Earl of Rosslyn
Encyclopedia
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...
. It was created in 1801 for Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Baron Loughborough
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1793 to 1801.-Life:He was the eldest son of Peter Wedderburn , and was born in East Lothian....
, 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...
from 1793 to 1801, with special remainder to his nephew Sir James St Clair-Erskine, 6th Baronet
James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn
General James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn GCB, PC , known as Sir James Erskine, Bt, between 1765 and 1789 and as Sir James St Clair-Erskine, Bt, between 1789 and 1805, was a Scottish soldier, politician, and Acting Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, on behalf of King George...
. Wedderburn had already been created Baron Loughborough, of Loughborough in the County Leicester, in the Peerage of Great Britain
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...
in 1780, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body, and Baron Loughborough, of Loughborough in the County Surrey, in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1795, with similar remainder as for the earldom. Lord Rosslyn was childless and on his death in 1805 the barony of 1780 became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of 1795 and in the earldom according to the special remainders by his aforementioned nephew, the second Earl. He was a Lieutenant-General in the Army and also held political office as Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
and Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
.
His son, the third Earl, was a General in the Army and held political office as Master of the Buckhounds
Master of the Buckhounds
The Master of the Buckhounds was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. It was a political office, so the holder, who was always a nobleman, changed with every change of government. The office...
and Under-Secretary of State for War
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (Chief Government Whip 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....
) in Lord Salisbury's
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
second Conservative administration
Conservative Government 1886-1892
Principal source: C. Cook and B. Keith, British Historical Facts 1830–1900...
. the titles are held by his great-great-grandson, the seventh Earl, who succeeded his father in 1977. He is a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. Lord Rosslyn is also one of the ninety elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
, and sits as a cross-bencher.
The Erskine Baronetcy, of Alva in the County of Fife, was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1666 for Charles Erskine. He represented Clackmannan and Stirling in the Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
. His eldest son, the second Baronet, was killed at the Battle of Landen
Battle of Landen
The Battle of Landen , in the current Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, was a battle in the Nine Years' War, fought in present-day Belgium on 29 July 1693 between the French army of Marshal Luxembourg and the Allied army of King William III of England...
in 1693. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Baronet. He was one of the Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
Scottish representatives to the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain were not elected but co-opted in 1707 from the Commissioners of the last Parliament of Scotland.-Legal background to the composition of the 1st Parliament:...
and later represented Clackmannanshire. His eldest son, the fourth Baronet, was killed at the Battle of Lauffeld
Battle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as the Battle of Lafelt or Battle of Maastricht, also Battle of Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the French invasion of the Netherlands. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession...
in 1747. His younger brother and successor, the fifth Baronet, was a Lieutenant-General in the Army and sat as Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs
Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
and Anstruther Easter Burghs. Erskine married Janet Wedderburn, daughter of Peter Wedderburn and sister of Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1793 to 1801.-Life:He was the eldest son of Peter Wedderburn , and was born in East Lothian....
. He was succeeded by his son, the aforementioned sixth Baronet, who in 1805 succeeded his uncle Lord Rosslyn in the barony of Loughborough and earldom of Rosslyn. See above for further history of the baronetcy.
The family seat is Rosslyn Castle in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, 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...
. The Earl also owns Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Roman Catholic collegiate church in the mid-15th century...
.
Erskine Baronets, of Alva (1666)
- Sir Charles Erskine, 1st Baronet (1643–1690)
- Sir James Erskine, 2nd Baronet (c. 1670–1693)
- Sir John Erskine, 3rd Baronet (1672–1739)
- Sir Charles Erskine, 4th Baronet (d. 1747)
- Sir Henry Erskine, 5th BaronetSir Henry Erskine, 5th BaronetSir Henry Erskine, 5th Baronet was a Scottish soldier and politician.He served as Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1749–1754 and for Anstruther Easter Burghs 1754–1765-References:*...
(c. 1710–1765) - Sir James St Clair-Erskine, 6th BaronetJames St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of RosslynGeneral James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn GCB, PC , known as Sir James Erskine, Bt, between 1765 and 1789 and as Sir James St Clair-Erskine, Bt, between 1789 and 1805, was a Scottish soldier, politician, and Acting Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, on behalf of King George...
(1762–1837) (succeeded as Earl of Rosslyn in 1805)
Earls of Rosslyn (1801)
- Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of RosslynAlexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of RosslynAlexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1793 to 1801.-Life:He was the eldest son of Peter Wedderburn , and was born in East Lothian....
(1733–1805) - James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of RosslynJames St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of RosslynGeneral James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn GCB, PC , known as Sir James Erskine, Bt, between 1765 and 1789 and as Sir James St Clair-Erskine, Bt, between 1789 and 1805, was a Scottish soldier, politician, and Acting Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, on behalf of King George...
(1762–1837) - James St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of RosslynJames St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of RosslynGeneral James Alexander St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn PC, DL , styled Lord Loughborough from 1805 to 1837, was a Scottish soldier and Tory politician...
(1802–1866) - Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of RosslynRobert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of RosslynRobert Francis St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn , styled Lord Loughborough until 1866, was a Scottish Conservative politician...
(1833–1890) - James St Clair-Erskine, 5th Earl of Rosslyn (1869–1939)
- Francis Edward Scudamore St Clair-Erskine, Lord Loughborough (1892–1929)
- Anthony St Clair-Erskine, 6th Earl of Rosslyn (1917–1977)
- Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of RosslynPeter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of RosslynPeter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn, QPM is a Commander in the London Metropolitan Police Service, in which he uses the professional name Peter Loughborough...
(b. 1958)
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 eldest son Jamie William St. Clair-Erskine, Lord Loughborough (b. 1986)