Lords Ogilvy of Airlie (1491)
1st Lord Ogilvy, James Ogilvy, b.c.1430, a.1491, d.1504
The family of Ogilvy probably originated as a branch of the mormaers of
Angus, descending from Gilbert, third son of Gilchrist, 1st Earl of Angus, and took their surname name from lands of Ogilvy
near Glamis in Forfarshire. The cadet branch obtained the lands of Wester
Powrie and later of Auchterhouse. Sir Walter Ogilvy (b.c.1360, d.1392) obtained
the hereditary Sheriffdom of Forfarshire in 1365. His first son Sir Alexander
Ogilvy of Auchterhouse (b.?, d.1371), was the ancestor of Patrick Ogilvy, 2nd
Earl of Findlater, while his second son Sir Walter
Ogilvy of Lintrathen (b.b.1391, d.1440) was Lord High Treasurer of Scotland from
1425 to 1431, and built a castle at Airlie in Forfarshire. Sir Walter’s first
son, Sir John Ogilvy of Lintrathen (b.b.1414, d.c.1484) married Margaret Seton,
daughter of George Seton, 3rd Lord Seton (for whom see the earls of Winton) and widow of Thomas Dunbar, 3rd Earl
of Moray, and their son was raised to the peerage as 1st
Lord Ogilvy of Airlie, having been Ambassador to Denmark in 1491.
2nd Lord Ogilvy, John Ogilvy, b.b.1462,
a.1504, d.b.1505-1506
Son of the 1st Lord and his first wife Elizabeth Kennedy
(b.b.1440, d.?).
3rd Lord Ogilvy, James Ogilvy, b.b.1489,
a.c.1506, d.1513-1524
Son of the 2nd Lord and Jean Graham, daughter of William
Graham, 2nd Lord Graham (from whom see the earls of Montrose).
4th Lord Ogilvy, James Ogilvy, b.b.1505,
a.c.1524, d.1547-1548
Son of the 3rd Lord and Isobel Lindsay, daughter of Sir
Alexander Lindsay, 7th Earl of Crawford. He
was made an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 1542.
5th Lord Ogilvy, James Ogilvy, b.c.1541,
a.c.1548, d.1606
Grandson of the 4th Lord and Helen Sinclair (b.?,
d.1552-1562), daughter of Henry Sinclair, 3rd Lord St Clair, and son of James Ogilvy (b.b.1525, d.1547),
who died at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, and Katherine Campbell (b.?, d.1578),
a grand-daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll. He was a supporter of Queen Mary, and was imprisoned
after her escape from Lochleven until King James VI came of age. He served as
Envoy to Denmark in 1596.
6th Lord Ogilvy, James Ogilvy, b.b.1571,
a.1606, d.1616-1618
Son of the 5th Lord and Jean Forbes, daughter of William
Forbes, 7th Lord Forbes.
7th Lord Ogilvy, James Ogilvy, b.1586,
a.c.1618, d.1664-1665
Son of the 6th Lord and Lady Jean Ruthven (b.?, d.1611-1612),
daughter of William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie.
He was created 1st Earl of Airlie in 1639 and 1st Lord
Ogilvy of Alith & Lintrathen. He was a Royalist and supporter of James
Graham, 5th Marquess of Montrose. In
1640, his lands and castles were destroyed by the ruthless purge of Royalists
conducted by Archibald Campbell, 8th Earl of Argyll,
but he continued to fight against the Covenanters, joining Montrose in burning
down Argyll’s own Castle Campbell at Dollar, which remains a ruin. on the
winning side at the Battle of Kilsyth, but ultimately taken prisoner and
sentenced to death after the Battle of Philiphaugh. He escaped and was later
pardoned, and fought with the Scots against Cromwell, only to be imprisoned
again, this time in the Tower of London, until the Restoration.
Earls of Airlie (1639)
1st Earl of Airlie, James Ogilvy, b.1586,
a.1639, d.1664-1665
During his time fighting against the Covenanters, he was excommunicated
and his title briefly forfeit.
2nd Earl of Airlie, James Ogilvy, b.c.1615,
a.c.1665, d.1703
Son of the 1st Earl and Lady Isabel Hamilton (b.1595-1596,
d.a.1665), daughter of Sir Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington. As with his father, he was a follower of
King Charles I against the Covenanters, serving under Montrose. He was captured
at the Battle of Philiphaugh and sentenced to death at St Andrews, only to
escape after having exchanged clothing with his sister. He was also held
prisoner in the Tower of London for fighting against Cromwell. After the
Restoration he was made a Privy Counsellor.
3rd Earl of Airlie, David Ogilvy, b.b.1663,
a.1704, d.1717
Son of the 2nd Earl and Helen Ogilvy (b.?, d.a.1663-1664),
daughter of Sir George Ogilvy, 1st Lord Banff.
4th Earl of Airlie, James Ogilvy, b.b.1699,
a.?, d.1730-1731
Son of the 3rd Earl and Lady Grizel Lyon, daughter of Patrick
Lyon, 3rd Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne.
He took part in the Earl of Mar’s Jacobite rising in 1715, and was attainted,
so that he could not inherit his father’s title, which then passed to his
younger brother, although he was pardoned in 1725. Ultimately, in 1826, the
attainder was reversed, allowing him to be listed as one of the holders of the
title.
5th Earl of Airlie, John Ogilvy, b.1699,
a.1731, d.1761
Younger brother of the 4th Earl. He inherited the title as
his elder brother was denied that right by attainder, but no sequence number
was attached.
6th Earl of Airlie, David Ogilvy, b.1725,
a.?, d.1803
Son of the 5th Earl and Margaret Ogilvy (a distant cousin).
Another avowed Jacobite, he joined Prince Charles Edward Stewart in 1745 and
was attainted. After Culloden he escaped via Scandinavia to France and served
in the French army, reaching the rank of Lieutenant-General. He was pardoned in
1778 and returned to Scotland in 1783. Although styled Earl of Airlie, he was
not empowered to assume his honours and was not given any sequence number.
7th Earl of Airlie, David Ogilvy, b.1751,
a.?, d.1812
Son of the 6th Earl and Margaret Johnstone (b.1724, d.1757),
daughter of Sir James Johnstone, 3rd Baronet Johnstone of
Westerhall. He was mad and died unmarried, and was succeeded by his uncle.
8th Earl of Airlie, Walter Ogilvy, b.1733,
a.1812, d.1819
Younger brother of the 6th Earl, again holding the title
without sequence number. He claimed the family honours, arguing that the
attainders of his brother and uncle were both obtained prior to their accession
and thus should not affect his rights. However the House of Lords was reluctant
to proceed.
9th (4th) Earl of Airlie, David
Ogilvy, b.1785, a.1819, d.1849
Son of the 8th Earl and Jean Ogilvy (b.?, d.1818). Although
he was styled Earl of Airlie in 1819 upon the death of his father, it was not
until 1826 that full honours were restored by Act of Parliament, whereupon he
was officially recognised as 4th Earl. He reached the rank of
Captain in the 42nd Highlanders, took his place as a Representative
Peer from 1833 to 1849 and was Lord-Lieutenant of Forfarshire from 1828 to
1849.
10th (5th) Earl of Airlie, David
Graham Drummond Ogilvy, b.1826, a.1849, d.1881
Son of the 9th Earl and Clementina Drummond (b.?, d.1835).
Educated at Christ Church College Oxford, he was a Representative Peer from
1850 to 1881. He served as a Captain in the Forfarshire Yeomanry Cavalry and
the 12th Forfarshire Rifle Volunteers from 1856 and was invested as
a Knight of the Thistle in 1862. He was also High Commissioner to the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1872 to 1873.
11th (6th) Earl of Airlie, David
Stanley William Ogilvy, b.1856, a.1881. d.1900
Son of the 10th Earl and the Honorable Henrietta Blanche
Stanley, daughter of Edward John Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of
Alderley, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was educated at Eton and
then Balliol College Oxford before seeing active service with several different
regiments and in several different fields of war, including the Second Afghan
War, Sudan and Egypt, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. He returned to Scotland
and served as a Representative Peer from 1885 to 1900. He reached the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel in the 12th Lancers in 1897. He died in action in
South Africa during the Second Boer War.
12th (7th) Earl of Airlie, David
Lyulph Gore Wolseley Ogilvy, b.1893, a.1900, d.1968
Son of the 11th Earl and Lady Mabell Frances Elizabeth Gore,
daughter of the 5th Earl of Arran and the Arrans Islands (a title
from the Peerage of Ireland). He was a highly decorated soldier, obtaining the
Military Cross during the First World War. He later reached the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel in the Scots Guards. He was a Representative Peer from 1922
to 1963 and he served as Lord-Lieutenant of Angus from 1936 to 1967. He was
appointed as Lord Chamberlain in 1937 and was made a Knight Grand Cross of the
Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1938. He was invested as a Knight of the
Thistle in 1942, being Chancellor of that Order from 1956 to 1966.
13th (8th) Earl of Airlie, David
George Patrick Coke Ogilvy, b.1926, a.1968
Son of the 12th Earl and Lady Alexandra Marie Bridget Coke,
daughter of Thomas William Coke, 3rd Earl of Leicester. He was born
in London and educated at Eton. He fought in the Second World War, reaching the
rank of Captain in the Scots Guards. He moved into merchant banking in 1953,
joining Henry Schoder Wagg & Co, and subsequently served a director from
1961, and Chairman from 1973, overseeing its transition to Schroders plc in
1977. He left Schroders in 1984 to become Lord Chamberlain and a Privy
Counsellor. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in
1984 and was Chancellor of that Order from 1984 to 1987. He was invested as a
Knight of the Thistle in 1985, and has been the incumbent Chancellor of the
Order of the Thistle since 2007. He served as Chairman of General Accident from
1987 to 1997. He has also been Lord-Lieutenant of Angus from 1989 and in 2004
he became Captain-General of the Royal Company of Archers. As well as being 8th
Earl of Airlie, he is also 14th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie and 8th
Lord Ogilvy of Alith and Lintrathen.
The courtesy title of the heir is Lord Ogilvy.
(Last updated: 28/02/2012)