John Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland
Encyclopedia
John Sutherland Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland (10 May 1915 – 21 September 2000), styled Viscount Brackley until 1944 and known as The Earl of Ellesmere between 1944 and 1963, was a British peer.
and Lady Violet Lambton. Educated at Eton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, he sailed to France with the British Expeditionary Force and was captured at St Valery in 1940. He spent four years in a prisoner of war camp. Upon his return in 1944, he succeeded his father as Earl of Ellesmere.
, his distant cousin Geordie, died, leaving no immediate male heir. Egerton succeeded to the dukedom, but did not inherit the Sutherland estates or Dunrobin Castle
, which went to Elizabeth Janson
, Geordie's niece, who became the Countess of Sutherland.
Estate duty forced the Duke to sell many pieces from the family's renowned collection of paintings and drawings. The family's wealth had shifted from landholdings to an estimated £120m collection of paintings which included Raphaels, Titians, Tintorettos, Poussins, and a large part of the famous Orléans collection
from the Palais Royal
in Paris. The wealth had come from the acquisitions of the first Duke of Bridgewater
, who built the famous canal and passed on his mining riches, and from intermarriage. Benjamin Disraeli once paid tribute to the family's "talent for absorbing heiresses".
Despite the hundreds of paintings the Duke was forced to sell, he retained the Dutch masters for Mertoun. The Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh
had a number of notable paintings in its possession on long-term loan from the Duke of Sutherland's estate, including pieces by Titian
, El Greco
, Raphael
and van Dyck
(one of which, the Venus Anadyomene
, was bought by the gallery after his death, partly in lieu of inheritance tax). The Duke made it clear, by selling Bridgewater House in London, that he was abandoning metropolitan pursuits, but maintained the family horseracing tradition.
Although a Conservative, he never claimed his seat in the Lords, eschewing his right to vote or speak for more than half a century. He did find his political voice as a Berwickshire county councillor.
The sixth duke kept a very local profile. In 1984 he sold four masterpieces to fund opening his 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) garden to the public. In 1994 he disagreed when the National Gallery of Scotland sought to rehouse some of his paintings in a new gallery in Glasgow, preferring them to be dispersed around Scotland.
, on 29 April 1939. Following the death of his first wife he married Evelyn Moubray, on 16 August 1979 a former interior decorator who shared his love of fishing. There were no children from either marriage.
Background and education
the son of John Egerton, 4th Earl of EllesmereJohn Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere
Lieutenant-Colonel John Francis Granville Scrope Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere MVO KJStJ was a British peer and soldier, known as Viscount Brackley before 1914....
and Lady Violet Lambton. Educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, he sailed to France with the British Expeditionary Force and was captured at St Valery in 1940. He spent four years in a prisoner of war camp. Upon his return in 1944, he succeeded his father as Earl of Ellesmere.
Career
In 1963, the 5th Duke of SutherlandGeorge Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland
George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland PC, KT , styled Earl Gower until 1892 and Marquess of Stafford between 1892 and 1913, was a British courtier, patron of the film industry and Conservative politician...
, his distant cousin Geordie, died, leaving no immediate male heir. Egerton succeeded to the dukedom, but did not inherit the Sutherland estates or Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is the seat of the Countess of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie, and approximately south of Brora, on the Dornoch Firth close to the A9 road. Nearby Dunrobin Castle railway...
, which went to Elizabeth Janson
Elizabeth Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland
Elizabeth Millicent Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland is a British peeress.-Early life:She was born Elizabeth Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, the only child of Major Lord Alastair Sutherland-Leveson-Gower , a son of the 4th Duke of Sutherland, and his wife, the former Elizabeth Demarest...
, Geordie's niece, who became the Countess of Sutherland.
Estate duty forced the Duke to sell many pieces from the family's renowned collection of paintings and drawings. The family's wealth had shifted from landholdings to an estimated £120m collection of paintings which included Raphaels, Titians, Tintorettos, Poussins, and a large part of the famous Orléans collection
Orleans Collection
The Orleans Collection was a very important collection of over 500 paintings formed by the French prince of the blood Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, mostly acquired between about 1700 and his death in 1723...
from the Palais Royal
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris...
in Paris. The wealth had come from the acquisitions of the first Duke of Bridgewater
Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater
Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater , known as Viscount Brackley from 1687 to 1701 and as the Earl of Bridgewater from 1701 to 1720, was a British peer and courtier...
, who built the famous canal and passed on his mining riches, and from intermarriage. Benjamin Disraeli once paid tribute to the family's "talent for absorbing heiresses".
Despite the hundreds of paintings the Duke was forced to sell, he retained the Dutch masters for Mertoun. The Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
had a number of notable paintings in its possession on long-term loan from the Duke of Sutherland's estate, including pieces by Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
, Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
and van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
(one of which, the Venus Anadyomene
Venus Anadyomene (Titian)
Venus Anadyomene , is a c.1520 oil painting by Titian, depicting Venus rising from the sea and wringing her hair, either after bathing or after her birth. Venus, said to have been born from a shell, is identified by the shell at bottom left...
, was bought by the gallery after his death, partly in lieu of inheritance tax). The Duke made it clear, by selling Bridgewater House in London, that he was abandoning metropolitan pursuits, but maintained the family horseracing tradition.
Although a Conservative, he never claimed his seat in the Lords, eschewing his right to vote or speak for more than half a century. He did find his political voice as a Berwickshire county councillor.
The sixth duke kept a very local profile. In 1984 he sold four masterpieces to fund opening his 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) garden to the public. In 1994 he disagreed when the National Gallery of Scotland sought to rehouse some of his paintings in a new gallery in Glasgow, preferring them to be dispersed around Scotland.
Family
Sutherland married Lady Diana Percy (23 November 1917 – 16 June 1978), daughter of Alan Percy, 8th Duke of NorthumberlandAlan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland
Alan Ian Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland KG CBE MVO TD was the son of Henry Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland and Lady Edith Campbell....
, on 29 April 1939. Following the death of his first wife he married Evelyn Moubray, on 16 August 1979 a former interior decorator who shared his love of fishing. There were no children from either marriage.