Duke of Fife
Encyclopedia
Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
, named after Fife
in Scotland
. There have been two creations of the title, the first in 1889 and the second in 1900, both in favour of Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife
in the Peerage of Ireland
and 1st Earl of Fife in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The 1st Duke of Fife was the husband of Louise, Princess Royal
, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII
and Alexandra of Denmark
.
Queen Victoria's
Letters Patent
of 29 June 1889 contained the standard remainder "heirs male of his body." Letters Patent of 24 April 1900 granted a second Dukedom of Fife with a special remainder that allowed the title to pass to the daughters of the first Duke, in default of a son, and then to the male heirs of those daughters. The title passed to the first Duke's elder daughter, Princess Alexandra of Fife
(née Lady Alexandra Duff). Since Princess Alexandra's only son, Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, had predeceased her, the dukedom passed to her nephew, Lord Carnegie, the son of Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk
, and his wife, Princess Maud of Fife (née Lady Maud Duff). The present Duke of Fife
is a female-line great grandson of Edward VII and a member of the extended British Royal Family
. His heir apparent is David Charles Carnegie, Earl of Southesk
.
The Dukedom of Fife was the last dukedom created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, except for those created for sons, grandsons or consorts of the Sovereign.
From 1790 until 1809 (extinct) and from 1827 until its extinction in 1857, the title Baron Fife (GB
/ UK
) was held by the Earl Fife. In 1735 the title of Baron Braco (I
) was created for the later 1st Earl Fife.
The titles Marquess of Macduff (created 1889), Earl Fife
(1759), Earl of Fife
(1885), Viscount Macduff (1759), Baron Braco (1735), and Baron Skene (1857) became extinct along with the first Dukedom of Fife. Marquess of Macduff, Earl of Fife, and Baron Skene are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
, all the others are in the Peerage of Ireland
.
The subsidiary titles held by the present Duke are: Earl of Macduff (created 1900), Earl of Southesk
(1633), Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird (1616), Lord Carnegie (1633) and Baron Balinhard (1869). Earl of Macduff and Baron Balinhard are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
, all the others are in the Peerage of Scotland
. And all subsidiary titles but the Earl of Macduff have been subsidiary titles of the Earl of Southesk.
The family's current main residence is Elsick House
near Stonehaven
, The Mearns
, within the watershed of the Burn of Elsick
.
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Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
, named after Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. There have been two creations of the title, the first in 1889 and the second in 1900, both in favour of Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife
Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife
Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD , styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of...
in the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
and 1st Earl of Fife in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The 1st Duke of Fife was the husband of Louise, Princess Royal
Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife
The Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife was the third child and the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark...
, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
and Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
.
Queen Victoria's
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
of 29 June 1889 contained the standard remainder "heirs male of his body." Letters Patent of 24 April 1900 granted a second Dukedom of Fife with a special remainder that allowed the title to pass to the daughters of the first Duke, in default of a son, and then to the male heirs of those daughters. The title passed to the first Duke's elder daughter, Princess Alexandra of Fife
Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of King Edward VII...
(née Lady Alexandra Duff). Since Princess Alexandra's only son, Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, had predeceased her, the dukedom passed to her nephew, Lord Carnegie, the son of Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk
Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk
Sir Charles Alexander Bannerman Carnegie of Kinnaird and of Pitcarrow, 8th Baronet, 11th Earl of Southesk, 11th Baron Carnegie of Kinnaird, 11th Baron Carnegie, of Kinnaird and Leuchards, and 3rd Baron Balinhard, of Farnell in the County of Forfar, KCVO , styled The Hon...
, and his wife, Princess Maud of Fife (née Lady Maud Duff). The present Duke of Fife
James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife
James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife is a great grandson of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and a member of the extended British Royal Family, in the line of succession to the British Throne...
is a female-line great grandson of Edward VII and a member of the extended British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
. His heir apparent is David Charles Carnegie, Earl of Southesk
David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk
David Charles Carnegie, Earl of Southesk , styled Earl of Macduff until 16 February 1992, is the only son of the 3rd Duke of Fife, and his former wife, now The Hon. Lady Worsley...
.
The Dukedom of Fife was the last dukedom created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, except for those created for sons, grandsons or consorts of the Sovereign.
From 1790 until 1809 (extinct) and from 1827 until its extinction in 1857, the title Baron Fife (GB
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
/ UK
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
) was held by the Earl Fife. In 1735 the title of Baron Braco (I
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
) was created for the later 1st Earl Fife.
The titles Marquess of Macduff (created 1889), Earl Fife
Earl Fife
The title Earl Fife was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1759 for the 1st Baron Braco, and though in the Irish Peerage it referred to Fife in Scotland. The 1st Earl had been created Baron Braco, of Kilbryde in the County of Cavan, in 1735, and was created Viscount Macduff at the same time as...
(1759), Earl of Fife
Earl of Fife
The Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife referred to the Gaelic comital lordship of Fife which existed in Scotland until the early 15th century....
(1885), Viscount Macduff (1759), Baron Braco (1735), and Baron Skene (1857) became extinct along with the first Dukedom of Fife. Marquess of Macduff, Earl of Fife, and Baron Skene are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
, all the others are in the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
.
The subsidiary titles held by the present Duke are: Earl of Macduff (created 1900), Earl of Southesk
Earl of Southesk
Earl of Southesk is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for Sir David Carnegie, an Extraordinary Lord of Session. He had already been created Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird in 1616 and was made Lord Carnegie, of Kinnaird and Leuchards, at the same time he was given the Earldom....
(1633), Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird (1616), Lord Carnegie (1633) and Baron Balinhard (1869). Earl of Macduff and Baron Balinhard are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
, all the others are in the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
. And all subsidiary titles but the Earl of Macduff have been subsidiary titles of the Earl of Southesk.
The family's current main residence is Elsick House
Elsick House
Elsick House is an historic house in Kincardineshire, , northeast Scotland. The house is situated in an agricultural area about two miles from the North Sea near the town of Cammachmore; moreover, the Elsick Estate is situated within the Burn of Elsick watershed, which stream traverses the estate...
near Stonehaven
Stonehaven
Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.Stonehaven, county town of Kincardineshire, grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" , and expanded inland from the seaside...
, The Mearns
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
, within the watershed of the Burn of Elsick
Burn of Elsick
The Burn of Elsick is a coastal stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. This watercourse drains primarily agricultural lands and enters the North Sea at Newtonhill.-History:...
.
Barons Braco (1735)
- William Duff, 1st Baron BracoWilliam Duff, 1st Earl FifeWilliam Duff, 1st Earl Fife was a Scottish peer.The son of William Duff of Dipple, in 1719 he married Janet Ogilvie, daughter of James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater. She died in 1720 and in 1723 he married Jean Grant, daughter of Sir James Grant, Bt...
(c. 1696–1763) was created Earl Fife in 1759
Earls Fife (1759)
- Other titles: Viscount Macduff (Ir 1759) and Baron Braco, of Klbryde in the county of Cavan (Ir 1735)
- William Duff, 1st Earl FifeWilliam Duff, 1st Earl FifeWilliam Duff, 1st Earl Fife was a Scottish peer.The son of William Duff of Dipple, in 1719 he married Janet Ogilvie, daughter of James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater. She died in 1720 and in 1723 he married Jean Grant, daughter of Sir James Grant, Bt...
(c. 1696–1763) was a Whig MP
- William Duff, 1st Earl Fife
- Other titles (2nd Earl): Baron Fife, of the county of Fife (GB 1790)
- James Duff, 2nd Earl FifeJames Duff, 2nd Earl FifeJames Duff, 2nd Earl Fife was a Scottish Earl, Baron and Minister of Parliament.-Heritage:James Duff was second son of William Duff, 1st Earl Fife, and Jean Grant , his fathers second wife. His father, son of William Duff of Dipple, co. Banff, was M.P...
(1729–1809), eldest son of the 1st Earl, died without issue - Alexander Duff, 3rd Earl FifeAlexander Duff, 3rd Earl FifeAlexander Duff, 3rd Earl Fife was a Scottish nobleman.Duff was the son of William Duff, 1st Earl Fife and younger brother of James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife....
(1731–1811), second son of the 1st Earl
- James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife
- Other titles (4th Earl): Baron Fife, of the county of Fife (UK 1827)
- James Duff, 4th Earl FifeJames Duff, 4th Earl FifeJames Duff, 4th Earl of Fife KT, GCH , was a Scot who became a Spanish general.-Biography:James was the elder son of the Hon. Alexander Duff, who succeeded his brother as third Earl Fife in 1809...
(1776–1857), elder son of the 3rd Earl, died without issue
- James Duff, 4th Earl Fife
- Other titles (5th Earl onwards): Baron Skene, of Skene in the county of Aberdeen (UK 1857)
- James Duff, 5th Earl FifeJames Duff, 5th Earl FifeJames Duff, 5th Earl Fife was a Scottish nobleman.Duff was the son of Sir Alexander Duff, younger brother of James Duff, 4th Earl Fife and Anne Stein, the daughter of James Stein of Gilbogie....
(1814–1879), elder son of Gen Hon Alexander, himself younger son of the 3rd Earl - Alexander Duff, 6th Earl FifeAlexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD , styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of...
(1849–1912) was created Duke of Fife in 1889
- James Duff, 5th Earl Fife
Dukes of Fife, first Creation (1889)
- Other titles: Marquess of Macduff (UK 1889), Earl Fife and Viscount Macduff (Ir 1759), Baron Braco, of Klbryde in the county of Cavan (Ir 1735) and Baron Skene, of Skene in the county of Aberdeen (UK 1857)
- Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD , styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of...
(1849–1912) was created Duke of Fife again (with a different remainder) in 1900- Alastair Duff, Marquess of Macduff (stillborn 1890), only son of the 1st Duke
Dukes of Fife, second Creation (1900)
- Other titles: Earl of Macduff, in the county of Banff (UK 1900)
- Other titles (1st Duke): Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff (UK 1889), Earl Fife and Viscount Macduff (Ir 1759), Baron Braco, of Klbryde in the county of Cavan (Ir 1735) and Baron Skene, of Skene in the county of Aberdeen (UK 1857)
- Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD , styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of...
(1849–1912), only son of the 5th Earl - Princess AlexandraPrincess Alexandra, Duchess of FifePrincess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of King Edward VII...
, 2nd Duchess of Fife (1891–1959), elder daughter of the 1st Duke, married Prince Arthur of ConnaughtPrince Arthur of ConnaughtPrince Arthur of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria. Prince Arthur held the title of a British prince with the style His Royal Highness...
- Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife
- Other titles (3rd Duke onwards): Earl of Southesk (Sc 1633), Earl of Macduff (UK 1900), Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird (Sc 1616), Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird and Leuchars (Sc 1633) and 4th Baron Balinhard, of Farnell in the county of Forfar (UK 1869)
- James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of FifeJames Carnegie, 3rd Duke of FifeJames George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife is a great grandson of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and a member of the extended British Royal Family, in the line of succession to the British Throne...
(b. 1929), only son of Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk, herself younger daughter of the 1st Duke- Heir-apparent: David Carnegie, Earl of SoutheskDavid Carnegie, Earl of SoutheskDavid Charles Carnegie, Earl of Southesk , styled Earl of Macduff until 16 February 1992, is the only son of the 3rd Duke of Fife, and his former wife, now The Hon. Lady Worsley...
(b. 1961), only son of the 3rd Duke- His heir-apparent: Charles Carnegie, Lord Carnegie (b. 1989), eldest son of Lord Southesk
- Heir-apparent: David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk
- James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife
Line of succession
- David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk (b. 1961)
- Charles Carnegie, Lord Carnegie (b. 1989)
- Hon George Carnegie (b. 1991), second son of Lord Southesk
- Hon Hugh Carnegie (b. 1993), third and youngest son of Lord Southesk
Family tree
Coat of arms
- Shield:
- Crests:
- Supporters: Dexter a lion rampant guardant gules, armed and langued azure charged with a label of five points argent the points harged with two thistles between three crosses of St George gules; Sinister a talbot argent collared gules the collar charged with a label of three points argent
- Mottoes: (over the shield) Deo juvante; Dred God; Pro Patria; (under the shield) Virtute et opera