Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch

Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, 7th Duke of Queensberry, KG, PC, FRS, FRSE (25 November 1806 – 16 April 1884), styled Lord Eskdail between 1808 and 1812 and Earl of Dalkeith between 1812 and 1819, was a prominent Scottish nobleman, landowner and politician. He was Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1842 to 1846 and Lord President of the Council.

His Grace The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry KG PC FRS FRSE
The Duke of Buccleuch photographed by H. J. Whitlock c. 1860s
Lord President of the Council
In office 21 January 1846 – 6 July 1846
Prime Minister	Sir Robert Peel, Bt
Preceded by	The Lord Wharncliffe
Succeeded by	The Marquess of Lansdowne
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
In office 2 February 1842 – 21 January 1846
Prime Minister	Sir Robert Peel, Bt
Preceded by	The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
Succeeded by	The Earl of Haddington
Personal details
Born	Lord Walter Francis Montagu-Scott 25 November 1806 Dalkeith Palace, Midlothian, Scotland
Died	16 April 1884 (aged 77) Bowhill House, Selkirkshire, Scotland
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Lady Charlotte Thynne
Children	William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch Henry Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Beaulieu Lord Walter Montagu Douglas Scott Lord Charles Montagu Douglas Scott Victoria Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian Lady Margaret Cameron Lady Mary Trefusis
Parents	Charles Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch The Hon. Harriet Katherine Townshend
Alma mater	University of Cambridge

Background and education

 

The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry by Edward Morton, 1843

Buccleuch was born at the Palace of Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, the fifth child of seven, and second son of Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch, and Hon. Harriet Katherine Townshend, daughter of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney and Elizabeth Powys. When his older brother, George Henry, died at the age of 10 from measles, Walter became heir apparent to the Dukedoms of Buccleuch and Queensberry. He was only thirteen when he succeeded his father to the Dukedoms of Buccleuch and Queensberry in 1819.^[1] He was educated at Eton and St John's College, Cambridge (M.A., 1827).^[2] In June 1833 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.^[3] In 1841, he played in two first-class cricket matches for Marylebone Cricket Club.^[4]

 

Statue of Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, 7th Duke of Queensberry on the Parliament Square in Edinburgh

Career

A great Scottish land magnate, Buccleuch was a Conservative in politics, and was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1835 and a Privy Counsellor in 1842. He served as Lord Privy Seal from 1842 to 1846 and as Lord President of the Council from January to July 1846 in Peel's government, when he reluctantly supported Peel's decision to repeal the Corn Laws. After Peel's fall, the Duke's political career largely came to an end. In 1878 he became Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, a post he held until his death in 1884.

On 6 January 1842 he was appointed Colonel of the Edinburgh Militia (a regiment that his grandfather the 3rd Duke had raised in 1798). He was appointed an Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria for the militia on 19 March 1857. On resigning from the command on 20 May 1879 he was appointed the first Honorary Colonel of the Queen's Edinburgh Light Infantry Militia, as the regiment had by then become.^[5]

He joined the Canterbury Association on 20 May 1848. It was planned to build a town called Buccleuch in his honour near Alford Forest, but this did not eventuate.^[6]

Family

Buccleuch married Lady Charlotte Anne Thynne, daughter of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath and Hon. Isabella Elizabeth Byng, daughter of the 4th Viscount Torrington, on 13 August 1829 at St George's church, Hanover Square, London. The couple had four sons and three daughters:

• William Henry Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch (born 9 September 1831, died 5 November 1914), succeeded and was the father of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch.
• Lord Henry John Montagu Douglas Scott Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (born 5 November 1832, died 4 November 1905)
• Lord Walter Charles Montagu Douglas Scott (born 2 March 1834, died 3 March 1895): his son Walter married Alison Ralouka Heriot (1873-1935), granddaughter of Pasha Constantine Musurus.
• Admiral Lord Charles Thomas Montagu Douglas Scott (born 20 October 1839, died 21 August 1911)
• Lady Victoria Alexandrina Montagu Douglas Scott (born 20 November 1844, died 19 June 1938), married Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian and had issue.
• Lady Margaret Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott (born 10 October 1846, died 5 February 1918), married Donald Cameron, 24th Lochiel and was the mother of Sir Donald Walter Cameron of Lochiel, KT.
• Lady Mary Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott (born 6 August 1851, died 13 December 1908)

Rightful King of England

King George IV spent some days in 1822 as the Duke's guest at Dalkeith Palace, the first visit of a reigning Hanoverian monarch to Scotland. Twenty years later, Queen Victoria also honoured him with a visit. The family continued to hold a high profile in royal circles, being invited to the Coronations of William IV and Victoria, with the Duke acting as Gold Stick.

The story goes that in 1879 the Historical Manuscripts Commission discovered an old black box amongst the Duke of Buccleuch's papers at Dalkeith, which was found to contain a contract proving Charles II had married Lucy Walter. In fact, the document meant the Duke was the rightful King of England, being the eldest agnatic descendant of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. When he was shown the deed, he threw it on the fire, remarking, "that might cause a lot of trouble".

Death

Buccleuch died at Bowhill House near Bowhill, Selkirkshire, in April 1884, aged 77, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William. He was buried in the family crypt of the Buccleuch Memorial Chapel in St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Dalkeith, Midlothian. The church is located on Dalkeith's High Street, at the entrance to Dalkeith Country Park.^[7]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch

16. Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch 8. Francis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith 17. Lady Jane Douglas 4. Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch 18. John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll 9. Caroline Campbell, 1st Baroness Greenwich 19. Jane Warburton 2. Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch 20. George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan 10. George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu 21. Lady Elizabeth Bruce 5. Lady Elizabeth Montagu 22. John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu 11. Lady Mary Montagu 23. Lady Mary Churchill 1. Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch 24. Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend 12. Hon. Thomas Townshend 25. Hon. Elizabeth Pelham 6. Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney 26. John Selwyn 13. Albina Selwyn 27. Mary Farrington 3. Hon. Harriet Katherine Townshend 28. Richard Powys 14. Richard Powys MP 29. Anne Singleton 7. Elizabeth Powys 30. George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan 15. Lady Mary Brudenell 31. Lady Elizabeth Bruce

See also

• Duke of Buccleuch's Hunt
• Duke of Buccleuch Collection
• James Scott, Duke of Monmouth
• Royal bastard

References

1. K. D. Reynolds, ‘Scott, Walter Francis Montagu-Douglas-, fifth duke of Buccleuch and seventh duke of Queensberry (1806–1884)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006, accessed 5 January 2009
2. "Douglas, Montague Scott Walter Francis, 5th Duke of Buccleugh and Queensbury (DGLS806MS)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
3. "Library and Archive Catalog". The Royal Society. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
4. "Lord Drumlanrig". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
5. Major R.C. Dudgeon, History of the Edinburgh, or Queen's Regiment Light Infantry Militia (now) Third Battalion The Royal Scots, Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1882/Bibliolife, nd, ISBN 978-1-10368643-8, pp. 81, 89, 111, Table C.
6. Blain, Rev. Michael (2007). The Canterbury Association (1848–1852): A Study of Its Members' Connections (PDF). Christchurch: Project Canterbury. pp. 62–63. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
7. 1&1 WebsiteBuilder (30 October 2012). "Home – A WebsiteBuilder Website". Stmarysdalkeith.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2012.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Buccleuch
• Cricinfo: Lord Drumlanrig

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch.

Political offices
Preceded by The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos	Lord Privy Seal 1842–1846	Succeeded by The Earl of Haddington
Preceded by The Lord Wharncliffe	Lord President of the Council 1846	Succeeded by The Marquess of Lansdowne
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Morton	Lord Lieutenant of Midlothian 1828–1884	Succeeded by The Earl of Rosebery
Preceded by The Marquess of Lothian	Lord Lieutenant of Roxburghshire 1841–1884	Succeeded by The Duke of Roxburghe
Academic offices
Preceded by Sir William Stirling-Maxwell	Chancellor of the University of Glasgow 1878–1884	Succeeded by The Earl of Stair
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Charles William Henry Montagu Scott	Duke of Buccleuch 2nd creation 1819–1884	Succeeded by William Henry Walter Montagu Douglas Scott
	Duke of Queensberry 1819–1884
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by Creation	President of the Surtees Society 1834–37	Succeeded by Edward Maltby
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by The Duke of Northumberland	President of the Surtees Society 1865–84	Succeeded by William Stubbs