James Johnstone, 2nd Marquess of Annandale

This portrait likely depicts the 2nd Marquess of Annandale, although it could possibly be his father as well .

James Johnstone, 2nd Marquess of Annandale (* around 1687/1688; † February 10, 1730 in Naples ) was a Scottish nobleman .

He was the eldest son of William Johnstone, 1st Marquess of Annandale , and his first wife, Sophia Fairholm. When his father died in 1721, he inherited the latter's title, including the hereditary offices of Steward of Annandale and Keeper of Lochmaben Palace .

In 1708 he was elected as MP for County Dumfries in the House of Commons , but was not allowed to take up this office because he was heir apparent to a peer. He spent most of his life in Italy , where he amassed a large art collection and antiques.

He was unmarried and childless, his younger brothers John († 1694) and William († 1721) died before him without leaving any descendants. Against this background, in 1726 he tried to exclude his half-brothers George († 1792) and John († 1742) from his father's second marriage to Charlotte van Lore van den Bempdé from the inheritance of his nobility titles and his property. In their place, his sister Henrietta, Countess of Hopetoun and her descendants should be entitled to inheritance. This attempt was only partially successful. When he died of consumption in Italy at the age of 42 in 1730 , only his Scottish lands and his art collection went to Henrietta, while his titles of nobility (which could not legitimately be transferred as he intended) passed to his half-brother George, who thus became 3rd Marquess of Annandale. His body was brought from Italy and buried in Westminster Abbey . His portrait hangs today in Hopetoun House near Edinburgh .

Remarks

↑ In detail he inherited the following titles in the Peerage of Scotland : 2nd Marquess of Annandale, 2nd Earl of Hartfell, 2nd Viscount of Annand, 2nd Lord Johnston of Lochwood, Lochmaben, Moffatdale and Evandale (each awarded from 1701); 3rd Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, 3rd Viscount of Annand, 3rd Lord Johnston of Lochwood, Lochmaben, Moffatdale and Evandale (bestowed 1661 and 1662 respectively).

literature

The Complete Peerage 1959 (under Annandale)
Burke's Peerage 1999 (under Annandale and Hartfell).

Web links

http://clanjohnston.org/history.html
James Johnstone, 2nd Marquess of Annandale, on thepeerage.com , accessed July 26, 2015.

predecessor	Office	successor
William Johnstone	Marquess of Annandale 1721-1730	George van den Bempdé-Johnstone

personal data
SURNAME	Johnstone, James, 2nd Marquess of Annandale
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Johnstone, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Scottish nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH	1687 or 1688
DATE OF DEATH	February 10, 1730
Place of death	Naples

[1] In detail he inherited the following titles in the Peerage of Scotland : 2nd Marquess of Annandale, 2nd Earl of Hartfell, 2nd Viscount of Annand, 2nd Lord Johnston of Lochwood, Lochmaben, Moffatdale and Evandale (each awarded from 1701); 3rd Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, 3rd Viscount of Annand, 3rd Lord Johnston of Lochwood, Lochmaben, Moffatdale and Evandale (bestowed 1661 and 1662 respectively).