Lords Maitland of Thirlstane (1590)

1^st Lord Maitland, John Maitland, b.1537, a.1590, d. 1595

As with so many noble families of Scotland, the Maitlands had an Anglo-Norman origin, and were prominent in the Lowlands from the time of Bruce. John Maitland’s grandfather William Maitland of Thirlstane and Levington died at Flodden, and his father Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington and Thirlstane (b.1496, d.1586) was a Privy Counsellor and Law Lord under the title of Lord Lethington, and also a well known poet. John Maitland became Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1567 and was a supporter of the Regent, James Stewart, Earl of Moray. After Moray was assassinated, Maitland was considered an enemy of the King’s Party and deprived of his offices, and so took refuge in Edinburgh Castle. He surrendered in 1573 and was then housed as a prisoner at Tantallon Castle. He was eventually pardoned and re-appointed as Keeper of the Privy Seal, and was made a Privy Counsellor in 1583. In 1586, he became Lord Chancellor of Scotland and survived several attempts on his life by the Catholic nobles. In 1590 he was created 1^st Lord Maitland of Thirlstane.

2^nd Lord Maitland, John Maitland, b.?, a.1595, d.1644-1645

Son of the 1^st Lord and Jean Fleming (b.c.1554, d.1609), daughter of James Fleming, 4^th Lord Fleming. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1615, and in 1616 was created 1^st Viscount Lauderdale. In 1618 he was made an Ordinary Lord of Session, but later removed when King Charles I decided that no nobleman should hold such a post. He was then made an Extraordinary Lord of Session. In 1624 he was created 1^st Earl of Lauderdale, 1^st Viscount Maitland and 1^st Lord Thirlstane and Boltoun. At the outbreak of the English Civil War, he sided with the Parliamentarians and was elected as President of the Parliament.

Earls of Lauderdale (1624)

1^st Earl of Lauderdale, John Maitland, as above

2^nd Earl of Lauderdale, John Maitland, b.1616, a.1644-1645, d.1682

Son of the 1^st Earl and Lady Isabel Seton (b.1594, d.1638), daughter of Alexander Seton, 1^st Earl of Dunfermline. He started out a Presbyterian, taking the Covenant, and sat in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. In 1644, he became a Privy Counsellor in both Scotland and England, and negotiated with Charles I, accepting his surrender to the Scots in 1647. He then became a supporter of the King against the English Parliamentarians, and became a major influence on the heir. He was with Charles II at the Battle of Worcester, where he was taken prisoner and held for almost a decade. After the Restoration, he became all-powerful due to his influence with the King, and controlled Scotland to such an extent that he was able to re-instate the King’s hold on both Church and State, operating completely outside the English Parliament. In 1672, he was created 1^st Duke of Lauderdale, 1^st Marquess of March, 1^st Viscount Maitland, 1^st Lord Thirlstane, Musselburgh and Boulton and 1^st Earl of Lauderdale, and was also made Lord President of the Privy Council of Scotland. In 1674 he also obtained the English titles of 1^st Earl of Guilford and 1^st Baron Petersham. He continued over this time to suppress the Covenanters, who were finally defeated in 1679. His power only wained due to ill-health towards the end of his life. He married Lady Anne Home (b.?, d.1671), daughter of Alexnader Home, 1^st Earl of Home, and had one daughter, Lady Mary Maitland (b.1645, d.1702), who married John Hay, 2^nd Marquess of Tweeddale, and so could not inherit her father’s titles. On his death, Lauderdale’s newer titles of 1672 and 1674 therefore became extinct.

3^rd Earl of Lauderdale, Charles Maitland, b.c.1620, a.1682, d.1691

Younger brother of the 2^nd Earl. In 1660, he obtained the Barony of Haltoun in Midlothian after the death of his wife’s father, Richard Lauder of Haltoun, and Haltoun House later became the principal residence of the family. He benefited from his brother’s influence, and shortly after the Restoration was made Captain-General of the Royal Mint and a Privy Counsellor. He later became his brother’s chief assistant in the running of Scotland. He was MP for Midlothian from 1669 to 1672 and served as a Scottish Law Lord under the title of Lord Haltoun from 1670, and was a Lord of Session from 1670 to 1682. He also established himself as Bearer of the Royal Insignia in Scotland, which was later clarified by the Lord Lyon, as late as 1952, to mean Bearer of the National Flag of Scotland, as opposed to the Royal Standard, which remains with the Earls of Dundee. He made a lot of enemies during his period in power, and eventually enough pressure was brought to bear that he was the subject of an investigation into the Treasury accounts, and in 1682 a Commission, composed mostly of his enemies, was appointed to investigate the Royal Mint. He was eventually subject to an huge fine, that was only partly offset by the intervention of the King. When he succeeded his brother, he was briefly re-introduced as a Privy Counsellor.

4^th Earl of Lauderdale, Richard Maitland, b.?, a.1691, d.1695

Son of the 3^rd Earl and Elizabeth Lauder, Lady Haltoun (b.?, d.c.1685), a descendant of the 1^st Lord Maitland’s father. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1678 and from 1685 to 1689 followed his father as General of the Mint. In 1680 he was made Lord Justice Clerk, but later deprived of office after being suspected of communicating with his father-in-law Archibald Campbell, 9^th Earl of Argyll, who had been a Covenanter and supporter of the King, but who had been forfeit after questioning the Test of Allegiance in 1681. Maitland continued to support the King, fighting for him at the Battle of the Boyne, after which he joined the King in exile in France. He succeeded to the earldom while outlawed, and died without children.

5^th Earl of Lauderdale, John Maitland, b.1655, a.1695, d.1710

Younger brother of the 4^th Earl. He inherited the Barony of Haltoun from his father and originally changed his name to John Lauder. However, on succeeding his brother to the earldom, he reverted to John Maitland. He was an MP for Edinburghshire (Midlothian) and made a Privy Counsellor in 1679. In 1680 he joined the Faculty of Advocates and was created a 1^st Baronet Maitland of Ravelrig in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. In 1689 he was made a Lord of Session under the title of Lord Ravelrig. He supported the removal of James II, and while in the House of Lords supported the Union of Parliaments. He was made General of the Mint in 1699.

6^th Earl of Lauderdale, Charles Maitland, b.c.1688, a.1710, d.1744

Son of the 5^th Earl and Lady Margaret Cunningham (b.c.1662, d.1742), daughter of Alexander Cunningham, 10^th Earl of Glencairn. He fought for the Government at the Battle of Sheriffmuir, and followed in the family tradition by becoming General of the Mint. He was also Lord-Lieutenant of Midlothian and he was a Representative Peer from 1741 to 1744. From about this time, the many members of the Maitland family became senior officers in the British Armed Forces.

7^th Earl of Lauderdale, James Maitland, b.1718, a.1744, d.1789

Son of the 6^th Earl and Lady Elizabeth Ogilvy (b.1692, d.1778), daughter of James Ogilvy, 4^th Earl of Findlater (see the earls of Seafield). He was a Representative Peer, and reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the 16^th Foot before resigning in disgust after being overlooked for promotion. He was Lord of Police from 1766 to 1782 and Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1779 to 1781.

8^th Earl of Lauderdale, James Maitland, b.1759, a.1789, d.1839

Son of the 7^th Earl and Mary Lombe (b.?, d.1789). He was educated at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and then in Paris. In 1780 he qualified as an Advocate, and became an MP, first for Newport, and then for Malmesbury, before becoming a Representative Peer in the House of Lords. Always a radical, he actively opposed many Acts of Parliament. In 1792 he fought a duel with Benedict Arnold (which ended without bloodshed). Later that year he crossed to France in support of the Revolution, and became known as Citizen Maitland. In 1806 he was made a Privy Counsellor and created 1^st Baron Lauderdale of Thirlstane in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, and went to France with the Earl of Yarmouth to negotiate with Napolean and Talleyrand. In 1821 he was made a Knight of the Thistle.

9^th Earl of Lauderdale, James Maitland, b.1784, a.1839, d.1860

Son of the 8^th Earl and Eleanor Todd (b.?, d.1856). He was a Whig MP for Camelford from 1806 to 1807, for Richmond in Yorkshire from 1818 to 1820 and for Appleby from 1826 to 1832 before succeeding to the earldom. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1841 to 1860.

10^th Earl of Lauderdale, Anthony Maitland, b.1785, a.1860, d.1863

Younger brother of the 9^th Earl. He served as a Whig MP for Haddingtonshire from 1813 to 1818 and from 1826 to 1832 the Tory MP for Berwickshire. In 1816 he was made a Companion of the Bath, and in 1820 a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. In 1832 he became a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, and was Naval Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1841. In 1862 he became a Knight Grand Cross of that same Order and in that same year he also became Admiral of the Red in the Royal Navy. On his death, the UK barony became extinct, as it required direct male heirs.

11^th Earl of Lauderdale, Thomas Maitland, b.1803, a.1863, d.1878

Grandson of the 7^th Earl and son of General William Mordaunt Maitland (b.?, d.1841) and Mary Orpen. He joined the Royal Navy in 1816 and served on a number of ships. As a Commander he was responsible for HMS Tweed during the Spanish Civil War and was decorated with the Order of Charles III and St Fernando. As a Captain on HMS Wellesley he saw action during the First Opium War in the East Indies, and in 1841 was awarded as a Companion of the Bath. In 1857 he was promoted to Rear-Admiral and was Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific from 1860 to 1862. In 1865 he was made a Knight Commander of the Bath and in 1873 a Knight Grand Cross of that Order. He was Naval Aide-de-Camp for Queen Victoria from 1866 to 1873. In 1868 he was promoted to Admiral, and retired as Admiral of the Fleet in 1877. He had three daughters and one son, who died in childhood.

12^th Earl of Lauderdale, Charles Maitland, b.1822, a.1878, d.1884

Great-great grandson of the 6^th Earl, great-grandson of Charles Barclay-Maitland (b.c.1720, d.1795) and Isabel Barclay (b.?, d.1791), daughter of Sir Alexander Barclay of Towie, 3^rd Baronet Innes of Coxton, grandson of Charles Barclay-Maitland (b.?, d.1816) and Elizabeth Mary Hale, and son of the Reverend Charles Barclay-Maitland (b.1789, d.1844) and Anne Knott. He died after being struck by lightning, and unmarried.

13^th Earl of Lauderdale, Frederick Henry Maitland, b.1840, a.1884, d.1924

Another great-great-grandson of the 6^th Earl, this time great-grandson of Colonel Richard Maitland (b.1724, d.1772) and Mary McAdam (b.?, d.1787), grandson of Patrick Maitland (b.1770, d.1821) and Anne Bateman, and son of Major-General Frederick Colthurst Maitland (b.1808, d.1876) and Ann Deering Williams (b.?, d.1887). He was a Representative Peer from 1888 to 1918 and Lord-Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1889 to 1901.

14^th Earl of Lauderdale, Frederick Colin Maitland, b.1868, a.1924, d.1931

Son of the 13^th Earl and Charlotte Sarah Sleigh (b.?, d.1879). He fought in the Boer War with the Imperial Yeomanry and reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1916. In 1919 he was awarded the OBE and was later made Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Scots Guards and Honorary Colonel of the Royal Horse Artillery TA and of the City of London Yeomenry. He was also made a Gentle-at-Arms and admitted into the Royal Company of Archers.

15^th Earl of Lauderdale, Ian Colin Maitland, b.1891, a.1931, d.1953

Son of the 14^th Earl and Gwendoline Lucy Vaughan-Williams (b.?, d.1929). He was educated at Eton and fought in the First World War, reaching the rank of Captain in the 3^rd Reserve Battalion of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. He was admitted to the Royal Company of Archers and gained the rank of Honorary Major in 1932. From 1931 to 1945 he was Honorary President of the Association of Certifiied and Corporate Accountants (ACCA). His son Ivor Colin James Maitland, Viscount Maitland (b.1915, d.1943) had three daughters but he died too early to succeed his father.

16^th Earl of Lauderdale, Alfred Sydney Frederick Maitland, b.1904, a.1953, d.1968

Cousin of the 15^th Earl and son of the 14^th Earl’s younger brother, the Reverend Sydney George William Maitland (b.1869, d.1946) and Ella Frances Richards (b.?, d.1949) and was a Vicar in the Church of England.

17^th Earl of Lauderdale, Patrick Francis Maitland, b.1911, a.1968, d.2008

Younger brother of the 16^th Earl. Educated at Brasenose College Oxford, he entered into a career in journalism, and was a Special Correspondent during the Second World War before joining the Foreign Office. In 1951 he was elected as an MP for Lanark, succeeding Sir Alec Douglas-Home, losing his seat in 1959. In 1968 he took his place in the House of Lords and was active on various Committees. He was also made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

18^th Earl of Lauderdale, Ian Maitland, b.1937, a.2008

Son of the 17^th Earl and Stanka Losanitch (b.?, d.2003). He was educated at Brasenose College Oxford and reached the rank of Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. He became an investment analyst for Hedderwick Borthwick & Company and later for the National Westminster Bank. In 1986 he was admitted into the Royal Company of Archers. As well as being 18^th Earl, he is also 19^th Lord Maitland of Thirlstance, 18^th Lord Thirlstane & Boltoun, 18^th Viscount Maitland, 14^th Baronet Maitland of Ravelrig. He is also Hereditary Bearer of the National Flag of Scotland and Chief of Clan Maitland.

The courtesy title for the heir is Lord Viscount Maitland.

(Last updated: 09/07/2009)