Melville family
Encyclopedia
Melville is the name of a notable and nobility
Scots family
originally from Fife
in eastern Scotland
.
knight who settled in Scotland in the 12th Century. The surname is said to derive from Malleville a manor
in the Pays de Caux
.
James Melville was one of the leading assassins of Cardinal
David Beaton
on 29 May 1546.
- formerly an official residence of the Archbishops of St Andrews. His younger brother was the famous Sir James Melville of Halhill
(vide ultra).
Nine years later Melville of Burntisland was created first Lord Melville of Monimail, the title and estate passing after his death in 1621 first to his son, Robert, and then to his great-nephew, John Melville of Raith.
The second Lord Melville died in 1643 and was succeeded by his seven year old son, George, who was to be responsible for building the present Melville House on the estate of Monimail.
is a three-storey Gothic castellated mansion situated less than a mile (2 km) west-south-west of Dalkeith, Midlothian, near the North Esk.
An earlier tower house on the site was demolished when the present structure, designed in 1786-91 by James Playfair for Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, was built.
The original tower house was owned by the Melville family, before passing to Sir John Ross in the 14th century. It subsequently changed hands with the attached lands several times and was sold to David Rennie in 1705. It then passed via the marriage of his daughter to Henry Dundas.
main branch of Melville
family is the Leslie-Melville family, Earls of Leven and (since 1690) of Melville as well.
The family gained its surname from the 1655 marriage of George, Fourth Lord Melville and First Earl of Melville
to Catherine Leslie a descendant of Alexander Leslie, first Earl of Leven
.
In 1681 their son David Leslie-Melville inherited the title of Earl of Leven
. In 1707 he succeeded his father as Earl of Melville
.
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
Scots family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
originally from 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 eastern 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...
.
- Alan MelvilleAlan MelvilleAlan Melville was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year ....
, English playwright, composer, lyricist, scriptwriter and performer - Alan MelvilleAlan MelvilleAlan Melville was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year ....
, South African cricketer - Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven, 4th Earl of MelvilleAlexander Melville, 5th Earl of LevenAlexander Melville , 5th Earl of Leven was the son of David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven....
(d. 1754) - Andy MelvilleAndy MelvilleAndrew Roger Melville is a former Wales international footballer. In the early years of his career, he played in midfield. He was later converted into a central defender....
, Professional Footballer - Andrew MelvilleAndrew MelvilleAndrew Melville was a Scottish scholar, theologian and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European Continent to study at Glasgow and St Andrews.-Early life and early education:...
(1545 – 1622) Scottish theologian and reformer - Arthur MelvilleArthur MelvilleArthur Melville was a Scottish painter, now probably best remembered for his Orientalist subjects.He was born in Scotland, in a village of Haddingtonshire...
, Scottish painter - Betty Leslie-MelvilleBetty Leslie-MelvilleBetty Leslie-Melville was an American conservationist. She was instrumental in creating sanctuaries to preserve the subspecies of the Rothschild's giraffe in Kenya...
, American conservationist - David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven, 2nd Earl of MelvilleDavid Melville, 3rd Earl of LevenDavid Leslie-Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven and 2nd Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat, politician, and soldier.The third son of George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville and his second wife Catherine Leslie-Melville, he shared the Whig political and the Presbyterian religious sympathies of his...
(1660-1728) - David Melville, 6th Earl of Leven, 5th Earl of MelvilleDavid Melville, 6th Earl of LevenDavid Melville, 6th Earl of Leven was the son of Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven.Grand Master of Scottish Freemasons 1759-61; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Scotland; a Lord of Police 1772-82; High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1783-1801On 29 July 1747, he...
(1722-1802) - Ewan James Melville, British singer
- Frederick John MelvilleFred MelvilleFrederick John Melville was a British philatelist, prolific philatelic author and founder of The Junior Philatelic Society. He was also a founder in 1907 of the Philatelic Literature Society...
(1882-1940) an early British philatelist, - George Melville, 4th Lord MelvilleGeorge Melville, 1st Earl of MelvilleGeorge Melville, 1st Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat and statesman during the reigns of William and Mary.In 1643, he succeeded his father as Lord Melville.-Career:...
(1636-1707) (became 1st Earl of Melville in 1690) - George W. MelvilleGeorge W. MelvilleGeorge Wallace Melville was an engineer of the United States Navy who became a rear admiral.-Civil War:Melville was born in New York City on 10 January 1841. After graduating from Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, he entered the U.S...
, (1841 – 1912) United States admiral - George Whyte-MelvilleGeorge Whyte-MelvilleGeorge John Whyte-Melville was a Scottish novelist of the sporting-field and a poet.-Life and work:Born at Mount Melville, near St. Andrews. He achieved immediate success as a writer of fox-hunting stories with his first novel Digby Grand in 1854...
, Scottish novelist - Gertrude MelvilleGertrude MelvilleGertrude Mary Melville née Day was the first woman elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1952.-References:...
, Australian politician - Henry MelvillHenry MelvillThe Revd. Henry Melvill was a priest in the Church of England and principal of the East India Company College from 1844-1858. Afterwards, he served as Canon of St Paul's Cathedral.-Early years:...
, Anglican priest - Herman MelvilleHerman MelvilleHerman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
, American author of Moby-DickMoby-DickMoby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,... - Jackson Melville, fictional character from Gilmore GirlsGilmore GirlsGilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
- several people, James MelvilleJames MelvilleJames Melville may refer to:* James Melville , Scottish divine and reformer* James Melville of Halhill , Scottish diplomat and memoir writer...
- James Melville (1535-1617), ScotsScotlandScotland 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...
AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the courtCourtA court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
of Queen Elizabeth of EnglandElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
whose 'Memoirs' (published in 1689) are an important historical source for this period - James Melville (1556-1614)James Melville (1556-1614)James Melville was a Scottish divine and reformer, son of the laird of Baldovie, in Forfarshire. He was educated at Montrose and St Leonard's College, St Andrews....
- James Melville (1885–1931), British Labour Party politician, Solicitor-General 1929-1930
- James Melville (1535-1617), Scots
- Jean-Pierre Melville, French film director
- Kerry ReidKerry ReidKerry Melville Reid, MBE, is a former professional tennis player from Australia. During her 17-year career, Reid won one Grand Slam singles title and 26 other singles titles and was the runner-up in 40 singles tournaments. Reid was included in the year-end world top ten rankings for 12...
, Australian tennis player Kerry Melville - Michael Linning MelvilleMichael Linning MelvilleMichael Linning Melville born Edinburgh, was a Scots Barrister, Judge and Lieutenant Governor of Sierra Leone. He was commissioned by King William IV of the United Kingdom to suppress the slave trade by force off the West Coast of Africa....
, GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
during the reign of William IVWilliam IV of the United KingdomWilliam IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
and abolitionist - Mike MelvillMike MelvillMichael Winston "Mike" Melvill is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne on its first flight past the edge of space, flight 15P on June 21, 2004, thus becoming the first commercial astronaut and the 434th...
, test pilot - Neil MelvilleNeil MelvilleNeil Melville is an Australian actor. He was born in Sydney, but spent most of his childhood in Apollo Bay, Victoria.Melville graduated from Adelaide's Flinders University with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama, and performed in a number of university productions, including, most notably, the world...
, Australian actor - Pauline MelvillePauline MelvillePauline Melville is a Guyanese-born writer and actress. Her mother was English, and her father Guyanese. Her first book, Shape-Shifter , a collection of short stories, won the 1991 Commonwealth Writers' Prize , and the Guardian Fiction Prize.The book consists of a number of short stories dealing...
, British actress - Philip MelvillPhilip MelvillPhilip Melvill was a nineteenth century philanthropist of Falmouth, Cornwall .He was born in 1762 in Dunbar, in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland.-Military service:...
, Falmouth philanthropist - Ronald MelvilleRonald MelvilleRonald Melville was an English botanist, based at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. He is chiefly remembered for his wartime research into rosehips as a source of vitamin C, prompted by the epidemic of scurvy amongst children owing to the reduced importation of fresh fruit...
, English botanist - Ronald Ruthven Melville, 11th Earl of Leven, 10th Earl of MelvilleRonald Ruthven Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of LevenRonald Ruthven Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven and 10th Earl of Melville KT PC DL was a Scottish nobleman....
(1835-1906) - Sam MelvilleSam MelvilleSamuel Joseph Melville , was the principal conspirator and bomb setter in the 1969 bombings of eight government and commercial office buildings in New York City. Melville cited his opposition to the Vietnam War and U.S. imperialism as the motivation for the bombings...
(1934 – 1971) American bomb setter - Marvin Melville 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympic Winter Games Downhill Skier (Utah-US)
- Stephen MelvilleStephen MelvilleGeneral Stephen Melville SSA OBE was a South African military commander. He joined the South African Air Force in 1924, and during World War II he commanded air force formations in East Africa, North Africa, Madagascar, and Italy....
, South African military man - Teignmouth MelvillTeignmouth MelvillTeignmouth Melvill VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
, VC - Thomas MelvillThomas MelvillThomas Melvill was a Scottish natural philosopher, who was active in the fields of spectroscopy and astronomy.The son of Helen Whytt and the Rev Andrew Melville, minister of Monimail , Thomas was a student at Glasgow University...
, Scottish physicist - Ward MelvilleWard MelvilleJohn Ward Melville was an American philanthropist, and businessman, born to Frank Melville, Jr. Ward Melville attended college at Columbia University, where he was active in the Columbia Daily Spectator and the Philolexian Society. Following graduation in 1909, Melville joined his father's shoe...
, American philanthropist - William MelvilleWilliam MelvilleWilliam Melville was an Irish law enforcement officer and the first chief of the British Secret Service, forerunner of MI5.-Birth:...
(1850 – 1918) Irish law enforcement officer
Origins and early history
Most sources state that the family is descended from Galfridus de Melville, a NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
knight who settled in Scotland in the 12th Century. The surname is said to derive from Malleville a manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
in the Pays de Caux
Pays de Caux
The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French département of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs on the English Channel coast - its coastline is known as the Côte d'Albâtre...
.
James Melville was one of the leading assassins of Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
David Beaton
David Beaton
The Most Rev. Dr. David Cardinal Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish Cardinal prior to the Reformation.-Career:...
on 29 May 1546.
The House of Monimail
In 1612 Sir Robert Melville of Burntisland, the former Vice-Chancellor and Treasurer Depute of Scotland and an Extraordinary Lord of Session acquired the Palace of MonimailPalace of Monimail
The Palace of Monimail, also known as Monimail Tower, was a Renaissance palace in Fife, Scotland. Its remains are situated in the grounds of Melville House, near the tiny village of Monimail, 4 km north of Ladybank....
- formerly an official residence of the Archbishops of St Andrews. His younger brother was the famous Sir James Melville of Halhill
James Melville of Halhill
Sir James Melville was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer.Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason in 1548. One of his brothers was Robert, 1st Baron Melville of Monimail . James Melville in 1549 went to France to become...
(vide ultra).
Nine years later Melville of Burntisland was created first Lord Melville of Monimail, the title and estate passing after his death in 1621 first to his son, Robert, and then to his great-nephew, John Melville of Raith.
The second Lord Melville died in 1643 and was succeeded by his seven year old son, George, who was to be responsible for building the present Melville House on the estate of Monimail.
Melville Castle
Melville CastleMelville Castle
Melville Castle is a three-storey Gothic castellated mansion situated less than a mile west-south-west of Dalkeith, Midlothian, near the North Esk....
is a three-storey Gothic castellated mansion situated less than a mile (2 km) west-south-west of Dalkeith, Midlothian, near the North Esk.
An earlier tower house on the site was demolished when the present structure, designed in 1786-91 by James Playfair for Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, was built.
The original tower house was owned by the Melville family, before passing to Sir John Ross in the 14th century. It subsequently changed hands with the attached lands several times and was sold to David Rennie in 1705. It then passed via the marriage of his daughter to Henry Dundas.
The House of Leslie-Melville
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
main branch of Melville
Melville
-In Australia:*Melville, Western Australia - the suburb*City of Melville, Western Australia - the local government authority*Melville Island, Northern Territory in Australia-In Canada:*Melville, Saskatchewan*Melville, Ontario*Melville Peninsula, Nunavut...
family is the Leslie-Melville family, Earls of Leven and (since 1690) of Melville as well.
The family gained its surname from the 1655 marriage of George, Fourth Lord Melville and First Earl of Melville
Earl of Melville
Earl of Melville is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1690 for the Scottish soldier and statesman George Melville, 4th Lord Melville. He was made Lord Raith, Monymaill and Balwearie and Viscount of Kirkcaldy at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland...
to Catherine Leslie a descendant of Alexander Leslie, first Earl of Leven
Earl of Leven
Earl of Leven is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1641 for Alexander Leslie. He was succeeded by his grandson Alexander, who was in turn followed by his daughters Margaret and Catherine...
.
In 1681 their son David Leslie-Melville inherited the title of Earl of Leven
Earl of Leven
Earl of Leven is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1641 for Alexander Leslie. He was succeeded by his grandson Alexander, who was in turn followed by his daughters Margaret and Catherine...
. In 1707 he succeeded his father as Earl of Melville
Earl of Melville
Earl of Melville is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1690 for the Scottish soldier and statesman George Melville, 4th Lord Melville. He was made Lord Raith, Monymaill and Balwearie and Viscount of Kirkcaldy at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland...
.