Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia and is the premier earldom in the Peerage of Scotland. The earl or countess of Sutherland is also the chief of Clan Sutherland.
Earldom of Sutherland
Gules, three mullets or, on a bordure of the second a double tressure flory counterflory of the first
The original line of earls of Sutherland had the surname "de Moravia" although they sometimes used the surname "Sutherland", taken from their hereditary title. The name de Moravia meant "of Moray" or "of Murray". The de Moravias who were earls of Sutherland and chiefs of Clan Sutherland, arguably shared their early paternal ancestry with the chiefs of Clan Murray through their shared progenitor Freskin de Moravia. Various branches of the Murray Clan claim descent from Freskin, including those who were earls and later dukes of Atholl. Current research is underway via male-line Y-DNA studies in collaboration with both branches of these clans to determine if any modern branches share an early medieval ancestor. From Robert, 6th Earl (d. 1444) onward the surname Sutherland was used.
The 19th Countess of Sutherland then married George Granville Leveson-Gower in 1785; he inherited the title of Marquess of Stafford from his father in 1803. The marquess held vast lands and wealth, having inherited from his father, the first marquess of Stafford, from his maternal uncle, the second duke of Bridgewater, and also holding much property associated with the Earldom of Sutherland, which belonged to his wife. He was made Duke of Sutherland in 1833.
The duke's son, also named George, inherited the Earldom of Sutherland from his mother and the Dukedom of Sutherland from his father. The two titles continued united in the Leveson-Gower family until the death of the fifth duke in 1963. The earldom passed to his niece Elizabeth, 24th Countess of Sutherland (1921–2019), while the dukedom had to pass to a male heir and was inherited by John Egerton, 5th Earl of Ellesmere (1915–2000).
The subsidiary title associated with the earldom is Lord Strathnaver (created 1230), which is used as a courtesy title by the earl's or countess's eldest son and heir.
Different sources give different accounts of the ancestors of the earls of Sutherland. The generally accepted ancestry is that William de Moravia (William Sutherland), 1st Earl of Sutherland in the peerage of Scotland (died 1248) was the son of Hugh de Moravia, who in turn was a grandson of Freskin, a Flemish knight.[2]William Fraser, writing in the 19th century gives a similar account but states that Hugh was actually the son of Freskin, rather than his grandson.[3]Sir Robert Gordon (1580–1656), the 17th century historian of the House of Sutherland, and a younger son of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland, stated that William de Moravia (William Sutherland), 1st Earl of Sutherland (died 1248) was the son of Hugh, Earl of Sutherland who was nicknamed Hugh Freskin, who was in turn son of Robert Sutherland (Earl of Sutherland and founder of Dunrobin Castle), who was son of Walter Southerland (Earl of Sutherland), who was son of Alane Southerland, Thane of Sutherland.[4]
Earls of Sutherland
Dunrobin Castle has similar architecture and partly exposed semi-green foundations as some medieval French castles such as Josselin Castle but is of the pan-19th century Scottish Baronial architecture with a formal french garden and is the seat of the Earls or Countesses of Sutherland – a title which passes to eldest female heirs on lack of male heirs.
Alistair Sutherland, 25th Earl of Sutherland (born 1947)
Present peer
Alistair Charles St Clair Sutherland, 25th Earl of Sutherland (born 7 January 1947) is the son of Charles Noel Janson and Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland. At birth, he was given the names Alistair Charles St. Clair Janson and was formally styled as Master of Sutherland; in 1963 he became Lord Strathnaver, when he also changed his surname to Sutherland. He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating BA.[7]
On 9 December 2019, he succeeded as Earl of Sutherland in the peerage of Scotland (created 1235).[7]
On 29 November 1968, as Strathnaver, he married firstly Eileen Elizabeth Baker, daughter of Richard Wheeler Baker; they were divorced in 1980,[7] having had two daughters:
Sutherland's heir apparent, Alexander, Lord Strathnaver, died in a fall at cliffs near Thurso Castle on 3 September 2022.[8] The present heir presumptive is Sutherland's eldest daughter, Lady Rachel Sutherland, Mistress of Sutherland.[7]
^Sutherland, Malcolm (1996). A Fighting Clan, Sutherland Officers: 1250 – 1850. Avon Books. p. 3. ISBN1-897960-47-6.
^Fraser, Sir William (1892). The Sutherland Book. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: s.n. pp. 4-5 and contents. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
^Gordon, Robert (1813) [Printed from original manuscript 1580 – 1656]. A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland. Edinburgh: Printed by George Ramsay and Co. for Archibald Constable and Company Edinburgh; and White, Cochrance and Co. London.
^Gordon, Robert (1813) [Printed from original manuscript 1580 – 1656]. A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland. Edinburgh: Printed by George Ramsay and Co. for Archibald Constable and Company Edinburgh; and White, Cochrance and Co. London. p. 30. William Southerland, the first of that name, Earl of Southerland" (synonymous with "Sutherland") and also to line "Vnto Earle Hugh succeeded his sone William Southerland, Earle of Southerland
^Greenway, D.E; Pryde, E.B; Roy, S. Porter, eds. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology. Cambridge University Press. p. 521. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
^ ab"Highland aristocrat Lord Strathnaver dies in accident at cliffs". BBC News. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
External links
Family tree of the Earls of Sutherland
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sutherland, Earls and Dukes of" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 168–169.
April 13, 2023
earl, sutherland, title, peerage, scotland, created, circa, 1230, william, moravia, premier, earldom, peerage, scotland, earl, countess, sutherland, also, chief, clan, sutherland, earldom, sutherlandgules, three, mullets, bordure, second, double, tressure, flo. Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia and is the premier earldom in the Peerage of Scotland The earl or countess of Sutherland is also the chief of Clan Sutherland Earldom of SutherlandGules three mullets or on a bordure of the second a double tressure flory counterflory of the firstCreation date1230Created byAlexander II of ScotlandPeeragePeerage of ScotlandFirst holderWilliam de MoraviaPresent holderAlistair 25th Earl of SutherlandHeir presumptiveLady Rachel Elizabeth Sutherland Mistress of SutherlandRemainder toheirs general of the body of the granteeSubsidiary titlesLord StrathnaverSeat s Dunrobin CastleMottoSans peur Fearless 1 Contents 1 History 2 Ancestors of the earls of Sutherland 3 Earls of Sutherland 4 Present peer 4 1 Line of succession 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditThe original line of earls of Sutherland had the surname de Moravia although they sometimes used the surname Sutherland taken from their hereditary title The name de Moravia meant of Moray or of Murray The de Moravias who were earls of Sutherland and chiefs of Clan Sutherland arguably shared their early paternal ancestry with the chiefs of Clan Murray through their shared progenitor Freskin de Moravia Various branches of the Murray Clan claim descent from Freskin including those who were earls and later dukes of Atholl Current research is underway via male line Y DNA studies in collaboration with both branches of these clans to determine if any modern branches share an early medieval ancestor From Robert 6th Earl d 1444 onward the surname Sutherland was used Elizabeth Sutherland 10th Countess of Sutherland 1470 1535 married Adam Gordon a younger son of George Gordon 2nd Earl of Huntly chief of Clan Gordon Their first son is Alexander Gordon Master of Sutherland whose descendants were several of the next earls of Sutherland who all used the surname Gordon The title was again held by a long string of men until the death of William Gordon 18th earl without sons when the title passed to his daughter Elizabeth 19th Countess of Sutherland 1765 1839 The 19th Countess of Sutherland then married George Granville Leveson Gower in 1785 he inherited the title of Marquess of Stafford from his father in 1803 The marquess held vast lands and wealth having inherited from his father the first marquess of Stafford from his maternal uncle the second duke of Bridgewater and also holding much property associated with the Earldom of Sutherland which belonged to his wife He was made Duke of Sutherland in 1833 The duke s son also named George inherited the Earldom of Sutherland from his mother and the Dukedom of Sutherland from his father The two titles continued united in the Leveson Gower family until the death of the fifth duke in 1963 The earldom passed to his niece Elizabeth 24th Countess of Sutherland 1921 2019 while the dukedom had to pass to a male heir and was inherited by John Egerton 5th Earl of Ellesmere 1915 2000 The subsidiary title associated with the earldom is Lord Strathnaver created 1230 which is used as a courtesy title by the earl s or countess s eldest son and heir The family seat is Dunrobin Castle near Golspie Sutherland in Scotland Ancestors of the earls of Sutherland Edit Lozenge shaped arms of the Countess of Sutherland Different sources give different accounts of the ancestors of the earls of Sutherland The generally accepted ancestry is that William de Moravia William Sutherland 1st Earl of Sutherland in the peerage of Scotland died 1248 was the son of Hugh de Moravia who in turn was a grandson of Freskin a Flemish knight 2 William Fraser writing in the 19th century gives a similar account but states that Hugh was actually the son of Freskin rather than his grandson 3 Sir Robert Gordon 1580 1656 the 17th century historian of the House of Sutherland and a younger son of Alexander Gordon 12th Earl of Sutherland stated that William de Moravia William Sutherland 1st Earl of Sutherland died 1248 was the son of Hugh Earl of Sutherland who was nicknamed Hugh Freskin who was in turn son of Robert Sutherland Earl of Sutherland and founder of Dunrobin Castle who was son of Walter Southerland Earl of Sutherland who was son of Alane Southerland Thane of Sutherland 4 Earls of Sutherland Edit Dunrobin Castle has similar architecture and partly exposed semi green foundations as some medieval French castles such as Josselin Castle but is of the pan 19th century Scottish Baronial architecture with a formal french garden and is the seat of the Earls or Countesses of Sutherland a title which passes to eldest female heirs on lack of male heirs Although the original line of earls had the surname de Moravia in the direct male line historian Sir Robert Gordon 1st Baronet who was a younger son of Alexander Gordon 12th Earl of Sutherland states in his book A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland that the original line in fact used the surname Sutherland 5 According to modern historians of the Cambridge University Press from Robert 6th Earl onward they used the surname Sutherland 6 William de Moravia 1st Earl of Sutherland William Sutherland c 1210 1248 William de Moravia 2nd Earl of Sutherland William Sutherland c 1235 1307 William de Moravia 3rd Earl of Sutherland William Sutherland died 1330 Kenneth de Moravia 4th Earl of Sutherland Kenneth Sutherland c 1270 1333 William de Moravia 5th Earl of Sutherland William Sutherland c 1312 1370 Robert Sutherland 6th Earl of Sutherland c 1350 1444 John Sutherland 7th Earl of Sutherland c 1390 1460 John Sutherland 8th Earl of Sutherland 1435 1508 John Sutherland 9th Earl of Sutherland died 1514 Elizabeth Sutherland 10th Countess of Sutherland 1470 1535 younger sister of the 9th Earl she married Adam Gordon younger son of George Gordon 2nd Earl of Huntly Alexander Gordon Master of Sutherland son of Elizabeth c 1505 1530 John Gordon 11th Earl of Sutherland c 1526 1567 Alexander Gordon 12th Earl of Sutherland c 1552 1594 John Gordon 13th Earl of Sutherland 1576 1615 John Gordon 14th Earl of Sutherland 1609 1679 George Gordon 15th Earl of Sutherland 1633 1703 John Gordon 16th Earl of Sutherland 1661 1733 changed his surname from Gordon to Sutherland William Sutherland 17th Earl of Sutherland 1708 1750 William Sutherland 18th Earl of Sutherland 1735 1766 Elizabeth Leveson Gower 19th Countess of Sutherland 1765 1839 George Granville Sutherland Leveson Gower 2nd Duke of Sutherland 20th Earl of Sutherland 1786 1861 George Granville William Sutherland Leveson Gower 3rd Duke of Sutherland 21st Earl of Sutherland 1828 1892 Cromartie Sutherland Leveson Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland 22nd Earl of Sutherland 1851 1913 George Granville Sutherland Leveson Gower 5th Duke of Sutherland 23rd Earl of Sutherland 1888 1963 Elizabeth Sutherland 24th Countess of Sutherland 1921 2019 Alistair Sutherland 25th Earl of Sutherland born 1947 Present peer EditAlistair Charles St Clair Sutherland 25th Earl of Sutherland born 7 January 1947 is the son of Charles Noel Janson and Elizabeth Countess of Sutherland At birth he was given the names Alistair Charles St Clair Janson and was formally styled as Master of Sutherland in 1963 he became Lord Strathnaver when he also changed his surname to Sutherland He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church Oxford graduating BA 7 He worked for the Metropolitan Police between 1969 and 1974 and for IBM between 1976 and 1979 7 On 9 December 2019 he succeeded as Earl of Sutherland in the peerage of Scotland created 1235 7 On 29 November 1968 as Strathnaver he married firstly Eileen Elizabeth Baker daughter of Richard Wheeler Baker they were divorced in 1980 7 having had two daughters Lady Rachel Elizabeth Sutherland1 born 1970 7 Lady Rosemary Millicent Sutherland born 1972 7 On 21 March 1980 Sutherland married secondly Gillian Murray daughter of Robert Murray and they had a son and a daughter 7 Alexander Charles Robert Sutherland Lord Strathnaver 1981 2022 8 Lady Elizabeth Sutherland born 1984 7 Sutherland s heir apparent Alexander Lord Strathnaver died in a fall at cliffs near Thurso Castle on 3 September 2022 8 The present heir presumptive is Sutherland s eldest daughter Lady Rachel Sutherland Mistress of Sutherland 7 Line of succession Edit Elizabeth Sutherland 24th Countess of Sutherland 1921 2019 Alistair Charles St Clair Sutherland 25th Earl of Sutherland born 1947 1 Rachel Elizabeth Sutherland Mistress of Sutherland born 1970 2 Rosemary Millicent Sutherland born 1972 3 Elizabeth Sutherland Costin born 1984 4 Isaac Sutherland Costin born 2015 5 The Hon Martin Dearman Sutherland Janson born 1947 6 Nicholas George Sutherland Janson born 1977 7 Benjamin Edward Sutherland Janson born 1979 8 Wilfred Bertie Sutherland Janson born 2011 9 Poppy Islay Sutherland Janson born 2008 10 Isabella Rose Sutherland Janson born 2013 11 Alexander Martin Sutherland Janson born 1981 12 Christopher David Sutherland Janson born 1984 13 Lady Annabell Elizabeth Helene Bainton born 1952 14 Alice Elizabeth Vernon Prescott born 1985 vte Leveson Gower amp Egerton Family Tree Earls Gower Marquesses of Stafford Dukes of SutherlandBARON GOWER 1703Sir John Leveson Gower 5th Bt 1st Baron Gower 1675 1709 EARL GOWER 1746John Leveson Gower2nd Baron Gower1st Earl Gower 1694 1754 MARQUESS OF STAFFORD 1786Granville Leveson Gower2nd Earl Gower1st Marquess of Stafford 1721 1803 DUKE OF SUTHERLAND 1833Earls GranvilleGeorge Granville Leveson Gower2nd Marquess of Stafford1st Duke of Sutherland 1758 1833 Lady Elizabeth Sutherlandsuo jure19th Countess of Sutherland 1765 1839 Earl of EllesmereGeorge Granville Sutherland Leveson Gower2nd Duke of Sutherland20th Earl of Sutherland 1786 1861 Francis Egerton1st Earl of Ellesmere 1800 1857 George Granville Sutherland Leveson Gower3rd Duke of Sutherland21st Earl of Sutherland 1828 1892 George Granville Francis Egerton2nd Earl of Ellesmere 1823 1862 George Granville Sutherland Leveson GowerEarl Gower 1850 1858 Cromartie Sutherland Leveson Gower4th Duke of Sutherland22nd Earl of Sutherland 1851 1913 Francis Charles Granville Egerton3rd Earl of Ellesmere 1847 1914 George Granville Sutherland Leveson Gower5th Duke of Sutherland23rd Earl of Sutherland 1888 1963 Lord Alastair St ClairSutherland Leveson Gower 1890 1921 John Francis Granville Scrope Egerton4th Earl of Ellesmere 1872 1944 Hon Thomas Henry Frederick Egerton 1876 1953 Elizabeth Millicent Sutherlandsuo jure24th Countess of Sutherland 1921 2019 John Sutherland Egerton5th Earl of Ellesmere6th Duke of Sutherland 1915 2000 Reginald Cyril Egerton 1905 1992 Alastair Charles St Clair Sutherland25th Earl of Sutherland b 1947 Francis Ronald Egerton7th Duke of Sutherland6th Earl of Ellesmere b 1940 Alexander Charles Robert SutherlandLord Strathnaver 1981 2022 James Granville EgertonMarquess of Stafford b 1975 See also Edit Clan Sutherland Lord Duffus Duke of Sutherland Leveson Gower familyReferences Edit Mosley Charles ed 2003 Burke s Peerage Baronetage amp Knighthood 107 ed Burke s Peerage amp Gentry p 3824 ISBN 0 9711966 2 1 Sutherland Malcolm 1996 A Fighting Clan Sutherland Officers 1250 1850 Avon Books p 3 ISBN 1 897960 47 6 Fraser Sir William 1892 The Sutherland Book Vol 1 Edinburgh s n pp 4 5 and contents Retrieved 18 January 2021 Gordon Robert 1813 Printed from original manuscript 1580 1656 A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland Edinburgh Printed by George Ramsay and Co for Archibald Constable and Company Edinburgh and White Cochrance and Co London Gordon Robert 1813 Printed from original manuscript 1580 1656 A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland Edinburgh Printed by George Ramsay and Co for Archibald Constable and Company Edinburgh and White Cochrance and Co London p 30 William Southerland the first of that name Earl of Southerland synonymous with Sutherland and also to line Vnto Earle Hugh succeeded his sone William Southerland Earle of Southerland Greenway D E Pryde E B Roy S Porter eds 1996 Handbook of British Chronology Cambridge University Press p 521 Retrieved 16 January 2021 a b c d e f g h i Burke s Peerage volume 3 2003 page 382 a b Highland aristocrat Lord Strathnaver dies in accident at cliffs BBC News Retrieved 6 September 2022 External links Edit Family tree of the Earls of Sutherland Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Sutherland Earls and Dukes of Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 26 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 168 169 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Earl of Sutherland amp oldid 1145916432, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
