Gilbert Edward George Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 6th Earl of Minto, (; 19 June 1928 – 7 September 2005) (nicknamed "Gibbie"), styled Viscount Melgund until 1975, was a Scottish peer.

Background and life

Lord Minto was the son of

Victor Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 5th Earl of Minto Victor Gilbert Lasiston Garnet Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 5th Earl of Minto (; 12 February 1891 – 1975) was a member of the British nobility. He was the son of Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto and Lady Mary Caroline Grey. ...

and Marion Cook. He attended

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and served in the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

until 1958. In the 1955 Birthday Honours he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE). He was an honorary lieutenant of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a perso ...

(Queen's Bodyguard in Scotland). He served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

from 1961 onwards. He succeeded his father as Earl in 1975. He served as president of the South of Scotland Chamber of Commerce from 1980 to 1982, chair of the Scottish Council on Alcoholism (1973-1987), and a commissioner of the

Local Government Property Commission (Scotland) Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...

from 1995-1998. The Earl was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 1986 Birthday Honours. He was Vice

Lord Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale. This office replaced the Lord Lieutenant of Roxburghshire and the Lord Lieutenant of Selkirkshire in 1975. *''Buccleuch had been Lord Lieutenant of ...

. In 1992, Minto House, the traditional

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families to ...

near the village of

Minto Minto may refer to: Places Antarctica *Mount Minto (Antarctica) Australia *Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Minto railway station * Minto County, Western Australia * Parish of Minto, New South Wales Canada * Minto City, British C ...

but not occupied by the family since before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, was demolished in accordance with the Earl's wishes, despite it being a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. Minto House was

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

as Category A, and largely demolished within weeks. The Earl was at that time

convenor The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

of the

Borders Regional Council The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian an ...

, which held regulatory jurisdiction over such actions. Minto House near Minto, Scottish Borders; circa 1910 - demolished 1992

Family

Lord Minto married Lady Caroline Child-Villiers (born 9 April 1934), daughter of

George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey George Francis Child-Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey (15 February 1910 – 9 August 1998), was an English peer and banker from the Villiers family. Lord Jersey gave one of the family seats, Osterley Park, to the British nation in the late 1940s ...

and Patricia Kenneth Richards, on 26 November 1952. They had two children: *

Timothy Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 7th Earl of Minto (Gilbert) Timothy Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 7th Earl of Minto (; born 1 December 1953), styled Viscount Melgund between 1975 and 2005, is the chief executive of British stationery company Paperchase. He is the son of the late Gilbert El ...

ormerly_Viscount_Melgund.html" ;"title="Viscount_Melgund.html" ;"title="ormerly Viscount Melgund">ormerly Viscount Melgund">Viscount_Melgund.html" ;"title="ormerly Viscount Melgund">ormerly Viscount Melgund(born 1 December 1953); who is married and has three surviving children. * Lady Laura Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (born 11 March 1956) who married in 1984, John Reginald David Palmer, son of William Palmer, and has issue, two sons. Lord and Lady Minto were divorced in 1965. In 1965 Lord Minto married, secondly, Mary Elizabeth Ballantine (29 December 1936 — 24 January 1983), daughter of Peter Ballantine, of Stonehouse Farm, Gladstone, New Jersey, United States. The marriage lasted until her death in 1983. He married, thirdly, in 1991 (divorced 2004) to Mrs Caroline Larlham, née Godfrey (b. 1952).

Death

Lord Minto died after a fall, and due to severe lung disease that rendered an operation impossible, at the age of 77 in a nursing home. His funeral took place on Monday, 12 September 2005 at Minto Parish Church, near Hawick, Scottish Borders. His estate has been the subject of a dispute between his third wife and his son.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minto, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 6th Earl Of Nobility from the Scottish Borders Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 1928 births 2005 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Place of birth missing Place of death missing Scots Guards officers Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 20th-century British Army personnel People educated at Eton College