There have been several

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

titles created with the name Avondale (or Avandale), referring to the dale (or

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

) of the

Avon Water Avon Water, also known locally as the River Avon, is a river in Scotland, and a tributary of the River Clyde. Course The Avon Water rises in the hills on the boundary between East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire, close to the head of the Ir ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The word

strath A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen, which is typically narrower and deep). Word and etymology An anglicisation of the Gaelic word ''srath'', it is one of many that have been ab ...

also means valley, and the area is now better known as

Strathaven Strathaven (; from gd, Strath Aibhne ) is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is south of Hamilton. The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the ...

. The title Earl of Avondale, along with that of Lord Balveny, was created for James Douglas, known as "the Gross", in 1437. He was a younger son of

Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas Archibald Douglas, Earl of Douglas and Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Douglas and Bothwell (c. 1330 – c. 24 December 1400), called Archibald the Grim or Black Archibald, was a late medieval Scottish nobleman. Archibald was the bastard son of S ...

and succeeded to the Earldom of Douglas in 1440 following the deaths of his

nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...

and great-nephew. The titles were forfeit in 1455 on the

attainder 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 hereditar ...

of his son

James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG (1426–1491) was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. Early life The son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas, by his wife Lady Beatrice Sinclair, daug ...

and 3rd Earl of Avondale. The second creation was for Andrew Stuart, who was created Lord Avondale in 1459. He was a son of Sir Walter Stewart and therefore a grandson of

Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany ( gd, Muireadhach Stiubhart) (136224 May 1425) was a leading Scottish nobleman, the son of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, and the grandson of King Robert II of Scotland, who founded the Stewart dynasty. In 1389, he ...

. He served as

Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...

between 1460 and 1482, and died in 1488, when the title became extinct. The third creation was for another Andrew Stuart, who was created Lord Avondale in about 1499. He was a great-grandson of Sir Walter Stewart, and thus a great-nephew of the first Lord Avondale. On his death on 9 September 1513, he was succeeded by his son, also named Andrew. The second Lord Avondale exchanged his title for that of

Lord Ochiltree Lord Ochiltree (or Ochiltrie) of Lord Stuart of Ochiltree was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. In 1542 Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Avondale (see the Earl Castle Stewart for earlier history of the family) exchanged the lordship of Avondale with Si ...

on 15 March 1543. The most recent creation was for

Prince Albert Victor Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the re ...

, eldest son of

the Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

(later King Edward VII). He was created

Duke of Clarence and Avondale Duke of Clarence and Avondale was a title awarded to a prince of the British royal family; the creation was in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. 'Clarence' is believed to refer to Clare in Suffolk; 'Avondale' refers to the valley of the Avon W ...

and Earl of Athlone on 24 May 1890, but died on 14 January 1892, when the titles became extinct.

Earls of Avondale (1437)

* James Douglas, 1st Earl of Avondale (1371–1443) * William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale (1425–1452) * James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale (1426–1488)

Lord Avondale (1459)

Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avandale Andrew Stewart (c. 14201488) was Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1460 to 1482 and one of the leading servants of King James III of Scotland. Early life Andrew Stewart was born c. 1420 and "appears to have been the eldest son of Walter Stewar ...

(d. 1488)

Lords Avondale (c. 1499)

* Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale (d. 1513) * Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Avondale (d. 1548)

Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1890)

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the re ...

(1864–1892)

References

* Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page – , , {{usurped,
D4
} Titles in Scotland

Earls of Avondale (1437)

Lord Avondale (1459)

Lords Avondale (c. 1499)

Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1890)

See also

References