The title Earl of Morton was created 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, ...

in 1458 for James Douglas of

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...

. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton. The family seat is Dalmahoy Farms, Morton near Kirknewton,

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

History

Douglases of Dalkeith

The Douglases of Dalkeith are descended from Andrew Douglas of Hermiston (or ''Herdmanston'') (d.b. 1277), younger son of Archibald I, Lord of Douglas (fl. c. 1198–1238). He was succeeded by his son William Douglas of Hermiston, a signatory of the

Ragman Roll Ragman Rolls are the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favour of Balliol ...

in 1296. William of Hermiston's son, James Douglas of Lothian succeeded his father and produced two sons, Sir William Douglas and

Sir John Douglas ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

. Sir William Douglas, known as the ''Knight of Liddesdale'' or the ''Flower of Chivalry'' obtained the privileges of the barony of Dalkeith, in

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

, in 1341, and the barony of

Aberdour Aberdour (; Scots: , gd, Obar Dobhair) is a scenic and historic village on the south coast of Fife, Scotland. It is on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, looking south to the island of Inchcolm and its Abbey, and to Leith and Edinburgh beyo ...

, 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 ...

, in 1342. Following his murder at the hands of his godson William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, both baronies passed to his nephew,

James Douglas, 1st Lord Dalkeith James Douglas, 1st Lord Dalkeith (after 1372 – before 22 May 1441) was a Scottish nobleman born in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland to Sir James Douglas and Agnes Dunbar. James (the father) was the brother of Nicholas Douglas, 1st Lord of Mains. ...

. James Douglas was confirmed in this position when his title was ratified by the Earl of Douglas prior to 1370. The lands of Dalkeith, and

, in

, were combined as a single barony in 1386, with the principal seat at Dalkeith Castle, and a secondary residence at Aberdour Castle.Apted, p.5 James was the brother of Nicholas Douglas, 1st Lord of Mains.

Earldom of Morton

The 4th Lord Dalkeith succeeded to his estates upon the resignation of his father c. 1457 and in 1458 was raised to the peerage as Earl of Morton, prior to his marriage to Joanna, the deaf and dumb daughter of King James I. Lord Dalkeith was then a subsidiary title held by the Earls of Morton, and used as a courtesy title for the eldest son and heir, until the title and estates of Dalkeith were sold to the Earl of Buccleuch by the 7th Earl in 1642. When in 1458, James Douglas, lord Dalkeith, was to receive the name 'Morton' for his intended earldom, a protest was presented against this creation, asserting correctly that the lands of Mortoun belonged heritably to his step-grandmother, Janet Borthwick, widow of Sir James Douglas, known as 1st Lord of Dalkeith, and to her son William Douglas (progenitor of the Whittingehame branch of the Douglases), to which the Chancellor answered that "Lord Dalkeith was not to receive his title in the Earldom for the lands of Mortoun lying in the Lordship of Niddisdale but for the lands of Mortoun in the territory of Caldercleir". In 1538,

James V James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and duri ...

summoned the 3rd Earl before the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

for non-payment of his

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

dues, and in 1540 the Earl was banished to

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

.Apted, p.6 Morton reached Brechin, in

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * Angu ...

, where he signed a deed resigning his lands to his kinsman Robert Douglas of Lochleven, who was then compelled to resign the lands in turn to James V. After James V's death in late 1542, George Douglas of Pittendreich and the

Earl of Arran Earl of Arran may refer to: *Earl of Arran (Scotland), a title in the Peerage of Scotland *Earl of Arran (Ireland), a title in the Peerage of Ireland *, a steamship 1860–1871 See also * *Earl of Arran and Cambridge Duke of Hamilton is a t ...

assisted Morton in reclaiming his lands, including Aberdour. In return their sons were to marry two of Morton's three daughters. Pittendreich's son James (1525–1581) married the heiress, Elizabeth, and succeeded to the earldom in 1553. The 4th Earl of Morton became Regent of Scotland in 1572, for the infant James VI and I.Apted, p.7 However, once James VI reached the age of majority, the 4th Earl was implicated in the murder of James' father, Lord Darnley in 1567, and was executed in 1581.Apted, p.8 The earldom was forfeited between 1581 and 1586, although the nephew-in-law of the 4th earl (also grandson of the 3rd earl), John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell (1552–1593) was created Earl of Morton in 1581, and continued to use the title until his death. Although

Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton (15554 August 1588) was the son of David, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates in 1558, being brought up by his uncle, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, a Presb ...

(1555–1588) was confirmed as 5th Earl of Morton in 1586,Apted, p.9 Lord Maxwell's title of Morton, which had been revoked in 1585, was revived in 1587 and 1592. As a result, two families were in possession of the Earldom, and a conflict arose. This continued into the time of the 7th Earl of Morton (1582–1648), when

John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell ( – 21 May 1613) was a Scottish Catholic nobleman. He escaped from Edinburgh Castle in 1607, and in 1608 shot the Laird of Johnstone. For these crimes, he was executed and his titles were forfeit. Biography The n ...

(c. 1586–1613), also claimed the earldom. Lord Maxwell, however, was forfeited in 1609 and his rights then failed, his titles and estates being restored in 1618 to his brother Robert, with the title of Earl of Nithsdale (1620) in lieu of Morton.

Lords of Dalkeith (1341)

* William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale * James Douglas, 1st Baron Dalkeith *

James Douglas, 2nd Baron Dalkeith James is a common English language surname and given name: * James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

James Douglas, 3rd Baron Dalkeith James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

* James Douglas, 4th Baron Dalkeith (created Earl of Morton 1458)

Earls of Morton (1458)

James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton James Douglas (1426 – 22 October 1493), the 4th Lord of Dalkeith, was created the 1st Earl of Morton in 1458. Life He was the son of James Douglas, 2nd Lord of Dalkeith and Elizabeth Gifford, daughter of James Gifford of Sheriffhall. His fa ...

(d. 1493) *

John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton died 9 September 1513 at the Battle of Flodden. Life He was the son of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Princess Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton, daughter of James I of Scotland by his wife Lady Joan Be ...

(d. 1513) *

James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton (died 1548) was a son of John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton and a grandson of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Joan of Scotland, a daughter of James I of Scotland. He married Catherine Stewart, an illegitimate ...

(d. 1548) ("abeyant" 1548) * James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516–1581) (abeyance terminated 1550, forfeited 1580/81) * John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell (1552–1593), a grandson of the 3rd Earl, succeeded briefly as Earl of Morton. *

Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Morton Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton (15554 August 1588) was the son of David, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates in 1558, being brought up by his uncle, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, a Presb ...

(c. 1555–1588), also 8th Earl of Angus (forfeiture reversed 1586) * William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton (1540–1606) * William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton (1582–1648) * Robert Douglas, 8th Earl of Morton (d. 1649) * William Douglas, 9th Earl of Morton (d. 1681) * James Douglas, 10th Earl of Morton (d. 1686) * James Douglas, 11th Earl of Morton (d. 1715) * Robert Douglas, 12th Earl of Morton (d. 1730) *

George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton (1662 – 4 January 1738), of St Ola, Orkney, styled The Honourable George Douglas between 1681 and 1730, was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until he su ...

(1662–1738) * James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton (c. 1703–1768) * Sholto Charles Douglas, 15th Earl of Morton (1732–1774) * George Douglas, 16th Earl of Morton (1761–1827) *

George Sholto Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton George Sholto Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton (23 December 1789 – 31 March 1858), known as George Douglas until 1827, was a Scottish Tory politician. Douglas was the son of the Hon. John Douglas, second son of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton. H ...

(1789–1858) * Sholto John Douglas, 18th Earl of Morton (1818–1884) * Sholto George Douglas, 19th Earl of Morton (1844–1935) * Sholto Charles John Hay Douglas, 20th Earl of Morton (1907–1976) * John Charles Sholto Douglas, 21st Earl of Morton (1927–2016) * John Stewart Sholto Douglas, 22nd Earl of Morton (b. 1952). The heir apparent is the present holder's son John David Sholto Douglas, Lord Aberdour (b. 1986).

Seats

Historical residences of the Earl of Morton include: * Aberdour Castle, Fife *Aberdour House, Fife *

Dalkeith House Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 on the site of t ...

, Midlothian * Dalmahoy House, Edinburgh * Loch Leven Castle, Kinross * Morton Castle, Dumfries and Galloway

Notes

References

*Apted, Michael (1996) ''Aberdour Castle''. HMSO. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morton Earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland Noble titles created in 1458 Noble titles created in 1581