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Marquessate of Lothian | |
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Creation date | 23 June 1701 |
Created by | William III & II |
Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
First holder | Robert Kerr, 4th Earl of Lothian |
Present holder | Michael Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian |
Heir presumptive | Lord Ralph Kerr |
Remainder to | Heirs male whatsoever |
Subsidiary titles | Earl of Lothian Earl of Ancram (1633) Earl of Ancram (1701) Viscount of Briene Lord Newbattle Lord Jedburgh Lord Kerr of Newbattle Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun, and Dolphinstoun Baron Ker (Peerage of the United Kingdom) |
Status | Extant |
Seat(s) | Ferniehirst Castle |
Former seat(s) | Newbattle Abbey Blickling Hall |
Motto | SERO SED SERIO (Late, but in earnest) |
Marquess of Lothian is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, which was created in 1701 for Robert Kerr, 4th Earl of Lothian. The Marquess of Lothian holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Lothian (created 1606), Earl of Lothian (created again 1631), Earl of Ancram (1633), Earl of Ancram (created again 1701), Viscount of Briene (1701), Lord Newbattle (1591), Lord Jedburgh (1622), Lord Kerr of Newbattle (1631), Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun, and Dolphinstoun (1633), Lord Kerr of Newbattle, Oxnam, Jedburgh, Dolphinstoun and Nisbet (1701), and Baron Ker, of Kersheugh in the County of Roxburgh (1821), all but the last in the Peerage of Scotland. As The Lord Ker in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, previous marquesses sat in the House of Lords before 1963, when Scottish peers first sat in the House of Lords in their own right. The holder of the marquessate is also the Chief of Clan Kerr.
The current Marquess of Lothian, the 13th, is better known as the Conservative politician Michael Ancram. In November 2010, he received a life peerage as Baron Kerr of Monteviot and so became entitled to sit in the House of Lords. He lives at Monteviot House in Roxburghshire. The family previously owned a larger Scottish seat, Newbattle Abbey in Midlothian, which is now a college, and also Blickling Hall in Norfolk, which now belongs to the National Trust.
The heir presumptive to the marquessate is the 13th Marquess' younger brother Lord Ralph Kerr, who owns Ferniehirst Castle in Roxburghshire, which is the family seat that was restored by the 12th Marquess, and Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire.
Clan Kerr has several branches. The name "Kerr," from the Old Norse "kjrr" meaning "marsh-dweller," arrived in Scotland from Normandy. In Scotland it was rendered Kerr, Ker, Carr and Carre, with a Scottish variant on the west coast taken from the Gaelic "ciar," meaning dusky. [1] According to the lore of the family of Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian, the name comes from the Norman chiefs, Ralph and Robert, both brothers who came to Roxburgh from Lancashire [1] in the 1300s. [2]
The Kerrs of Ferniehurst claim descent from Ralph, and the Kerrs of Cessford claimed they are descended from Robert. [1] These two man branches of Clan Kerr were often at odds with one another, fighting until they came together in the early 1500s. [1] The Kerrs subsequently also warred with the Scott Clan, until the feud ended when Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehurst married Janet Scott. In a 1591 charter, Mark Kerr had his lands at Newbattle and Prestongrange erected into the barony of Newbattle. [1]
Mark Kerr was created Lord Newbattle in 1591 and Earl of Lothian in 1606, both with remainder to his heirs male. [3] The title went to the eldest of his four sons, Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian. [2] In 1621 both titles were surrendered by the 2nd Earl and regranted with a special remainder to his daughters, the eldest of whom, Lady Anne Kerr, succeeded to both titles on his death in 1624. [4] Her husband, Sir William Kerr (eldest son of Sir Robert Kerr, later 1st Earl of Ancram) was created Lord Kerr of Newbattle and Earl of Lothian in 1631. On her death in 1667 their eldest son became 4th Earl of Lothian (though he was not recognised as such) and on her husband's death in 1675 also 2nd Earl of Lothian.
By this point Sir Robert Kerr, father of the 1st Earl of the 2nd creation, had been created Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun and Dolphinstoun and Earl of Ancram, and the titles had been inherited by the 4th and 2nd Earl of Lothian's uncle, Charles Kerr, on whose death in 1690 he became 3rd Earl of Ancram.
He was then created Lord Ker of Newbattle, Oxnam, Jedburgh, Dolphinstoun and Nisbet, Viscount of Briene, Earl of Ancram and Marquess of Lothian in 1701.
The 2nd Marquess succeeded his cousin as Lord Jedburgh before succeeding to the Marquessate, and the 6th Marquess was created Baron Ker, of Kersheugh in the County of Roxburgh, in 1821, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother Lord Ralph William Francis Joseph Kerr (born 1957).
The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his son John Walter Donald Peter Kerr (born 1988).
? Douglas First Wife | Andrew Kerr of Altonburn and Cessford | Margaret Tweedle Second Wife | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Walter Kerr of Cessford (died 1501) | Thomas Ker, 1st of Fiernhirst (died 1484) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir Robert Kerr the Younger (died 1500) | Sir Andrew Ker, of Fiernhirst (died 1545) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir Andrew Kerr of Cessford (died 1526) [n 1] | Robert Ker, (died 1588) | Sir John Ker (died 1562) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mark Kerr (died 1584) | William Kerr of Ancram Assassinated (died 1590) | Andrew Ker, Created 1621 1st Lord Jedburgh (died c. 1633) | William Ker | Sir James Ker of Craling (died 1645) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mark Ker, Created 1606 1st Earl of Lothian (1553-1609) | Elizabeth Murray (First Wife) | Robert Kerr, Created 1633 1st Earl of Ancram (1578-1654) [n 2] | Lady Anne Portman (Second Wife) | Alexander Ker, de jure 2nd Lord Jedburgh (c. 1598-c. 1650) | Robert Ker, 4th Lord Jedburgh (died c. 1692) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian (died 1624) | Charles Kerr, 2nd Earl of Ancram (died c. 1690) | John Ker de jure 3rd Lord Jedburgh (died c. 1670) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Anne Kerr, de jure 3rd Countess of Lothian (died 1677) [n 3] | William Kerr Created 1631 1st Earl of Lothian (c. 1605 - 1675) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian 3rd Earl of Ancram Created 1701 1st Marquess of Lothian (1636-1702/3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Kerr, 5th Lord Jedburgh 2nd Marquess of Lothian (1661-1721/22) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian (c1690-1767) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Kerr 4th Marquess of Lothian (1710-1775) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Kerr 5th Marquess of Lothian (1737-1815) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Kerr 6th Marquess of Lothian (1763-1824) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Kerr 7th Marquess of Lothian (1794-1841) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Schomberg Kerr, 8th Marquess of Lothian (1832-1870) | Schomberg Kerr 9th Marquess of Lothian (1833-1900) | Lord Ralph Drury Kerr (1837-1916) | Lord Walter Talbot Kerr (1839-1927) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Walter William Schomberg Kerr Styled Earl of Ancram (1867-1892) | Robert Schomberg Kerr 10th Marquess of Lothian (1874-1930) | Philip Henry Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian (1862-1940) | David Anselm Kerr (1893-1914) Killed in Action, WWI | Ralph Francis Kerr (1874-1932) | Andrew William Kerr (1877-1929) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peter Francis Walter Kerr 12th Marquess of Lothian (1922-2004) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian (born 1945) | Ralph William Francis Joseph Kerr, Master of Lothian (born 1957) Heir Presumptive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Walter Donald Peter Kerr (born 1988) Heir Apparent to Heir Presumptive | Frederick James Michael Ralph Kerr (born 1989) | Francis Andrew William George Kerr (born 1991) | Hugh Alexander Thomas Joseph Kerr (born 1999) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, Baron Kerr of Monteviot,, commonly known as Michael Ancram, is a British politician and life peer who served as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party from 2001 to 2005. He was formerly styled Earl of Ancram until he inherited the marquessate in 2004.
The Duke of Roxburghe is a title in the peerage of Scotland created in 1707 along with the titles Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso and Viscount Broxmouth. John Ker, 5th Earl of Roxburghe became the first holder of these titles. The title is derived from the royal burgh of Roxburgh in the Scottish Borders that in 1460 the Scots captured and destroyed.
Clan Kerr is a Scottish clan whose origins lie in the Scottish Borders. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the prominent border reiver clans along the present-day Anglo-Scottish border and played an important role in the history of the Border country of Scotland.
Schomberg Henry Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian,, styled Lord Schomberg Kerr until 1870, was a British diplomat and Conservative politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland under Lord Salisbury between 1887 and 1892. He was usually styled simply as Lothian.
General William Henry Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian was a Scottish nobleman, British soldier and politician, the eldest son of William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian. He was styled Master of Jedburgh until 1722, Lord Jedburgh from 1722 to 1735, and Earl of Ancram from 1735 to 1767. As the Earl of Ancram, he distinguished himself during the War of the Austrian Succession.
Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He became the first Earl of Lothian in 1606.
William Kerr, first Earl of Lothian of a new creation (1605–1675) was a Scottish nobleman.
Robert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian, known as the 4th Earl of Lothian from 1675 to 1701, was a Scottish nobleman. He was styled Lord Kerr until 1661 and Lord Newbattle from 1661 to 1675.
Robert Kerr, 1st Earl of Ancram, was a Scottish nobleman, politician and writer.
Robert Ker, 1st Earl of Roxburghe was a Scottish nobleman.
William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian,, was a British soldier, landowner and politician. He was the son of William Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian. He served as a representative peer from 1817 to 1824.
William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian, was a Scottish nobleman, styled Master of Jedburgh from 1692 to 1703 and Lord Jedburgh from 1703 to 1722.
Ferniehirst Castle is an L-shaped construction on the east bank of the Jed Water, about a mile and a half south of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and in the former county of Roxburghshire. It is an ancient seat of the Clan Kerr, and after a period of institutional use it was restored for residential use by Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian, in the late 20th century.
Lieutenant-General William Kerr, 2nd Marquess of Lothian, was a Scottish peer who held a number of minor military and political offices. He was known by the courtesy title of Lord Newbattle until 1692, when he succeeded as Lord Jedburgh, then as Marquess of Lothian when his father died in 1703.
John William Robert Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian, styled Lord Newbottle until 1815 and Earl of Ancram from 1815 to 1824, was a Tory politician. He served briefly as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard under Sir Robert Peel between September and November 1841.
Monteviot House is the early 18th century home of the Marquess of Lothian, the politician better known as Michael Ancram. It is located on the River Teviot near Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.
Charles Kerr, 2nd Earl of Ancram was a Scottish peer and a member of the English House of Commons.
Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian was a Scottish noble.
Robert Ker, 3rd Earl of Roxburghe PC was a Scottish nobleman.
Anne Kerr, Countess of Lothian was a Scottish aristocrat and landowner.