Earl of Arran (Scotland)

Last updated

James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran James Hamilton (Earl of Arran).jpg
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran

Earl of Arran is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It is not to be confused with the title Earl of Arran in the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places: the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and the Aran Islands in Ireland. The Scottish earldom is a subsidiary title of the Duke of Hamilton, whereas the Irish earldom is a separate title held by the Gore family.

Contents

Scottish creations

Feudal Earldom of Arran

Arms of feudal Earls of Arran: Argent, a lymphad with the sails furled proper flagged gules. Arran arms.svg
Arms of feudal Earls of Arran: Argent, a lymphad with the sails furled proper flagged gules.

The feudal Earldom of Arran supposedly had its caput at Lochranza Castle. [2] The arms of the feudal Earl of Arran are: Argent, a lymphad with the sails furled proper flagged gules. These are quartered today with the arms of Hamilton (Gules, three cinquefoils ermine) by the Duke of Hamilton. [3] In a similar fashion the arms of the feudal Earldom of Orkney are quartered by the present Earl of Caithness, the arms of the feudal Barony (or Earldom) of Lorne are now quartered by the Duke of Argyll, and the arms of the feudal Lord of the Isles are quartered with Clan Stewart by the Duke of Rothesay, all in the form of Lymphads.

In 1997 Willi Ernst Sturzenegger, a Swiss millionaire and owner of the ruined Lochranza Castle, petitioned the Lord Lyon King of Arms to be recognised officially "in the name, style and dignity of Willi Ernst Sturzenegger of Arran, Earl of Arran in the territorial baronage of Scotland", and for a Grant of Arms with additaments appropriate to him as "Earl of Arran in the territorial baronage of Scotland", on the basis that he had been "infeft" (i.e. enfeoffed) in 1995 in "ALL and WHOLE the Lands and Earldom of Arran in the County of Bute including inter alia the Castle of Lochranza the caput thereof …". In 2006 he further petitioned the Lord Lyon King of Arms for official recognition "in the name, style and dignity of Willi Ernst Sturzenegger of Arran, Feudal Earl of Arran" with appropriate heraldic additaments. This was denied by the Lord Lyon in his 2009 ruling. [4]

As of 2023, the current holder of the feudal Earldom is Susan Livingston, as being lodged with the Registry of Scots Nobility. [5]

Peerage title

Arms of the Duke of Hamilton, one of whose subsidiary titles is Earl of Arran, showing quarterly 1st and 4th: Hamilton (Gules, three cinquefoils ermine) quartering Arran; 2nd and 3rd: Douglas Douglas hamiltonCoA.png
Arms of the Duke of Hamilton, one of whose subsidiary titles is Earl of Arran, showing quarterly 1st and 4th: Hamilton (Gules, three cinquefoils ermine) quartering Arran; 2nd and 3rd: Douglas
James Hamilton, 4th Earl of Arran 2ndMarquessOfHamilton.jpg
James Hamilton, 4th Earl of Arran

The title was first created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1467 for Thomas Boyd, who was later attainted for treason. The next creation was in 1503 for James Hamilton, 2nd Lord Hamilton. His grandson was declared insane in 1562 and the title passed to the king's favourite Captain James Stewart in 1581. In 1609, the second Marquess of Hamilton inherited the earldom. In 1643, the third Marquess was made Duke of Hamilton and received a second grant of the earldom of Arran. At the death of the second Duke, the 1503 earldom became dormant (i.e., it was unclaimed), while the 1643 earldom descended along with the dukedom, with which it is still united. For more information on these creations, see the Duke of Hamilton.

Earls of Arran, first creation (1467)

Earls of Arran, second and third creations (1503, 1643)

Family tree

Notes

  1. ↑ These are quartered today with the arms of Hamilton by the Duke of Hamilton (Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.528)
  2. ↑ See 2009 written report of Lord Lyon King of Arms
  3. ↑ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.528
  4. ↑ See 2009 written report of Lord Lyon King of Arms
  5. ↑ "Baronage – Registry of Scots Nobility" . Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.528

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Abercorn</span> Title in the Peerage of Ireland

The title Duke of Abercorn is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn. Although the Dukedom is in the Peerage of Ireland, it refers to Abercorn, West Lothian, and the Duke also bears four titles in the Peerage of Scotland and two in the Peerage of Great Britain, and is one of three peers who have titles in those three peerages. The Duke of Abercorn also claims the French title of Duke of Châtellerault, created in 1548.

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

Earl of Selkirk is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, used since 1646. It has rules of inheritance subject to unusual and unique provisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Hamilton</span> Scottish nobility

Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage, and as such its holder is the premier peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas. The title, the town of Hamilton in Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named after members of the Hamilton family. The ducal family's surname, originally "Hamilton", is now "Douglas-Hamilton". Since 1711, the dukedom has been held together with the Dukedom of Brandon in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the dukes since that time have been styled Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, along with several other subsidiary titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Fife</span> Title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that has been created twice, in both cases for Alexander Duff, 1st Earl of Fife. In 1889, Lord Fife married Princess Louise, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Castle Stewart</span> Title in the peerage of Ireland

Earl Castle Stewart, in the County Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Andrew Thomas Stewart, 9th Baron Castle Stuart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard family</span> English noble family

The Howard family is an English noble family founded by John Howard, who was created Duke of Norfolk by King Richard III of England in 1483. However, John was also the eldest grandson of the 1st Duke of the first creation. The Howards have been part of the peerage since the 15th century and remain both the Premier Dukes and Earls of the Realm in the Peerage of England, acting as Earl Marshal of England. After the English Reformation, many Howards remained steadfast in their Catholic faith as the most high-profile recusant family; two members, Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, and William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, are regarded as martyrs: a saint and a blessed respectively.

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

The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's eldest son, currently Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster. The wife of the Earl of Ulster is known as the Countess of Ulster. Ulster, one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland, consists of nine counties: six of these make up Northern Ireland; the remainder are in the Republic of Ireland.

The Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife was the ruler of the province of Fife in medieval Scotland, which encompassed the modern counties of Fife and Kinross. Due to their royal ancestry, the earls of Fife were the highest ranking nobles in the realm, and had the right to crown the king of Scots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy family</span> English noble family

The Percy family is an English noble family. They were among the most powerful noble families in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages. The noble family is known for its long rivalry with the House of Neville, another family powerful in northern England during the 15th century. The Percy-Neville feud led to the Wars of the Roses, at the time known as the Civil Wars, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barons in Scotland</span> Scottish feudal barons, and a list of baronies

In Scotland, a baron or baroness is the head of a feudal barony, also known as a prescriptive barony. This used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which was situated the caput or essence of the barony, normally a building, such as a castle or manor house. Accordingly, the owner of the piece of land containing the caput was called a baron or baroness. According to Grant, there were around 350 identifiable local baronies in Scotland by the early fifteenth century and these could mostly be mapped against local parish boundaries. The term baron was in general use from the thirteenth century to describe what would have been known in England as a knight of the shire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feudal baron</span> Hereditary medieval title

A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a barony, comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been superseded by baronies held as a rank of nobility, without any attachment to a fief. However, in Scotland, the feudal dignity of baron remains in existence, and may be bought and sold independently of the land to which it was formerly attached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton</span> Scottish politician

James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton and 4th Earl of Arran KG PC, styled Lord Aven from 1599 to 1604, was a Scottish politician. He was the son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton and Margaret Lyon.

John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton (1540–1604) was the founder of the long line of the marquesses and dukes of Hamilton in Scotland.

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

The Clan Hamilton, or House of Hamilton, is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.

The British nobility is made up of the peerage and the (landed) gentry. The nobility of its four constituent home nations has played a major role in shaping the history of the country, although the hereditary peerage now retain only the rights to stand for election to the House of Lords, dining rights there, position in the formal order of precedence, the right to certain titles, and the right to an audience with the monarch.

Lordship in the Baronage of Scotland is an ancient title of nobility held in baroneum, which Latin term means that its holder, who is a feudal lord, is also always a feudal baron. The holder may or may not be a Lord of Regality, which meant that the holder was appointed by the Crown and had the power of "pit and gallows", meaning the power to authorise the death sentence.

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

In England, the baronage was the collectively inclusive term denoting all members of the feudal nobility, as observed by the constitutional authority Edward Coke. It was replaced eventually by the term peerage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Much Honoured</span> Honorific bestowed on feudal barons and earls of Scotland

The Much Honoured is an honorific style applied to the holders of certain Scottish feudal baronies and Clan chiefs.

An Earldom in the Baronage of Scotland is an ancient title of nobility that is held en baroneum, which means that its holder, who is called a feudal earl, is also always a feudal baron. The holder may or may not be a Lord of Regality, which meant that the holder was appointed by the Crown and had the power of "pit and gallows", meaning the power to authorise the death sentence. A feudal earl ranks above a feudal lord and a feudal baron, but below an earldom which is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Feudal earldoms are very rare. As well, due to rights granted from ancient Scots law, in a very few instances, the holder of a feudal earldom may be different than the holder of a peerage title of the same name. A peer is invariably addressed as 'Lord Placename' or 'Lord Such-and-so', whilst those holding a feudal earldom are addressed 'Earl of Placename'. Scottish titles, in order of precedence, are as follows: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Lord, Baronet, Knight, feudal Baron, Clan Chief, Esquire/Gentleman. Wallace states that "Lordships, Earldoms, Marquisates and Dukedoms differ only in name from Baronies" but continues "one whose property was erected into a Lordship ranked before a simple Baron" and "A person to whom an Earldom belonged, would be superior to a person who had no more than a lordship ... One, whose lands were incorporated into a Marquisate, was superior to both ... A man, who owned a fief elevated into a Dukedom, was exulted above all three." However, Lord Stair states that Lordships or Earldoms are "but more noble titles of a Barony".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Arran (Ireland)</span> Title in the peerage of Ireland

Earl of Arran is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It is not to be confused with the title Earl of Arran in the Peerage of Scotland. The two titles refer to different places: the Aran Islands in Ireland, and the Isle of Arran in Scotland. The Irish earldom is held by the Gore family. The Scottish earldom is a separate title, held as a subsidiary title of the Duke of Hamilton.

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.