Earl of Lauderdale is a title 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 Unio ...

. The current holder of the title is Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale. The title was created in 1624 for John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane,

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

. The second Earl was created Duke of Lauderdale and by popular naming represented the "L" in the Cabal ministry, an acronym which amounted to the first major, perennial delegation of power from the monarch to a cabinet. When he died without male issue, the dukedom became extinct. The earldom passed to his brother Charles, 3rd Earl. Charles married, in 1652, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Lauder of Haltoun and by this marriage came into that family's great estates. Other titles associated with the earldom are: Viscount of Lauderdale (created 1616), Viscount of Maitland (1624), Lord Maitland of Thirlestane (1590) and Lord Thirlestane and Boulton (1624). All of these titles are in the Peerage of Scotland. The Earl of Lauderdale is the hereditary

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...

of Clan Maitland. The eldest son is the Master of Lauderdale. The title ''Viscount Maitland'' is sometimes used as a courtesy title for the Earl's eldest son and heir. The Earl of Lauderdale, as Bearer for the Sovereign of the Sovereign's National Flag for Scotland, one of the Officers of the Royal Household in Scotland, has the right to bear the

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltatori ...

for the Sovereign. The historical family seat is Thirlestane Castle, near Lauder, in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

home of Captain Gerald Maitland-Carew and his family. He is the eldest son of Lady Sylvia Maitland – who became wife to the 6th Baron Carew – she was the eldest of two children of the 15th Earl of Lauderdale; her brother was killed in action in North Africa, aged 27 and left three daughters. Therefore the earldom passed to a cadet branch and the castle passed down the more direct female line. ;Notable wives and Maitland descendants * Elizabeth Tollemache, Countess of Dysart in her own right was (the second wife of the Duke) saw her titles and her estate of Ham House, Petersham, London (then in Surrey) pass to her son from her own previous marriage. The house is claimed by the National Trust to be "unique in Europe as the most complete survival of 17th century fashion and power." *Lieutenant-Colonel John Maitland (1732-1779) was the tenth son (eighth-surviving childhood) of the sixth Earl, active in the

Battle of Stono Ferry The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by p ...

and

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

. *Lady Olga Maitland (1944-) is the first daughter of the seventeenth Earl and was the MP for Sutton and Cheam for one term of five years from 1992 and is a journalist.

Lords Maitland of Thirlestane (May 1590)

John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane (1537 – 3 October 1595), of Lethington, Knight (1581), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland. Life He was the second son of Sir Richard Maitland of Thirlestane, Berwickshire, and Lethington, Haddi ...

(1537–1595) * John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane (died 1645) (created Earl of Lauderdale in 1624)

Earl of Lauderdale (14 March 1624)

* John Maitland, 1st Earl of Lauderdale (same person as above) (died 1645) * John Maitland, 2nd Earl of Lauderdale (1616–1682), created Duke in 1672

Duke of Lauderdale (1672)

''also created Earl of Guilford and Baron Petersham in the Peerage of England in 1674'' * John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale (same person as above) ''All three titles created for him became extinct upon his death.''

Earl of Lauderdale (1624 - reverted)

Charles Maitland, 3rd Earl of Lauderdale Charles Maitland, 3rd Earl of Lauderdale (c. 1620 – 9 June 1691), was the second son (''The Great Seal of Scotland'' gives him as third son) of John Maitland, 1st Earl of Lauderdale (died 1645). Maitland was born at Lethington. Following the ...

(died 1691); 2nd son of the 1st Earl; brother of the 2nd Earl (1st Duke of Lauderdale) *

Richard Maitland, 4th Earl of Lauderdale Richard Maitland, 4th Earl of Lauderdale (20 June 1653, Haltoun House – 1695, Paris, France) was a Scottish politician. Life He was the eldest son of Charles Maitland, 3rd Earl of Lauderdale, and his spouse Elizabeth Lauder. Before succeeding ...

(died 1695); eldest surviving son of the 3rd Earl * John Lauder or Maitland, 5th Earl of Lauderdale (died 1710); 2nd surviving son of the 3rd Earl ** Hon. James Maitland, Visccount Maitland (c. 1680 – 1709); eldest son of the 5th Earl, died without male issue *

Charles Maitland, 6th Earl of Lauderdale Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

(c. 1688 – 1744); 2nd son of the 5th Earl *

James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale (25 January 1718 – 17 August 1789), and was one of the sixteen representative peers for Scotland in the House of Lords. Life James Maitland was born the eldest son of Charles Maitland, 6th Earl of Lau ...

(1718–1789); eldest son of the 6th Earl ** Hon. Valdave Charles Lauder Maitland, Viscount Maitland (1752–1754); eldest son of the 7th Earl * James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale (1759–1839); eldest surviving son of the 7th Earl *

James Maitland, 9th Earl of Lauderdale James Maitland, 9th Earl of Lauderdale (12 May 1784 – 22 August 1860), styled Viscount Maitland between 1789 and 1839, was a British peer and Whig politician. Background and education Lauderdale was the son of James Maitland, 8th Earl of Laude ...

(1784–1860); eldest son of the 8th Earl * Anthony Maitland, 10th Earl of Lauderdale (1785–1863); 2nd son of the 8th Earl ** Col. Hon. John Maitland (1789–1839); 3rd son of the 8th Earl, died without issue ** Hon. Charles James Fox Maitland (1793–1817); 4th and youngest son of the 8th Earl ** Lt. Gen. Rt Hon Sir Thomas Maitland (died 1824); 3rd son of the 7th Earl ** Gen. Hon William Mordaunt Maitland (1841); 4th and youngest son of the 7th Earl *

Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale Admiral of the Fleet Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale, (3 February 1803 – 1 September 1878) was a Royal Navy officer and peer. As a junior officer he saw action supporting the blockade of Algiers by Greek revolutionaries in July 1824 ...

(1803–1878); only son of Gen. Hon. William Mordaunt Maitland, grandson of the 7th Earl; cousin of the 10th Earl ** Hon. Charles Maitland later Barclay-Maitland (died 1795); 2nd son of the 6th Earl ** Charles Barclay-Maitland of Tillcoutry (died 1818); son of Hon. Charles Barclay-Maitland ** Rev. Charles Barclay-Maitland (1789–1844); son of Charles Barclay-Maitland * Charles Barclay-Maitland, 12th Earl of Lauderdale (1822–1884); son of Rev. Charles Barclay-Maitland, great-great-grandson of the 6th Earl; second cousin once removed of the 11th Earl ** Alexander Barclay-Maitland (died 1794); youngest brother of Charles Barclay-Maitland of Tillcoutry ** Col. Hon. Richard Maitland (1724–1772); 3rd son of the 6th Earl ** Capt. Richard Maitland (1768–1802); eldest son of Col. Hon. Richard Maitland; died without issue ** Patrick Maitland of Kilmaron Castle (1770–1821); 2nd son of Col. Hon. Richard Maitland ** Maj. Gen. Frederick Colthurst Maitland (1808–1876); son of Patrick Maitland * Frederick Henry Maitland, 13th Earl of Lauderdale (1840–1924); son of Maj. Gen. Frederick Colthurst Maitland, great-great grandson of the 6th Earl; 3rd cousin of the 12th Earl * Frederick Colin Maitland, 14th Earl of Lauderdale (1868–1931); eldest son of the 13th Earl * Ian Colin Maitland, 15th Earl of Lauderdale (1891–1953); eldest son of the 14th Earl ** Hon. Ivor Colin James Maitland, Viscount Maitland (1915–1943), only son of the 15th Earl, killed in action in World War II at Africa, died without male issue ** Rev. Hon. Sydney George William Maitland (1869–1946); 2nd son of the 13th Earl * Alfred Sydney Frederick Maitland, 16th Earl of Lauderdale (1904–1968); eldest son of Rev. Hon. Sydney George William Maitland; grandson of the 13th Earl. Maitland died under mysterious circumstances; three days after he disappeared on 24 November 1968 his body washed up on a beach at

Angmering Angmering is a village and civil parish between Littlehampton and Worthing in West Sussex on the southern edge of the South Downs National Park, England; about two-thirds of the parish (mostly north of the A27 road) fall within the Park. It is ...

in Sussex, England
"Scotland's Flag Bearer Found Dead"
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', 29 November 1968, p2 * Patrick Francis Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale (1911–2008); 2nd son of Rev. Hon. Sydney George William Maitland; grandson of the 13th Earl; brother of the 16th Earl * Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale (b. 1937); eldest son of the 17th Earl 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 son John Douglas Maitland, Viscount Maitland (b. 1965)
The heir apparent's

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

is his uncle Rev. Hon. Sydney Milivoje Maitland (b. 1951)
Next in line is the present holder's sixth cousin twice removed Charles Alexander Maitland, the presumed 10th Baronet (b. 1986)

Arms

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lauderdale Earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland Noble titles created in 1624 *