Earl of Buchan

The Mormaer (/mɔːrˈmɛər/) or Earl of Buchan (/ˈbʌxən/) was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male line. The earldom had three lines in its history, not counting passings from female heirs to sons. Today, it is held by the Erskine family as a peerage. The current holder is Harry Erskine, 18th Earl of Buchan (b. 1960).

Earldom of Buchan
Creation date	1469
Creation	Third
Created by	James III of Scotland
Peerage	Peerage of Scotland
First holder	James Stewart
Present holder	Henry Erskine, 18th Earl
Heir apparent	Alexander Erskine, Lord Cardross
Subsidiary titles	Lord Cardross
Seat(s)	Newnham House

Earldom of Buchan The Arms of the Realm and Ancient Local Principalities of Scotland ^[1]

Mormaerdom of Buchan

The first recorded person who definitely held the position of mormaer was Gartnait, whose patronage is noted in the Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer. The latter is the only significant source for the mormaerdom, and its existence makes Buchan one of Scotland's best documented provinces for native cultural institutions. After the death of Fergus, before 1214, Buchan became the first native mormaerdom to pass into the hands of a foreign family, the Comyns, though only through marriage. Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan inherited and continued his mother's title and line until it was conquered and forfeited during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

 

Former extent of the Earldom of Buchan

1374 creation

The title remained in crown hands until, later in the century, the title went to Alexander Stewart, the "Wolf of Badenoch". By this point, however, Buchan was drastically truncated and no longer a provincial lordship.

1469 creation

In 1469 the earldom was conferred on James Stewart. He was made Lord Auchterhouse at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland. Stewart was the second son of Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn, and the younger brother of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (see Earl of Atholl, 1457 creation). The title descended in the direct male line until the death of his grandson, John, the third Earl, in 1551. John's only son by his first marriage, John Stewart, Master of Buchan, had been killed at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. Buchan was therefore succeeded by his granddaughter, Christina, suo jure Countess of Buchan, the daughter of the Master of Buchan. She married Robert Douglas, son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and brother of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton. Robert assumed the title of Earl of Buchan in right of his wife. He was succeeded by his daughter, Mary, suo jure Countess of Buchan. She married James Erskine, younger son of John Erskine, Earl of Mar. James assumed the earldom in right of his wife. In 1617 they were created by Royal charter Earl and Countess of Buchan, with remainder to the heirs male of the marriage, whom failing, to the legitimate and nearest heirs-male and assignees of the Earl. In 1633 the precedence of the earldom was established by Act of Parliament as 1469. This line of the family failed on the death of their grandson, the eighth Earl, who died unmarried in 1695. The title passed by the terms of the 1617 charter to the heirs male of the 6th Earl i.e. to the heirs male of his younger brother Henry Erskine (see below). Since 1695, the earls of Buchan are not heirs of line of the 1st Earl of Buchan.^[2]

The late Earl was succeeded by his kinsman David Erskine, 4th Lord Cardross, who became the ninth Earl. He was the great-grandson of Henry Erskine, younger brother of James Erskine, Earl of Buchan (of the 1617 creation; see Lord Cardross for earlier history of this branch of the Erskine family). His right to the earldom was acknowledged by the Scottish Parliament in 1698 and he later sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, the tenth Earl. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society. His eldest surviving son, David, the eleventh Earl, was the founder of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland but is best remembered as an eccentric. The latter was succeeded by his nephew, Henry, the twelfth Earl, the son of the Honourable Henry Erskine, Lord Advocate, third son of the tenth Earl. In 1850 Caroline, the wife of the 12th Earl, and David the 13th Earl, both converted to Roman Catholicism.^[3]

The line of the twelfth Earl failed on the death of his great-grandson, the fifteenth Earl, who died unmarried in 1960. The fifteenth Earl was succeeded by his kinsman, Donald Erskine, 7th Baron Erskine, who became the sixteenth Earl. He was a descendant of Lord Chancellor Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine, fourth son of the tenth Earl (see Baron Erskine for earlier history of this branch of the family). As of 2022^[update], the titles are held by the sixteenth Earl's grandson, the eighteenth Earl, who succeeded his father in that year.

The family seat is Newnham House, near Newnham, Hampshire.

List of titleholders

Early Mormaers/Earls of Buchan

 

Sarcophagus-effigy of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, at Dunkeld Cathedral, where he was buried.

• Unknowns
• ?Cainnech (fl. early 12th century)
• Gartnait (fl. after 1131)
• Éva (Éua) ingen Garnait (fl. 1174 )
  • m. Colbán (fl. 1174 )
• Fergus (d. before 1214)
• Marjory
  • m. William Comyn, Justiciar of Scotia and Warden of Moray (d. 1233)
• Alexander Comyn (d. 1289)
• John Comyn (d. 1308)
  • Forfeited; Title claimed by Alice Comyn, and her husband Henry Beaumont (d. 1340)

Earls of Buchan; Second creation (1374)

• Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (d. 1405)
• Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (d. 1420), in 1406 he granted earldom to his son
• John Stewart, Earl of Buchan (d. 1424) – Killed at the Battle of Verneuil
• James I of Scotland. (d. 1437)^[4]
  • Mary Stewart, Countess of Buchan (1428–1465), Countess from 1444
  • Wolfert VI van Borselen (1433–1489), jure uxoris Earl of Buchan from 1444 until 1469, Stadholder of Holland, Friesland and Zeeland

Earls of Buchan; Third creation (1469)

• James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan (1442–1487)
• Alexander Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan (d. 1505)
• John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Buchan (c. 1497–1551)
• Christina Stewart, 4th Countess of Buchan (d. 1580)
• James Douglas, 5th Earl of Buchan (d. 1601)
• Mary Douglas, 6th Countess of Buchan (d. 1628) (title of 6th Earl assumed by her husband James Erskine, 6th Earl of Buchan (died 1640))
• James Erskine, 7th Earl of Buchan (succeeded 1640, d. 1664)
• William Erskine, 8th Earl of Buchan (d. 1695)
• David Erskine, 9th Earl of Buchan (d. 1745)
• Henry David Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan (1710–1767)
• David Stewart Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan (1742–1829)
• Henry David Erskine, 12th Earl of Buchan (1783–1857)
• David Stuart Erskine, 13th Earl of Buchan (1815–1898)
• Shipley Gordon Stuart Erskine, 14th Earl of Buchan (1850–1934)
• Ronald Douglas Stewart Mar Erskine, 15th Earl of Buchan (1878–1960)
• Donald Cardross Flower Erskine, 16th Earl of Buchan (1899–1984)
• Malcolm Erskine, 17th Earl of Buchan (1930–2022)
• Henry Thomas Alexander Erskine, 18th Earl of Buchan (b. 1960)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Alexander Erskine, Lord Cardross (b. 1990).

Family tree

Male-line family tree, Earls of Buchan, Earls of Traquair and Barons Erskine.

James Stewart 1st Earl of Buchan 1442–1499 Stewarts of Traquair Alexander Stewart 2nd Earl of Buchan died 1505 John Stewart 1st of Traquair 1489-1513 John Stewart 3rd Earl of Buchan 1498–1551 William Stewart 2nd of Traquair died 1538 John Stewart Master of Buchan died 1547 Robert Stewart 3rd of Traquair died 1548 Sir John Stewart 4th of Traquair died 1591 Sir William Stewart 5th of Traquair died 1605 James Stewart 6th of Traquair died 1606 Robert Douglas 4th Earl of Buchan died 1580 Christina Stewart 4th Countess of Buchan 1498–1551 John Stewart younger of Traquair died 1606 Earls of Traquair John Douglas 5th Earl of Buchan died 1547 John Erskine 19th/2nd Earl of Mar 1562-1634 John Stewart 1st Earl of Traquair 1600-1659 Mary Douglas 6th Countess of Buchan died 1628 James Erskine 6th Earl of Buchan died 1640 Henry Erskine Master of Cardross 1672-1745 John Stewart 2nd Earl of Traquair 1623-1666 James Erskine 7th Earl of Buchan died 1664 David Erskine 2nd Lord Cardross 1626-1671 William Stewart 3rd Earl of Traquair 1657-1673 Charles Stewart 4th Earl of Traquair 1659-1741 William Erskine 8th Earl of Buchan died 1695 Henry Erskine 3rd Lord Cardross 1650-1693 Charles Stewart 5th Earl of Traquair 1697-1764 John Stewart 6th Earl of Traquair 1698-1779 David Erskine 9th Earl of Buchan 1672-1745 Charles Stewart 7th Earl of Traquair 1746-1827 Henry Erskine 10th Earl of Buchan 1710-1767 Charles Stewart 8th Earl of Traquair 1781-1861 David Erskine 11th Earl of Buchan 1742-1829 Hon. Henry Erskine 1746-1817 Thomas Erskine 1st Baron Erskine 1750-1823 Sir David Erskine Henry Erskine 12th Earl of Buchan 1783-1857 David Erskine 2nd Baron Erskine 1776-1855 Baron Erskine David Erskine 13th Earl of Buchan 1815-1899 Thomas Erskine 3rd Baron Erskine 1802-1877 John Erskine 4th Baron Erskine 1804-1882 Shipley Erskine 14th Earl of Buchan 1850-1934 William Erskine 5th Baron Erskine 1841-1913 Ronald Erskine 15th Earl of Buchan 1878-1960 Montagu Erskine 6th Baron Erskine 1865-1957 Donald Erskine 16th Earl of Buchan 1899-1984 Malcom Erskine 17th Earl of Buchan born 1930-2022 Henry Erskine 18th Earl of Buchan born 1960 Hon. Alexander Erskine Lord Cardross born 1990

See also

• Earl of Atholl
• Earl of Mar
• Lord Cardross
• Baron Erskine

References

1. Bartholomew Scotland of old : clan names map; the lands, the arms and the crests. 1983. ISBN 0-7028-1709-0
2. Scottish peerages were often changed by Royal charters, surrenders and regrants until 1707. Thus, the terms of the original remainder could be changed, as was done in 1617, or the precedence changed as was done by Parliament in 1633. In a few cases, such as the earldom of Buchan, the title was directed away from the heir of line of the original grantee to a stranger in blood.
3. Gorman Converts to Rome 1899 (4th edition)
4. McGladdery,p.7

Bibliography

• Anderson, Alan Orr, Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500–1286, 2 vols. (Edinburgh, 1922), Vol. II, p. 180, n. 3
• Jackson, Kenneth (ed.), The Gaelic Notes in the Book of Deer (The Osborn Bergin Memorial Lecture 1970), (Cambridge, 1972)^{[page needed]}
• Paul, James Balfour, The Scots Peerage, Vol. II, (Edinburgh, 1909)^{[page needed]}
• Roberts, John L., Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages, (Edinburgh, 1997), pp. 55–6
• Young, Alan, "Buchan in the 13th century" in Alexander Grant & Keith J. Stringer (eds.) Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community Essays Presented to G. W. S. Barrow, (Edinburgh, 1993)^{[page needed]}
• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: London: Dean & son, limited. p. 148.

External links

 

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Buchan, Earls of".

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Donald Cardross Flower Erskine, 16th Earl of Buchan
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Malcolm Harry Erskine, 17th Earl of Buchan
• Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer
• McGladdery, Christine, James II. Edinburgh 1990, p. 7.