Earl of March

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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)

Scottish Earls of March, third bestowal (1580)

Scottish Earls of March, fourth award (1697)

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)

English Earls of March, second bestowal (1479)

English Earls of March, third bestowal (1619)

English Earls of March, fourth bestowal (1675)

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).

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