Earl of Morton

Last updated

Earldom of Morton
Coronet of a British Earl.svg
Arms of the House Douglas of Morton.svg
Arms of Douglas, Earls of Morton:Quarterly, 1st and 4th, Argent a man's heart Gules ensigned of an imperial crown proper, on a chief Azure three mullets of the first (for Douglas); 2nd and 3rd, Argent three piles issuing from the chief Gules, and in chief two mullets of the field (Douglas of Dalkieth and Lochleven). [1]
Creation date1548
Created by Mary
Peerage Peerage of Scotland
First holder James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton
Present holderStewart Douglas, 22nd Earl of Morton
Heir apparentJohn Douglas, Lord Aberdour
Subsidiary titlesLord Aberdour
Seat(s)Dalmahoy Farms
Former seat(s) Aberdour Castle
Dalmahoy
Conaglen House
MottoLock sicker (be sure) [2]

The title Earl of Morton was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the courtesy title for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton.

Contents

The family seat is Dalmahoy Farms, Morton near Kirknewton, West Lothian.

History

Douglases of Dalkeith

The Douglases of Dalkeith are descended from Andrew Douglas of Hermiston (or Herdmanston) (d.b. 1277), younger son of Archibald I, Lord of Douglas (fl. c. 1198–1238). He was succeeded by his son William Douglas of Hermiston, a signatory of the Ragman Roll in 1296. William of Hermiston's son, James Douglas of Lothian succeeded his father and produced two sons, Sir William Douglas and Sir John Douglas. Sir William Douglas, known as the Knight of Liddesdale or the Flower of Chivalry obtained the privileges of the barony of Dalkeith, in Midlothian, in 1341, and the barony of Aberdour, in Fife, in 1342. Following his murder at the hands of his godson William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, both baronies passed to his nephew, James Douglas, 1st Lord Dalkeith. James Douglas was confirmed in this position when his title was ratified by the Earl of Douglas prior to 1370. The lands of Dalkeith, and Aberdour, in Fife, were combined as a single barony in 1386, with the principal seat at Dalkeith Castle, and a secondary residence at Aberdour Castle. [3] James was the brother of Nicholas Douglas, 1st Lord of Mains. [4]

Earldom of Morton

The 4th Lord Dalkeith succeeded to his estates upon the resignation of his father c. 1457 and in 1458 was raised to the peerage as Earl of Morton, prior to his marriage to Joanna, the mute deaf daughter of King James I. [3] Lord Dalkeith was then a subsidiary title held by the Earls of Morton, and used as a courtesy title for the eldest son and heir, until the title and estates of Dalkeith were sold to the Earl of Buccleuch by the 7th Earl in 1642. When in 1458, James Douglas, lord Dalkeith, was to receive the name 'Morton' for his intended earldom, a protest was presented against this creation, asserting correctly that the lands of Mortoun belonged heritably to his step-grandmother, Janet Borthwick, widow of Sir James Douglas, known as 1st Lord of Dalkeith, and to her son William Douglas (progenitor of the Whittingehame branch of the Douglases), to which the Chancellor answered that "Lord Dalkeith was not to receive his title in the Earldom for the lands of Mortoun lying in the Lordship of Niddisdale but for the lands of Mortoun in the territory of Caldercleir".

In 1538, James V summoned the 3rd Earl before the Privy Council for non-payment of his feudal dues, [3] and in 1540 the Earl was banished to Inverness. [5] Morton reached Brechin, in Angus, where he signed a deed resigning his lands to his kinsman Robert Douglas of Lochleven, who was then compelled to resign the lands in turn to James V. [5] After James V's death in late 1542, George Douglas of Pittendreich and the Earl of Arran assisted Morton in reclaiming his lands, including Aberdour. In return their sons were to marry two of Morton's three daughters. Pittendreich's son James (1525–1581) married the heiress, Elizabeth, and succeeded to the earldom in 1553. [5]

The 4th Earl of Morton became Regent of Scotland in 1572, for the infant James VI and I. [6] However, once James VI reached the age of majority, the 4th Earl was implicated in the murder of James' father, Lord Darnley in 1567, and was executed in 1581. [7] The earldom was forfeited between 1581 and 1586, although the nephew-in-law of the 4th earl (also grandson of the 3rd earl), John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell (1552–1593) was created Earl of Morton in 1581, and continued to use the title until his death. [8] Although Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus (1555–1588) was confirmed as 5th Earl of Morton in 1586, [9] Lord Maxwell's title of Morton, which had been revoked in 1585, was revived in 1587 and 1592. As a result, two families were in possession of the Earldom, and a conflict arose. This continued into the time of the 7th Earl of Morton (1582–1648), when John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell (c. 1586–1613), also claimed the earldom. Lord Maxwell, however, was forfeited in 1609 and his rights then failed, his titles and estates being restored in 1618 to his brother Robert, with the title of Earl of Nithsdale (1620) in lieu of Morton.

Lords of Dalkeith (1341)

Earls of Morton (1458)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son John David Sholto Douglas, Lord Aberdour (b. 1986).

Seats

Historical residences of the Earl of Morton include:

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Debrett's Peerage, 1876 p.340
  2. ↑ Debrett's Peerage, 1876 p.339
  3. 1 2 3 Apted, p.5
  4. ↑ Douglas Archives - Douglas of Mains Archived 2010-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Accessed on 14 September 2010
  5. 1 2 3 Apted, p.6
  6. ↑ Apted, p.7
  7. ↑ Apted, p.8
  8. ↑ Balfour Paul, James (1904), "Maxwell, Earl of Nithsdale", The Scots Peerage, vol. VI, Edinburgh: D. Douglas, pp. 482–485
  9. ↑ Apted, p.9
  10. ↑ "MORTON - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements". Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton</span> Regent of Scotland during the minority of King James VI

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four since he won the civil war that had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of Scots. However, he came to an unfortunate end, executed by means of the Maiden, a predecessor of the guillotine.

Earl of March is a title that has been created several times, respectively, in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derives 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 Lennox</span> Scottish title

The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty.

Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton was a Scottish aristocrat.

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

This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son of Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland. The Earldom was forfeited by James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, in 1455.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Nithsdale</span> Peerage of Scotland title

Earl of Nithsdale was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1620 for Robert Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell, with remainder to heirs male. He was made Lord Maxwell, Eskdale and Carlyle at the same time. The title of Lord Maxwell had been created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1445 for Herbert Maxwell.

William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton was the son of Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton</span>

William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton was a grandson of the 6th Earl of Morton. He was Treasurer of Scotland, and a zealous Royalist.

James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton was a son of John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton and a grandson of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Joan of Scotland, a daughter of James I of Scotland. He married Catherine Stewart, an illegitimate daughter of King James IV of Scotland by his mistress Marion Boyd. The couple had three daughters; Margaret, Beatrix, and Elizabeth. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, husband of his daughter Elizabeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton</span> Scottish earl

James Douglas, the 4th Lord of Dalkeith, was created the 1st Earl of Morton in 1458.

George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes was a Scottish nobleman and diplomat.

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

Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands.

Archibald of Douglas was a Scottish knight. He was the son of William of Douglas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberdour Castle</span> Castle in Fife, Scotland, UK

Aberdour Castle is in the village of Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, along with Castle Sween in Argyll, which was built at around the same time.

James Douglas, 1st Lord Dalkeith was a Scottish nobleman born in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland to Sir James Douglas and Agnes Dunbar. James was the brother of Nicholas Douglas, 1st Lord of Mains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Douglas of Hermiston</span> Scottish nobleman

Sir Andrew Douglas of Hermiston was a medieval Scottish nobleman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Nithsdale</span>

Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Nithsdale, was a Scottish nobleman. He succeeded his brother as 10th Lord Maxwell in 1613, and was created Earl of Nithsdale in 1620. General of Scots in Danish-Norwegian service during the Thirty Years' War. A loyal supporter of Charles I and a prominent Catholic, he lost his titles and estates in 1645, dying on the Isle of Man in 1646.

John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell was a Scottish Catholic nobleman. In 1581 he was created Earl of Morton, and in 1587 he travelled to Spain where he took part in the planning of the Spanish Armada.

John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell was a Scottish Catholic nobleman. He escaped from Edinburgh Castle in 1607, and in 1608 shot the Laird of Johnstone. For these crimes, he was executed and his titles were forfeit.

William Douglas, Earl of Morton was a Scottish nobleman and Earl of Morton.

References

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.