Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, ...
created in 1633. The
Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of
Wemyss in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
since the 12th century.
Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created in 1697. The holder of the title is sometimes known as the Earl of Wemyss and March, but the titles are distinct.
History
In 1625
John Wemyss was created a Baronet, of
Wemyss in the County of Fife, in the
Baronetage of Nova Scotia
Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain.
Baronetage of England (1611–1705)
King James I ...
. In 1628 he was raised to the Peerage of Scotland as Lord Wemyss of Elcho, and in 1633 he was further honoured when he was made Lord Elcho and Methel and Earl of Wemyss, also in the Peerage of Scotland. He later supported the Scottish parliament against
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
, and died in 1649. He was succeeded by his son David, the second Earl.
In 1672 David resigned his peerages to the Crown in return for a new patent with original precedency and extending the limitation to his daughters. Lord Wemyss had no male issue and on his death in 1679 the baronetcy became extinct. He was succeeded in the peerages according to the new patent by his daughter Margaret, the third Countess of Wemyss. She married as her first husband her third cousin twice removed Sir James Wemyss, Lord Burntisland. He was the son of General Sir James Wemyss of Caskieberry, grandson of James Wemyss, younger brother of Sir John Wemyss, great-grandfather of the first Earl of Wemyss. She was succeeded by her son from her first marriage, David, the fourth Earl. He served as
Lord High Admiral of Scotland
The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the Great Officers of State of the Kingdom of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707.
The office was one of considerable power, also known as ''Royal Scottish Admiralty'', including command ...
and sat in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
as a
Scottish Representative Peer
This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Scotland to sit in the House of Lords after the Acts of Union 1707 abolished the Parliament of Scotland, where, as a unicameral legislature, all Scottish P ...
from 1707 to 1710. Lord Wemyss married Lady Anne Douglas, daughter of
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry PC (163728 March 1695), also 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Marquess of Queensberry, was a Scottish politician.G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and L ...
and sister of William Douglas, 1st
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 ...
(see below).
On his death the titles passed to his second but eldest surviving son James, the fifth Earl. He married the great heiress Janet Charteris, daughter of Colonel
Francis Charteris, who had made a large fortune by gambling and was noted for the rape of Anne Bond. Their eldest son
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 ...
, Lord Elcho, was implicated in the
Jacobite rising
, war =
, image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766
, active ...
of 1745, and was consequently
attainted
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary ...
.
On his father's death in 1756 he was not allowed to succeed to the peerages, but nonetheless assumed the title of Earl of Wemyss. Lord Elcho died childless and the peerages would have but for the attainder devolved upon his younger brother Francis, the ''soi disant'' seventh Earl, who nevertheless assumed the title. He assumed the surname of Charteris in lieu of Wemyss on being made heir his maternal grandfather Colonel Charteris's estate. His successor was his grandson Francis, the ''soi disant'' eighth Earl (the son of
Francis Charteris, Lord Elcho
Francis Wemyss Charteris, Lord Elcho (31 January 1749 – 20 January 1808) was a Scottish nobleman and member of parliament.
Life
He was the only son of Francis Charteris, second son of James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss. The fifth Earl's elde ...
).
In 1790 the family commissioned a large townhouse at 64
Queen Street, Edinburgh
Queen Street is the northernmost east-west street in Edinburgh's First New Town. It begins in the east, at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. It links York Place with the Moray Estate.
It was named "Queen Street" after Queen Charlotte of ...
, a bay wider than the already large adjacent townhouses.
In 1810, upon the death of
William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry and 3rd Earl of March, Francis Wemyss-Charteris succeeded as fourth Earl of March, fourth Viscount of Peebles and fourth Lord Douglas of Neidpath, Lyne and Munard as the lineal heir male of the aforementioned Lady Anne Douglas, sister of the first Earl of March (see below). On his accession to these titles he assumed the surname of Charteris-Wemyss-Douglas. In 1821 he was created Baron Wemyss, of Wemyss in the County of Fife, in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...
. In 1826 he also obtained a reversal of the attainder of the earldom of Wemyss and became the eighth Earl of Wemyss.
![Townhouse at 64 Queen Street, Edinburgh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Townhouse_at_64_Queen_Street%2C_Edinburgh.jpg)
He was succeeded by his son, the ninth Earl of Wemyss and fifth Earl of March. He served as
Lord-Lieutenant of Peeblesshire from 1853 to 1880. When he died the titles passed to his son, the tenth Earl. He represented
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
and
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 the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
for many years. He was succeeded by his fifth but eldest surviving son, the eleventh Earl. He sat as
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for Haddingtonshire and
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 served as Lord-Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire from 1918 to 1937. the titles are held by the thirteenth Earl of Wemyss and ninth Earl of March, who succeeded in 2008. He is also Chief of
Clan Charteris
Clan Charteris is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.
History
Origins of the Name
The claimed origin of the name Charteris is that it is from the city of Chartres in France.
Origins of the Clan
William, a son of the Lord Chartres, is s ...
.
Several other members of the Wemyss, later Charteris, family, have also gained distinction.
William Wemyss
General William Wemyss of Wemyss (9 April 1760 – 4 February 1822) was a Scottish soldier in the British Army and Member of Parliament.
Early life
He was the son of the Hon. James Wemyss, third son of the 5th Earl of Wemyss, and his wife ...
(1760–1822), son of the Hon.
James Wemyss (1726–1786), third son of the fifth Earl, was a
Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in the Army. His elder son
James Erskine Wemyss
James Erskine Wemyss (9 July 1789 – 3 April 1854) was a Scottish MP and Rear-Admiral.
He was the son of William Wemyss by his wife Frances, daughter of Sir William Erskine, 1st Baronet. In 1820 he succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for ...
(1789–1854) was a
Rear-Admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarded ...
in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and the grandfather of
Admiral of the Fleet Rosslyn Erskine-Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss (12 April 186424 May 1933), known as Sir Rosslyn Wemyss between 1916 and 1919. William Wemyss (1790–1852), younger son of the aforementioned William Wemyss, was a Lieutenant-General in the Army. William Binfield Wemyss (1810–1890), son of James Wemyss (1778–1849), younger son of the aforementioned the Hon. James Wemyss, was a General in the Army. The Hon. Frederick William Charteris (1833–1887), third son of the ninth Earl, was a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the Royal Navy. The Hon. Sir Evan Edward Charteris (1864–1940), sixth son of the tenth Earl, was a historian, biographer and barrister and notably published biographies of
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...
and of
Edmund Gosse
Sir Edmund William Gosse (; 21 September 184916 May 1928) was an English poet, author and critic. He was strictly brought up in a small Protestant sect, the Plymouth Brethren, but broke away sharply from that faith. His account of his childhoo ...
. The Hon.
Martin Michael Charles Charteris, second son of the aforementioned Captain Hugo Francis Charteris, Lord Elcho, eldest son of the eleventh Earl, was private secretary to
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 Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
and was created a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
as Baron Charteris of Amisfield in 1978.
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 ...
(1922–1970), grandson of the eleventh Earl, was a renowned post-war novelist and screenwriter. His son,
Jamie Charteris, became a successful cartoonist.
The family seat is
Gosford House
Gosford House is a neoclassical country house around northeast of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland, on the A198 Aberlady Road, in of parkland and coast.
It is the family seat of the Charteris family, the Earls of Wemyss and March. It was t ...
near
Longniddry
Longniddry ( sco, Langniddry, gd, Nuadh-Treabh Fada)
...
,
East Lothian
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 ...
. The family also owns
Stanway House
Stanway House is a Jacobean manor house, located near the village of Stanway in Gloucestershire, England. The manor of Stanway was owned by Tewkesbury Abbey for 800 years then for 500 years by the Tracy family and their descendants, the Earls ...
in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
,
Neidpath Castle
Neidpath Castle is an L-plan rubble-built tower house, overlooking the River Tweed about west of Peebles in the Borders of Scotland. The castle is both a wedding venue and filming location and can be viewed by appointment.
History
An early cast ...
near
Peebles
Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...
and
Elcho Castle
Elcho Castle () is located close to the south bank of the River Tay approximately four miles south-east of Perth, Scotland, in the region of Perth and Kinross. It was maintained by Clan Wemyss from its construction around 1560 until it was p ...
near
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
.
Earls of Wemyss (1633)
*
John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss
John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss (1586–1649) was a Scottish politician.
He was a son of Sir John Wemyss and Margaret Douglas, a daughter of Sir William Douglas of Lochleven. His home was Wemyss Castle in Fife.
Around 1610 he acquired the e ...
(died 1649)
*
David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss
David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss (6 September 1610July 1679) was an army officer.
He was the only son of John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss and Jean Gray (d. 1640), daughter of Lord Gray.
As Lord Elcho, a title he held between 1633 and 1649, he com ...
(1610–1679)
*
Margaret Wemyss, 3rd Countess of Wemyss
Margaret Wemyss, 3rd Countess of Wemyss and Countess of Cromarty (1 January 165911 March 1705) was a Scottish peer.
Margaret was the daughter of David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss and Margaret Leslie, daughter of John Leslie, 6th Earl of Rothes. Sh ...
(1659–1705)
*
David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss
David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss (29 April 167815 March 1720), was a Scottish peer and Member of Parliament who served as Lord High Admiral of Scotland from 1706 to 1714.
Early life
David Wemyss was born on 29 April 1678, the son of James Wemy ...
(c. 1678–1720)
*
James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss
James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss (30 August 169921 March 1756) was the son of David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss.
On 17 September 1720, he married Janet Charteris, heiress of the great Colonel Francis Charteris, and they had four children:
* Dav ...
(1699–1756)
*
David Wemyss, ''soi disant'' 6th Earl of Wemyss (1721–1787) (attainted 1746)
*
Francis Wemyss Charteris, ''soi disant'' 7th Earl of Wemyss (1723–1808)
*
Francis Wemyss Charteris Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss, 4th Earl of March (1772–1853) (restored 1826)
*
Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss, 5th Earl of March (1795–1883)
*
Francis Richard Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss, 6th Earl of March (1818–1914)
*
Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss, 7th Earl of March (1857–1937)
*
(Francis) David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss, 8th Earl of March (1912–2008)
*
James Donald Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss, 9th Earl of March (born 1948)
The
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
is his only son (Francis) Richard Charteris, Lord Elcho (born 1984), a lawyer.
The next heir presumptive is the Hon. Andrew Charteris (b. 1947), elder son of
Lord Charteris of Amisfield (1913–1999), younger brother of the
12th Earl. He has no issue, and his younger brother has no sons. However, there are several collateral heirs.
[The nearest collateral heir is James Hugo Desmond Charteris (b. 1958). He is great-grandson of the 11th Earl of Wemyss, 7th Earl of March (1857-1937), and thus a second cousin to the present Earl. Other more distant heirs presumptive are descended from younger sons of the 9th Earl]
Earls of March (1697)
*
William Douglas, 1st 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 March ...
(c. 1665–1705)
*
William Douglas, 2nd Earl of March (c. 1696–1731)
*
William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry, 3rd Earl of March (1725–1810)
*
Francis Wemyss Charteris Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss, 4th Earl of March (1772–1853)
''See above for further succession''
See also
*
Clan Charteris
Clan Charteris is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.
History
Origins of the Name
The claimed origin of the name Charteris is that it is from the city of Chartres in France.
Origins of the Clan
William, a son of the Lord Chartres, is s ...
*
Duke of Queensberry
The title Duke of Queensberry was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 3 February 1684 along with the subsidiary title Marquess of Dumfriesshire for the 1st Marquess of Queensberry. The Dukedom was held along with the Marquessate of Queensbe ...
*
Marquess of Queensberry
Marquess of Queensberry is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The title has been held since its creation in 1682 by a member of the Douglas family. The Marquesses also held the title of Duke of Queensberry from 1684 to 1810, when it was inh ...
*
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 ...
*
Earl of Ruglen
Earl of Ruglen was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Along with the subsidiary titles Viscount of Riccartoun and Lord Hillhouse, it was created on the 14th of April, 1697, for Lord John Douglas-Hamilton, fourth (third surviving) son of William ...
*
Earl of Selkirk
*
Baron Wester Wemyss
Notes
References
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
External links
*
Gosford House from Gazetteer for ScotlandMonday, 15 December 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wemyss
Earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland
Clan Charteris
Noble titles created in 1633