Ronald Ruthven Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven and 10th Earl of Melville, (19 December 1835 – 21 August 1906) was a Scottish nobleman.

Early life

The son of the

John Thornton Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven John Thornton Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven, 8th Earl of Melville DL JP (18 December 1786 – 16 September 1876) was a Scottish peer and soldier. Early life John Thornton was born on 18 December 1786. He was the son of Alexander Leslie-M ...

and his second wife, Sophia, daughter of Henry Thornton MP, he was educated at

Windlesham House School Windlesham House School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 on the South Downs, in Pulborough, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory school ...

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. He succeeded his half-brother

Alexander Leslie-Melville, 10th Earl of Leven Alexander Leslie-Melville, 10th Earl of Leven, 9th Earl of Melville (1817–1889) He was the son of John Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven. He was a partner in Williams. Deacon & Co, and was a Representative Peer for Scotland (Conservative) from ...

in 1889.

Career

He was a Director of the

Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company P&O (in full, The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) is a British shipping and logistics company dating from the early 19th century. Formerly a public company, it was sold to DP World in March 2006 for £3.9 billion. DP World c ...

and of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

. He was a Scottish

representative peer In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords. Until 1999, all members of the Peerage of England held the right to ...

from 1892 until his death,

Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal. The office has re ...

from 1900 until his death, and Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for nine successive years 1898–1906. Director of the Bank of England 1884–94. He was deputy lieutenant for the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. He was appointed a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list, and was sworn a member of the council at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

on 11 August 1902. He was appointed 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 ...

in 1905. He was a close friend of the Maharajah Duleep Singh and accompanied him on a voyage from England to Italy which began in December 1856.

Personal life

In 1885 he married Honourable Emma Selina Portman, eldest daughter of

Henry Portman, 2nd Viscount Portman Lord William Henry Berkeley Portman, 2nd Viscount Portman, GCVO (12 July 1829 – 16 October 1919) was a British Liberal Member of Parliament. Background Portman was the son of Edward Portman, 1st Viscount Portman and Lady Emma Lascelles, daug ...

; they had children: * John David Leslie-Melville, 12th Earl of Leven, *

Archibald Alexander Leslie-Melville, 13th Earl of Leven Archibald Alexander Leslie-Melville, 13th Earl of Leven, 12th Earl of Melville KT DL (6 August 1890 – 15 January 1947) was a Scottish soldier, and peer. He was educated at Oxford and Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He played for the Oxford ...

, * Captain Honourable David William Leslie-Melville MBE (23 May 1892 – 10 December 1938), * Lieutenant-Colonel Honourable Ian Leslie-Melville (14 August 1894 – 10 February 1967), * Lady Constance Betty Leslie-Melville (7 August 1888 – 13 August 1922).

References

1835 births 1906 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Deputy Lieutenants of the City of London Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights of the Thistle People associated with the Bank of England Earls of Leven Scottish representative peers Morden College Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland People educated at Windlesham House School 19th-century English businesspeople {{Scotland-earl-stub