James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater
Encyclopedia
dresden.jpg)
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
peer and an accomplished amateur landscape architect and philanthropist. He promoted the British landscape garden
English garden
The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...
in mainland Europe, where he spent lavishly on public works and "improvements of the scenery."
Early Life
James Ogilvy was the son of James Ogilvy, 6th Earl of Findlater (ca. 1714-1770), and Lady Mary Murray (1720–1795), daughter of John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl. Ogilvy was born at Huntingtower CastleHuntingtower Castle
Huntingtower Castle once known as Ruthven Castle or the Place [Palace] of Ruthven is located near the village of Huntingtower beside the A85 and near the A9, about 5km NW of the centre of Perth, Perth and Kinross, in central Scotland, on the main road to Crieff.- History :Huntingtower Castle was...
in 1750. His only brother John died in 1763. He inherited the estates and Cullen House in 1770 at the age of twenty after his father, the 6th Earl of Findlater took his own life. Findlater attended Oxford University, then left the British Isles for Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in the Austrian Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
, where he in 1779 married Christina Teresa Murray with whom he only lived together briefly. Christina Teresa was the daughter of Sir Joseph Murray, Count of Melgum, Baronet of Nova Scotia, and Lieutenant-General in the army of Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Exile
Findlater is often listed amongst those who left Scotland as a result of their homosexualHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
orientation. However, it is not clear as to whether this "exile" was real or self-imposed. In 1791 he apparently made a joke at the expense of Duchess Jane, wife of Alexander Gordon
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon KT , styled Marquess of Huntly until 1752, was a Scottish nobleman, described by Kaimes as the "greatest subject in Britain", and was also known as the Cock o' the North, the traditional epithet attached to the chief of the Gordon clan.-Early life:Alexander...
. A ship called the Duchess of Gordon had been recently built with copper sheathing on the hull to deter rot. The Earl of Findlater was overheard to remark “I aye kent the Duchess had a brass neck and a brazen face, but I niver kent she had a copper arse.” The Duchess of Gordon was not amused, pursuing the matter in the courts. Findlater fled, never
returning to Scotland.
Cullen
Despite his travels, Findlater remained involved in his estates and employed the leading architects. For example, he commissioned Robert AdamRobert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
to develop plans for a new house at Cullen and James Playfair to redesign the existing house and the adjoining kitchen garden. In 1773, James Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
and Dr. Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
viewed the estate on their journey to the Hebrides and noted that it was "admirably laid out.". Whilst Adams designs for a new site for the House were not taken up were not taken up, the suggestion of resiting Cullen from around the church to its present position around the harbour was acted on, although not until some years later.
From 1791, John Ross, a retired professor of Aberdeen University administered his estates at Cullen. Findlaters estates in Scotland (at the time of his death) amounted to about £40,000 per annum (about £4.6 million in 2009 prices.
Carlsbad
From about 1794, Lord Findlater visited Bohemian CarlsbadKarlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
(Karlovy Vary), to benefit from drinking the spa waters. He became a significant patron of the city and gave large sums of money to local charities and for laying out and improving the environs of the town including paths. Findlaterova stezka (Findlater path) continues to be a well used trail. Within the trails is Findlater's Temple, a classical semi-circular building surrounded by a cupola, erected by Lord Findlater, in gratitude for the benefits be received from the Carlsbad waters. Also nearby is Findlater's Obelisk made of granite, twenty-eight feet in height, erected in 1804 in honour of Lord Findlater, " the friend and beautifier of nature, as a token of the gratitude of the citizens of Carlsbad." The obelisk commands a fine view of the valley below.
Dresden
In 1802, Lord Findlater was commissioned by Countess Henriette of Schall-Riaucour to create a landscape garden in the Englishstyle around Gaussig House
Gaussig House
Gaussig House is a manor house in Palladian style located in the district Bautzen in the German state of Saxony approximately 6 km southwest from the Upper Lusatian central city Bautzen. Extending over some , nestled in beautiful natural surroundings and bordered by the Grosse Picho hill to the...
near Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
. In 1803, Findlaters private secretary, Johann Georg Fischer purchased Helfenberg Manor located in the Dresden Elbe Valley
Dresden Elbe Valley
The Dresden Elbe Valley is a former World Heritage Site in Dresden, Germany. The valley, extending for some 20 kilometres and passingthrough the Dresden Basin and the city of Dresden, is one of two cultural landscapes along the Central European river Elbe...
, on behalf of his benefactor. The land included five vineyards including "Findlaters Vineyard" and "Findlaters Sheer Vineyard" near Loschwitz
Loschwitz
Loschwitz is a borough of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters :Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes north of the Elbe river...
with panoramic views over the river Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
. The manor had a small park, which was landscaped by Findlater with precious shrubs and trees. On Bredemannschen mountain, where today Schloss Albrechtsberg
Schloss Albrechtsberg (Dresden)
Albrechtsberg Castle is a Neoclassical castle above the Elbe river in the Loschwitz district of Dresden. It was erected in 1854 according to plans designed by the Prussian court and landscaping architect Adolf Lohse at the behest of Prince Albert, younger brother of the Prussian king Frederick...
rises to the sky, Findlater had the master builder Johann August Giesel build him a Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
palace. This building soon gained for itself the title of "The most beautiful family palace in Dresden". The associated Elbe terraces were cultivated with pergolas, ponds and vines.
Death
Findlater died in 1811 and he bequeathed the DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
property to Fischer who lived at Helfenberg Manor until his own death in 1860. The Scottish heirs protested in court on the ground that the bequests to Fischer had been made for an immoral consideration (i.e. “ob turpem causa”). Also upon his death, the earldom of Findlater became extinct. The title of Earl of Seafield passed to his cousin Sir Lewis Alexander Grant (1767-1840) who also took the surname Ogilvy. Findlater is buried at the Loschwitz parish church. The gravestone includes both Findlater and his partner Johann Georg Christian Fischer (1773-1860).
