Baron Hume of Berwick

Last updated

Baron Hume of Berwick was a title which has been created twice. The first creation was in either the Peerage of England or the Peerage of Scotland. The second creation was in the Peerage of Great Britain.

Contents

First creation

The title was first created as Baron Hume of Berwick on 7 July 1604, for George Home, Lord Treasurer of Scotland, member of the English Privy Council, and Keeper of the Great Wardrobe. (In 1605 he was further created Earl of Dunbar). [1] Some sources say that it was created in the Peerage of England. [2] [1] [3] [4] [5] The second edition of the Complete Peerage, however, states that "In vol iv [of the first edition of that work], sub DUNBAR, this was regarded as an English creation, following Crawfurd, who treats it as such on the authority of Dugdale. On further consideration, however, the Editors have come to the conclusion that the clause in the patent enabling the grantee to nominate a kinsman to succeed him in the dignity marks it as a Scottish creation, for such a power of nomination is unknown to the English Peerage." [6] and that "He d. s.p.m. Jan 1610/11, since which time his honours have remained dormant. [7]

Most sources cite the title as being extinct. [8] [9] [10] [11] However, the 2003 edition of Debretts gives an opposing view when it states: "The Lordship of Home (or Hume) of Berwick, cr by patent 1604 upon George Home... with remainder to his heirs for ever, is held to have descended to the Earls of Home through lady Anna Home". [12]

This "Lady Anna Home" was the daughter of George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar and the mother of James Home, 3rd Earl of Home.

The question of the continued existence of the title came to the fore again in 1963 when the Prime Minister, Alec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home, was required to renounce all of his peerages under the new Peerage Act 1963, in order to sit in the House of Commons. Douglas-Home signed the historic 'Instrument of Disclaimer' on 23 October 1963, [13] in which this peerage was inserted, along with all of his other peerages. [14] [15] Upon his death in 1995, his son, David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home, resumed his father's disclaimed titles. It is said that he maintains a claim to the title of Lord Hume of Berwick, but no such claim has as yet been placed before the Crown.

Debretts also state this peerage is more likely to belong to the Peerage of Scotland given its unusual remainder. [12] To circumvent this uncertainty with relation to Douglas-Home's disclaimer, the Lord Chancellor's office listed both "The Lordship of Hume of Berwick in the peerage of Scotland" and "The Barony of Hume in the Peerage of England" in the instrument of disclaimer, [13] [16] an obvious anomaly.

Second creation

On 14 May 1776, Alexander Hume-Campbell, Lord Polwarth, son and heir of Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont, was created Baron Hume of Berwick, in the Peerage of Great Britain, [17] but the title became extinct when he died without issue. [8]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Lee, Maurice Jr (2004). "Home, George, earl of Dunbar (d. 1611)" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13642 . Retrieved 19 December 2007.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ↑ Dugdale, William, Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary, The Baronage of England, London, 1676
  3. ↑ Playfair, William, British Family Antiquity & Nobility of the United Kingdom, London, 1811, vol.VIII: cccx - cccxii
  4. ↑ Anderson, William, The Scottish Nation, Edinburgh, 1867, vol.IV
  5. ↑ Kirk, J., George Home, Earl of Dunbar, R & R Clark Ltd., Edinburgh, 1918: 7 – 8
  6. ↑ Complete Peerage, 2nd edition, Volume 6 (1926), page 611, note (d)
  7. ↑ Complete Peerage, 2nd edition, Volume 6 (1926), page 612
  8. 1 2 Nicolas, Sir Harris, revised by William Courthope, Somerset Herald, The Historic Peerage of England, London, 1857
  9. ↑ Burke's Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire, London, 1883, 289
  10. ↑ Kirk, Rev J., George Home, Earl of Dunbar, Edinburgh, 1918
  11. ↑ Leeson, Francis L, A Directory of British Peerages, revised edition, London, 2002: 85, ISBN   1-903462-65-7
  12. 1 2 Kidd, Charles, & Williamson, David, editors, Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage, Macmillan, London, 2003: 808, who fail to state their authority for this or by whom it "is held".
  13. 1 2 "No. 43143". The London Gazette . 25 October 1963. p. 8770.
  14. ↑ Young, K. (1971). Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Fairleigh Dickinson, p.174
  15. ↑ Thorpe, D.R. (1996). Alec Douglas-Home, Sinclair-Stevenson
  16. ↑ The Uncommon Commoner: A Study of Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Pall Mall, pp.194–6
  17. ↑ "No. 11665". The London Gazette . 11 May 1776. p. 2.


Related Research Articles

The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisions of Peerages in the United Kingdom. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron. As of 2016, there were 135 titles in the Peerage of Ireland extant: two dukedoms, ten marquessates, 43 earldoms, 28 viscountcies, and 52 baronies. The Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland continues to exercise jurisdiction over the Peerage of Ireland, including those peers whose titles derive from places located in what is now the Republic of Ireland. Article 40.2 of the Constitution of Ireland forbids the state conferring titles of nobility and an Irish citizen may not accept titles of nobility or honour except with the prior approval of the Irish government. This issue has not arisen in respect of the Peerage of Ireland because no creation of titles in it has been made since the constitution came into force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peerage Act 1963</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Peerage Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permits women peeresses and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords and allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be disclaimed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baron Audley</span>

Baron Audley is a title in the Peerage of England first created in 1313, by writ to the Parliament of England, for Sir Nicholas Audley of Heighley Castle, a member of the Anglo-Norman Audley family of Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Atholl</span> Title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray

Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of his father, the 1st Marquess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Carlisle</span> Title in the Peerage of England

Earl of Carlisle is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Home</span> Title in the Peerage of Scotland

Earl of Home is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1605 for Alexander Home of that Ilk, 6th Lord Home. The Earl of Home holds, among others, the subsidiary titles of Lord Home, and Lord Dunglass (1605), in the Peerage of Scotland; and Baron Douglas, of Douglas in the County of Lanark (1875) in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Various Earls of Home have also claimed the title of Lord Hume of Berwick. The Earl is also Chief of the Name and Arms of Home and heir general to the House of Douglas. The title Lord Dunglass is the courtesy title of the eldest son of the Earl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Elgin</span> Title in the Peerage of Scotland

Earl of Elgin is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1633 for Thomas Bruce, 3rd Lord Kinloss. He was later created Baron Bruce, of Whorlton in the County of York, in the Peerage of England on 30 July 1641. The Earl of Elgin is the hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Bruce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Glasgow</span> Scottish peerage title

Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of March</span> Titles in the peerages of Scotland and England

Earl of March is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or borderlands between England and either Wales or Scotland, and it was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those districts. Later, however, the title came to be granted as an honorary dignity, and ceased to carry any associated power in the marches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Macclesfield</span> Earldom in the Peerage of Great Britain

Earl of Macclesfield is a title that has been created twice. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1679 in favour of the soldier and politician Charles Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard. He had already been created Baron Gerard, of Brandon in the County of Suffolk, in 1645, and was made Viscount Brandon, of Brandon in the County of Suffolk, at the same time as he was given the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of England. Lord Macclesfield was the great-grandson of the distinguished judge Sir Gilbert Gerard, Master of the Rolls from 1581 to 1594. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was involved in the Rye House Plot of 1683, was sentenced to death but later pardoned by the King. On his death without legitimate issue in 1701 the titles passed to his younger brother, the third Earl. He had earlier represented Yarmouth, Lancaster and Lancashire in the House of Commons. When he died in 1702 the titles became extinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viscount Falmouth</span> Viscountcy in the Peerage of Great Britain

Viscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers. He was created Earl of Northumberland at the same time and in 1683 he was made Duke of Northumberland. However, he left no heirs, so the titles became extinct at his death in 1716.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Craven</span> Earldom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Earl of Craven, in the County of York, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Polwarth</span>

Lord Polwarth, of Polwarth in the County of Berwick, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1690 for Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth, 2nd Baronet, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1696 to 1702. In 1697 he was further created Lord Polwarth, of Polwarth, Redbraes and Greenlaw, Viscount of Blasonberrie and Earl of Marchmont, also in the Peerage of Scotland. Upon the death of his grandson, the third Earl, the creations of 1697 became dormant (unclaimed).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Dunbar</span> Head of a comital lordship in Scotland

The title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, was the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this earldom was Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, son of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria. It descended to George de Dunbar, 11th Earl of March, who was forfeited by parliament of his titles & estates in 1435, and retired into obscurity in England. His son Patrick retained a barony at Kilconquhar in Fife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar</span>

George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, KG, PC was, in the last decade of his life, the most prominent and most influential Scotsman in England. His work lay in the King's Household and in the control of the State Affairs of Scotland and he was the King's chief Scottish advisor. With the full backing and trust of King James he travelled regularly from London to Edinburgh via Berwick-upon-Tweed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas</span> Scottish noble

William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas was a Scottish nobleman, peer, magnate, and head of the Black Douglas family. Under his leadership, the Black Douglases continued their climb to pre-eminence in Scottish politics begun under his uncle, Sir James the Good, as well as their military dominance of the south of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Home</span> Scottish clan

Clan Home is a Scottish clan. It held immense power for much of the Middle Ages and dominated the eastern Scottish Borders. It produced no fewer than eight Wardens of the Eastern March – more than any other family.

George de Dunbar, 11th Earl of Dunbar & March 13th Lord of Annandale and Lord of the Isle of Man, was the last of his family to hold these titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont</span> 18th-century Scottish politician

Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont PC FRS, styled Lord Polwarth between 1724 and 1740, was a Scottish politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1734 until 1740 when he succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Marchmont. He sat in the House of Lords as a representative peer from 1750.

Viscount Teviot was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The first creation was on 20 October 1685 for the Honourable Robert Spencer of the Spencer family. He was the son of William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton and younger brother of Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland. It became extinct upon his suicide in 1694.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.