James Duff, 4th Earl Fife, KT, GCH (6 October 1776 – 9 March 1857), was a Scot who became a Spanish general.

Biography

James was the elder son of the Hon. Alexander Duff, who succeeded his brother as third

Earl Fife The title Earl Fife was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created by letters patent dated 26 April 1759 for William Duff (1696–1763) after asserting (but not proving) his descent from Macduff, the medieval Earl of Fife. Though in the Irish pe ...

in 1809. He was educated at Edinburgh and was not intended for the army. On 9 September 1799 he married Mary Caroline Manners (second daughter of John Manners and Louisa Tollemache, 7th Countess of Dysart), who died on 20 December 1805 without children. Thereupon Duff sought distraction in 1808 by volunteering to join the Spaniards in their war against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. His assistance was gladly received, especially as he came full of enthusiasm and with a full purse, and he was made a major-general in the Spanish service. He served with great distinction at the

Battle of Talavera The Battle of Talavera (27–28 July 1809) was fought just outside the town of Talavera de la Reina, Spain some southwest of Madrid, during the Peninsular War. At Talavera, a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley combined with a Spanish a ...

, where he was severely wounded in trying to rally the Spanish runaways, and was only saved from becoming a prisoner by the gallantry of his lifelong friend, Major (afterwards Lieutenant-general Sir) S. F. Whittingham. In that year, 1809, he became

Viscount Macduff The title Earl Fife was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created by letters patent dated 26 April 1759 for William Duff (1696–1763) after asserting (but not proving) his descent from Macduff, the medieval Earl of Fife. Though in the Irish pe ...

on his father's accession to the

Irish earldom The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

of Fife, but he still continued to serve in Spain, and was present during the defence of Cadiz against Marshal Victor, and was again severely wounded in the attack on Fort Matagorda in 1810. On 17 April 1811 he succeeded his father as fourth

less than 2 years after his father himself had succeeded, and also as Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, and as a baron to many minor baronies including Macduff, named for

James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife (29 September 1729 – 1809) was a Scottish aristocrat and Member of Parliament. Heritage James Duff was second son of William Duff, 1st Earl Fife, and Jean Grant (daughter of Sir James Grant of Pluscardine, Baron ...

by a Crown Charter granted by

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

in 1783. He returned to Britain, after being made for his services a knight of the order of St. Ferdinand. He was elected M.P. for Banffshire in 1818, and made a

lord in waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (withou ...

in the following year. He was created Baron Fife in the Peerage of the United Kingdom on 27 April 1827, in which year he was also made a

knight of the Thistle A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

. He soon afterwards retired altogether to Scotland, where he lived at

Duff House Duff House is a Georgian estate house in Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, it is part of the National Galleries of Scotland and is a Category A listed building. The house is built of ashlar in t ...

, Banffshire, much beloved by his tenantry and greatly interested in farming and cattle raising; he died there, aged 80, on 9 March 1857. His influence was instrumental in the passage of José de San Martin (a Spanish captain at this time) to South America in 1812, who would liberate Argentina, Chile and Perú from Spanish rule. In 1824, the General José de San Martin (today the national hero of Argentina and Perú) visited him at Duff House (see external link below). He was succeeded by his nephew, James Duff, the elder son of James Duff's only brother, General the Hon. Sir Alexander Duff, who commanded the 88th regiment, the

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Foot (wh ...

, from 1798 to 1810. Duff founded the burgh of

Dufftown Dufftown ( gd, Baile Bhainidh ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has severa ...

, named after him, in 1817. The town was established to help develop the Earl's estate and provide both housing and employment for soldiers returning home from the Napoleonic War.

Notes

References

;Attribution * Endnotes: **Whittingham's Life of Sir S. F. Whittingham **Gentlemen's Magazine April 1857 **Royal Military Calendar, ed. 1820
iii. 169
for Sir Alexander Duff's military services

External links

*
San Martín Enigmático viajero en Europa - La Nacion
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fife, James Duff, 4th Earl 1776 births 1857 deaths Knights of the Thistle Duff, James Duff, James Duff, James Duff, James UK MPs who inherited peerages UK MPs who were granted peerages Lord-Lieutenants of Banffshire Earls Fife Peers of the United Kingdom created by George IV