Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, 7th Duke of Queensberry (25 November 1806 – 16 April 1884), styled Lord Eskdail between 1808 and 1812 and Earl of Dalkeith between 1812 and 1819, was a prominent Scottish nobleman, landowner and politician. He was Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1842 to 1846 and Lord President of the Council.

Background and education

Buccleuch was born at the Palace of Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, the fifth child of seven, and second son of Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch, and Hon. Harriet Katherine Townshend, daughter of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney and Elizabeth Powys. When his older brother, George Henry, died at the age of 10 from measles, Walter became heir apparent to the Dukedoms of Buccleuch and Queensberry. He was only thirteen when he succeeded his father to the two Dukedoms in 1819. He also inherited 460,000 acres, including 254,000 acres in Dumfries, 104,000 acres in Roxburgh and 60,000 acres in Selkirk. He was educated at Eton and

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

(M.A., 1827). In June 1833 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. In 1841, he played in two

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

matches for Marylebone Cricket Club. He was made an honorary member of the Institution of Civil Engineers on the 28th of June, 1812 in recognition of his involvement in great works of engineering in Scotland, such as Granton Harbour. Buccleuch set out his ideas of the duties of a great landowner in a speech given at Branxholme Fete in 1839: Buccleuch, Lord of the Liberty and Manors of Furness, and owner of extensive iron-mines in the area was, in conjunction with William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire, a main sponsor of the Furness Railway. He bought up a great eal of land in the area, and rebuilt Lindal-in-Furness as a model village.

Career

Walter Montagu Douglas Scott Royal Mile Edinburgh

A great Scottish land magnate, Buccleuch was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

in politics, and was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1835 and a Privy Counsellor in 1842. He served as Lord Privy Seal from 1842 to 1846 and as Lord President of the Council from January to July 1846 in Peel's government, when he reluctantly supported Peel's decision to repeal the Corn Laws. After Peel's fall, the Duke's political career largely came to an end. In 1878 he became Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, a post he held until his death in 1884. On 6 January 1842 he was appointed

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the Edinburgh Militia (a regiment that his grandfather the 3rd Duke had raised in 1798). He was appointed an Aide-de-Camp to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

for the militia on 19 March 1857. On resigning from the command on 20 May 1879 he was appointed the first Honorary Colonel of the Queen's Edinburgh Light Infantry Militia, as the regiment had by then become. He joined the Canterbury Association on 20 May 1848. It was planned to build a town called Buccleuch in his honour near Alford Forest, but this did not eventuate.

Family

Buccleuch married Lady Charlotte Anne Thynne, daughter of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath and Hon. Isabella Elizabeth Byng, daughter of the 4th Viscount Torrington, on 13 August 1829 at St George's church, Hanover Square, London. The couple had four sons and three daughters: * William Henry Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch (born 9 September 1831, died 5 November 1914), succeeded and was the father of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch. * Lord Henry John Montagu Douglas Scott Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (born 5 November 1832, died 4 November 1905) * Lord Walter Charles Montagu Douglas Scott (born 2 March 1834, died 3 March 1895) * Admiral Lord Charles Thomas Montagu Douglas Scott (born 20 October 1839, died 21 August 1911) * Lady Victoria Alexandrina Montagu Douglas Scott (born 20 November 1844, died 19 June 1938), married Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian and had issue. * Lady Margaret Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott (born 10 October 1846, died 5 February 1918), married Donald Cameron of Lochiel and had issue. * Lady Mary Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott (born 6 August 1851, died 13 December 1908), married Hon. Walter Trefusis and had issue.

Death

Buccleuch died at Bowhill House near Bowhill, Selkirkshire, in April 1884, aged 77, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

. He was buried in the family crypt of the Buccleuch Memorial Chapel in St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Dalkeith, Midlothian. The church is located on Dalkeith's High Street, at the entrance to Dalkeith Country Park.

Ancestry

References

External links

*
Cricinfo: Lord Drumlanrig
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buccleuch, Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 5th Duke of 1806 births 1884 deaths Nobility from Midlothian Lords Privy Seal Garter Knights appointed by William IV Lord-lieutenants of Midlothian Lord-lieutenants of Roxburghshire Edinburgh Militia officers Lord Presidents of the Council Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom 107 205 People educated at Eton College Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Chancellors of the University of Glasgow W English cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Fellows of the Royal Society Scottish Episcopalians Members of the Canterbury Association 19th-century Scottish landowners 19th-century Scottish businesspeople Surtees Society