James Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose (April 16827 January 1742) was a Scottish

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

statesman in the early eighteenth century.

Life

The mausoleum of James Graham, Duke of Montrose, Aberuthven

He was the only son of James Graham, 3rd Marquess of Montrose and Lady Christian Leslie. On 31 March 1702 he married Christian Carnegie, daughter of

David Carnegie, 3rd Earl of Northesk David Carnegie, 3rd Earl of Northesk (November 1643 – 3 October 1688) was a Scottish aristocrat and landowner. Early life Carnegie was born in November 1643. He was the son of David Carnegie, 2nd Earl of Northesk and Lady Jean Maule. His young ...

. Together they had several sons, including William Graham and

Lord George Graham Lord George Graham (26 September 1715 – 2 January 1747) was a Scottish officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the War of the Austrian Succession. He embarked on a political career, and was a Member of Parliament. Graham was born int ...

. Originally the fourth Marquess of Montrose, James was elevated to a

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

dom in 1707, as a reward for his important support of the Act of Union, whilst being Lord President of the

Scottish Privy Council The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of ...

. He was

Lord High Admiral of Scotland The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the Great Officers of State of the Kingdom of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707. The office was one of considerable power, also known as ''Royal Scottish Admiralty'', including command ...

from 1705 to 1706. He was

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 1709 to 1713 and served as

Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland The Great Seal of Scotland ( gd, Seala Mòr na h-Alba) is a principal national symbol of Scotland that allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix ...

from 1716 to 1733. He was also a Lord of the Regency for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

in 1714, upon the death of Queen Anne. Furthermore, he served briefly as Secretary of State for Scotland at the time of the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

ministry of Lord Townshend. In 1719 he was one of the main subscribers to the

Royal Academy of Music (1719) The Royal Academy of Music was a company founded in February 1719, during George Frideric Handel's residence at Cannons, by a group of aristocrats to secure themselves a constant supply of opera seria. It is not connected to the London con ...

, a corporation that produced

baroque opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a ...

on the stage. He served as a Governor of London's Foundling Hospital at the time of its foundation in 1739. For much of his adult life he was Chancellor of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. Apart from his political career, he was a primary creditor of

Robert Roy MacGregor Robert Roy MacGregor ( gd, Raibeart Ruadh MacGriogair; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero. Early life Rob Roy was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, a ...

, who blamed the Duke for his financial ruin; MacGregor then carried out a feud with Graham for some years. Montrose was responsible for corruption charges, earning himself unpopularity through the famous Jacobite. On his death Graham was buried at

Aberuthven Aberuthven (; Gaelic: ''Obar Ruadhainn'') is a small village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies approximately northeast of Auchterarder and southwest of Perth at an elevation of . It lies on the A824 road, formerly the A9, having been ...

. The grave is within Montrose Mausoleum.

Issue

* James Graham, Lord Graham (7 April 1703–2 March 1704) * David Graham, 1st Earl Graham (8 June 1705–30 September 1731) * Lord Christian Graham (29 Oct 1706–30 May 1711)James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1904), volume VI, page 265. * Lady Elizabeth Graham (23 April 1708–17 February 1711)James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1904), volume VI, page 266. * Lord John Graham (9 April 1709–19 March 1710) * Lord James Graham (26 March 1710–3 April 1711) * Lord Thomas Graham (7 March 1711–27 December 1711) *

William Graham, 2nd Duke of Montrose William Graham, 2nd Duke of Montrose by Pietro Longhi William Graham, 2nd Duke of Montrose (27 August 1712 – 23 September 1790) was the son of James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose, and his wife, Christian Carnegie. He married Lady Lucy Manner ...

(27 Aug 1712–23 September 1790) * Lady Margaret Graham (5 June 1714–1 April 1729) * Captain

(26 September 1715–2 January 1747)

In popular culture

Harold French Harold French (23 April 1897 – 19 October 1997) was an English film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography After training at the Italia Conti School, he made his acting debut age 12, in a production of ''The Winter's Tale''. As an ...

's ''

Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue ''Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue'' is a 1953 adventure film produced by RKO-Walt Disney British Productions which is about Rob Roy MacGregor. It was the last Disney film released through RKO Radio Pictures. Plot The film begins in the early 18th ...

'', Graham is played by

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...

. In

Michael Caton-Jones Michael Caton-Jones (born Michael Jones; 15 October 1957) is a Scottish director and producer of film and television. His credits include the World War II film '' Memphis Belle'' (1990), the romantic comedy '' Doc Hollywood'' (1991), the biog ...

's '' Rob Roy'', Graham is played by

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

. In this depiction he is referred to as 'Marquess of Montrose' despite his title being raised to a dukedom in 1707.

Ancestry

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montrose, James Graham, 1st Duke of 1682 births 1742 deaths Keepers of the Great Seal of Scotland

201 Year 201 ( CCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Fabianus and Arrius (or, less frequently, year 954 ''Ab urbe condit ...

Secretaries of State for Scotland Presidents of the Privy Council of Scotland Scottish representative peers Chancellors of the University of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal Society Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland 17th-century Scottish peers