Buchan began as one of the ancient Scottish mormaerships, geographically
based in north-east Aberdeenshire and developing from the original Pictish
kingdom of Ce. Though the modern administrative district called Buchan is
relatively small, the earldom covered a much larger area, stretching on the
north side of the River Don into Banffshire as far as the River Deveron, and
south to the Garioch. The first name mentioned as mormaer was Donald, son of Ruadri,
during the reign of Malcolm II, followed by Donald, son of Dubhacan, and then
his brother Cainnech.
Earls of Buchan (c.1115)
1st Earl of Buchan, Gartnait, b.?, a.?, d.?
Gartnait is the first person clearly identified as being earl, perhaps a
belated recognition of his position by the lowland King. He was probably the
son of Cainnech, or Kenneth, the previous mormaer.
2nd Earl of Buchan, Colban, b.?, a.?, d.?
Colban was the husband of Gartnait’s daughter Eva, her mother probably
Ete, daughter of Gille Michael, Mormaer of Fife, and
Colban himself may well have come from the same Fife family. Colban was with
King William I in an invasion of England in 1174.
3rd Earl of Buchan, Roger, b.?, a.?, d.?
Son of Colban and Eva. Nothing is known about him.
4th Earl of Buchan, Fergus, b.?, a.?,
d.c.1214
Son of Roger. Having no sons, he married his only daughter, Margaret, to
William Comyn, who held the position de uxoris.
5th Earl of Buchan, William Comyn,
b.b.1177, a.1209-1212, d.1233
William Comyn was the son of Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian and
Lord of Tynedale, a Norman knight brought to Scotland by King David I. He was
an highly regarded nobleman, and held important positions during the reign of
William I. He spent a considerable period quelling the clans in the north of
Scotland, and also acted as an emissary to King John of England. He was Sheriff
of Forfar from 1195 to 1211 and then served as Justiciar of Scotland from 1205
to his death. In 1229, in return for defeating the MacWilliam threat, he was
given the Lordship of Badenoch, which later passed to Walter Comyn (b.?,
d.1258), his son by his first wife Sarah fitzHugh. Walter was also a major
political figure of the time, ruling the country during the minority of King
Alexander III along with Alan Durward. He married Isabella, Countess of Menteith, and became Earl of Menteith de uxoris, but
died unexpectedly with no surviving sons. Isabella was removed as Countess by her
younger sister Mary, and her husband Walter Stewart. William Comyn married
secondly Margaret, Countess of Buchan, making him earl de uxoris, the first man
of Norman descent to reach this rank, and by whom he had another large family,
including his successor as earl.
6th Earl of Buchan, Alexander Comyn,
b.c.1217, a.1233, d.1289
Son of Margaret, Countess of Buchan, and Alexander Comyn, Earl of
Buchan. A major figure like his father, he held the post of Justiciar of
Scotland from 1258 to his death, High Constable of Scotland from 1275, and he
became one of the Guardians of the kingdom following the crisis of Alexander
III’s death in 1286.
7th Earl of Buchan, John Comyn, b.c.1259,
a.1290, d.1308
Son of the 6th Earl and Elizabeth de Quincy (b.b.1244, d.a.1282),
daughter of Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester. John Comyn was
a prominent player in the upheavals of the time, being cousin to another John
Comyn, the Red Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, who was one of the Competitors for the
throne after the death of the Maid of Norway. The family, however, threw their
support behind John Balliol, Badenoch’s brother-in-law, and Buchan became
Constable of Scotland in the new regime. When Balliol agreed to help King
Edward I of England invade France, Buchan was among those nobles who disagreed
and took over the running of the country, negotiating with France against
England. He was part of a Scottish army that tried to seize Carlisle, but was
repulsed by Robert Bruce, 4th Earl of Carrick,
son of another of the Competitors. Buchan eventually surrendered to Edward
after the Battle of Dunbar, but was released in order to try and quell the
uprising in Moray, a province adjoining Buchan’s own. However, Buchan was
related by marriage to Andrew Moray, the leader of the rebel forces, and
managed to give active support to the rebellion while still claiming loyalty to
the English, and provided substantial aid in bringing the forces together that
won the Battle of Stirling Bridge, although he was not present there himself.
After the battle, his position was overshadowed by Wallace, and then by Bruce
and the Red Comyn, who became Joint Guardians of the realm. However, he was
heavily occupied in various tasks about the kingdom, being Justiciar of the
North, and representing Scotland at the French Court. In 1303, Edward launched
another serious invasion into Scotland, pushing north of the Forth and placing
the Comyn estates in danger, leaving them no option but to negotiate for peace.
Edward looked favourably on the Comyn as he could hardly hold Scotland without
local help. The Comyn, for their part, were also happy to bide their time in
the hope of the eventual return to Scotland of the rightful King. However, this
began to look increasingly unlikely, and it again came down to a straight
political contest between the Red Comyn, a former Balliol supporter and next
best candidate, against Robert Bruce. In the end, Bruce had the Red Comyn
murdered, a cold-blooded act, but seen as necessary for a break in the
deadlock. With Bruce managing to get himself crowned at Scone by Isabella,
sister to the absent Duncan, 8th Earl of Fife,
and Buchan’s wife, no less, Buchan had no choice but to oppose him, which meant
throwing in his lot with the English. However, with Edward’s death in 1307, his
son and successor pulled back his troops in order to consolidate at home,
leaving Bruce to campaign against Buchan without having to keep an eye on the
border. Buchan’s army was destroyed at the Battle of Inverurie, and his estates
in Buchan subject to deliberate devastation to ensure that no reprisals could
take place. Buchan fled to England, being well received at court, but died soon
after, his Scottish titles forfeit. His niece, Alicia Comyn, married Henry
Beaumont, a French knight fighting on the English side, and who made claim to
the earldom on his wife’s behalf, though of course not recognised in Scotland.
Earls of Buchan (1382)
1st Earl of Buchan, Alexander Stewart,
b.1343, a.1374, d.1405
Fourth son of King Robert II of Scotland and his first wife Elizabeth
Mure. He was presented with the extensive Lordship of Badenoch in 1371, which
his father had obtained from his second wife, Euphemia, Countess of Moray, and added to this by obtaining the neighbouring
estates of Strathavon. Having control over such wide areas, he was given the
Lord Lieutenancy over them, and also crown jurisdiction over this and further
lands as Justiciar of the North. In 1375, Alexander de l’Arde, claimant for and
possessor of the lands of the earldom of Caithness, resigned his lands, and
Alexander Stewart took control of these on behalf of the crown. In 1382 he
added enormously to the lands under his direct control by marrying Euphemia,
Countess of Ross, including the barony of King Edward in
Buchan, and he was created 1st Earl of Buchan shortly afterwards.
This level of power, backed up by use of local highland clans to enforce his
jurisdiction, caused resentment amongst the other landowners in the area,
including the Bishop of Moray, who had long been used to substantial
independence in the running of his estates as holder in respect of the crown.
After the bishop’s protest of this right, Buchan’s ownership of church lands
was rescinded, though he continued to occupy them. By this time, Buchan had
become known as the Wolf of Badenoch, a very unflattering reference to his
aggressive activities. By 1384 the King’s poor handling of the realm encouraged
his eldest son, and Buchan’s older brother, John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, who tried to take a stronger line. However,
Buchan continued to expand his territories, taking the lands of Urquhart after
the death of his half-brother David Stewart. In 1388, John of Carrick having
failed as Guardian for his father, was replaced by Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife, another of older brother of Buchan, the new power
behind the throne. Buchan was removed as Justiciar of the North in favour of
Murdoch, Robert Stewart’s eldest son, in an attempt to defuse local tension and
remove some of Alexander’s powerbase. As part of this, Buchan was instructed by
the Bishops of Moray and of Ross to return to his wife, whom he had deserted
for his lover. When he failed to do this, the bishops aided Euphemia in her
divorce proceedings with the papal court. The marriage was eventually annulled
in 1392 and Buchan lost the lands of the earldom of Ross. At the height of the
unrest in 1390, Robert II died, and in order to re-establish his pre-eminence
in the North and in reprisal against Moray, he burned the royal burgh of
Forres, and then a large part of Elgin, including the cathedral. He was
excommunicated for this, and had to plead forgiveness in a Church council
attended by the new King. From then on, he kept a low profile, although his
sons continued to cause problems, and three of them were imprisoned in Stirling
Castle from 1396 to 1402 for their trouble. In his later years he seems to have
deserted the Highlands, a combination of being kept under control by his older
brothers and a loss of reputation amongst the clans forcing him into accept
lesser positions, and his lasting legacy is ignominious.
2nd Earl of Buchan, Robert Stewart,
b.c.1340, a.1394, d.1420
Older brother of the 1st Earl, and the real power behind the
throne of Robert III. Primarily known as the 1st Duke of Albany, a title he already held, he obtained this earldom
on the ex-communication of his brother, and retained it for his own son.
3rd Earl of Buchan, John Stewart, b.c.1381,
a.1406, d.1424
Son of the 2nd Earl and his second wife Muriel Keith
(b.b.1366, d.1449). He succeeded to the title on his father’s resignation to
become Regent. He led the Scottish contingent of 6,000 troops that in 1419 went
to the aid of King Charles VII of France during the Hundred Years War, and led
the combined Scottish and French forces to success at the Battle of Bauge, the
English losing Thomas, Duke of Clarence, Henry V’s brother, in the process. In
the summer of 1423, however, Buchan’s army was well defeated, with substantial
losses, at the Battle of Cravant, against English and Burgundian forces led by
Thomas Montague, 4th Earl of Salisbury, and Buchan was captured
along with the French Comte de Vendome. Fortunate not to be executed as a
Scottish prisoner-of-war, he was eventually released in an exchange of
prisoners and was then appointed Constable of France, in effect
Commander-in-Chief of the French armies. He returned to Scotland to raise
additional manpower and returned along with Archibald Douglas, 4th
Earl of Douglas, at the head of a large Douglas
contingent. In August, the combined Scots and French army captured the town of
Verneuil in Normandy. This forced the Duke of Bedford, the English commander in
France, to bring his own army south. Unwilling to retreat, the Scots persuaded
the French commanders to make a stand and the two armies clashed on the
afternoon of 15th August 1424. After breaking the French infantry,
the English succeeded in encircling the Scots, who battled on despite
overwhelming odds and were completely annihilated, Douglas and Buchan included.
He had previously married Lady Elizabeth Douglas (b.1385-1401, d.c.1451),
daughter of Douglas, and their daughter Margaret Douglas married George Seton,
1st Lord Seton (for whom see the earls of Winton).
4th Earl of Buchan, Murdoch Stewart,
b.1362, a.1420, d.1425
Older brother of the 3rd Earl. He was already 2nd
Duke of Albany and 2nd Earl of Fife, and the Buchan title reverted to him on the death of
his younger brother. As is reported more extensively elsewhere, he was
forfeited, attainted and executed the following year.
Earls of Buchan (1444)
1st Earl (Countess) of Buchan, Mary
Stewart, b.b.1428, a.1444, d.1465
Daughter of James Stewart, James I of Scotland and Lady Joan Beaufort
(b.b.1407, d.1445), daughter of Sir John Beaufort, 1st Earl of
Somerset. She married Wolfert VI van Borselen, son of Hendrick van Borselen,
Count of Grandpre, a deliberate attempt to stimulate commerce between Scotland
and the Low Countries. She had no surviving children and the title was later
resurrected for her half-brother.
Earls of Buchan (1469)
1st Earl of Buchan, James Stewart,
b.b.1445, a.1469, d.1499
Son of Lady Joan Beaufort, widow of James I of Scotland, and Sir James
Stewart of Lorn (b.b.1421, d.c.1448) and so younger half-brother of King James
II. He was also younger full brother of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl. In 1467 he was granted the estates of Strathalva
and Down, which included Banff Castle and the River Deveron, and in 1469 he was
created 1st Earl of Buchan and 1st Lord Auchterhouse. He
later purchased the Traquair estate, which later passed to a younger son, from
whom derive the earls of Traquair. A loyal supporter
of the King against various conspiracies, he was High Chamberlain from 1471 to
1473 and from 1478 to 1484. He led a Royal army against a revolt of the
southern nobles in 1488 and negotiated a temporary peace, following which the
King disbanded his troops, with Buchan retiring northwards. When the rebellious
lords refused to disperse, the King hastily mustered another army to take and
hold Stirling, only to find the gates to the castle closed against him. His
small force was overcome by superior numbers nearby at the Battle of
Sauchieburn, and the King was killed. Buchan submitted himself to Parliament
after battle and was pardoned.
2nd Earl of Buchan, Alexander Stewart,
b.b.1481, c.1499, d.1505
Son of the 1st Earl and Margaret Ogilvy (b.b.1445, d.?),
daughter of Sir Archibald Ogilvy of Auchterhouse.
3rd Earl of Buchan, John Stewart, b.c.1498,
a.1505, d.1551
Son of the 2nd Earl and his second wife Margaret Ruthven (b.b.1481,
d.1548), daughter of William Ruthven, 1st Lord Ruthven (for whom see
the earls of Gowrie). His sons died before him so the
earldom devolved to his grand-daughter.
4th Earl (Countess) of Buchan, Christina
Stewart, b.1547-1548, a.1551, d.1580
Granddaughter of the 3rd Earl and Margaret Scrymgeour, and
daughter of John Stewart, Master of Buchan (b.b.1531, d.1547) and Margaret
Ogilvy. She succeeded to the title as an infant and came under the care of
Margaret Erskine, wife of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven. A marriage was
arranged with James Stewart, later to become 1st Earl of Moray, son of James V and said Margaret Erskine, but he
had other ideas and so she was married off to her foster-brother Robert Douglas
(b.b.1547, d.1580) in 1552. He became the 4th Earl of Buchan in his
wife’s right (de uxoris), and played a prominent role during the political
turmoil of the time, a supporter of the above mentioned Regent Moray against
Mary, Queen of Scots, and one of a group of four lords who governed the country
after Moray’s assassination in 1570.
5th Earl of Buchan, James Douglas,
b.c.1580, a.1580, d.1601
Son of the 4th Earl and Countess.
6th Earl (Countess) of Buchan, Mary
Douglas, b.b.1601, a.1601, d.1628
Daughter of the 5th Earl and Margaret Ogilvy (b.b.1583,
d.c.1613-1614), daughter of Walter Ogilvy, 1st Lord Ogilvy of
Deskford (for whom see the earls of Findlater). She
married James Erskine (b.b.1607, d.1639-1640), son of Sir John Erskine, 2nd
Earl of Mar and his second wife Lady Mary Stewart
(b.b.1582, d.1644), daughter of Esme Stuart, 1st Duke of Lennox. In 1617, she obtained a charter giving them both
title to the earldom, and he became the 6th Earl de facto on
outliving his wife. He spent most of his life in England as Lord of the
Bedchamber to Charles I.
7th Earl of Buchan, James Erskine,
b.b.1628, a.1640, d.1664
Son of the 6th Earl and Countess. He succeeded to the title
on the death of his father.
8th Earl of Buchan, William Erskine,
b.b.1664, a.1664, d.1695
Son of the 7th Earl and Lady Marjory Ramsay, daughter of
William Ramsay, 1st Earl of Dalhousie. At the Revolution he supported James VII and
was captured and imprisoned in Stirling Castle. He was never brought to trial
but never released, and he died in captivity. When he died, the earldom
transferred to a descendant of the 6th Earl’s younger brother.
Lords Cardross (1610)
1st Lord Cardross, John Erskine, b.1562,
a.1610, d.1634
John Erskine, 18th and 2nd Earl of Mar, was created 1st Lord Cardross in 1610, with
remainder to heirs male and assignees whatsoever. This allowed him to nominate
his second son Henry Erskine by his second wife as heir to this title, and
afterwards his heir-male. Henry was the younger brother of John Erskine, 3rd
Earl of Mar and James Erskine, de uxoris 6th Earl of Buchan.
2nd Lord Cardross, David Erskine,
b.1626-1627, a.1634, d.1671
Grandson of the 1st Lord and Lady Mary Stewart (b.?, d.1644),
daughter of Esme Stuart, 1st Duke of Lennox,
and son of Henry Erskine, Master of Cardross (b.?, d.1628) and Margaret
Bellenden (b.?, d.1639-1640), sister of Sir William Bellenden, 1st
Lord Bellenden of Broughton (for whom see the earls of Roxburghe).
He was a prominent Presbyterian, though he protested against handing Charles I
over to the English in 1646 and in 1647 joined the Engagement (a deal struck
between Charles I and certain of the Covenanters for him to support
Presbyterianism in Scotland in return for military aid). After the Battle of
Preston, the Engagers were discredited and Cardross was fined by Cromwell and
disbarred from sitting in Parliament.
3rd Lord Cardross, Henry Erskine, b.1650,
a.1671, d.1693
Son of the 2nd Lord and Anne Hope (b.1625, d.1653), daughter
of Sir Thomas Hope, 1st Baronet Hope of Craighall. He was an opponent
of the regime of John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale,
and was regularly on the receiving end, being heavily fined several times for
practising non-conformist Protestantism and imprisoned from 1675 to 1679. On
his release, with Royal troops stationed on his land, his pleas to the King
regarding his poor treatment were ignored and he emigrated to South Carolina in
North America. He and many other colonists were driven out by the Spanish and
he returned to Europe, joining other Scottish exiles in the Hague, and lending
his to support William during the Glorious Revolution. He was then made
Governor of the Mint and invested as a Privy Counsellor.
4th Lord Cardross, David Erskine, b.1672, a.1693,
d.1745
Son of the 3rd Lord and Catherine Stewart (b.?, d.1725),
daughter of Sir James Stewart of Kirkhill. In 1695 he succeeded as 9th
Earl of Buchan, being descended from the younger brother of the 6th
Earl.
Earls of Buchan (1469, continued)
9th Earl of Buchan, David Erskine, b.1672,
a.1695, d.1745
He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1697 and was Governor of Blackness
Castle from 1702 to 1707 and from 1710 to 1714. He was Lord of Police from 1714
to 1734, a Representative Peer from 1715 to 1734, and Lord-Lieutenant of
Selkirkshire and Clackmannanshire over the same period. He was Lord High
Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1729.
10th Earl of Buchan, Henry David Erskine,
b.1710, a.1745, d.1767
Son of the 9th Earl and Frances Fairfax (b.b.1682, d.1719).
He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from 1745 to 1746.
11th Earl of Buchan, David Stueart Erskine,
b.1742, a.1767, d.1829
Son of the 10th Earl and Agnes Stueart (b.b.1724, d.1778),
daughter of Sir James Steuart, Baronet Steuart of Goodtrees. Educated at St
Andrews and Edinburgh University, he was a noted academic. He was made a Fellow
of the Royal Society, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and was a
founder member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1780. He was
appointed Lord Advocate in 1783, though leaving the post soon afterwards due to
a change of government. He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from
1782 to 1784. In 1786 he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, and in
1806 he returned to the post of Lord Advocate after the Whig election victory.
12th Earl of Buchan, Henry David Erskine,
b.1783, a.1829, d.1857
Nephew of the 11th Earl, being the son of that man’s younger
brother Henry Erskine (b.1746, d.1817) and Christian Fullerton (b.b.1757,
d.1804), daughter of George Fullerton of Broughton Hall. He was Grand Master of
the Grand Lodge of Scotland from 1832 to 1833.
13th Earl of Buchan, David Stuart Erskine,
b.1815, a.1857, d.1898
Son of the 12th Earl and Elizabeth Cole Shipley (b.?,
d.1828), daughter of Major-General Sir Charles Shipley, Governor of Grenada.
14th Earl of Buchan, Shipley Gordon Stuart
Erskine, b.1850, a.1898, d.1934
Son of the 13th Earl and Agnes Graham Smith (b.b.1834,
d.1875).
15th Earl of Buchan, Ronald Douglas Stuart
Mar Erskine, b.1878, a.1934, d.1960
Son of the 14th Earl and Rosalie Louisa Sartoris (b.?,
d.1943), daughter of Captain Jules Alexandre Sartoris of Hopsford Hall. He
reached the rank of Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards,
and fought in the Boer War and First World War. He died without children, and
for a second time in this far from prolific family, there were no immediate
heirs. The male-heir was descended from a younger son of the 10th
Earl.
Barons Erskine of Restormel Castle (1806)
1st Baron Restormel, Thomas Erskine, b.1749-1750,
a.1806, d.1823
Thomas Erskine was a younger brother of David Erskine, 11th
Earl of Buchan. He attended Edinburgh Grammar and the University of St Andrews
before joining the Royal Navy in 1764. He then served in the British Army,
reaching the rank of Lieutenant in the 1st Foot Regiment before
studying law at Trinity College Cambridge, becoming a barrister in 1778. He
became a King’s Counsel in 1783 and was the Whig MP for Portsmouth from 1783 to
1784 and from 1790 to 1806. He was Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall from
1802 to 1806, when he was invested as a Privy Counsellor, and was Lord High
Chancellor from 1806 to 1807. He was raised to the peerage as 1st
Baron Erskine of Restormel Castle in 1806 and was invested as a Knight of the
Thistle in 1815.
2nd Baron Restormel, David Montagu Erskine,
b.1777, a.1823, d.1855
Son of the 1st Baron and Frances Moore (b.?, d.1805). He
became a barrister and was elected as a Whig MP for Portsmouth in 1806. He
served as British Envoy to Washington from 1806 to 1810, to Stuttgart from 1824
to 1828 and to Berlin from 1828 to 1843.
3rd Baron Restormel, Thomas Americus
Erskine, b.1802, a.1855, d.1877
Son of the 2nd Baron and Frances Cadwallader (b.?, d.1843),
daughter of General John Cadwallader of Philadelphia.
4th Baron Restormel, John Cadwallader
Erskine, b.1804, a.1877, d.1882
Younger brother of the 3rd Baron. He served in the East India
Company from 1826 to 1853 and became a resident in Nepaul.
5th Baron Restormel, William Macnaghten
Erskine, b.1841, a.1882, d.1913
Son of the 4th Baron and Margaret Martyn (b.?, d.1862).
Educated at Eton, he reached the rank of Captain in the 9th Lancers
and became a barrister in 1873.
6th Baron Restormel, Montagu Erskine,
b.1865, a.1913, d.1957
Son of the 5th Baron and Caroline Alice Martha Grimble (b.?,
d.1922). He was educated at Eton reached the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in
the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the First World War.
7th Baron Restormel, Donald Cardross Flower
Erskine, b.1899, a.1957, d.1984
Son of the 6th Baron and Florence Flower (b.1869, d.1936). He
attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and reached the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel in the 9th Lancers. He fought in the Second World
War. In 1960 he succeeded to the title of 16th Earl of Buchan as
heir-male.
Earls of Buchan (1469, continued)
16th Earl of Buchan, Donald Cardross Flower
Erskine, b.1899, a.1960, d.1984
17th Earl of Buchan, Malcolm Henry Erskine,
b.1930, a.1984
Son of the 16th Earl and Christina Baxendale (b,?, d.1994).
As well as being 17th Earl, he is also 12th Lord
Cardross, 17th Lord Auchterhouse and 8th Baron Erskine of
Restormel Castle.
The courtesy title of the heir is Lord Cardross.
(Last updated: 28/03/2011)