Earl of March
Earl of March is a hereditary British title of nobility that was awarded four times in the Peerage of Scotland and four times in parallel in the Peerage of England .
The Scottish titles refer to the border region of Scotland with England ( Scottish Marches ), the English ones refer to the border regions of England with Wales ( Welsh Marches ). Title holders were originally members of the nobility who owned land in the affected areas. The later awards are purely titulatures with no special authority in the border stamps.
Earls of March in the Peerage of Scotland
In the Scottish nobility, the title Earl of March was initially just an alternative name for the Earls of Dunbar (previously: Earl of Lothian). They were descended from Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria , whose possessions were on the English side of the Scottish border in the 11th century. He was deposed and fled to Scotland, where King Malcolm III. (Máel Coluim III.) Took him in and gave him Dunbar and the surrounding area. His successors ruled the march and took the alternative name Earl of March from Patrick Dunbar, 7th Earl of Dunbar . The last Earl to use this officially unconfirmed title was George de Dunbar, 11th Earl of Dunbar († 1457), whose main possession went to the Crown, for which he was compensated with an "empty" earl dignity. He then withdrew to the remaining goods in Fife .
The next bestowal of the title went to Alexander Stewart in 1455 , who a little later was also raised to Duke of Albany . With the death of his successor John, Duke and Earl dignity expired in 1536. Another award went on March 5, 1580 to Robert Stewart , together with the subordinate title Lord (of) Dunbar . The award was made as compensation for the title Earl of Lennox , which Robert had waived in return. With his childless death in 1586, the title expired again.
The most recent award was on April 20, 1697 to William Douglas, a younger son of the 1st Marquess of Queensberry . Along with the earliest dignity, he was awarded the subordinate titles Viscount of Peebles and Lord Douglas of Neidpath, Lyne and Munard . The third Earl, also named William Douglas , was the Earl of March, Marquess and Duke of Queensberry. After his death, the titles were divided between three heirs. Duke became Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch , the marquessate went to Robert Douglas, the earliest dignity to Francis Wemyss-Chateris, who had previously inherited the title of Earl of Wemyss . Since then, the Earl of March and the Earl of Wemyss have been in personal union in the Peerage of Scotland.
Scottish Earls of March, first bestowed (around 1072)
See Earl of Dunbar
Scottish Earls of March, second bestowal (1455)
- Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany , 1st Earl of March (around 1454–1485)
- John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany , 2nd Earl of March (1481–1536)
Scottish Earls of March, third bestowal (1580)
- Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of March († 1586)
Scottish Earls of March, fourth award (1697)
- William Douglas, 1st Earl of March (around 1665–1705)
- William Douglas, 2nd Earl of March (around 1696–1731)
- William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry , 3rd Earl of March (1725-1810)
- Francis Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss , 4th Earl of March (1772-1853)
- Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss , 5th Earl of March (1796–1883)
- Francis Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss , 6th Earl of March (1818–1914)
- Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss , 7th Earl of March (1857–1937)
- David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss , 8th Earl of March (1912-2008)
- James Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss , 9th Earl of March (* 1948)
Title heir ( Heir Apparent ) is the son of the title holder, Richard Charteris, Lord Elcho (* 1984).
Earls of March in the Peerage of England
The Earls of March on the Welsh border descend from Roger Mortimer , who was bestowed this title in 1328 in the Peerage of England. He lost his title in 1330 for high treason, but his descendant Roger managed to get it back 24 years later. With the death of the fifth Earl there were no Mortimer, descended from the first Earl, so that the title of Richard Plantagenet went, 3rd Duke of York , who it to his son, the future King Edward IV. Inherited, making the Earls merged with the crown.
In the Peerage of England, the title was revived when Eduard Plantagenet, Duke of Cornwall , was also named Earl of March and Earl of Pembroke on July 18, 1479 . In 1483 he became King Edward V , which merged his title of nobility with the crown.
The next English award went to Esmé Stewart, 3rd Duke of Lennox , on June 7, 1619 . His successors held the earl dignity until the sixth Duke, with whose death the title expired in 1672. The last award so far was on August 9, 1675 to Charles Lennox , who was also raised to Duke of Richmond and a month later to Duke of Lennox . His descendants hold the title to this day.
English Earls of March, first bestowal (1328)
- Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (1287-1330) (title forfeited 1330)
- Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March (1328-1360) (title restored 1354)
- Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March (1352-1381)
- Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March (1374-1398)
- Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March (1391-1425)
- Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York , 6th Earl of March (1411–1460)
- Edward, 4th Duke of York, 7th Earl of March (1442–1483) (1461 King)
English Earls of March, second bestowal (1479)
- Edward, Duke of Cornwall, 1st Earl of March (1470–1483) (1483 King)
English Earls of March, third bestowal (1619)
- Esmé Stewart, 3rd Duke of Lennox , 1st Earl of March (1579-1624)
- James Stewart, 4th Duke of Lennox , 2nd Earl of March (1612–1655)
- Esmé Stewart, 5th Duke of Lennox , 3rd Earl of March (1649-1660)
- Charles Stewart, 6th Duke of Lennox , 4th Earl of March (1639–1672)
English Earls of March, fourth bestowal (1675)
- Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond , 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of March (1672–1723)
- Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond , 2nd Duke of Lennox, 2nd Earl of March (1701–1750)
- Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond , 3rd Duke of Lennox, 3rd Earl of March (1735–1806)
- Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond , 4th Duke of Lennox, 4th Earl of March (1764-1819)
- Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond , 5th Duke of Lennox, 5th Earl of March (1791–1860)
- Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond , 6th Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Gordon, 6th Earl of March (1818–1903)
- Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond , 7th Duke of Lennox, 2nd Duke of Gordon, 7th Earl of March (1845–1928)
- Charles Gordon-Lennox, 8th Duke of Richmond , 8th Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Gordon, 8th Earl of March (1870–1935)
- Frederick Gordon-Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond , 9th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Gordon, 9th Earl of March (1904–1989)
- Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond , 10th Duke of Lennox, 5th Duke of Gordon, 10th Earl of March (1929-2017)
- Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond , 11th Duke of Lennox, 6th Duke of Gordon, 11th Earl of March (* 1955)
Heir Apparent is the son of the current owner, Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara (* 1994).
literature
- Frederick Maurice Powicke, Edmund Boleslav Fryde: Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society, London 1961, p. 437 (English peerage) and p. 482 (Scottish peerage).
Web links
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
- March, Earl of (E, 1328-1424) at Cracroft's Peerage