Earl of Dysart (pronounced ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1643 and has been held continuously since then by descendants of the 1st Earl, William Murray.

Creation

The title was created in 1643 for William Murray, who had earlier represented Fowey and East Looe in the

English House of Commons The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

. He was made Lord Huntingtower at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland. William Murray had been a lifelong friend of King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, in fact having been his

whipping boy A whipping boy was a boy educated alongside a prince (or boy monarch) in early modern Europe, who supposedly received corporal punishment for the prince's transgressions in his presence. The prince was not punished himself because his royal sta ...

while the latter was

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 ...

Succession

Murray was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth, the 2nd Countess. In 1670 she resigned the peerage and received a new grant thereof by patent with precedency of her father, and with remainder to her heirs of the body, failing which to her heirs whatsoever. Lady Dysart married, firstly,

Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet (1624–1669) of Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, was the head of a prominent East Anglian family. He was the son of Sir Lionel Tollemache, 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Stanhope, daughter and heiress of John Stanhope, ...

(see Tollemache baronets for the earlier history of this title), and, secondly, John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale. She was succeeded by her son from her first marriage, Lionel, the 3rd Earl, who had already succeeded his father as 4th Baronet. Lord Dysart notably represented Orford and Suffolk in the House of Commons and served as

Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk. Since 1642, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Suffolk. Lord Lieutenants of Suffolk *Anthony Wingfield, Sir Anthony Wingfield 1551–1552 ''jointly with' ...

, but declined the offer of an English barony. His son,

Lionel Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower __TOC__ Lionel may refer to: Name *Lionel (given name) Places *Lionel, Lewis, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland *Lionel Town, Jamaica, a settlement Brands and enterprises *Lionel, LLC, an American designer and importer of toy trains and mo ...

pre-deceased him and the title was inherited by his grandson,

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart KT (1 May 1708 – 10 March 1770), styled Lord Huntingtower from 1712 to 1727, was a nobleman from East Anglia, who bore a Scottish title. Lionel's father, a namesake in 1712 predeceased his father Lionel ...

in 1727. The 4th Earl was elected

High Steward of Ipswich This is a list of people who have served as High Steward (civic), High Steward of Ipswich in Suffolk. * 1557-1580: William Cordell, Sir William Cordell * 1581-1590: Francis Walsingham, Sir Francis Walsingham * 1590-1596: Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hun ...

and

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 ...

. The title passed to the 4th Earl's eldest son, Lionel, who became 5th Earl in 1770. The 5th Earl died without issue in 1799 and the title passed to his brother, Wilbraham, former Member of Parliament for Northampton and

Liskeard Liskeard ( ; kw, Lyskerrys) is a small ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, South West England. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) eas ...

, who became the 6th Earl at the age of 60. The Tollemache baronetcy became extinct in 1821 when Wilbraham died leaving no direct descendants. The Scottish titles were inherited by the 5th and 6th Earls' sister, Louisa Tollemache, the 7th Countess, widow of John Manners, then aged 75. On succeeding to the titles Lady Dysart assumed by Royal licence the surname and arms of Tollemache (or Talmash). Louisa's eldest son and heir apparent, William Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower, was created a Baronet, of Hanby Hall in the County of Lincoln, in the

Baronetage of Great Britain 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 ...

in 1793. However, he predeceased his mother and Lady Dysart was succeeded by her grandson, Lionel the 8th Earl (the son of Lord Huntingtower), who had already succeeded his father as 2nd Baronet. Lionel represented

Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a nota ...

in Parliament 1827–30. Lionel's son, William Tollemache, Lord Huntingtower, predeceased him in 1872 and, on his death in 1878, was succeeded by his grandson, William, the 9th Earl,

Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland The ancient position of Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland was abolished on 31 March 1974. Between 1 April 1974 and its reestablishment on 8 April 1997 Rutland came under the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire. Since 1690, all lord-lieutenants have also be ...

. On the death of the 9th Earl the baronetcy and Scottish peerages separated. The baronetcy was inherited by a male heir,

Lyonel Lyonel is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Lyonel Feininger Lyonel Charles Feininger (July 17, 1871January 13, 1956) was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and ...

, (see Tollemache Baronets for later history of this title) while the lordship and earldom passed to his niece Wynefryde Agatha, the 10th Countess (1889–1975). She was the daughter of Agnes Mary Manners Talmash (sister of the 9th Earl) and her husband Charles Norman Lindsay Tollemache Scott. Lady Dysart married Owain Edward Whitehead Greaves and was succeeded in 1975 by their eldest daughter Rosamund Agnes Greaves (1914–2003), the 11th Countess. In 2003 her sister Katherine Grant of Rothiemurchus (1918–2011), the widow of Lieutenant-Colonel John Peter Grant of Rothiemurchus MBE, became the 12th Countess. the titles are held by her only son, the 13th Earl, who succeeded his mother in 2011. The family seat is now The Doune of Rothiemurchus, near

Aviemore Aviemore (; gd, An Aghaidh Mhòr ) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is po ...

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in popula ...

Earls of Dysart (1643/1670)

*1643:

William Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart William Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart (1600? – December, 1655), was the childhood whipping boy of Charles I of England and later, an adviser to the king. Early life Born about 1600, Murray was son of William Murray (1561?–1616), minister of D ...

(c.1600–1655) *1655: Elizabeth Tollemache, 2nd Countess of Dysart (1626–1698) *1698:

Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart (30 January 1649 – 23 February 1727 n.s.), styled Lord Huntingtower from 1651 to 1698, was a British Tory Member of Parliament and nobleman. Dysart was the son of Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet (d.166 ...

(1649–1727) *1727:

(1708–1770) *1770:

Lionel Tollemache, 5th Earl of Dysart Lionel Tollemache, 5th Earl of Dysart (6 August 1734 – 20 February 1799) was a Scottish nobleman, styled Lord Huntingtower from birth until his succession to the Dysart earldom in 1770. Lord Huntingtower received no settlement from his father ...

(1734–1799) *1799:

Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart FRS (21 October 1739 – 9 March 1821), known from 1739 to 1799 as Hon. Wilbraham Tollemache, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1771 to 1784. Tollemache was a younger son of ...

(1739–1821) *1821: Louisa Tollemache, 7th Countess of Dysart (1745–1840) *1840: Lionel William John Tollemache, 8th Earl of Dysart (1794–1878) *1878: William John Manners Tollemache, 9th Earl of Dysart (1859–1935) *1935: Wenefryde Agatha Scott, 10th Countess of Dysart (1889–1975) *1975: Rosamund Agnes Greaves, 11th Countess of Dysart (1914–2003) *2003: Katherine Grant of Rothiemurchus, 12th Countess of Dysart (1918–2011) *2011: John Peter Grant of Rothiemurchus, 13th Earl of Dysart (b. 1946) 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 only son, James Patrick Grant of Rothiemurchus, Lord Huntingtower (b. 1977).
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, John Peter Grant of Rothiemurchus, Master of Huntingtower (b. 2011).

References

Sources

* *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * *

External links