Earl of Buchan
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The Mormaer or Earl of Buchan was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan
Buchan
Buchan is one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by the council in 1996, when the Aberdeenshire unitary council area was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994...
. Buchan was the first Mormaer
Mormaer
The title of Mormaer designates a regional or provincial ruler in the medieval Kingdom of the Scots. In theory, although not always in practice, a Mormaer was second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a toisech.-Origin:...
dom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male line. The earldom had three lines in its history, not counting passings from female heiresses to sons. Today it is held by the Erskine family as a peerage. The current holder is Malcolm Erskine, 17th Earl of Buchan (b. 1930).
Mormaerdom of Buchan
The first recorded person who definitely held the position of mormaer was GartnaitGartnait, Earl of Buchan
Gartnait of Buchan is the first Mormaer of Buchan to be known by name as Mormaer. He was married to a woman named Ete , the daughter of a Gille Míchéil, whom he appears alongside in a grant to Deer recorded in the Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer. This is surely Gille Míchéil, Mormaer of Fife...
, whose patronage is noted in the Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer
Book of Deer
The Book of Deer is a 10th-century Latin Gospel Book from Old Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with early 12th-century additions in Latin, Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic. It is most famous for containing the earliest surviving Gaelic literature from Scotland...
. The latter is the only significant source for the mormaerdom, and its existence makes Buchan one of Scotland's best documented provinces for native cultural institutions. After the death of Fergus
Fergus, Earl of Buchan
Fergus of Buchan was the last native Gaelic Mormaer of Buchan, and only the third to be known by name as Mormaer. Fergus appears to have had strong connections in Fife, and it is possible that his father Colbán was a Fifer. A charter issued by Fergus appears to have survived. The charter is a...
, before 1214, Buchan became the first native mormaerdom to pass into the hands of a foreign family, the Comyns, though only through marriage. Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan
Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan
Alexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan was a Scoto-Norman magnate who was one of the most important figures in the 13th century Kingdom of Scotland. He was the son of William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, and Marjory, Countess of Buchan, the heiress of the last native Scottish Mormaer of Buchan,...
inherited and continued his mother's title and line until it was conquered and forfeited during the Wars of Scottish Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
.
1374 creation
The title remained in crown hands until, later in the century, the title went to Alexander Stewart, the "Wolf of Badenoch". Buchan by this point, however, but drastically truncated and was no longer a provincial lordship.1469 creation
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan , was the second son of Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne, and Joan Beaufort, the widow of James I of Scotland...
. He was made Lord Auchterhouse at the same time, also 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...
. Stewart was the second son of Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn
James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn
James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn was born about 1383, Innermeath, Scotland. He died after 1451.-Early life:He was a direct male line descendant of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, through his second son Sir John Stewart of Bonkill, who was killed at the Battle of Falkirk...
, and the younger brother of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl , also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador to England .-Life:...
(see Earl of Atholl
Earl of Atholl
The Mormaer of Earl of Atholl refers to a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl , now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is reported from the Pictish period. The only other two Pictish kingdoms to be known from...
, 1457 creation). The title descended in the direct male line until the death of his grandson, John, the third Earl, in 1551. John's only son by his first marriage, John Stewart, Master of Buchan, had been killed at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. Buchan was therefore succeeded by his granddaughter, Christina, suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Countess of Buchan, the daughter of the Master of Buchan. She married Robert Douglas, son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and brother of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton was the son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland. Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the king was James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his...
. Robert assumed the title of Earl of Buchan in right of his wife. He was succeeded by his daughter, Mary, suo jure Countess of Buchan. She married James Erskine, younger son of John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 2nd Earl of Mar was a Scottish politician, the only son of John Erskine, 1st Earl of Mar. Together with King James VI of Scotland he was educated by George Buchanan...
(see Earl of Mar
Earl of Mar
The Mormaer or Earl of Mar is a title that has been created seven times, all in the Peerage of Scotland. The first creation of the earldom was originally the provincial ruler of the province of Mar in north-eastern Scotland...
). James assumed the earldom in right of his wife. In 1617 they were created by Royal charter Earl and Countess of Buchan, with remainder to the heirs male of the marriage, whom failing, to the legitimate and nearest heirs-male and assignees of the Earl. In 1633 the precedence of the earldom was established by Act of Parliament as 1469. This line of the family failed on the death of their grandson, the eighth Earl, who died unmarried in 1695.
The late Earl was succeeded by his kinsman David Erskine, 4th Lord Cardross, who became the ninth Earl. He was the great-grandson of Henry Erskine, younger brother of James Erskine, Earl of Buchan (of the 1617 creation; see Lord Cardross
Lord Cardross
Lord Cardross is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, since 1695 a subsidiary title of the earldom of Buchan. It was created in 1606 for John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar, with remainder to his heirs male and assignees whatsoever and with the power to nominate his successor...
for earlier history of this branch of the Erskine family). His right to the earldom was acknowledged by the Scottish Parliament in 1698 and he later sat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a Scottish Representative Peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, the tenth Earl. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
. His eldest surviving son, David, the eleventh Earl, was the founder of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
but is best remembered as an eccentric. The latter was succeeded by his nephew, Henry, the twelfth Earl, the son of the Honourable Henry Erskine, Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
, third son of the tenth Earl. The line of the twelfth Earl failed on the death of his great-grandson, the fifteenth Earl, who died unmarried in 1960. The fifteenth Earl was succeeded by hus kinsman, Donald Erskine, 7th Baron Erskine, who became the sixteenth Earl. He was a descendant of Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine KT PC KC was a British lawyer and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom between 1806 and 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background and childhood:...
, fourth son of the tenth Earl (see Baron Erskine
Baron Erskine
Baron Erskine, of Restormel Castle in the County of Cornwall, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, since 1960 a subsidiary title of the earldom of Buchan. It was created in 1806 for the Honourable Thomas Erskine on his appointment as Lord High Chancellor, a post he held until the...
for earlier history of this branch of the family). As of 2011 the titles are held by the sixteenth Earl's second but only surviving son, the seventeenth Earl, who succeeded in 1984.
The family seat is Newnham House, near Hook, North Hampshire
Hook, North Hampshire
Hook is a large village within the Hart district of northern Hampshire, England. It is situated east of Basingstoke and northeast of Southampton, on the A30 national route, just north of Junction 5 of the M3 motorway....
.
Early Mormaers/Earls of Buchan
- Unknowns
- ?Cainnech (fl. early 12th century)
- GartnaitGartnait, Earl of BuchanGartnait of Buchan is the first Mormaer of Buchan to be known by name as Mormaer. He was married to a woman named Ete , the daughter of a Gille Míchéil, whom he appears alongside in a grant to Deer recorded in the Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer. This is surely Gille Míchéil, Mormaer of Fife...
(fl. after 1131) - Éva (Éua) ingen Garnait (fl. 1174 )
- m. ColbánColbán, Earl of BuchanColbán of Buchan is the second Mormaer of Buchan to be known by name as Mormaer.Colbán was not the son of his predecessor Gartnait. It is possible that Colbán came from another Buchan family, or even, as some have suggested, Fife. He perhaps obtained Buchan by marrying the daughter of Gartnait,...
(fl. 1174 )
- m. Colbán
- FergusFergus, Earl of BuchanFergus of Buchan was the last native Gaelic Mormaer of Buchan, and only the third to be known by name as Mormaer. Fergus appears to have had strong connections in Fife, and it is possible that his father Colbán was a Fifer. A charter issued by Fergus appears to have survived. The charter is a...
(d. before 1214) - Marjory
- m. William Comyn, Justiciar of Scotia and Warden of MorayWilliam Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of BuchanWilliam Comyn was one of four sons of Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian and Hextilda of Tynedale. He was born in Scotland, in Altyre, Moray in 1163 and died in Buchan in 1233 where he is buried in Deer Abbey...
(d. 1233)
- m. William Comyn, Justiciar of Scotia and Warden of Moray
- Alexander ComynAlexander Comyn, Earl of BuchanAlexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan was a Scoto-Norman magnate who was one of the most important figures in the 13th century Kingdom of Scotland. He was the son of William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, and Marjory, Countess of Buchan, the heiress of the last native Scottish Mormaer of Buchan,...
(d. 1289) - John ComynJohn Comyn, Earl of BuchanJohn Comyn was Earl of Buchan and an important member of Clan Comyn during the early 14th century. He was a chief opponent of Robert the Bruce in the civil war that paralleled the War of Scottish Independence. He should not be confused with the better known John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, who...
(d. 1313)- Forfeited; Title claimed by Alicia de Buchan, and her husband Henry Beaumont (d. 1340)
Earls of Buchan; Second creation (1374)
- Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (d. 1404)
- Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (d. 1420), in 1406 he granted earldom to his son
- John Stewart, Earl of Buchan (d. 1424) – Killed at the Battle of VerneuilBattle of VerneuilThe Battle of Verneuil was a battle of the Hundred Years' War, fought on 17 August 1424 near Verneuil in Normandy and was a significant English victory.-The black time:...
- Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany (d. 1425) (forfeit 1425)
Earls of Buchan; Third creation (1469)
- James Stewart, 1st Earl of BuchanJames Stewart, 1st Earl of BuchanJames Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan , was the second son of Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne, and Joan Beaufort, the widow of James I of Scotland...
(1442–1487) - Alexander Stewart, 2nd Earl of BuchanAlexander Stewart, 2nd Earl of BuchanAlexander Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan was the only son of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan, and Margaret Ogilvy. Alexander succeeded to the Earldom and the Barony of Kingedward and other lands, probably in 1499, as he got sasine of the Earldom on 23 January 1499/1500...
(d. 1505) - John Stewart, 3rd Earl of BuchanJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of BuchanJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of Buchan, son and heir of Alexander, succeeded to the Earldom in 1505. He was retoured heir to his father in the Earldom and Earlshill in 1519; until then he retained the style of Master of Buchan which he had held in his father's lifetime...
(c. 1497–1551)- John Stewart, Master of Buchan (d. 1547)
- Christina Stewart, 4th Countess of BuchanChristina Stewart, 4th Countess of BuchanChristina Stewart, Countess of Buchan in her own right, succeeded her grandfather, John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Buchan, in 1551. In that year she was, as heir to her father, enfeoffed in the lands, jurisdictions, and offices enumerated in her grandfather's charter of 1547...
(d. 1580) - m. Robert Douglas of Morton
- James Douglas, 5th Earl of Buchan (d. 1601)
- Mary Douglas, 6th Countess of Buchan (d. 1628)
- m. James Erskine, 6th Earl of BuchanJames Erskine, 6th Earl of BuchanJames Erskine, 6th Earl of Buchan , was the eldest son of John Erskine, 7th Earl of Mar, by his second wife, Lady Margaret Stuart, daughter of Esme, duke of Lennox....
(d. 1640) (assumed title of Earl of Buchan in right of his wife; created Earl of Buchan in 1617)
- m. James Erskine, 6th Earl of Buchan
- James Erskine, 7th Earl of Buchan (d. 1664)
- William Erskine, 8th Earl of Buchan (d. 1695)
- David Erskine, 9th Earl of Buchan (d. 1745)
- Henry David Erskine, Lord Auchterhouse (b. 1699)
- David Erskine, Lord Auchterhouse (b. 1703)
- Henry David Erskine, 10th Earl of BuchanHenry Erskine, 10th Earl of BuchanHenry David Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan FRS , styled Lord Auchterhouse until 1745, was a Scottish peer....
(1710–1767)- David Erskine, Lord Cardross (1741–1747)
- David Stewart Erskine, 11th Earl of BuchanDavid Erskine, 11th Earl of BuchanDavid Steuart Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan , styled Lord Cardross between 1747 and 1767, was a notable Scottish eccentric.-Background and education:...
(1742–1829) - Henry David Erskine, 12th Earl of BuchanHenry Erskine, 12th Earl of BuchanHenry David Erskine, 12th Earl of Buchan was the grandson of the 10th Earl of Buchan.On 28 September 1809, he married Elizabeth Cole Shipley , daughter of Maj-General Sir Charles Shipley, and they had one child, David Stuart Erskine, 13th Earl of Buchan...
(1783–1857)- Henry Erskine, Lord Cardross (1812–1836)
- Henry Shipley Erskine, Lord Cardross (1834–1849)
- Henry Erskine, Lord Cardross (1812–1836)
- David Stuart Erskine, 13th Earl of Buchan (1815–1898)
- Shipley Gordon Stuart Erskine, 14th Earl of Buchan (1850–1934)
- Ronald Douglas Stewart Mar Erskine, 15th Earl of Buchan (1878–1960)
- Donald Cardross Flower Erskine, 16th Earl of Buchan (1899–1984)
- David Stuart Erskine (1928–1933)
- Malcolm Harry Erskine, 17th Earl of Buchan (b. 1930)
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
is the present holder's son Henry Thomas Alexander Erskine, Lord Cardross (b. 1960)