Lord Borthwick
Encyclopedia
Lord Borthwick is a title in the Peerage of Scotland
.
Alexander Nisbet
relates that "the first of this ancient and noble family came from Hungary
to Scotland, in the retinue of Queen Margaret, in the reign of Malcolm Canmore, anno Domini 1057. A Thomas de Borthwick is mentioned in a charter of Sir Robert Lauder of Quarrelwood, in the reign of King Alexander II
."
Sir William de Borthwick of that Ilk was created a Lord of Parliament
as Lord Borthwick, (William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick
), but it is unclear exactly when the title was created. Nisbet states: "there appears no patent
in the records constituting this peerage".
Anderson supposes it dates from "about 1424", Brown says 1438, Leeson gives 1452, and Burke's and Pine actually give an exact date: June 12, 1452. However, Alexander Nisbet, writing as far back as 1722 states: "this family was dignified with the title of Lord Borthwick in the beginning of the reign of King James II
" which commenced in 1437, which is closer to Brown's assertion.
In the Parliament of 1469 held at Edinburgh
by King James III of Scotland
Lord Borthwick was ranked after the Lord Halyburton (cr.1441). In the parliament of 1471 he is the fourth Lord of Parliament
ranked immediately after the Lord Glamis (cr.1445).
The chronology of the Lords Borthwick also presents problems as of the first seven, six were named William. Of the first Lord, Burke's (1999) merely states: "knighted before his father in 1430; one of the magnates who according to contemporary records habitually plundered the Customs. Married and left issue". Anderson states "the first Lord Borthwick died before 1458".
His son, the second Lord (William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick
), was an ambassador to England as well as Master of the Household to King James III
. He was succeeded by his son, the third Lord (William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick
), who some say was one of the many Scottish noblemen killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513 although the Complete Peerage cited by Pine stated "this is was unlikely". His son, the fourth Lord (William Borthwick, 4th Lord Borthwick
), became guardian to the infant King James V
.
The ninth Lord, was a Royalist during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
. However, on his death in 1675 the male line of the third Lord failed. The Borthwick estates passed to his nephew John Dundas, son of his sister Margaret Borthwick, while the lordship became dormant.
It was to remain dormant for the next 87 years. The right to the title, however, passed to the late Lord's kinsman and male heir William Borthwick, the de jure tenth Lord. He was the son of William Borthwick, 5th of Soltray (Soutra) and Johnstonburn, elder son of William Borthwick, 4th of Soltray and Johnstonburn, great-grandson William Borthwick, 1st of Soltray, son of the Hon. Alexander Borthwick, third son of the second Lord Borthwick. He never assumed the title.
His son, the de jure eleventh Lord, was a colonel in the army and was killed at the Battle of Ramillies
in 1706. On his death the right to the lordship passed to his cousin Henry Borthwick, the de jure twelfth Lord. He was the grandson of Alexander Borthwick, younger son of the aforementioned William Borthwick, 4th of Soltray and Johnstonburn. Henry was a captain in the Scottish army and like his cousin fought at the Battle of Ramillies. He died from wounds received in action four days after the battle (and four days after his cousin). On his death the right to the lordship passed to his elder son William, de jure thirteenth Lord, and then to his younger brother Henry. The latter's claim to the title was admitted by the House of Lords
in 1762, and he became the fourteenth Lord Borthwick. However, on his death in 1772 the peerage became dormant again.
The claim now passed to the late Lord's kinsman and male heir Patrick Borthwick, the de jure fifteenth Lord. He was the great-grandson of Alexander Borthwick, 1st of Reidhall and Sauchnell, younger son of William Borthwick, 3rd of Soltray and Johnstonburne, grandson William Borthwick, 1st of Soltray, son of the Hon. Alexander Borthwick, third son of the second Lord Borthwick. His son Archibald, the de jure sixteenth Lord, petitioned the House of Lords for the right to claim the title in 1808 but was unsuccessful. His son Patrick, de jure seventeenth Lord, was also unsuccessful when he tried to claim the title in 1816. However, his younger son Cunninghame had his claim to the lordship allowed by the House of Lords in 1870 and he became the nineteenth Lord Borthwick. From 1880 to 1885 he sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer. His son, the twentieth Lord, was a Scottish Representative Peer between 1906 and 1910. When he died in 1910 the peerage once again became dormant.
The claim passed to his distant relative William Henry Borthwick, the de jure twenty-first Lord. He was a descendant of John Borthwick, 1st of Crookston, younger son of the first Lord. His grandson John Henry Stuart Borthwick had his claim to the title admitted by the Lord Lyon in 1986, and he became the twenty-third Lord Borthwick. this ancient title is held by his eldest twin son, the twenty-fourth Lord Borthwick, who succeeded in 1996. He is Chief of Clan Borthwick
and also holds the feudal titles of Baron of Heriotmuir and Laird of Crookston.
The ancestral seat of the Borthwick family is Borthwick Castle
in Midlothian
.
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...
.
Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet is one of the most important authors on Scottish heraldry. He is still much-cited, and his publications are still in print after nearly 300 years....
relates that "the first of this ancient and noble family came from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to Scotland, in the retinue of Queen Margaret, in the reign of Malcolm Canmore, anno Domini 1057. A Thomas de Borthwick is mentioned in a charter of Sir Robert Lauder of Quarrelwood, in the reign of King Alexander II
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
."
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ranking below a viscount...
as Lord Borthwick, (William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick
William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick
Sir William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick was a Scottish peer and ambassador.Borthwick was the eldest son of Sir William Borthwick 'the younger', 2nd feudal baron of Borthwick, castellan of Edinburgh , and his wife Bethoc Sinclair of Orkney , daughter of Henry de St.Clair, the first Sinclair jarl...
), but it is unclear exactly when the title was created. Nisbet states: "there appears no patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
in the records constituting this peerage".
Anderson supposes it dates from "about 1424", Brown says 1438, Leeson gives 1452, and Burke's and Pine actually give an exact date: June 12, 1452. However, Alexander Nisbet, writing as far back as 1722 states: "this family was dignified with the title of Lord Borthwick in the beginning of the reign of King James II
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
" which commenced in 1437, which is closer to Brown's assertion.
In the Parliament of 1469 held at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
by King James III of Scotland
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
Lord Borthwick was ranked after the Lord Halyburton (cr.1441). In the parliament of 1471 he is the fourth Lord of Parliament
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ranking below a viscount...
ranked immediately after the Lord Glamis (cr.1445).
The chronology of the Lords Borthwick also presents problems as of the first seven, six were named William. Of the first Lord, Burke's (1999) merely states: "knighted before his father in 1430; one of the magnates who according to contemporary records habitually plundered the Customs. Married and left issue". Anderson states "the first Lord Borthwick died before 1458".
William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick
William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick was a Scottish ambassador to England.The son of William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick, he served as ambassador to England on 13 July 1459, where he is included in a Safe-conduct of that date as "William lord Borthwik" with numerous other nobles, clerics, and a...
), was an ambassador to England as well as Master of the Household to King James III
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
. He was succeeded by his son, the third Lord (William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick
William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick
Sir William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick was a Scottish nobleman, ambassador, and Master of the King's Household in 1485. The son of William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick , the 3rd Lord Borthwick was knighted before his father...
), who some say was one of the many Scottish noblemen killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513 although the Complete Peerage cited by Pine stated "this is was unlikely". His son, the fourth Lord (William Borthwick, 4th Lord Borthwick
William Borthwick, 4th Lord Borthwick
William Borthwick, 4th Lord Borthwick was a Scottish nobleman.He succeeded his father William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick in 1503...
), became guardian to the infant King James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
.
The ninth Lord, was a Royalist during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
. However, on his death in 1675 the male line of the third Lord failed. The Borthwick estates passed to his nephew John Dundas, son of his sister Margaret Borthwick, while the lordship became dormant.
It was to remain dormant for the next 87 years. The right to the title, however, passed to the late Lord's kinsman and male heir William Borthwick, the de jure tenth Lord. He was the son of William Borthwick, 5th of Soltray (Soutra) and Johnstonburn, elder son of William Borthwick, 4th of Soltray and Johnstonburn, great-grandson William Borthwick, 1st of Soltray, son of the Hon. Alexander Borthwick, third son of the second Lord Borthwick. He never assumed the title.
His son, the de jure eleventh Lord, was a colonel in the army and was killed at the Battle of Ramillies
Battle of Ramillies
The Battle of Ramillies , fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705...
in 1706. On his death the right to the lordship passed to his cousin Henry Borthwick, the de jure twelfth Lord. He was the grandson of Alexander Borthwick, younger son of the aforementioned William Borthwick, 4th of Soltray and Johnstonburn. Henry was a captain in the Scottish army and like his cousin fought at the Battle of Ramillies. He died from wounds received in action four days after the battle (and four days after his cousin). On his death the right to the lordship passed to his elder son William, de jure thirteenth Lord, and then to his younger brother Henry. The latter's claim to the title was admitted by 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....
in 1762, and he became the fourteenth Lord Borthwick. However, on his death in 1772 the peerage became dormant again.
The claim now passed to the late Lord's kinsman and male heir Patrick Borthwick, the de jure fifteenth Lord. He was the great-grandson of Alexander Borthwick, 1st of Reidhall and Sauchnell, younger son of William Borthwick, 3rd of Soltray and Johnstonburne, grandson William Borthwick, 1st of Soltray, son of the Hon. Alexander Borthwick, third son of the second Lord Borthwick. His son Archibald, the de jure sixteenth Lord, petitioned the House of Lords for the right to claim the title in 1808 but was unsuccessful. His son Patrick, de jure seventeenth Lord, was also unsuccessful when he tried to claim the title in 1816. However, his younger son Cunninghame had his claim to the lordship allowed by the House of Lords in 1870 and he became the nineteenth Lord Borthwick. From 1880 to 1885 he sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer. His son, the twentieth Lord, was a Scottish Representative Peer between 1906 and 1910. When he died in 1910 the peerage once again became dormant.
The claim passed to his distant relative William Henry Borthwick, the de jure twenty-first Lord. He was a descendant of John Borthwick, 1st of Crookston, younger son of the first Lord. His grandson John Henry Stuart Borthwick had his claim to the title admitted by the Lord Lyon in 1986, and he became the twenty-third Lord Borthwick. this ancient title is held by his eldest twin son, the twenty-fourth Lord Borthwick, who succeeded in 1996. He is Chief of Clan Borthwick
Clan Borthwick
-Origins of the Clan:The origins of the name "Borthwick" are territorial. The name seems likely to have been assumed from Borthwick Water in Roxburghshire....
and also holds the feudal titles of Baron of Heriotmuir and Laird of Crookston.
The ancestral seat of the Borthwick family is Borthwick Castle
Borthwick Castle
Borthwick Castle is one of the largest and best-preserved surviving medieval Scottish fortifications. It is located twelve miles south-east of Edinburgh, to the east of the village of Borthwick, on a site protected on three sides by a steep fall in the ground...
in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
.
Coat of arms
The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the lordship is: Argent, three cinquefoils sable.Lords Borthwick (1452)
- William Borthwick, 1st Lord BorthwickWilliam Borthwick, 1st Lord BorthwickSir William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick was a Scottish peer and ambassador.Borthwick was the eldest son of Sir William Borthwick 'the younger', 2nd feudal baron of Borthwick, castellan of Edinburgh , and his wife Bethoc Sinclair of Orkney , daughter of Henry de St.Clair, the first Sinclair jarl...
(d. 1470) - William Borthwick, 2nd Lord BorthwickWilliam Borthwick, 2nd Lord BorthwickWilliam Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick was a Scottish ambassador to England.The son of William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick, he served as ambassador to England on 13 July 1459, where he is included in a Safe-conduct of that date as "William lord Borthwik" with numerous other nobles, clerics, and a...
(d. 1484) - William Borthwick, 3rd Lord BorthwickWilliam Borthwick, 3rd Lord BorthwickSir William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick was a Scottish nobleman, ambassador, and Master of the King's Household in 1485. The son of William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick , the 3rd Lord Borthwick was knighted before his father...
(d. 1513) - William Borthwick, 4th Lord BorthwickWilliam Borthwick, 4th Lord BorthwickWilliam Borthwick, 4th Lord Borthwick was a Scottish nobleman.He succeeded his father William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick in 1503...
(d. 1543) - John Borthwick, 5th Lord Borthwick] (d. 1566)
- William Borthwick, 6th Lord Borthwick (d. 1582)
- James Borthwick, 7th Lord Borthwick (1570–1599)
- John Borthwick, 8th Lord Borthwick (d. 1623)
- John Borthwick, 9th Lord Borthwick (1616–1675) (dormant 1675)
- William Borthwick, de jure 10th Lord Borthwick (d. 1690)
- William Borthwick, de jure 11th Lord Borthwick (1666–1706)
- Henry Borthwick, de jure 12th Lord Borthwick (d. 1706)
- William Borthwick, de jure 13th Lord Borthwick (d. 1723)
- Henry Borthwick, 14th Lord Borthwick (d. 1772) (confirmed in title 1762; dormant 1772)
- Patrick Borthwick, de jure 15th Lord Borthwick (d. 1772)
- Archibald Borthwick, de jure 16th Lord Borthwick (1732–1815)
- Patrick Borthwick, de jure 17th Lord Borthwick (1779–1840)
- Archibald Borthwick, de jure 18th Lord Borthwick (1811–1863)
- Cunninghame Borthwick, 19th Lord Borthwick (1813–1885) (confirmed in title 1870)
- Archibald Patrick Thomas Borthwick, 20th Lord Borthwick (1867–1910) (dormant 1910)
- William Henry Borthwick, de jure 21st Lord Borthwick (1832–1928)
- Henry Borthwick, de jure 22nd Lord Borthwick (1868–1937)
- John Henry Stuart Borthwick, 23rd Lord Borthwick (1905–1996) (confirmed in title 1986)
- John Hugh Borthwick, 24th Lord Borthwick (b. 1940)