Earl of Selkirk
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Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
.
It was created on 4 August 1646 for Lord William Douglas, third son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman.-Master of Angus:William Douglas, Master of Angus was the eldest son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and his Countess, Elizabeth Oliphant, eldest daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant...
, along with the title Lord Daer and Shortcleuch. He married Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton was a Scottish peeress.The daughter of Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish General and premier peer of the realm, and Lady Mary Feilding, daughter of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh and Lady Susan Villiers, a...
, on 29 April 1656, and in 1660 he legally changed his surname to "Hamilton", and was created Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
for life, as was then not uncommon practice in Scotland when a peeress in her own right married someone of lesser degree.
On 6 October 1688, the new Duke of Hamilton surrendered his previous titles to the Crown, and they were reconferred on his third (but second surviving) son, Lord Charles Hamilton, who thereby became 2nd Earl of Selkirk, and who changed his surname to "Douglas".
This novodamus
Charter of novodamus
A charter of novodamus, in Scottish feudal land law, is a fresh grant of lands to the grantee. It is usually granted to make some change in the incidents of tenure of land already granted, or to resolve doubts about the grant or its terms....
was with a unique remainder, the effect of which was that:
- the titles would pass to the heirs male of the 1st Earl's younger sons before the heirs male of his eldest son (who was heir apparent to his mother's Dukedom of Hamilton);
- if the person who would otherwise inherit the title was already Duke of Hamilton (or would inherit that Dukedom at the same time), the titles would pass instead to that Duke's next surviving brother;
- if the titles were ever held by a Duke of Hamilton (either because an Earl of Selkirk succeeded as Duke of Hamilton, or because provision 2 was unable to operate because the heir was a Duke of Hamilton who had no surviving younger brothers), the titles would pass on that Duke's death to his second surviving son;
- if the titles had passed to a younger brother or younger son under provisions 2 or 3, they would then pass to his heirs male on his death; but
- if such a younger son or younger brother's heirs male died out, the title would not pass to his own younger brothers and their heirs male, but would instead revert to the senior male line, with provisions 2 and 3 operating as before.
This remainder is so unusual that a dance – Hamilton House - was created around it.
The 2nd Earl died childless in 1739, and his younger brother, John Hamilton, 1st Earl of Ruglen (who had been so created on 14 April 1697), succeeded as 3rd Earl. He outlived his son and heir, and when he died in 1744 the Earldom of Ruglen and its subsidiary titles passed to his daughter Anne Douglas, Countess of March, and on her death in 1748 to William Douglas, 3rd Earl of March
William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry
William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry KT was a Scottish nobleman.Born in Peebles, Queensberry was the only son of William Douglas, 2nd Earl of March, and his wife, Lady Anne Hamilton....
(later 4th Duke of Queensberry).
The Earldom of Selkirk and its subsidiary title, being limited to male heirs, passed to Dunbar Hamilton
Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk
Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk was a Scottish peer. Born Dunbar Hamilton, he was the grandson of Lord Basil Hamilton, younger brother to John Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Selkirk....
, grandson of Lord Basil Hamilton, sixth son of the 1st Earl. Upon succeeding as 4th Earl, he, like the 2nd Earl, changed his surname to "Douglas". On his death in 1799, he was succeeded by his only surviving son, Thomas Douglas, Lord Daer
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk was a Scottish peer. He was born at Saint Mary's Isle, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He was noteworthy as a Scottish philanthropist who sponsored immigrant settlements in Canada at the Red River Colony.- Early background :Douglas was the seventh son of Dunbar...
, as 5th Earl, and he was then succeeded on his death in 1820 by his only son, Dunbar Douglas, Lord Daer, as 6th Earl.
On his death in 1885, the heirs male of the younger sons of the 1st Earl expired. The heir male of the 1st Earl's eldest son was William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton
William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton
William Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, 9th Duke of Brandon, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault KT was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:...
, but under the special remainder (provision 2 above) the titles passed instead to his younger brother, Lord Charles Hamilton, who succeeded as 7th Earl. When he died unmarried in 1886, the titles reverted to his elder brother, who had no further brothers to whom they could pass, and who accordingly succeeded as 8th Earl. When he died without a son in 1895, the Dukedom passed to his fourth cousin, Alfred Douglas-Hamilton
Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton
Lieutenant Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon TD, DL was a Scottish nobleman and sailor.-Life and Succession:...
, who succeeded as 13th Duke of Hamilton. As he also had no brothers, he also succeeded as 9th Earl of Selkirk.
When he died in 1940, his eldest son, Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale
Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton
Air Commodore Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, KT, GCVO, AFC, PC, DL, FRCSE, FRGS, was a Scottish nobleman and pioneering aviator....
, inherited the Dukedom, but the Earldom of Selkirk and its subsidiary title passed under the special remainder (provision 3 above) to his second son, Lord George Douglas-Hamilton
George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk
Group Captain George "Geordie" Nigel Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk, KT, GCMG, GBE, AFC, AE, PC, QC , was a Scottish nobleman and Conservative politician.-Early life:...
, who succeeded as 10th Earl.
Upon the death of the 10th Earl in 1994, married but childless, the titles passed (under provision 5 above) to his nephew, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
James Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas
James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, PC, QC , briefly The 11th Earl of Selkirk and styled Lord James Douglas-Hamilton until 1997, is a Scottish Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West then Member of the Scottish Parliament for the...
, second son of the 14th Duke of Hamilton and next brother of Angus Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton
Angus Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton
Angus Alan Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton and 12th Duke of Brandon was the premier peer of Scotland...
, who succeeded as 11th Earl. This succession was unsuccessfully challenged by Alasdair Douglas-Hamilton, son of Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, next brother of the 10th Earl.
The 11th Earl was, at the time of his succession, the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Edinburgh West
Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , first used in the 1885 general election...
, and he disclaimed
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
the titles in order to remain in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. He was later elevated to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
with a life peerage as Baron Selkirk of Douglas, and served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
. His heir (under provision 4 above) is John Douglas-Hamilton, Lord Daer, Master of Selkirk.
Earls of Selkirk (1646)
- William Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Selkirk, de jure uxoris 3rd Duke of Hamilton (1634–1694)
- Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk (1663–1739) (younger brother of 4th Duke)
- John Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Selkirk (1664–1744) (younger brother of 2nd Earl)
- Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of SelkirkDunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of SelkirkDunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk was a Scottish peer. Born Dunbar Hamilton, he was the grandson of Lord Basil Hamilton, younger brother to John Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Selkirk....
(1722–1799) (grandson of younger brother of 3rd Earl) — see John Paul JonesJohn Paul JonesJohn Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to... - Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of SelkirkThomas Douglas, 5th Earl of SelkirkThomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk was a Scottish peer. He was born at Saint Mary's Isle, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He was noteworthy as a Scottish philanthropist who sponsored immigrant settlements in Canada at the Red River Colony.- Early background :Douglas was the seventh son of Dunbar...
(1771–1820) (son of 4th Earl) - Dunbar James Douglas, 6th Earl of Selkirk (1809–1885) (son of 5th Earl)
- Charles George Hamilton, 7th Earl of Selkirk (1847–1886) (younger brother of 12th Duke of Hamilton)
- William Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, 8th Earl of SelkirkWilliam Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of HamiltonWilliam Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, 9th Duke of Brandon, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault KT was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:...
(1845–1895) (older brother of 7th Earl) - Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton, 9th Earl of SelkirkAlfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of HamiltonLieutenant Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon TD, DL was a Scottish nobleman and sailor.-Life and Succession:...
(1862–1940) (4th cousin of 12th Duke) - George Nigel Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of SelkirkGeorge Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of SelkirkGroup Captain George "Geordie" Nigel Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk, KT, GCMG, GBE, AFC, AE, PC, QC , was a Scottish nobleman and Conservative politician.-Early life:...
(1906–1994) (younger brother of the 14th Duke of Hamilton) - James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 11th Earl of SelkirkJames Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of DouglasJames Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, PC, QC , briefly The 11th Earl of Selkirk and styled Lord James Douglas-Hamilton until 1997, is a Scottish Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West then Member of the Scottish Parliament for the...
(b. 1942) (younger brother of the 15th Duke of Hamilton; disclaimed 1994)
The heir apparent is Lord Selkirk's eldest son, John Andrew Douglas-Hamilton, Lord Daer (b. 1978).