Sir George William Abercromby of Birkenbog, 8th Baronet DSO (18 March 1886 – 9 September 1964) was a Scottish

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and landowner, who served as

Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, Scotland. *James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife 17 March 1794 – 24 January 1809 *''In commission'' 1809–1813 **Sir George Abercromby, 4th Baron Abercromby **Francis Garden Cam ...

between 1946 and 1964.

Background

The Abercromby baronets descend from Humphrey Abercromby of Pitmedden (died circa 1457) and the title was created in the

Baronetage of Nova Scotia Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

on 20 February 1636. Abercromby was born in 1886, the elder son of Sir Robert Abercromby, 7th Baronet and his wife Florence, daughter of Eyre Coote. His father died in 1895 at which time he succeeded to the baronetcy, aged only nine. His mother subsequently married in 1899,

Francis Baring, 2nd Earl of Northbrook Francis George Baring, 2nd Earl of Northbrook (8 December 1850 – 12 April 1929), styled Viscount Baring from 1876 to 1904, was a British politician. Early life Northbrook was the eldest and only surviving son of Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of No ...

. Abercromby was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. His extensive estate was situated principally around the town of

Turriff Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is deriv ...

with the family seat being

Forglen House Forglen House is a mansion house that forms the centrepiece of the Forglen estate in the parish of Forglen, north-west of Turriff, Aberdeenshire, in the north-east of Scotland. The lands were given to the abbots of the Abbey of Arbroath by Ki ...

, a property which had been inherited by the Abercromby family from William Ogilvy, 8th Lord Banff.

Career

Abercromby was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant into the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

in 1906.Dod (1915), p. 40 Three years later, he was promoted to lieutenant in the 6th Battalion

Gordon Highlanders The Gordon Highlanders was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed for 113 years, from 1881 until 1994, when it was amalgamated with The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) to form The Highlanders (Seaforth, Go ...

and afterwards served as aide-de-camp to the Sir Neville Lyttelton in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of Ireland. He became captain in 1914 and was later advanced to lieutenant-colonel and brevet-colonel commanding the 6th Battalion of his regiment. Abercromby saw service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was mentioned in despatches. In 1917, he was decorated with the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

. After his retirement he was appointed honorary colonel of his former Battalion in 1931. Abercromby was nominated Deputy Lieutenant for Banffshire in 1928 and subsequently was appointed Vice Lieutenant. He sat in the Banff County Council for many years and was sometime its convener. In 1946, he succeeded James Archibald as

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

and held this post a few months before his death.

Family

Abercromby married on 17 January 1935, Eleanor, only daughter of Sir Arthur Robert Anderson. The couple had no children and when Abercromby died in 1964, he was succeeded as baronet by his younger brother Robert.Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 1999. London: Burke, 1999.

Notes

References

External links

Forglen Lodge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abercromby, George William 1886 births 1964 deaths Nobility from Aberdeenshire Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Lord-lieutenants of Banffshire People educated at Eton College 20th-century Scottish landowners Scots Guards officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Gordon Highlanders officers British Army personnel of World War I

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

20th-century Scottish businesspeople