC 1814
28 Jan 1784 14 Dec 1860 76
14 Dec 1860 5 George John James Hamilton‑Gordon
MP for Aberdeen 1854‑1860
28 Sep 1816 18 Mar 1864 47
18 Mar 1864 6 George Hamilton-Gordon 10 Dec 1841 27 Jan 1870 28
For further information on this peer, and also on his younger brother, see the note at the foot of this page
27 Jan 1870
15 May 1915
 
M
7
1
John Campbell Hamilton‑Gordon
Created Earl of Haddo and Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair 15 May 1915
Lord Lieutenant Aberdeen 1880‑1934; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1886 and 1905‑1915; Governor-General of Canada 1893‑1898; PC 1886; KT 1906
3 Aug 1847 7 Mar 1934 86
For a discussion on the date of creation of these peerages, see the note at the foot of this page
7 Mar 1934 2 George Gordon
Lord Lieutenant Aberdeen 1934‑1959
20 Jan 1879 6 Jan 1965 85
6 Jan 1965 3 Dudley Gladstone Gordon 6 May 1883 16 Apr 1972 88
16 Apr 1972 4 David George Ian Gordon
Lord Lieutenant Aberdeen 1973‑1974
21 Jan 1908 13 Sep 1974 66
13 Sep 1974 5 Archibald Victor Dudley Gordon 9 Jul 1913 7 Sep 1984 71
7 Sep 1984 6 Alastair Ninian John Gordon 20 Jul 1920 19 Aug 2002 82
19 Aug 2002 7 Alexander George Gordon 31 Mar 1955 12 Mar 2020 64
12 Mar 2020 8 George Ian Alastair Gordon 4 May 1983
ABERDOUR
Lord Aberdour is used as a courtesy title by the Earls of Morton, but there is no evidence that a peerage of this name was ever created within that family

5 Aug 1581 B[S] 1 Esme Stuart
Created Lord Darnley, Aubigny and Dalkeith and Earl of Lennox 5 Mar 1580, and Lord Aubigny, Dalkeith, Torboltoun and Aberdour, Earl of Darnley and Duke of Lennox 5 Aug 1581
See "Lennox"
c 1542 26 May 1583
ABERGAVENNY
Barons by Tenure
William I B 1 Hamelin de Balun William I
William I 2 Brientius de Insula Henry I
Henry I 3 Walter de Gloucester Henry I
Henry I 4 Henry Fitzmiles Henry II
Henry II 5 Seisill ap Yago Henry II
Henry II 6 Seisill ap Dunwall 1175
1175 7 William de Braose 1212
1212 8 Giles de Braose 13 Nov 1216
13 Nov 1216 9 Reginald de Braose 1222
1222 10 William de Braose 1230
1230 11 William de Cantilupe 1254
1254 12 George de Cantilupe 1273
1273 13 John Hastings, later [1295] 1st Lord Hastings 6 May 1262 28 Feb 1313 50
28 Feb 1313 14 John Hastings, 2nd Lord Hastings 29 Sep 1287 20 Jan 1325 37
1325 15 Lawrence Hastings, 3rd Lord Hastings, later [1339] 1st Earl of Pembroke 20 Mar 1318 30 Aug 1348 30
1348 16 John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke 29 Aug 1347 16 Apr 1375 27
1375 17 John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke 11 Nov 1372 31 Dec 1389 17
31 Dec 1389
1392
 
B
18
1
William Beauchamp
Summoned to Parliament as Baron Bergavenny 1392
KG 1376
8 May 1411
8 May 1411 2 Richard Beauchamp, later [1421] 1st Earl of Worcester by 1397 1422
1422 3 Elizabeth Beauchamp
After her death, her husband Edward Nevill was summoned to Parliament as Baron Bergavenny 5 Sep 1450. He died 13 Oct 1476
16 Dec 1415 18 Jun 1447 31
14 Oct 1476 4 George Nevill 1440 20 Sep 1492 52
20 Sep 1492 5 George Nevill
Warden of the Cinque Ports; KG 1513
14 Jun 1535
14 Jun 1535 6 Henry Nevill 10 Feb 1587
10 Feb 1587 7 Edward Nevill 10 Feb 1589
10 Feb 1589 8 Edward Nevill 1551 1 Dec 1622 71
1 Dec 1622 9 Henry Nevill Dec 1641
Dec 1641 10 John Nevill 1614 23 Oct 1662 48
23 Oct 1662 11 George Nevill 2 Jun 1666
2 Jun 1666 12 George Nevill 21 Apr 1665 26 Mar 1695 29
26 Mar 1695 13 George Nevill 11 Mar 1721
11 Mar 1721 14 George Nevill 16 May 1702 15 Nov 1723 21
15 Nov 1723 15 Edward Nevill 5 Oct 1724
5 Oct 1724 16 William Nevill 21 Sep 1744
21 Sep 1744
17 May 1784
 
E
17
1
George Nevill
Created Viscount Nevill of Birling and Earl of Abergavenny 17 May 1784
Lord Lieutenant of Sussex 1757‑1761
24 Jun 1727 9 Sep 1785 58
9 Sep 1785 2 Henry Nevill
MP for Seaford 1784 and Monmouthshire 1784‑1785; KT 1814
22 Feb 1755 27 Mar 1843 88
27 Mar 1843 3 John Nevill 25 Dec 1789 12 Apr 1845 55
12 Apr 1845 4 William Nevill 28 Jun 1792 17 Aug 1868 76
17 Aug 1868
14 Jan 1876
 
M
5
1
William Nevill
Created Earl of Lewes and Marquess of Abergavenny 14 Jan 1876
Lord Lieutenant of Sussex 1892‑1905; KG 1886
16 Sep 1826 12 Dec 1915 89
12 Dec 1915 2 Reginald William Bransby Nevill 4 Mar 1853 13 Oct 1927 74
13 Oct 1927 3 Henry Gilbert Ralph Nevill 2 Sep 1854 10 Jan 1938 83
10 Jan 1938 4 Guy Temple Montacute Larnach-Nevill 15 Jul 1883 30 Mar 1954 70
30 Mar 1954 5 John Henry Guy Nevill
Lord Lieutenant Sussex East 1974‑1989; KG 1974
8 Nov 1914 23 Feb 2000 85
23 Feb 2000 6 Christopher George Charles Nevill 23 Apr 1955
ABERNETHY
24 Jun 1233 B[S] 1 Laurence Abernethy
Created Lord Abernethy 24 Jun 1233
c 1292
c 1292
to    
c 1325
2 Alexander Abernethy
Peerage extinct on his death
c 1325
ABERNETHY AND STRATHEARN
30 Jan 1562 B[S] 1 James Stewart
Created Lord Abernethy and Strathearn and Earl of Moray 30 Jan 1562
See "Moray"
21 Jan 1570
ABERNETHY AND JEDBURGH FOREST
14 Jun 1633 B[S] 1 William Douglas, 11th Earl of Angus
Created Lord Abernerthy and Jedburgh Forest, Earl of Angus and Marquess of Douglas 14 Jun 1633
See "Douglas"
1590 19 Feb 1660 69
ABERRUTHVEN
24 Apr 1707 B[S] 1 James Graham, 4th Marquess of Montrose
Created Lord Aberruthven, Viscount of Dundaff, Earl of Kincardine, Marquess of Graham and Duke of Montrose 24 Apr 1707
See "Montrose"
1682 7 Jan 1742 59
ABERTAY
26 Jun 1940
to    
6 Dec 1940
B 1 Sir Charles Coupar Barrie
Created Baron Abertay 26 Jun 1940
MP for Elgin Burghs 1918, Banffshire 1918‑1924 and Southampton 1931‑1940
Peerage extinct on his death
1875 6 Dec 1940 65
ABINGDON
30 Nov 1682 E 1 James Bertie, 5th Baron Norris de Rycote
Created Earl of Abingdon 30 Nov 1682
Lord Lieutenant Oxford 1674‑1687 and 1689‑1697
22 May 1699
22 May 1699 2 Montagu Venables-Bertie
MP for Berkshire 1689‑1690 and Oxfordshire 1690‑1699; Lord Lieutenant of Tower of London; Lord Lieutenant Berkshire 1701‑1702 and Oxfordshire 1702‑1706 and 1712‑1715; PC 1702
4 Feb 1673 16 Jun 1743 70
16 Jun 1743 3 Willoughby Bertie 10 Jun 1760
10 Jun 1760 4 Willoughby Bertie 16 Jan 1740 26 Sep 1799 59
26 Sep 1799 5 Montagu Bertie
Lord Lieutenant Berkshire 1826‑1854
30 Apr 1784 16 Oct 1854 70
16 Oct 1854 6 Montagu Bertie
MP for Oxfordshire 1830‑1831 and 1832‑1852 and Abingdon 1852‑1854; Lord Lieutenant Berkshire 1855‑1881
19 Jun 1808 8 Feb 1884 75
8 Feb 1884 7 Montagu Bertie 13 May 1836 10 Mar 1928 91
10 Mar 1928 8 Montagu Henry Edmund Cecil Townley‑Bertie
He succeeded to the Earldom of Lindsey in 1938
2 Nov 1887 11 Sep 1963 75
11 Sep 1963 9 Richard Henry Rupert Bertie, 14th Earl of Lindsey 28 Jun 1931
ABINGER
12 Jan 1835 B 1 Sir James Scarlett
Created Baron Abinger 12 Jan 1835
MP for Peterborough 1819‑1830, Malton 1830‑1831, Cockermouth 1831 and Norwich 1832‑1834; Attorney General 1827 and 1829; Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer 1834‑1844; PC 1834
13 Dec 1769 7 Apr 1844 74
7 Apr 1844 2 Robert Campbell Scarlett
MP for Norwich 1835‑1838 and Horsham 1841‑1844
5 Sep 1794 24 Jun 1861 66
24 Jun 1861 3 William Frederick Scarlett 30 Aug 1826 16 Jan 1892 65
16 Jan 1892 4 James Yorke Macgregor Scarlett 13 Mar 1871 11 Dec 1903 32
For information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page
11 Dec 1903 5 Shelley Leopold Laurence Scarlett 1 Apr 1872 23 May 1917 45
23 May 1917 6 Robert Brooke Campbell Scarlett 8 Jan 1876 10 Jun 1927 51
For information on this peer's wife, see the note at the foot of this page
10 Jun 1927 7 Hugh Richard Scarlett 25 Nov 1878 21 Jul 1943 64
21 Jul 1943 8 James Richard Scarlett 28 Sep 1914 23 Sep 2002 87
23 Sep 2002 9 James Harry Scarlett 28 May 1959
ABOYNE
20 Apr 1632 V[S] 1 George Gordon
Created Viscount Aboyne 20 Apr 1632
He succeeded to the Marquessate of Huntly in 1636 when, by special remainder, the Viscountcy passed to his second son -
22 Mar 1649
1636
to    
Feb 1649
2 James Gordon
Peerage presumed to have become extinct on his death
Feb 1649

10 Sep 1660 E[S] 1 Charles Gordon
Created Lord Gordon of Strathavon and Glenlivet, and Earl of Aboyne 10 Sep 1660
Mar 1681
Mar 1681 2 Charles Gordon Apr 1702
Apr 1702 3 John Gordon 7 Apr 1732
7 Apr 1732 4 Charles Gordon c 1728 28 Dec 1795
28 Dec 1795 5 George Gordon
He succeeded to the Marquessate of Huntly in 1836, into which title these peerages then merged and still remain so
28 Jun 1761 17 Jun 1853 91
ACHESON
18 Sep 1847 B 1 Archibald Acheson
Created Baron Acheson 18 Sep 1847
He succeeded to the Earldom of Gosford in 1849 with which title this peerage then merged and still remains so
20 Aug 1806 15 Jun 1864 57
ACKNER
30 Jan 1986
to    
21 Mar 2006
B[L] Sir Desmond James Conrad Ackner
Created Baron Ackner for life 30 Jan 1986
Lord Justice of Appeal 1980‑1986; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1986‑1992; PC 1980
Peerage extinct on his death
18 Sep 1920 21 Mar 2006 85
ACTON
11 Dec 1869 B 1 Sir John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 8th baronet
Created Baron Acton 11 Dec 1869
MP for Carlow 1859‑1865 and Bridgnorth 1865‑1866
10 Jan 1834 19 Jun 1902 68
19 Jun 1902 2 Richard Maximilian Lyon-Dalberg-Acton 7 Aug 1870 16 Jun 1924 53
16 Jun 1924 3 John Emerich Henry Lyon-Dalberg-Acton 15 Dec 1907 23 Jan 1989 81
23 Jan 1989
17 Apr 2000
to    
10 Oct 2010
 
B[L]
4 Richard Gerald Lyon-Dalberg-Acton
Created Baron Acton of Bridgnorth for life 17 Apr 2000
this life peerage became extinct on his death
30 Jul 1941 10 Oct 2010 69
10 Oct 2010 5 John Charles Ferdinand Harold Lyon-Dalberg-Acton 19 Aug 1966
ADAMS
16 Feb 1949
to    
23 Aug 1960
B 1 John Jackson Adams
Created Baron Adams 16 Feb 1949
Peerage extinct on his death
12 Oct 1890 23 Aug 1960 69
ADAMS OF CRAIGIELEA
28 Jun 2005 B[L] Katherine Patricia Irene Adams
Created Baroness Adams of Craigielea for life 28 Jun 2005
MP for Paisley North 1990‑2005
27 Dec 1947
ADARE
31 Jul 1800
5 Feb 1822
B[I]
V[I]
1
1
Valentine Richard Quin
Created Baron Adare 31 Jul 1800, Viscount Mount Earl 5 Feb 1816 and Viscount Adare and Earl of Dunraven & Mount Earl 5 Feb 1822
See "Dunraven and Mount Earl"
30 Jul 1752 24 Aug 1824 72
ADBASTON
25 Nov 1815
to    
13 May 1825
B 1 Charles Whitworth
Created Baron Adbaston and Earl Whitworth 25 Nov 1815
Peerage extinct on his death
29 May 1752 13 May 1825 72
ADDINGTON
22 Jul 1887 B 1 John Gellibrand Hubbard
Created Baron Addington 22 Jul 1887
MP for Buckingham 1858‑1868 and London 1874‑1887; PC 1874
21 Mar 1805 28 Aug 1889 84
28 Aug 1889 2 Egerton Hubbard
MP for Buckingham 1874‑1880 and Buckinghamshire North 1886‑1889
29 Dec 1842 14 Jun 1915 72
14 Jun 1915 3 John Gellibrand Hubbard 7 Jun 1883 19 Jul 1966 83
19 Jul 1966 4 Raymond Egerton Hubbard 11 Nov 1884 17 Aug 1971 86
17 Aug 1971 5 James Hubbard 3 Nov 1930 26 Jun 1982 51
26 Jun 1982 6 Dominic Bryce Hubbard
[Elected hereditary peer 1999-]
24 Aug 1963
ADDISON
2 May 1937
2 Jul 1945
B
V
1
1
Christopher Addison
Created Baron Addison 22 May 1937 and Viscount Addison 2 Jul 1945
MP for Hoxton 1910‑1918, Shoreditch 1918‑1922 and Swindon 1929‑1931 and 1934‑1935; Minister of Munitions 1916‑1917; Minister of Reconstruction 1917‑1919; President of the Local Government Board 1919; Minister of Health 1919‑1921; Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries 1930‑1931; Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations 1945‑1947; Lord Privy Seal 1947‑1951; Lord President of the Council 1951; PC 1916, KG 1946
19 Jun 1869 11 Dec 1951 82
11 Dec 1951 2 Christopher Addison 8 Dec 1904 18 Nov 1976 71
18 Nov 1976 3 Michael Addison 12 Apr 1914 23 Mar 1992 77
23 Mar 1992 4 William Matthew Wand Addison 13 Jun 1945
ADEANE
20 Apr 1972
to    
30 Apr 1984
B[L] Sir Michael Edward Adeane
Created Baron Adeane for life 20 Apr 1972
PC 1953
Peerage extinct on his death
30 Sep 1910 30 Apr 1984 73
ADEBOWALE
30 Jun 2001 B[L] Victor Olufeni Adebowale
Created Baron Adebowale for life 30 Jun 2001
21 Jul 1962
ADONIS
16 May 2005 B[L] Andrew Adonis
Created Baron Adonis for life 16 May 2005
Secretary of State for Transport 2009‑2010; PC 2009
22 Feb 1963
ADRIAN
28 Jan 1955 B 1 Edgar Douglas Adrian
Created Baron Adrian 28 Jan 1955
Nobel Prize for Medicine 1932; President of the Royal Society 1950‑1955; OM 1942
30 Nov 1889 4 Aug 1977 87
4 Aug 1977
to    
4 Apr 1995
2 Richard Hume Adrian
Peerage extinct on his death
16 Oct 1927 4 Apr 1995 67
AFSHAR
11 Dec 2007
to    
12 May 2022
B[L] Haleh Afshar
Created Baroness Afshar for life 11 Dec 2007
Peerage extinct on her death
21 May 1944 12 May 2022 77
AGHRIM
13 Apr 1676
to    
Aug 1677
B[I] 1 Lord John Butler
Created Baron of Aghrim, Viscount Clonmore and Earl of Gowran 13 Apr 1676
Peerages extinct on his death
1643 Aug 1677 34

4 Mar 1692 B[I] 1 Godert de Ginkell
Created Baron of Aghrim and Earl of Athlone 4 Mar 1692
Peerages remained united until extinct in 1844 - see "Athlone"
11 Feb 1703
AGNEW OF OULTON
19 Oct 2017 B[L] Sir Theodore Thomas More Agnew
Created Baron Agnew of Oulton for life 19 Oct 2017
17 Jan 1961
AHMAD OF WIMBLEDON
13 Jan 2011 B[L] Tariq Mahmood Ahmad
Created Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon for life 13 Jan 2011
3 Apr 1968
AHMED
3 Aug 1998 B[L] Nazir Ahmed
Created Baron Ahmed for life 3 Aug 1998
24 Apr 1957
AILESBURY
18 Mar 1664 E 1 Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin
Created Baron Bruce of Skelton, Viscount Bruce of Ampthill and Earl of Ailesbury 18 Mar 1664
MP for Bedfordshire 1660‑1664; Lord Lieutenant Bedford 1660‑1685 and Huntingdon 1681‑1685; PC 1681
19 Mar 1626 20 Oct 1685 59
20 Oct 1685 2 Thomas Bruce
MP for Marlborough 1679‑1681 and Wiltshire 1685; Lord Lieutenant Huntingdon 1681‑1689 and Bedfordshire 1685‑1689
1656 16 Dec 1741 85
16 Dec 1741 3 Charles Bruce
MP for Great Bedwyn 1705‑1710 and Marlborough 1710‑1711
Summoned to Parliament as Baron Bruce of Whorlton 31 Dec 1711
Created Baron Bruce of Tottenham 17 Apr 1746

On his death the Earldom of Elgin passed to his cousin (see "Elgin"), the Earldom of Ailesbury, the Viscountcy of Bruce, and the Baronies of Bruce of Skelton and Bruce of Whorlton became extinct, but the Barony of Bruce of Tottenham passed to his nephew (see next below)
29 May 1682 10 Feb 1747 64

10 Jun 1776 E 1 Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Baron Bruce of Tottenham
Created Earl of Ailesbury 10 Jun 1776
Lord Lieutenant Wiltshire 1780‑1782; PC 1776; KT 1786
30 Apr 1729 19 Apr 1814 84
19 Apr 1814
17 Jul 1821
 
M
2
1
Charles Brudenell-Bruce
Created Viscount Savernake, Earl Bruce and Marquess of Ailesbury 17 Jul 1821
MP for Marlborough 1796‑1814; KT 1819
14 Feb 1773 4 Jan 1856 82
4 Jan 1856 2 George Brudenell-Bruce
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Bruce of Tottenham 10 Jul 1838
MP for Marlborough 1826‑1829; Lord Lieutenant Wiltshire 1863‑1878; PC 1859; KG 1864
He succeeded to the Earldom of Cardigan and Barony of Brudenell of Stonton in 1868
20 Nov 1804 6 Jan 1878 73
6 Jan 1878 3 Ernest Augustus Charles Brudenell‑Bruce
MP for Marlborough 1832‑1878; Lord Lieutenant Berkshire 1884‑1886; PC 1841
8 Jan 1811 18 Oct 1886 75
18 Oct 1886 4 George William Thomas Brudenell‑Bruce 8 Jun 1863 10 Apr 1894 30
For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page
10 Apr 1894 5 Henry Augustus Brudenell-Bruce 11 Apr 1842 10 Mar 1911 68
10 Mar 1911 6 George William James Chandos Brudenell-Bruce 21 May 1873 4 Aug 1961 88
4 Aug 1961 7 Chandos Sydney Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 26 Jan 1904 15 Jul 1974 70
15 Jul 1974 8 Michael Sidney Cedric Brudenell-Bruce 31 Mar 1926
AILSA
12 Nov 1806
10 Sep 1831
B
M
1
1
Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis
Created Baron Ailsa 12 Nov 1806 and Marquess of Ailsa 10 Sep 1831
KT 1821
Feb 1770 8 Sep 1846 76
8 Sep 1846 2 Archibald Kennedy
Lord Lieutenant Ayrshire 1861‑1870; KT 1859
Aug 1816 20 Mar 1870 53
20 Mar 1870 3 Archibald Kennedy
Lord Lieutenant Ayrshire 1919‑1937
1 Sep 1847 9 Apr 1938 90
9 Apr 1938 4 Archibald Kennedy 22 May 1872 27 Feb 1943 70
27 Feb 1943 5 Charles Kennedy 10 Apr 1875 1 Jun 1956 81
1 Jun 1956 6 Angus Kennedy 28 Oct 1882 31 May 1957 74
31 May 1957 7 Archibald David Kennedy 3 Dec 1925 7 Apr 1994 68
7 Apr 1994 8 Archibald Angus Charles Kennedy 13 Sep 1956 15 Jan 2015 58
15 Jan 2015 9 David Thomas Kennedy 3 Jul 1958
AILWYN
1 Jul 1921 B 1 Sir Ailwyn Edward Fellowes
Created Baron Ailwyn 1 Jul 1921
MP for Ramsey 1887‑1906; President of the Board of Agriculture 1905‑1906; PC 1905
10 Nov 1855 23 Sep 1924 68
23 Sep 1924 2 Ronald Townshend Fellowes 7 Dec 1886 30 Aug 1936 69
30 Aug 1936 3 Eric William Edward Fellowes 24 Nov 1887 23 Mar 1976 88
23 Mar 1976
to    
27 Sep 1988
4 Carol Arthur Fellowes
Peerage extinct on his death
23 Nov 1896 27 Sep 1988 91
AIR
2 Feb 1622
12 Jun 1633
V[S]
V[S]
1
1
William Crichton, 9th Lord Crichton of Sanquhar
Created Lord of Sanquhar and Viscount of Air 2 Feb 1622, and Lord Crichton, Viscount of Air and Earl of Dumfries 12 Jun 1633
See "Dumfries"
1643
AIREDALE
17 Jul 1907 B 1 Sir James Kitson, 1st baronet
Created Baron Airedale 17 Jul 1907
MP for Colne Valley 1892‑1907; PC 1906
22 Sep 1835 16 Mar 1911 75
16 Mar 1911 2 Albert Ernest Kitson 7 Oct 1863 11 Mar 1944 80
11 Mar 1944 3 Roland Dudley Kitson 19 Jul 1882 20 Mar 1958 75
20 Mar 1958
to    
19 Mar 1996
4 Oliver James Vandeleur Kitson
Peerage extinct on his death
22 Apr 1915 19 Mar 1996 80
AIREY
29 Nov 1876
to    
13 Sep 1881
B 1 Sir Richard Airey
Created Baron Airey 29 Nov 1876
Governor of Gibraltar 1865‑1870
Peerage extinct on his death
Apr 1803 13 Sep 1881 78
AIREY OF ABINGDON
6 Aug 1979
to    
27 Nov 1992
B[L] Diana Josceline Barbara Neave
Created Baroness Airey of Abingdon for life 6 Aug 1979
Peerage extinct on her death
7 Jul 1919 27 Nov 1992 73
AIRLIE
For information on the legend of the "Airlie Drummer" whose drumming is supposed to presage the death of a member of the family, see the note at the foot of this page
28 Apr 1491 B[S] 1 Sir James Ogilvy
Created Lord Ogilvy of Airlie 28 Apr 1491
c 1430 c 1504
c 1504 2 John Ogilvy
3 James Ogilvy
4 James Ogilvy by 1549
by 1549 5 James Ogilvy 1606
1606 6 James Ogilvy c 1617
c 1617
2 Apr 1639
 
E[S]
7
1
James Ogilvy
Created Lord Ogilvy of Alith and Lintrathen, and Earl of Airlie 2 Apr 1639
c 1648
c 1648 2 James Ogilvy c 1615 c 1704
c 1704 3 David Ogilvy 1717
[1717] [James Ogilvy] 12 Jan 1731
On the death of the third Earl in 1717, the peerage would normally have passed to his son, James Ogilvy. However,he had been attainted in 1715. But for this attainder, those entitled to the Earldom would have been:-
[12 Jan 1731] [John Ogilvy] 1669 24 Jul 1761 92
[24 Jul 1761] [David Ogilvy]
Attainted 1745
Feb 1725 3 Mar 1803 78
For information on his wife, see the note at the foot of this page
[3 Mar 1803] [David Ogilvy] 4 Dec 1751 6 Apr 1812 60
[6 Apr 1812] [Walter Ogilvy] Apr 1819
[Apr 1819] 9 David Ogilvy
Obtained reversal of attainders 26 May 1826
Lord Lieutenant Angus (Forfar) 1828‑1849
16 Dec 1785 20 Aug 1849 63
20 Aug 1849 10 David Graham Drummond Ogilvy
KT 1862
4 May 1826 25 Sep 1881 55
25 Sep 1881 11 David Stanley William Drummond Ogilvy 20 Jan 1856 11 Jun 1900 44
11 Jun 1900 12 David Lyulph Gore Wolseley Ogilvy
Lord Lieutenant Angus (Forfar) 1936‑1967; KT 1942
18 Jul 1893 28 Dec 1968 75
28 Dec 1968 13 David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy
Lord Lieutenant Angus (Forfar) 1989‑2001; PC 1984; KT 1985
17 May 1926 26 Jun 2023 97
26 Jun 2023 14 David John Ogilvy 21 Mar 1955
AIRTH
21 Jan 1632 E[S] 1 William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith
Created Earl of Airth 21 Jan 1632
c 1662
c 1662
to    
12 Sep 1694
2 William Graham
Peerage extinct on his death
12 Sep 1694
AITHRIE
15 Apr 1703 V[S] 1 Charles Hope
Created Lord Hope, Viscount Aithrie and Earl of Hopetoun 15 Apr 1703
See "Hopetoun"
1681 26 Feb 1742 60
ALANBROOKE
18 Sep 1945
29 Jan 1946
B
V
1
1
Sir Alan Francis Brooke
Created Baron Alanbrooke 18 Sep 1945 and Viscount Alanbrooke 29 Jan 1946
Field Marshal 1946; Lord Lieutenant City of London 1950‑1957; KG 1946; OM 1946
23 Jul 1883 17 Jun 1963 79
17 Jun 1963 2 Thomas Brooke 9 Jan 1920 19 Dec 1972 52
19 Dec 1972
to    
10 Jan 2018
3 Alan Victor Harold Brooke
Peerages extinct on his death
24 Nov 1932 10 Jan 2018 85
ALBANY
28 Apr 1398 D[S] 1 Robert Stewart
Created Duke of Albany 28 Apr 1398
Son of Robert II of Scotland; Regent of Scotland 1406‑1420
c 1340 3 Sep 1420
For further information on this peer, and also his son listed next below, see the note at the foot of this page
3 Sep 1420
to    
24 May 1425
2 Murdoch Stewart
Regent of Scotland 1420‑1424
He was attainted and executed 1425 when the peerage was forfeited
24 May 1425

c 1456 D[S] 1 Alexander Stewart
Created Earl of March 1455 and Duke of Albany c 1456
Son of James II of Scotland
c 1485
c 1485
to    
2 Jun 1536
2 John Stewart
Regent of Scotland 1515‑1523
Peerage extinct on his death
2 Jun 1536

1541
to    
1541
D[S] 1 Arthur Stewart
Created Duke of Albany 1541
Peerage extinct on his death, at the age of 8 days
1541 1541

20 Jul 1565 D[S] 1 Henry Stuart
Created Lord Ardmannoch and Earl of Ross 15 May 1565, and Duke of Albany 20 Jul 1565
Better known as Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots
1545 10 Feb 1567 21
10 Feb 1567
to    
24 Jul 1567
2 James Stuart
He succeeded to the throne of Scotland as James VI in 1567, when the peerage merged with the Crown
19 Jun 1566 27 Mar 1625 58

23 Dec 1600
to    
27 Mar 1625
D[S] 1 Charles Stuart
Created Lord Ardmannoch, Earl of Ross, Marquess of Ormond and Duke of Albany 23 Dec 1600
He succeeded to the throne of England as Charles I in 1625, when the peerage merged with the Crown
19 Nov 1600 30 Jan 1649 48

31 Dec 1660
to    
6 Feb 1685
D[S] 1 James Stuart, 1st Duke of York
Created Duke of Albany 31 Dec 1660
He succeeded to the throne of England as James II (and VII of Scotland) in 1685, when the peerage merged with the Crown
14 Oct 1633 6 Sep 1701 67

24 May 1881 D 1 HRH Leopold George Duncan Albert
Created Baron Arklow, Earl of Clarence and Duke of Albany 24 May 1881
4th and youngest son of Queen Victoria; PC 1874; KG 1869; KT 1871
7 Apr 1853 28 Mar 1884 30
19 Jul 1884
to    
28 Mar 1919
2 HRH Leopold Charles Edward George Albert
KG 1902 (struck off 13 May 1915)
Peerages suspended 28 Mar 1919
19 Jul 1884 6 Mar 1954 69
ALBEMARLE
c 1081 E 1 Adeliza
Created Countess of Albemarle c 1081
c 1090
c 1090 2 Stephen de Blois 1127
1127 3 William de Blois 1179
1179 4A Hawise
She married William de Fortz who assumed the title in her right
c 1189
c 1189 4B William de Fortz 1195
1195 4C Baldwin de Betun
Married Hawise (4A) and assumed the title in her right
1212
1212 5 William de Fortz 1241
1241 6 William de Fortz 1256
1256 7 Thomas de Fortz 1253 by 1269
by 1269
to    
1274
8 Avelina
The peerage appears to have been surrendered to the Crown in 1274
1274

3 Sep 1385
to    
8 Sep 1397
D 1 Thomas Plantagenet
Created Duke of Albemarle 3 Sep 1385
Youngest son of Edward III
7 Jan 1355 8 Sep 1397 42

29 Sep 1397
to    
25 Oct 1415
D 1 Edward Plantagenet
Created Duke of Albemarle 29 Sep 1397
Killed at Agincourt when peerage became extinct
c 1373 25 Oct 1415

9 Jul 1411
to    
22 Mar 1421
E 1 Thomas Plantagenet
Created Earl of Albemarle and Duke of Clarence 9 Jul 1411
Second son of Henry IV
Peerage extinct on his death
22 Mar 1421

c 1423
to    
30 Apr 1439
E 1 Richard Beauchamp
Created Earl of Albemarle c 1423
Peerage extinct on his death
30 Apr 1439

7 Jul 1660 D 1 George Monck
Created Baron Monck, Earl of Torrington and Duke of Albemarle 7 Jul 1660
MP for Devon 1660; Lord Lieutenant Devonshire 1660‑1670 and Middlesex 1662‑1670; PC [I] 1660; KG 1660
6 Dec 1608 3 Jan 1670 61
3 Jan 1670
to    
6 Oct 1688
2 Christopher Monck
Governor of Jamaica 1687‑1688; Lord Lieutenant Devonshire 1675‑1685 and Essex 1675‑1687; PC 1679; KG 1670
Peerage extinct on his death
For further information on this peer and his wife, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of the Dukedom of Montagu [created 1705]
14 Aug 1653 6 Oct 1688 35

10 Feb 1697 E 1 Arnold Joost van Keppel
Created Baron Ashford, Viscount Bury and Earl of Albemarle 10 Feb 1697
KG 1700
1670 30 May 1718 47
30 May 1718 2 William Anne van Keppel
Governor of Virginia 1737; KG 1749; PC 1751
5 Jun 1702 22 Dec 1754 52
22 Dec 1754 3 George Keppel
MP for Chichester 1746‑1754; PC 1761; KG 1765
5 Apr 1724 13 Oct 1772 48
13 Oct 1772 4 William Charles Keppel
PC 1830
14 May 1772 30 Oct 1849 77
30 Oct 1849 5 Augustus Frederick Keppel
MP for Arundel 1820‑1826
2 Jun 1794 15 Mar 1851 56
For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page
15 Mar 1851 6 George Thomas Keppel
MP for Norfolk East 1832‑1835 and Lymington 1847‑1850
13 Jun 1799 21 Feb 1891 91
21 Feb 1891 7 William Coutts Keppel
MP for Norwich 1857‑1859, Wick District of Burghs 1860‑1865 and Berwick upon Tweed 1868‑1874; PC 1859
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Ashford 5 Sep 1876
15 Apr 1832 28 Aug 1894 62
28 Aug 1894 8 Arnold Allan Cecil Keppel
MP for Birkenhead 1892‑1894
1 Jun 1858 12 Apr 1942 83
12 Apr 1942 9 Walter Egerton George Lucian Keppel 28 Feb 1882 14 Jul 1979 97
14 Jul 1979 10 Rufus Arnold Alexis Keppel 16 Jul 1965
 

John James Hamilton, first Marquess of Abercorn
Abercorn was obsessively rank-conscious and went to great lengths to remind the common people of his exalted status. Even before he succeeded to the Earldom, when he was travelling in Europe, he had cards printed which described him as "D'Hamilton, Comte Hereditaire d'Abercorn". His livery was very similar to that of the Royal Family and, when someone remarked upon this similarity, he replied that that the Royal Family had copied it from the Hamiltons.
For his second wife, he married his cousin, Miss Cecil Hamilton, but before doing so he persuaded Pitt the younger, then Prime Minister, to elevate her to the status of an Earl's daughter so that he might not marry beneath himself. In the event, the marriage was not a happy one and, when he discovered that his wife was about to elope with her lover, he was anxious that aristocratic conventions be observed and begged her to take the family carriage to meet her lover "as it ought never to be said that Lady Abercorn left her husband's roof in a hack chaise".
Abercorn's style of living was, even in that prodigal time, extremely lavish. Sir Walter Scott, a friend of the family, once met a procession of five carriages, twenty out-riders and a man on horseback wearing the blue ribbon of the order of the Garter, all on their way to dine at a public house. Since a mere public house could not be relied upon to provide food of the quality to which Abercorn was accustomed, his cook had been sent on ahead to oversee preparations.
He would not accept anything from a servant who had not previously dipped his fingers in a bowl of rose-water, and the housemaids had to wear white kid gloves while making his bed.
Visitors to his home at Bentley Priory, Stanmore, were accorded the run of the house and were free to do whatever they liked, provided they did not speak to their host. Only at meals would Abercorn speak to any guests - at all other times, guests were to ignore him. On one occasion, he was anxious to invite some guests, but when they replied that they couldn't afford the journey, he sent them a cheque. However, when they arrived, Abercorn, having watched their arrival from behind some curtains, decided he did not like what he saw and disappeared from the house until their visit had ended.
For further reading see:-
* The Emperor of the United States of America and Other Magnificent British Eccentrics by Catherine Caufield (Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1981)
* Brewer's Rogues, Villains Eccentrics by William Donaldson (Cassell, London 2002)
The special remainder to the Barony of Abercromby
From the London Gazette of 19 May 1801 (issue 15367, page 562):-
The King has … been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baroness of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto Mary Anne - Lady Abercromby, Widow of the Right Honorable Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, K. B. by the Name, Style, and Title of Baroness Abercromby, of Aboukir, and of Tullibody, in the County of Clackmannan; and the Dignity of a Baron of the said United Kingdom to the Heirs Male of her Body lawfully begotten by the said Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, deceased.
George Hamilton-Gordon, 6th Earl of Aberdeen
The schooner Hera sailed from Boston on 21 January 1870 bound for Melbourne and China. It had reached the warm waters of the Gulf Stream when the wind died away into a light air, leaving a very heavy swell. Tremendous rollers sent the vessel almost rails under and, as the sails were being taken in, the mate became tangled in some rope and was swept overboard. Desperate efforts were made to save him, but the sea was too rough to attempt to launch a boat and the man soon disappeared. It was known that the man, who went by the name of George Osborne, was an excellent swimmer, and it was believed that he had been knocked unconscious when he was swept into the ocean.
George Osborne was an assumed name - his true identity was George Hamilton-Gordon, 6th Earl of Aberdeen. He had written to friends and relatives of his intentions of sailing on the Hera, and when this vessel returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia on its return voyage, it was met by agents of the Aberdeen family, who sought to establish that Osborne and the Earl were identical. This they did by way of photographs of the Earl and other people who were thought to bear a resemblance to him, in the same fashion as a 'line-up' in a police investigation. In every case, the witnesses picked out the photo of the Earl and identified him as Osborne.
The following extracts from contemporary newspapers are of interest.
From the Boston Journal, reprinted in The Times 31 December 1870:-
As we stated a few days since, an application was made to the Collector of Customs in Boston for the papers of the schooner Hera, which it was thought would assist in establishing the identity of the mate, George Osborne, with the missing Earl of Aberdeen. The documents, containing a list of the crew that sailed from Boston on the 21st of January of this year and the signature of "George Osborne" have been photographed in accordance with the instructions received from Washington, and the originals have been, or will shortly be despatched to the proper authorities in England. It is right to say, however, that the statement which has been made in regard to everything depending on the ship's articles in question is entirely incorrect; the document is merely one in a hundred other papers that are now in the possession of the legal gentlemen engaged in the case, including the missing Earl's signature. The circumstances of the case are well known to the public. The late Earl, a genial and accomplished young man, and bearing a high reputation for gentlemanly conduct, was slightly eccentric, and two or three years ago he left home with the avowed determination to travel. He came to America, visited the greater portion of it, wrote charming letters of description and of American peculiarities, and in January last he shipped on board the schooner Hera, bound for Melbourne and China, where he nominally assumed the duties of mate. On the sixth day out he fell overboard and drowned. It is to identify the George Osborne who was seen and was well known by gentlemen in various parts of the country that a Scotch commissioner and one or two legal gentlemen are at present on a visit to Boston. There is not much uncertainty in the case, but the greatest caution is exercised in regard to testimony, as the succession to the estate of the late Earl and to his seat in the House of Lords depends upon the matter.
From The Times, 15th May 1871:-
A few months ago, it was stated, on the authority of an American newspaper 'The Boston Weekly Traveller', that George Gordon Hamilton, third [sic] Earl of Aberdeen, had been drowned at sea while sailing as chief mate of the schooner Hera, under the assumed name of George H. Osborne. The Hera left Boston on 21st January 1870, bound for Melbourne, with the late Earl on board. She has now arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on her return voyage, and the newspaper referred to has obtained from those on board the following additional particulars relative to the accident. "The Hera had a glorious run off the coast, and had reached the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, when the wind died away into a light air from the northward, leaving a tremendous swell. Tremendous rollers sent the vessel almost rails under, and as the sails were being taken in, the gaff flew from side to side with every roll, and the mate, becoming entangled by the downhaul (a rope rove through a block at the peakend with both parts fast to the boom), was thrown from the deck and jerked overboard. Captain Kent immediately saw him, and with his own hands threw him a rope, while the men hove planks towards him at the same time. He rose upon the crest of a huge wave, but raised no cry for help; and, as the vessel had little or no way through the water, there seemed a chance of saving him. There was just moonlight enough to make the scene visible. A boat was cleared; Captain Kent kept his eye on him and saw him still float [for] a full two minutes, but he was beyond the reach of the rope and the planks, and soon disappeared amid the waves. The sea was too rough to attempt to launch the boat, and he was left to perish. There was no help for it. This was at 4 a.m. on the 27th of January 1870. It is supposed that he was stunned by striking something when he was jerked from the deck; otherwise, being an expert swimmer, he could have easily kept himself afloat, thrown off his heavy clothing, struck out for the vessel, and been saved. Captain Kent had no idea that his mate was other than he represented himself. He attended to his duties promptly, and was master of all he undertook. The logbook, always kept by the mate, was written up to the noon preceding his death, and was his last record. What could have induced a man of such personal ability and high social rank to sink all and play the part of a sailor is unknown. If he refused to hear from his friends, he kept them informed of his own principal movements, and it was only when they ceased to hear from him that they became anxious for his safety. The family sent his tutor, the Rev. Mr. Alexander, to this country, who traced him to the Hera, and then heard of his death. His youngest brother, John Campbell Gordon, then became his successor, and took legal measures to ascertain the truth of his death. A commission, composed of Mr. Henry Smith, of Edinburgh, Commissioner of the Court of Chancery in Scotland, and Mr. Samuel Gilfillan McLaren, representing Messrs Tods, Murray and Jamieson, writers to the Signet, came to this country, and, after a careful collection of testimony, have established the fact that George H. Osborne and the Earl of Aberdeen were identical. The last link in the chain of testimony has been furnished them by Captain Kent, of the schooner Hera, who saw him perish. But among his effects there was not a single scrap of writing to show that he was the Earl of Aberdeen. Captain Kent, however, had a small picture of him, which fully confirmed all the other testimony. It is now proved beyond a doubt that George H. Osborne and the late Earl of Aberdeen were the same person. The expense of collecting the evidence to establish this important fact will probably exceed $100,000 in gold. He was 27 [sic] years of age at the time of his death. In life he had imbibed the sailor's idea that a man does not die before his time comes - that he was just as safe at sea as he is on land.
From The Times, 17th June 1871:-
In the Scottish Court of Chancery, Edinburgh, this week, before Sheriff McLaren, Mr. Jamieson (of Messrs Tods, Murray and Jamieson W.S.) was heard in support of a petition by the Right Hon. John Campbell Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen, to have himself served as heir to his brother, the deceased Right Hon. George Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen, in the lands and barony of Haddo and others, in the county of Aberdeen and likewise as nearest and lawful heir-male in tailzie and provision in general. Last year the Sheriff of Chancery appointed Mr. Harry Smith, advocate, as a commissioner to take evidence as to the identity and death of the late Earl of Aberdeen. The commission accordingly proceeded to America, along with Mr. S. G. M'Laren, on behalf of Messrs Tods, Murray and Jamieson, agents for the petitioner, and took a large amount of evidence, both there and elsewhere.
Mr. Jamieson said that from the peculiar circumstances connected with the case it was difficult to prove identity, but they had succeeded beyond their expectations in establishing that the "George H. Osborne" who was drowned on the 27th January, 1870, on board the Hera, was the real Earl of Aberdeen. As to proof of identity, they had first the photographs of the late Earl which had been taken from this country, and they had six which had been discovered in America, and taken there as portraits of George H. Osborne. The best evidence as to the identity of these latter photographs was that of the late Earl's mother, Lady Aberdeen, who said "she recognised them all as without doubt photographs of her deceased son." There could not, of course, be any doubt as to the photographs taken in this country. Corroborative evidence was borne the late Earl's old tutor, the Rev. W. B. Alexander, who was in America searching for him at the time when the news of his loss on board the Hera arrived. Another witness who spoke to the photographs was Mr. Henry, gunmaker, [of] Edinburgh. The late Earl being a crack rifle shot, he had many dealings with Mr. Henry, and the latter therefore knew his lordship's appearance well. Other witnesses spoke to the portraits of the late Earl and George H. Osborne representing one and the same person. Among these were Sewell Small, residing in the state of Maine, and who was with George H. Osborne when the latter commanded the schooner Walton, of Richmond, Maine, James Erastus Green, a carpenter by trade, who knew George H. Osborn, of the schooner Walton, for about two years, having been mate under him for about three months in that vessel, and John Palmer Wilbur, sea captain, who took Osborne as a passenger at New York on board the brig William Mallory in February, 1867, bound for Galveston, Texas. While on this passage, Osborne volunteered to act as a sailor, and showed knowledge of navigation, which he said he had studied at Boston. The witnesses had 23 portraits put into their hands altogether, including the portrait of the late Earl's surviving brother, and other persons who were believed to have a resemblance to the deceased; but all the witnesses, without exception, at once picked out and recognised those of the late Earl. Again, the identity of Lord Aberdeen with George H. Osborne was proved by the evidence as to his appearance, manners and tastes. The deceased had a peculiarity in his walking, which almost all the witnesses spoke to …
The article then continues, at some length, to itemise various corroborative evidence given by witnesses, all of which go to prove that Aberdeen and Osborne were the same person.
On 3 July 1871, the Sheriff of Chancery in Edinburgh responded to the petition made by the late Earl's younger brother, in which petition the younger brother sought to become Earl of Aberdeen in succession to his older brother. The Sheriff found that the facts stated in the petition had been proved. The matter was then transferred to the House of Lords, where it was heard by the Committee of Privileges on 22 March 1872 and 3 May 1872, at which latter date it was decided that the younger brother's claim to the peerage had been established and the claim was allowed accordingly.
James Henry Hamilton-Gordon, son of the 5th Earl of Aberdeen (11 Oct 1845‑12 Feb 1868)
Between March 1864, when his older brother succeeded to the earldom, and his death in February 1868, James was heir presumptive to the Earldom of Aberdeen. After his death, the heir presumptive became his next younger brother, John, who became the 7th Earl when his eldest brother, the 6th Earl, drowned in 1870 as described in the preceding note. The following report is taken from Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle for 15 February 1868:-
We regret to learn that the Hon. James Henry Hamilton Gordon, second son of the late Earl of Aberdeen, was accidentally shot on Wednesday evening. The deceased, who was in his 23rd year, was an undergraduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, and lodged in Trinity-street. About six o'clock on Wednesday evening a report of firearms was heard, and on Mr. Gordon's room being entered his body was discovered at the foot of the bed attired as usual. To the right of the corpse there lay a rifle, which had evidently been recently discharged. The skull of Mr. Gordon had been blown away, and the fatal bullet had also passed upwards through the ceiling into the room above. The deceased was a member of the University Rifle Corps, and was in the habit of experimenting on the charging and loading of rifles. He was also a member of the University [rowing] crew, and perhaps the best oarsman in Cambridge. The deceased was heir presumptive to the earldom of Aberdeen, his elder brother being unmarried. The inquest on the body was held on Thursday evening at the Blue Boar Inn, before Mr. Henry Gotobed, coroner. The evidence went to show that the deceased was found in his bed room at six o'clock on Wednesday evening, lying upon the floor with a wound in the head, on the left side, where a rifle bullet had entered. Death occurred very shortly after. The bullet had passed through the ceiling of the room into the floor above, and all the circumstances of the case bore out the opinion of the medical gentleman who was examined, that the occurrence was purely accidental.
The jury returned a verdict accordingly.
The date of creation, and the original title, of the Marquessate of Aberdeen and Temair
The standard works of reference on the peerage all state that the Marquessate of Aberdeen and Temair was created on 4 January 1916. This date seems to me to be very unlikely, based on the following evidence:-
On 1 January 1915, The Times published a list of those who were to receive recognition in the New Year Honours. Included in this list is the statement that "The King has been pleased to confer the dignity of a Marquessate upon The Earl of Aberdeen, K.T."
On 4 January 1916 (a whole year later) the following notice was published in the London Gazette (issue 29427, page 179):-
Whitehall, January 4, 1916.
LETTERS PATENT have passed the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland containing the grant of the dignities of Earl and Marquess of the said United Kingdom unto the Right Honourable John Campbell, Earl of Aberdeen, K.T., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the names, styles and titles of Earl of Haddo in the County of Aberdeen, and Marquess of Aberdeen and Ternair in the said County of Aberdeen and in the County of Meath, and in the County of Argyll.
Note that, unlike most of the notices of this type published in the London Gazette, no information is given as to the date of the Letters Patent. Notwithstanding, the peerage reference works show that the date of the creation of these peerages is 4 January 1916, being the date of the entry in the London Gazette.
Before that date, a number of entries are to be found in the London Gazette and the Court Circular which refer to "the Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair" in such a fashion as to lead me to believe that he had already been created Marquess at the times of their publication. For example, the London Gazette of 28 May 1915 includes a reference to the "Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair". A similar reference to the "Marquess of Aberdeen" can be found in the Court Circular published in The Times on 1 June 1915.
The London Gazette and the Court Circular are two of the official records of the British Government. As such, I believe it to be extremely unlikely that they would use the words "Marquess of Aberdeen" if that title had not yet been formally created.
Another website devoted to the peerage is that maintained by David Beamish. David's excellent page can be found at http://www.peerages.info/. I noted that his page shows a date of creation of the Marquessate of 15 May 1915. I therefore wrote to David, and he very kindly provided me with additional information in support of that date.
1. The 1st Marquess was introduced into the House of Lords on 2 July 1918, and the Journal of the House of Lords on that occasion gives a date of creation of 15 May 1915, and
2. That date (15 May 1915) is confirmed by records in The National Archives as follows: C66/5620, and C231/20 page 158. Also, HO116/6 page 476 shows that the letter to the Clerk of the Crown authorising the sealing of the letters patent was dated 14 May 1915.
As a result, I have shown the date of this creation as 15 May 1915. While it differs from the standard works of reference, I believe it can be supported by the evidence outlined above.
It is also interesting to note that Lord Aberdeen apparently wished to adopt the title of Marquess of Aberdeen and Tara, in order to commemorate his long association with Ireland where he had long been the Lord Lieutenant. However, the Irish were less than impressed by this choice, as is shown by the following article, which is illustrative of a number of similar articles which appeared in the Irish press following the announcement of his promotion in the peerage:-
 The Irish Times of 19 January 1915
ANOTHER INJUSTICE TO IRELAND - Under the above heading the Daily Mail, in a leading article, says:- If it is difficult for an Englishman to do the right thing in Ireland it is, possibly - we make the suggestion with great diffidence - even more difficult for a Scotsman. Lord Aberdeen has served in Dublin for nearly ten long if not particularly happy years. Yet they have not been long enough to initiate him into the elements of Irish thought and feeling. Honoured by the King on his resignation with a marquisate, he has chosen as his title "Aberdeen and Tara". So far from being gratified, Irishmen are resentful when they see "The throne of song, the hallowed shrine", used as gilding for a Scotch coronet. Great as Lord Aberdeen's services to Ireland may have been, the general opinion is that they have not been quite so great as all that, and that they scarcely warrant his presumption in laying hands on a national possession. Perhaps when he is back in Scotland Lord Aberdeen himself may become conscious of a certain historical incongruity. Perhaps he may even be induced to choose some other title. [The Hill of Tara is the traditional seat of the ancient High Kings of Ireland, so it can be understood why the Irish were so hostile towards the appropriation of this title, notwithstanding that it had been used as a peerage title previously.]
Accordingly, it was announced in The Scotsman on 8 February 1915 that "If the statement which appears in the Nationalist Evening Telegraph be correct, says the Dublin correspondent of the Times, the Lord-Lieutenant has yielded to the strong public feeling against his assumption of the title of Tara. The Evening Telegraph says:- We are enabled to state that the new title assumed by His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant on his promotion by the King is the Marquis of Aberdeen and Temair. Temair is the name anciently associated with the historical hill of Tara.
James Yorke Macgregor Scarlett, 4th Baron Abinger
The 4th Baron died following a fall down a flight of stairs in Paris, as reported by The Observer of 13 December 1903:-
Paris, Dec. 12 - Lord Abinger fell down stairs at a restaurant last evening, sustaining severe injuries. He was taken to a hospital, where he expired shortly afterwards.
Lord Abinger had been staying for two days at an hotel in the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The doctors state that he succumbed to embolism of the heart.
The Commissioner of Police of the quarter of St. George's has furnished the following details regarding the death of his lordship:-
"Last night a young man of thirty [sic], Lord Abinger, staying at a hotel in the Avenue de Champs-Élysées was having supper with a friend in a restaurant in the Pigalle. Feeling suddenly unwell he attempted to go out, but was seized with vertigo and fell on the staircase. He was conveyed to the hospital, but died on the way. His body was then taken to the station in the Rue St. Georges. Medical examination showed that death was due to natural causes, and was brought about by congestion. The British Embassy has been informed of the affair. After a consultation the Embassy requested that the body should be taken to the mortuary at the Montmartre Cemetery."
Robert Brooke Campbell Scarlett, 6th Baron Abinger and his wife, Marguerite Jeanne Steinheil (16 April 1869-17 July 1954)
The 6th Baron Abinger succeeded to the title on the death of his brother in May 1917. A month later, on 26 June 1917, Abinger married Marguerite Jeanne Steinheil, a French woman who was famous for her involvement in the deaths of French President Félix Faure, and later, her husband and stepmother.
Marguerite was the mistress of Félix Faure, and was rumoured to be present at his death on 16 February 1899. According to legend Faure died while Marguerite was performing oral sex upon him. She subsequently became the mistress of a number of powerful men in France.
She was the central player in a cause célèbre in 1908-1909 when her husband and stepmother were murdered. The following [edited] article appeared in The Washington Post on 5 August 1917:-
The Steinheil murders and the subsequent trial of Mme. Steinheil were the most dramatic events of their kind that have occurred in Paris within a century.
The Steinheils occupied a charming little house, with a studio, in the Impasse Ronsin, off the Rue de Vaugirard, Paris. An "impasse" is a short street, with thoroughfare, usually having a gateway on the main street from which it leads.
The Steinheils had an equally charming country house called the Logis Vert at Bellevue. They lived handsomely, with a large train of servants. M. Steinheil was the son and grandson of well-known artists … Although he was certainly a poor artist himself, he received a remarkable number of profitable commissions, owing to his wife's friends in high society. Every rich man who joined Mme. Steinheil's circle, it would seem, gave her husband an order for his picture.
Thus it happened that President Faure had his portrait painted by M. Steinheil at an exorbitant cost, and also gave him the Legion of Honor, a distinction accorded only to the most successful artists.
On the fateful night of 31 May, 1908, Mme. Steinheil and her husband, her stepmother, Mme. Japy, and a valet named Remy Couillard were the only occupants of the house. Mme. Steinheil had sent her 17-year-old daughter Marthe and the rest of the servants to the country house at Bellevue.
At 6 o'clock in the morning the valet, Couillard, came downstairs to do his work, when his attention was attracted by a terrible groaning from Mme. Steinheil's room.
He entered and saw her lying on the bed with her hands bound to her body and a large gag of cotton wool in her mouth and an expression of unspeakable terror in her face. She pointed with her head to the next room. Couillard went in there and found Mme. Japy lying dead across the bed. He went on to another room, and there found M. Steinheil lying dead on the floor, strangled with a rope around his neck.
There were signs of a violent disturbance in the sitting room. M. Steinheil's desk was broken open, chairs were overturned. The tall clock had been disturbed and stopped at exactly 12:10, a circumstance which afterward came to have considerable significance, because it was suggested that Mme. Steinheil had stopped it herself.
It was known that M. Steinheil had recently held a sale of pictures and had received $2,500 for them. It was assumed that the amount was in his desk and had been stolen by the murderers. All the circumstances pointed clearly to robbery as the motive of the crimes.
As soon as the valet, Couillard, had unbound Mme. Steinheil he hurried for the police and left her lying prostrate on the bed and apparently seriously ill.
"I was awakened shortly after midnight," she said to the police, "by the sound of voices in my room. I looked up and I saw three men and a woman. The three men wore long black cloaks like those worn by Hebrew priests and had long red beards. The woman was red-headed. The three of them sprang upon me, and although I made superhuman exertions, they bound and gagged me. They were going to kill me, but one of the men said: "Don't kill the girl. Look after the old people." Evidently they mistook me for my daughter, for I was sleeping in her room, and I think they had, somehow, learned from her that the money was in the house. There I lay, helpless, suffering unspeakable agony, while they killed my husband and mother and robbed the house. I heard their dying shrieks."
Immediately there were mysterious conferences in police circles. After consultation with the prefect and the government they held Mme. Steinheil for a long time under surveillance and kept reporters away from her. They announced that they could not find the murderers, but evidently were not trying to.
The government apparently sought to stop investigation of the mystery because of the prominent persons involved. Consequently reforming politicians and newspapers persisted, until Mme. Steinheil was put on trial after a year's delay. The prosecution, after treating her with great severity, failed to prove a case against her, and she was acquitted, but even after that she was so unpopular that the mob threatened her with violence, and the police were forced to protect her house.
To escape her notoriety she moved to London, where she was known as Mme. de Serignac until she married Abinger, who was seven years her junior, in 1917.
Abinger died in June 1927 from a heart attack while sitting on a seat in his garden.
George William Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 4th Marquess of Ailesbury
Ailesbury was a central figure in a major turf scandal in 1887 which resulted in him being "warned off" for life from all racetracks under the control of the Jockey Club. The following article from The South Australian Advertiser of 17 November 1887 purports to reveal the "facts of the case":-
As the Marquis of Ailesbury is about to betake himself to the antipodes and, according to report, means to remain in Australia until "the clouds roll by" and his latest escapade is forgotten and forgiven, [the newspaper's] readers may perhaps like to know the true story of the "rorty" peer's misdoings. Various versions are afloat, but I think I can promise you that the following is the correct one:-
Lord Ailesbury being neither a fool nor in want of money, it at first sight seems incredible that he should have consented to one of his horses being "roped". The fact, however, was that, in common with other owners, his lordship had suffered seriously from the plunging propensities of Mr. Ernest Benzon, and constant association with some of the lowest blackguards on the turf having sapped his sense of honour and weakened his judgment, he joined too readily in a plot to "let down" that young gentleman [i.e. Benzon]. The race chosen for the "plant" was the Harewood Plate at York on the last day of the meeting. Benzon, besides losing over £10,000 at baccarat the previous evening, had been very unlucky in his plunges on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it was rightly conjectured he would make a desperate effort to recoup his losses on the winding up afternoon. For the Harewood Plate Lord Ailesbury's Everett looked a real "good thing". The ring, however, were for once generously disposed, and instead of even money, which would have been a fair price under the circumstances, freely laid 4 to 1. To inspire Benzon with confidence, it is alleged Lord Ailesbury asked the plunger to get on £300 for him, and it was this fact that told more against him with the Jockey Club that anything else. Benzon fell into the trap like a lamb. Certain bookmakers laid him leviathan bets, and in an incredibly short time he stood to win about £30,000 and to lose £10,000. The more money, however, he put on the worse favorite the horse became.
The public by this time were on the qui vive, and long before Martin left the paddock on Everett his mind misgave him as to the possibility of stopping the horse. The reality proved even worse that he had thought. Half way up the straight Lord Ailesbury's colt had everything beaten, and nothing short of the most flagrant "roping" could prevent its winning. In this quandary Martin lost his head. First he decided to win and secondly he resolved to lose, the result being that to the horror of all concerned he did neither, but made a dead heat of it. But for John Mace, Martin would certainly have been lynched, and Lord Ailesbury have fared badly. The bookmakers were furious. Here was a case of the "biters bit" with a vengeance. The whole "plant" had been exposed and would probably lead to half a dozen of them being warned off the turf, and yet the race had not been lost. The ringleaders, on the "in for a penny, in for a pound" principle, would have had Everett roped again in the run-off, but here little Martin (frightened into fits by the execrations of the crowd) "struck", and another complaisant jockey could not for the moment be found. Everett won the run-off by many lengths, odds of 6 to 1 being offered in vain on him before the start. So the "plant" on Mr. Benzon failed, and instead of losing £10,000 he won £30,000. Since then he has, however, left other people's horses alone.
The Jockey Club enquiry into the affair was long and exhaustive, almost every person of note in the paddock at York being examined. At length Martin, seeing the truth must out, turned Queen's evidence to save his own skin. Worse than this, he confessed to having "pulled horses on other occasions for Lord Ailesbury". To most men in Lord Ailesbury's position the disgrace of being warned off the turf would be worse than death. To him it may not mean much. The ruffians he consorts with, and who have landed him in this terrible scrape, are not likely to desert him whilst "the corn" lasts. Lady Ailesbury (nee Dolly Tester) accompanies her liege lord to the antipodes. Coming out of the Criterion recently Lord Ailesbury was overheard to remark to one of his "bleeding pals", as he gracefully styles them - "Ain't it rum, old geezer, that such a fool as I should be a lord?" - a query that some of us re-echo.
Benzon was only about 22 years old at the time of the scandal. He had inherited £250,000 and, in the space of two years, lost the whole amount in gambling. Since 1887 was Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, Benzon was known as the "Jubilee Plunger". After losing his fortune, Benzon wrote his autobiography entitled "How I Lost £250,000 in Two Years" [Trischler & Co., London 1889]. After being bankrupted a number of times, he was arrested at Nice in France and charged with forging a cheque of 25,000 francs (£1,000) and imprisoned for three months. He died in 1911, aged 46.
The Earldom of Airlie and the "Airlie Drummer"
The Ogilvy family, in a similar fashion to that of the Viscounts Gormanston, is said to receive warnings of an impending death in the family. The form in which they become aware of such an impending death is the sound of drumming. According to the legend, at some point during medieval times, a drummer was thrown from the top of a tower at Cortachy Castle, in Kirriemuir, Angus. A number of different reasons are given in legend as to the reason why the drummer was killed, ranging from the discovery of the drummer's affair with the Countess, his failure to sound the alarm of approaching attackers or of assisting such attackers, or, in a classic case of "killing the messenger", his arrival with a message from a hated rival chieftain. Some versions say that the drummer, together with his drum, was thrown from the battlements, whereas in other versions the drummer was stuffed inside his drum and then thrown over. In any event, all the traditions agree that, as the drummer lay dying on the rocks below, he vowed to haunt the Ogilvy family for ever.
The article below was published in the Dundee Courier and Argus of 14 June  1900. The impetus for the article was the death of the 6th Earl of Airlie, who had been killed during the Second Boer War a few days previously.
The Airlies are a very ancient family, but Ogilvy was not their original name. According to the old traditions, they were descended from Gilchrist, the [third] Earl of Angus, who married as his second wife [Marjorie of Huntingdon], a sister of King William the Lion [King of Scotland 1165‑1214]. In a fit of jealousy the Earl murdered his young Countess. Mains Castle, or the Tower of Strath Dichty, as it was originally named, was said to have been the scene of the murder. Like Othello, the Moor of Venice, Gilchrist smothered his lady in her bed-chamber. His three sons had either assisted in or connived at the murder, for they were involved in the sentence of outlawry pronounced on Gilchrist by his Royal brother-in-law. The Gilchrists fled to the north, and skulked among the hills and glens of the Sidlaws and Grampians. Time passed on. King William had come to Glamis to enjoy the pleasures of the chase, a pastime all the old Scottish kings were fond of. One day, he, while eagerly pursuing the deer, lost himself in the forest of Glen Ogilvy. There he was set upon by a band of robbers, and was hard pressed for his life. The three Gilchrists, who were skulking in the neighbourhood, boldly came to his rescue, and slew several of the band, while the rest fled. The King was so gratified for his safety that he pardoned the Gilchrists, and restored them to their possessions and titles. On one of the three he conferred the Glen of Ogilvy and other lands, and from that time he assumed the name of Ogilvy.
In course of time other lands and titles were conferred by the various monarchs, and the family split up into several branches. The Ogilvys of Airlie played a prominent part in all the political events of the times. They were a fighting race, and distinguished themselves in the field. During the Civil War Lord Ogilvy of Airlie espoused the cause of Charles I. While out serving with the Royalists, The Earl of Argyll carried out an expedition against Airlie, when he came down by the back of Dunkeld, harried the lands and burnt the Castle or "Bonnie House o' Airlie". It was on that event that the old ballad was founded.
"It fell on a day, on a bonnie summer day,
When the clans were a' wi' Charlie,
That there fell out a great dispute,
Between Argyll and Airlie."
The Airlies were staunch Royalists. Whether it was the one who "fell out" with Argyll or his son is not quite certain, but a Lord Airlie held the command of Sanquhar Castle during the Coventanting prosecutions, and was a compatriot of Graham of Claverhouse [John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee] in the "killing times".
In common with all ancient families, the Ogilvys of Airlie have their ghost or familiar spirit that gives warning when trouble is at hand. The tradition of the drummer of Airlie is pretty generally known, but whether on the present melancholy occasion [i.e. the death of the 6th Earl] the warning drum has been heard at Cortachy Castle has not been stated. The tradition is somewhat as follows: - A former Lord Airlie took a mortal offence at a drummer. He forced the man inside his own drum, and threw him out from the window of a high tower and killed him. While pleading for his life, which was of course denied, the despairing wretch threatened that his ghost would haunt the family for ever. The drum is heard when a death is about to happen in the family. Many stories have been circulated concerning the visitations of the ghostly drummer.
About the year 1844 [generally agreed to have been at Christmas 1844] a lady [usually named as a Miss Dalrymple] who had been invited to spend a few days at Cortachy Castle, while dressing for dinner on the first evening of her visit, was surprised to hear the musical performance of a drummer, and that somewhere about the grounds. At the table the lady asked Lord Airlie who was the drummer. His Lordship turned pale, and the Countess appeared greatly distressed. Perceiving that she had touched on some unpleasant subject, though in utter ignorance of the nature, she forebore to press the question. After retiring to the drawing-room, she asked an explanation from one of the ladies, and she was informed that the drummer was the dreaded family ghost. The lady did not prolong her stay at the Castle. Six months afterwards the Countess of Airlie died [on 17 June 1845 in confinement following the birth of twins].
Another story is to the effect that a young English gentleman had been invited to visit his friend, Lord Ogilvy, at the Tulchan, the Earl's shooting lodge at the head of Glenshee. It was dark when the gentleman caught sight of the welcome lights in the windows of the hospitable mansion. Urging his jaded horse towards the house, suddenly there burst on his ear the sound of distant music resembling the strains of a band accompanied by the beating of a drum. He asked his Highland guide where that band could be playing on such a wild and lonely moorland, where, with the exception of the shooting lodge, there was not another house for miles. The guide declared that he did not hear any music, and muttered something to the effect that "thae sounds are no' canny". On the traveller alighting from his horse at the door of the lodge, he was informed that Lord Ogilvy had been summoned to London, as his father was dangerously ill. Next day the news was received that the Earl of Airlie had died at his residence in Regent Square.
Margaret Ogilvy, wife of David Ogilvy, who (but for the attainder) would have been 4th Earl of Airlie
Employing a strategy similar to that used by the Countess of Nithsdale, Margaret Ogilvy escaped her impending execution by switching clothes with a visitor. The story of her escape is taken from Chapters from Family Chests by Edward Walford [2 vols, Hurst and Blackett, London 1886]:-
Few Scottish families have shown greater loyalty and fidelity to a lost cause, and few have suffered more severely for that loyalty, than the Ogilvies, Lords Ogilvy and Earls of Airlie. It was only in 1826 that the titles forfeited by his ancestors in the rebellions of 1715 and 1745 were restored to the present earl's grandfather, whose uncle, David, Lord Ogilvy, joined the standard of the young Chevalier, Charles Edward, at Edinburgh, at the head of a regiment of six hundred men, mostly of his own clan and name, from Forfarshire and Perthshire. For this he was attainted by Act of Parliament, as had been his uncle, John, the fourth earl, just thirty years before. After the battle of Culloden, he effected his escape to France, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant-general, and had the command of a regiment called 'Ogilvy's own'. It is the story of the escape of this lord's wife, a fair daughter of the noble house of Johnston of Westerhall, that I am about to relate. It will be seen that Margaret, Lady Ogilvy, was no bad counterpart of another Scottish woman, Lady Nithsdale, whose clever contrivance of her husband's escape from the scaffold and the axe I have already related in a previous work [in 'Tales of Our Great Families' Hurst and Blackett, London 1880].
In August, 1746, Margaret Lady Ogilvy was lying a prisoner, under sentence of death, in the castle of Edinburgh, on the charge of having levied open war upon his Majesty King George II, and she was almost daily expecting her execution. But she was a brave and ready witted woman, too, and she was resolved that, in all events, she would try how she could defeat the law of its victim. It is needless to add that she was as enthusiastic a partisan of the Stuart cause, and as willing as her lord himself to risk and to sacrifice fortune and life, and everything save honour, if only she could secure the triumph of the Stuart tartan; for had she not urged and persuaded her husband to take the field in aid of the 'bonny Prince Charlie'? And had she not ridden by his side at the head of his clan to the fatal field of Culloden" and, if she did not actually join in the battle fray, had she not remained a spectator of the battle? And, when the rout came, had she not held a spare horse, fleet of foot, all ready for her husband to mount, and so to find his way to the sea-coast, and escape to France? Yes, she had done all this, and more besides; and when he had made good his flight, she was arrested and thrown into gaol, and tried and condemned to suffer death as a traitor. The Government of the Duke of Cumberland, however, were determined to make her an example and a warning to the rest of her sex, whose influence, it must be owned, had been very powerfully exerted by the Gordons, Erskines, Drummonds, and others in the lost cause. She was therefore sentenced to be beheaded at the Edinburgh Toll-booth six weeks after her trial. Her friends spared no efforts to procure a remission of her sentence; but her wit and her talents were such that the King and his ministers turned a deaf ear to all appeals for mercy, and there appeared to be no chance of her escape from a death of public disgrace in the very flower of her youth and beauty.
But there is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip', and Lady Ogilvy was well aware of the proverb. Fortunately she was not so strictly and closely confined in her prison cell, but that many of her friends and acquaintances were allowed to visit her in prison, and they used their privilege of access to surround her with comforts, and to lighten by various artifices the burden of her captivity. Although her friends were making such efforts as they could on her behalf at Kensington Palace and St. James's, she knew that she had no sisterly 'Jeanie Deans' to gain access to the Queen and to extort from her a promise that she would try and soften the King's heart; so she resolved to help herself, and to be the author of her own deliverance. [Jeanie Deans is the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's 'The Heart of Midlothian'.]
And an agent ready to help her would be found in a poor, ugly, deformed old woman, with an ungainly hitch in her walk, who brought to the prison her clean linen once or twice a week. As she was about to leave the cell after one of her regular visits, the captive detained her, saying that she was anxious to learn how she managed the hobbling gait. Would the old lady mind telling her how it was done? Though much surprised at such a bonnie lady taking such a whim into her head, and especially at such a time, when death was almost staring her in the face, yet the old crone willingly gave her the required lesson, and then took her departure. Lady Ogilvy kept practicing the step, though by no means a graceful one, until she became quite proficient in it. She then communicated to her friends her design of using it and the poor old woman's clothes to effect her escape; and her friends, male and female, we may be sure, did their best to have everything in readiness, including a relay of horses, to aid her flight on the evening which she fixed for the attempt.
When the old woman made her appearance, as usual, at sundown on the Saturday before the day fixed for the execution, Lady Ogilvy persuaded her to change clothes with her. 'Give me your dress and you take mine in its place.' The old crone was not unwilling to play the part of Glaucus to her Diomedes, and the exchange was promptly made. [Glaucus and Diomedes were soldiers on opposing sides during the Trojan War, but because their respective grandfathers were close friends, they refused to fight each other and each exchanged his armour with the other.]
'Now', added the fair prisoner, 'do you remain here; nobody will harm you, you will save my life, and I shall not forget the kindness'. Then, taking up the basket, she assumed the old washerwoman's limping gait, left the room, walked coolly and calmly past the sentinel on guard, and joined the girl who had been waiting outside the castle gate while her mistress went inside. Fortunately, as they passed out, they were not challenged; and once well away from the castle precinct, they turned into some of the back streets, or wynds, and were soon out of sight. The girl was surprised at her mistress's silence, but said not a word, doubtless ascribing it to the pain and grief of parting with the dear young lady who was so soon to die. But what was the girl's surprise when she saw the crooked little creature suddenly throw aside her basket and reveal herself in her real character and person! Off ran the lady - not, however, till she slipped a piece of silver into the girl's hands, adding a request that she would go quietly home and say not a word about what she had seen.
Lady Ogilvy made her way to the Abbey Hill, where she found her friends, according to their promise, most anxiously awaiting her with a change of dress and a pair of saddle-bosses. Hurrying over her 'farewell', she was soon far away on one of the southern roads; not, however, on the main road to London, for fear of being recognized and her flight being intercepted, in which case, it may be presumed, she would have figured on Tower Hill or on Kensington Common instead of the Toll-booth at Edinburgh.
Though at every town through which she passed she found that the news of her flight was known, and was the talk of the common people, yet she contrived to stave off inquiries, and to make her way unmolested to the sea coast, crossing over the bridge at Kingston-on-Thames because she knew London Bridge to be guarded. It is not said from what port she effected her escape from England; but, as a matter of fact, wearied from her long and perilous journey, she contrived to get a place on board a vessel bound for France.
Lady Ogilvy lived little more than ten years after effecting this gallant escape from the block, and she never returned to the land that she had quitted; she died in exile in 1757. In all probability she lies buried at St. Germains.
Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany and his son, Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany
The following biographies of the two Dukes of Albany appeared in the January 1953 issue of the Australian monthly magazine Parade:-
The morning mists rose slowly over Falkland Castle, nestling at the foot of the East Lomond hills. The great gates of the gloomy fortress opened and a small party of heavily armed men threaded through and made their way along the highway. There was nothing about them to to excite more than a passing interest, certainly nothing to suggest that in the plain coffin they guarded lay the heir to the throne of Scotland. Next day word was given out, almost casually, that David, Duke of Rothesay, eldest son of the King, had died of dysentery and had been privately interred.
The news sped from lip to lip, from town to town, from borough to borough. And with it sped ugly, disturbing rumours. There was something amiss. Even in the turbulent Scotland of 1402 a son of a reigning king was not laid to rest without some show of Royal pomp. There were whispers of torture, of murder, of starvation in a lonely dungeon. The finger of suspicion pointed at Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany.
Robert Stewart was the third son of Robert, the first Stewart King, and was born in 1340, seven years before his parents wed. In 1360 the Countess of Fife acknowledged him her heir by deed and he became the Earl of Fife. The following year he married Margaret, Countess of Menteith, and acquired through her the additional title Earl of Menteith. The same year, he was appointed hereditary Governor of Stirling.
One of his elder brothers had died in his youth and the other, John, Earl of Carrick, had been lamed when young and was a kindly-disposed but chronic invalid, totally unsuited to the task of of keeping in check the restless and arrogant nobles. The ageing and incompetent King had long realised that in an age of craft and violence only a man of cunning and physical stamina could hope to rule effectively, so, in 1388, Fife was appointed Governor. Two years later the King died and John succeeded him, adopting the more popular name of Robert III. He was as ineffectual as his father, who had foreseen such a state of affairs and willed that Fife should continue as Governor.
The King's son, David, Earl of Carrick, was then only 12 years old. But a few years later the boy began to resent his uncle's political superiority and demanded for himself the major post under his father. In 1398 Fife, finding himself at a disadvantage in bargaining with the English because his status was below that of the English envoys, persuaded the King to create a dukedom for him. Robert gave him the title Duke of Albany, the old name for all of Scotland above the Forth. At the same time, to placate David's supporters, he created his son Duke of Rothesay.
This was the first time the title of duke had been used in Scotland. But the new honour did nothing to pacify the rivals and the hostility of their respective factions presaged major disorder. In 1399 the Estates acted with a drastic measure. The King was virtually deposed although left on the throne, and Rothesay appointed Governor with a council, on which Albany had a seat, to advise him. For Albany it was a setback. But Rothesay, through youthful indiscretion, put a strong weapon in his uncle's hands. Gay and handsome, Rothesay also was reckless and dissolute. When the Queen [Annabella Drummond] suggested that marriage might improve Rothesay, Albany seized on the opportunity to arrange a profitable match with the daughter [Marjorie] of the highest bidder, the Earl of Douglas. Marriage had no salutary effect on the prince, to the disappointment of the Queen and the satisfaction of Albany, who saw that the young man's excesses also were brought to the notice of his father-in-law as well.
When the Queen's death in 1401 removed the last restraining influence on her son, Albany and Douglas prevailed on the King to place the prince under their control. This was Albany's supreme chance. On a warrant which they had influenced the unhappy King to sign, he and Douglas arrested Rothesay and confined him in the former's castle at Falkland. After a fortnight he died and was buried quietly in the nearby monastery of Lindores. Chroniclers record that Rothesay was left to die in a solitary dungeon and that his only nourishment was some thin cakes brought to him by two women, one of whom also fed him with the milk from her breasts. Both women were caught and beheaded for their charity towards the prince who, before he died, had torn and gnawed at his own flesh.
Albany was now near the throne, with only James, the dead prince's seven-years-old brother in his way. Albany slipped quietly back into the governorship; his position was secure. With Albany's return to power, however, fresh troubles arose. The forays of the uncontrollable Border nobles stirred up an English hornet's nest and Scotland suffered one of the most outstanding defeats in her history at Homildon Hill [14 September 1402]. Among the many prisoners who fell into English hands was Albany's eldest son Murdoch.
With no doubts about his brother's ambitions, the King was concerned for the welfare of his other son, James. Despondent at the thought of his own approaching senility, he was convinced James could not be brought up safely in Scotland, so under the pretext that it was necessary for his education, he arranged for him to go to France. The boy embarked in March, 1406, but in spite of elaborate precautions for secrecy an English privateer overtook the vessel, captured the young prince and handed him over to Henry IV [of England]. Henry stated that he spoke French himself and that the boy would be educated just as well at his court as in France.
The second blow was too much for Robert and he died broken-hearted in April. In June, Parliament met, recognised the absent James as the lawful King, but appointed Albany regent until his release. Albany virtually was King. He issued charters in his own name, dated with the year of his regency, and had his own Great Seal and canopied chair of state.
Although he was in no hurry to have James released, Albany spared no effort to have Murdoch freed and, to placate opinion, he laid equal stress in despatches made public on demands for the release of both. However, each time negotiations appeared likely to succeed in James' case Albany contrived to have them broken down. This was not difficult as a Scottish king was a valuable hostage. Eventually, Murdoch's freedom was purchased in 1416 at a heavy ransom and in exchange for that of one of the Percys whom Albany had been holding for 11 years. But James was left to fret in England.
On Murdoch's return Albany began to allow him to assume duties more suitable to the son of a a king than that of a governor. Obviously his plan was for Murdoch to succeed to the regency. His strategy was successful. When he died in 1420, in his 80th year, Murdoch was able to step into the position without opposition. As the second Duke of Albany, Murdoch displayed none of his father's qualities. The elder Albany had been crafty and unscrupulous, but only a shrewd and competent administrator could have kept the reins of government in his hands for more than 30 years. Murdoch was indolent and inefficient. He was not able to control even his own family. The excesses of his sons, who were not slow to take advantage of their father's position, soon made the family unpopular. Murdoch was powerless to restrain them and more than once was tempted to put an end to their arrogance and at the same time rid himself of the cares of government.
At length. his eldest son, Walter, drove him to a decision. On a hunting trip, when rebuked by his father, he retaliated by wringing the neck of Murdoch's favourite falcon. In a fit of rage, his father threatened: "Since thou wilt give me neither reverence nor obedience, I will bring home one whom we must all obey". He kept his word. Negotiations for James' release were re-opened. The move was popular, as for some time young nobles who had visited the court of England had been bringing back glowing reports of the young King. Henry had not gone back on his promise to educate him and had had him schooled in military science, statecraft, arts and literature. But a hard bargain was driven. A ransom of £40,000 was demanded, for the payment of which a number of Scottish towns was to give surety and several Scottish nobles to become hostages.
Murdoch agreed and, in April, 1424, James, with his newly-wed queen [Joan Beaufort c 1404‑1445], crossed the border with great pomp to receive a tumultuous welcome. Murdoch had assumed that the return of the King would allow him to slide gracefully into peaceful retirement. But he had not reckoned on the impatient ambition of James to restore the Crown to the position it had not known since the death of the great Robert Bruce, a century before. James' immediate objective was to leave no doubts in the minds of the unruly nobles about his purpose and his ability. His first move was a ruthless show of force that could not be misinterpreted - he had not forgotten that but for the Albany family his years in exile might have been shortened.
He was crowned at Scone in May. Murdoch, as Earl of Fife, exercised the hereditary right of placing the crown on his head. But almost immediately the new King had Murdoch and his family arrested. All were captured except one son, who escaped. Murdoch was taken to Carlaverlock to await his trial, and his castles of Doune and Falkland, strongholds of his earldoms of Menteith and Fife, seized. His duchess, Isabella, the daughter of the aged Earl of Lennox, who had also been arrested, was taken from Doune and placed in custody.
The King assembled a Parliament at Stirling for the trial and 21 nobles, including all but two of the earls of Scotland, were sworn in. Shortly before the trial was to begin, however, startling news reached Stirling. James, the only son of Murdoch who had evaded arrest, had, with the assistance of Bishop Finlay of Argyll, attacked and burned the borough of Dundonald. The King's uncle and 32 of the garrison had been killed. But King James acted quickly and the revolt was quashed within a few days. Murdoch's son and Bishop Finlay fled and, although the King ordered a pursuit, both escaped to Ireland.
The hunt for the rebels did not interfere with the trial of Murdoch and his supporters. No records remain of the exact offences with which they were charged, but any chance they might have had of acquittal disappeared with the attack on Dundonald and the defiance at Inchmurrin. After a lengthy hearing all were convicted. With the King present in full regalia, sentence of death was pronounced on Walter [Murdoch's son] on May 24, 1425, and he was beheaded under the castle the same day. The following day [some sources say the same day] Murdoch and [Duncan, Earl of] Lennox were sentenced and executed together [as well as Murdoch's other son, [Alexander] at a place which has ever since been known as Heading Hill.
Augustus Frederick Keppel, 5th Earl of Albemarle
Within weeks of succeeding his father in October 1849, the 5th Earl of Albemarle was the subject of an inquiry into his sanity. At the hearing before a Commission of Lunacy, evidence was given by a number of Albemarle's servants and attending doctors as to the Earl's state of mind. The evidence heard by the Commission makes fascinating reading, especially the evidence given as to the nature of a number of claims made by the Earl, as follows:-
* one of the doctors attending Albemarle met him in the garden, and Albemarle was crying. When the doctor asked him what was the matter, Albemarle said that he had been up to Heaven, where he found that there were a million unrepentant people in the world. Albemarle was then commanded to erect a guillotine in the garden for their execution.
* on another occasion, Albemarle told his doctor that he just returned from Austria, and that he had sailed hundreds of times around the world.
* Albemarle claimed that he could place hot coals in his hands without injuring himself; that he could make watches out of dirt; and valuable jewels out of pieces of paper.
* Albemarle believed that he and a Mr. Hope were the wealthiest men in England, probably because they owned all of Norfolk, Suffolk, Wales and Ireland.
* when told of his father's death, Albemarle replied that he must now be proclaimed king under the title of Charles I; a few days later he accused the doctor of being mistaken, since his tailor had brought him back to life.
* Albemarle insisted that he was only 25 years old. At the same time, he claimed to have been present at the Battle of Copenhagen [in 1801]. When asked how this was possible, if he was only 25 now, he responded that he died and risen again. He said he had died three times, that he had been crucified and that he had lived in the time of the twelve Apostles. On another occasion he had fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, where a Captain Brown had cut off his head with his sword. Brown then picked up his head and stuck it back on his shoulders. The next morning his head was as firm on his shoulders as ever it was, although, to be fair to the Earl, his head was a little bit shaky.
* He had ascended up to Heaven, and had baptised 50,000, each of whom he had thrown into the sea.
* Near to the Earl's house there lived a lady with whom he was on friendly terms, until one day he dug up some of her fruit trees. This upset the lady so much that she fled to London. The next day, the Earl bought a large quantity of inkstands, which he took home and then smashed them all to pieces. He then went to the lady's house, where he sacked the house, smashing all the furniture into pieces. He then instructed his manservant to hunt out the lady's four dogs and kill them. Only one of the dogs was killed and was then buried in the grounds. The Earl then planted a rose tree over the dog's grave.
* He had once become involved in a stand-up fight with 150 men and had killed them all.
* He had been three times around the world with Captain Cook, and that he used to be with a gang of wild Indians, who robbed and scalped people. In one such engagement, somebody cut off his head, which rolled down a hill. His companions all laughed at him when he chased his runaway head. He seems to have had an obsession with decapitation, since he also insisted that he had been present during the Peninsular War, during which he said that he often saw officers who had lost their heads take up those of other people, placing them upon their own shoulders.
Not surprisingly, the Commission found that the Earl was of unsound mind.