Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March DL (25 August 1857 – 12 July 1937), styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was a British Conservative politician.

Early life

He was the fifth but eldest surviving son of The 10th Earl of Wemyss and his wife, Lady Anne Frederica Anson. His sister, Evelyn Charteris, was married to John Vesey, 4th Viscount de Vesci; their only child (Mary Gertrude Vesey) was the second wife of Aubrey Herbert (second son of The 4th Earl of Carnarvon), whose daughter Laura Herbert married the writer Evelyn Waugh and was the mother of Auberon Waugh. His father was the eldest son, and heir, of The 9th Earl of Wemyss (and 5th

Earl of March 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 (Welsh Marches) or Scotland (Scottish Marche ...

). His mother was a daughter of The 1st Earl of Lichfield (and 2nd

Viscount Anson A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

Career

He entered Parliament for

Haddingtonshire East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

in 1883 (succeeding his father), but lost his seat in the 1885 general election. He returned to the House of Commons in a by-election in 1886 as one of two representatives for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

and held it in the subsequent general election and would continue to hold it until 1895. Lord and Lady Elcho visited

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

to attend the

1903 Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...

held in January 1903 to celebrated the succession of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

as Emperor of India. He succeeded his father in the two earldoms in 1914 and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire from 1918 to 1937.

Personal life

In 1883, he married

Mary Constance Wyndham Mary Constance Charteris, Countess of Wemyss and March (''née'' Wyndham; 3 August 1862 – 29 April 1937), styled Lady Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was an English society hostess and an original member of The Souls, an exclusive social and intell ...

(1862–1937), daughter of

Percy Scawen Wyndham The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

and sister of George Wyndham. They were both two of the original members of The Souls. His married life was detailed in the book ''

Those Wild Wyndhams ''Those Wild Wyndhams: Three Sisters at the Heart of Power'' is a 2014 book by Claudia Renton that examines the life of the Wyndham sisters– Madeline Wyndham (1869–1941), Pamela Wyndham (1871–1928), and Mary Constance Wyndham (1862–1937) ...

'' by Claudia Renton. Among their children were: * Captain Hugo Francis Charteris, Lord Elcho (1884–1916), killed in action during the Great War, whilst serving with the

Royal Gloucestershire Hussars The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a volunteer yeomanry regiment which, in the 20th century, became part of the British Army Reserve. It traced its origins to the First or Cheltenham Troop of Gloucestershire Gentleman and Yeomanry raised in ...

. He is commemorated on the Jerusalem Memorial. He married Lady Violet Catherine Manners, the daughter of

Henry Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland Henry John Brinsley Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland, (16 April 1852 – 8 May 1925), known as Henry Manners until 1888 and styled Marquess of Granby between 1888 and 1906, was a British peer and Conservative politician. Background Rutland was the ...

, in 1911. * Guy Lawrence Charteris (1886–1967), married Frances Tennant, sister of Kathleen Manners, Duchess of Rutland and they were parents of

Ann Fleming Ann Geraldine Mary Fleming (, 19 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), previously known as Lady O'Neill and Viscountess Rothermere, was a British socialite. She married firstly Lord O'Neill, secondly Lord Rothermere, and finally the writer Ian Flemi ...

Hugo Charteris Hugo Francis Guy Charteris MC (11 December 1922 – 20 December 1970) was a noted British novelist and screenwriter, the author of nine novels, 17 television screenplays and numerous children's books and short stories. Early life Charteris wa ...

and

Laura Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Frances Laura Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (''née'' Charteris; 10 August 1915 – 19 February 1990), was a British noblewoman and socialite. She was variously Viscountess Long, Countess of Dudley and became Duchess of Marlborough u ...

. * Lady Cynthia Mary Evelyn Charteris (1887–1960), a writer who married Herbert Asquith (1881–1947), son of Prime Minister

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

. * Colin Charteris (1889–1892), who died young. * Lady Mary Pamela Madeline Sibell Charteris (1895–1991), who married Capt. Algernon Walter Strickland (1891–1938), son of Algernon Henry Peter Strickland, in 1915. After his death, she married Maj. John George Lyon, son of John Stewart Lyon, 4th of Kirkmichael, in 1943. * Second Lieutenant Yvo Alan Charteris (1896–1915), also killed in action during the Great War, whilst serving with 1st Bn.

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

. He is buried in Sailly-Labourse Communal Cemetery, five kilometers southeast of Bethune. * Lady Irene Corona Charteris (1902–1989), who married

Ivor Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of Plymouth Ivor Miles Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of Plymouth GCStJ, PC (4 February 1889 – 1 October 1943) was an English nobleman and Conservative Party politician. Early life Ivor was born on 4 February 1889. He was the second, and only surviving, son of ...

(1889–1943). By 1912,

Lady Angela Forbes Lady Angela Selina Bianca Forbes (née St Clair-Erskine; 11 June 1876 – 22 October 1950) was a British socialite and novelist who was known as a forces sweetheart for organising soldiers' canteens in France during the First World War. She rever ...

was his mistress, sharing his house in East Lothian, while his wife lived at Stanway in Gloucestershire. Although he and his mistress lived together for many years, he remained married, and his wife became Countess of Wemyss when he inherited the earldom. She died in April 1937, aged 74. Lord Wemyss survived her by three months and died in July of the same year, aged 79. He is buried in the family burial enclosure on the north side of Aberlady churchyard.

Descendants

Lord Wemyss was succeeded in his titles by his grandson

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

; two of his sons, Captain Hugo Francis Charteris (1884–1916) and Lt Yvo Alan Charteris (1896–1915), had been killed in action during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His grandson by Hugo Francis Charteris was

Martin Charteris Lieutenant-Colonel Martin Michael Charles Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield, (7 September 1913 – 23 December 1999) was a British Army officer and courtier of Queen Elizabeth II. Charteris was the longest-serving Assistant Private Secr ...

, Private Secretary to princess, then queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. His grandchildren by Guy Lawrence Charteris was the socialite

,Andrew Lycett, "Fleming , Ann Geraldine Mary ther married names Ann Geraldine Mary O'Neill, Lady O'Neill; Ann Geraldine Mary Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere(1913–1981)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 201
accessed 9 Feb 2017
/ref> and,

, a renowned post-war author and screenwriter. He is the great-grandfather of the Scottish cartoonist Jamie Charteris, and

Lady Mary Charteris Lady Mary Olivia Charteris Furze (born 23 April 1987) is a British fashion model, DJ, and musician. She is a vocalist and keyboardist in the English electronic rock band The Big Pink. Early life and family Lady Mary Olivia Charteris was bor ...

of the band The Big Pink.

References

Sources

* Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wemyss, Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of 1857 births 1937 deaths 11 Lord-Lieutenants of East Lothian

Charteris Charteris is a Scottish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Thomas Charteris (d. 1346), Scottish nobleman and ambassador to England * Archibald Hamilton Charteris (1835-1908), Scottish theologian, founder of ''Life and Work'' mag ...

Elcho, Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho, Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho, Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho, Hugo Charteris, Lord UK MPs who inherited peerages Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Scottish Tory MPs (pre-1912) Earls of March (Scotland)

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...