Earl of Minto, in the County of Roxburgh, is a title 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 ...
. It was created in 1813 for
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Baron Minto. The current earl is
Gilbert Timothy George Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 7th Earl of Minto (born 1953).
The family seat is Minto Park, near
Hawick
Hawick ( ; sco, Haaick; gd, Hamhaig) is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one of ...
in the
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...
. The original family seat, Minto Castle, was demolished some years ago after having been abandoned for some time.
History
The family descends from the politician and judge
Gilbert Elliot, who served as a
Lord of Session
The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session) ...
under the judicial title of Lord Minto. In 1700 he was created a baronet, of Minto in the County of Roxburgh, 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 ...
. He was succeeded by his son, the
second Baronet. He was also a prominent judge and politician and served as a Lord of Session (under the judicial title of Lord Minto) from 1726 to 1733, as a Lord of the Justiciary from 1733 to 1765 and as
Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.
Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...
from 1763 to 1766. His eldest son, the
third Baronet, was a politician and held ministerial office as a
Lord of the Admiralty
This is a list of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (incomplete before the Restoration, 1660).
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of The Board of Admiralty, which exercised the office of Lord High Admiral when it was ...
from 1756 to 1762 and as
Treasurer of the Navy
The Treasurer of the Navy, originally called Treasurer of Marine Causes or Paymaster of the Navy, was a civilian officer of the Royal Navy, one of the principal commissioners of the Navy Board responsible for naval finance from 1524 to 1832. T ...
from 1767 to 1770. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the fourth Baronet. He was a noted diplomat, politician and colonial administrator and served as
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
from 1807 to 1813. In 1797 he was raised to the
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself r ...
as Baron Minto, of
Minto
Minto may refer to:
Places Antarctica
*Mount Minto (Antarctica)
Australia
*Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Minto railway station
* Minto County, Western Australia
* Parish of Minto, New South Wales
Canada
* Minto City, British C ...
in the
County of Roxburgh
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
. In 1813 he was further honoured when he was made Viscount Melgund, of
Melgund in the
County of Forfar
Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agri ...
, and Earl of Minto, in the County of Roxburgh. The latter titles are 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 1797 Lord Minto assumed by Royal licence the additional surnames of Murray-Kynynmound after those of Elliot.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a diplomat and
Whig politician and held office as
First Lord of the Admiralty
The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...
from 1835 to 1841 and as
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...
from 1846 to 1852. Lord Minto was succeeded by his eldest son, the third Earl. He sat as a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
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
Hythe
Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to:
Places Australia
* Hythe, Tasmania
Canada
*Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada
England
* T ...
,
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
and
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire (; sco, Clackmannanshire; gd, Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn) is a historic county, council area, registration county and Lieutenancy area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling, Fife, and Perth & Kinross and the hi ...
. On his death the titles passed to his son, the fourth Earl. He was a prominent colonial administrator and served as
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
from 1898 to 1904 and as
Viceroy of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
from 1905 to 1910. the titles are held by his great-grandson (the titles having descended from father to son), the seventh Earl, who succeeded in 2005.
The family seat is
Minto
Minto may refer to:
Places Antarctica
*Mount Minto (Antarctica)
Australia
*Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Minto railway station
* Minto County, Western Australia
* Parish of Minto, New South Wales
Canada
* Minto City, British C ...
, near
Hawick
Hawick ( ; sco, Haaick; gd, Hamhaig) is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one of ...
,
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
. In 1992 Minto House was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
as Category A, and largely demolished within weeks.
Elliot baronets, of Minto (1650–1797)
*
Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet
''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 ...
(c. 1650–1718)
*
Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet (c. 1693–1766)
*
Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet (1722–1777)
*
Sir Gilbert Elliot, 4th Baronet (1751–1814) (created Baron Minto in 1797)
Baron Minto (1797–1813)
*
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Baron Minto (1751–1814) (created Earl of Minto in 1813)
Earls of Minto (1813–present)
*
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto, (; 23 April 175121 June 1814), known as Sir Gilbert Elliott, 4th Baronet until 1797, and The Lord Minto from 1797 to 1814, was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Comm ...
(1751–1814)
*
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto, (; 16 November 178231 July 1859), styled as Viscount Melgund between 1813 and 1814, was a British diplomat and Whig politician.
Background and education
Minto was the eldest son of the Gilbe ...
(1782–1859)
*
William Hugh Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto (1814–1891)
*
Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto
Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, (; 9 July 18451 March 1914), known as Viscount Melgund by courtesy from 1859 to 1891, was a British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the eighth since Cana ...
(1845–1914)
*
(1891–1975)
*
Gilbert Edward George Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 6th Earl of Minto (1928–2005)
*
Gilbert Timothy George Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 7th Earl of Minto (born 1953)
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 the present holder's eldest son Gilbert Francis Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, Viscount Melgund (born 1984).
Other family members
Numerous other members of the family have also gained distinction.
*
John Elliot, younger son of the second Baronet, was an
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
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 also served as
Commodore Governor of Newfoundland.
*
Andrew Elliot, another younger son of the second Baronet, was the last
colonial governor of New York
The territory which would later become the state of New York was settled by European colonists as part of the New Netherland colony (parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware) under the command of the Dutch West India ...
.
*
Jean Elliot
Jean Elliot (April 1727 – 29 March 1805), also known as Jane Elliot, was a Scottish poet. She wrote one of the most famous versions of '' The Flowers of the Forest'', a song lamenting the Scottish army's defeat in the Battle of Flodden. ...
, daughter of the second Baronet, was a poet and wrote one of the most famous versions of the Scottish folk tune ''
The Flowers of the Forest''.
*
Hugh Elliot, second son of the third Baronet, was a diplomat and colonial administrator and served as
Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1808 to 1814. His son
Sir Charles Elliot was an admiral in the Royal Navy and colonial administrator.
*The Hon.
Sir George Elliot, second son of the first Earl, was an admiral in the Royal Navy and also held political office under
Lord Grey as
First Secretary to the Admiralty
The Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty also known as the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Board of Admiralty was a position on the Board of Admiralty and a civil officer of the British Royal Navy. It was usually ...
from 1830 to 1834. He was the father of:
**1)
Sir George Augustus Elliot (1812–1901), an admiral in the Royal Navy, and
**2)
Sir Alexander James Hardy Elliot, a
major-general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in the army.
*The Hon.
John Edmund Elliot
John Edmund Elliot (30 March 1788 – 4 April 1862) was a British Liberal politician.
Background
Elliot was the third son of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto, and Anna Maria, daughter of Sir George Amyand, 1st Baronet.
Polit ...
, third son of the first Earl, was a Member of Parliament. His grandson Charles Sinclair Elliot (1853–1915) 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 Henry George Elliot, second son of the second Earl, was a noted diplomat and served as
Ambassador to Austria from 1877 to 1884. His son Sir Francis Edmund Hugh Elliot (1851–1940) was also a diplomat and served as Minister to Greece.
*Sir
Charles Gilbert John Brydone Elliot (1818–1895), third son of the second Earl, was an
Admiral of the Fleet.
*The Hon.
Arthur Ralph Douglas Elliot (known as Arthur Elliott), second son of the third Earl, was a
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 ...
politician and served as
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
The financial secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the First Lord of the Treasury, first lord of th ...
in 1903.
*The Hon.
Hugh Frederick Hislop Elliot, third son of the third Earl, sat as Member of Parliament for
Ayrshire North.
Notes
References
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minto
Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Noble titles created in 1813
Lists of Scottish people