Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon
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Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland (1794 to 1806, 1807 to 1827) | |
Duke of Gordon | |
Preceded by | Cosmo Gordon |
Succeeded by | George Gordon |
Personal details | |
Born | Gordon Castle, Fochabers, Kingdom of Great Britain | 18 June 1743
Died | 17 June 1827 Berkeley Square, London, England | (aged 83)
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Occupation | Nobleman |
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, KT (18 June 1743 – 17 June 1827), styled Marquess of Huntly until 1752, was a Scottish nobleman, described by Kaimes as the "greatest subject in Britain", and was also known as the Cock o' the North, the traditional epithet attached to the chief of the Gordon clan.
Early life
Alexander Gordon was born at
He was elected as a
He was
He raised the 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot in 1794 for the French Revolutionary Wars. He was responsible for establishing the new village of Fochabers as well as those of Tomintoul and Portgordon in Banffshire. He is also credited as the founder of the Gordon Setter breed of dog, having popularised a 200-year-old breed during the 18th century and then formalised its breed standard in 1820.
He was an enthusiastic supporter and patron of the music of
Marriage and family
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Gordon married firstly on 23 October 1767 at
"The Duchess triumphs in a manly mien;
Loud is her accent, and her phrase obscene."
She resided for some years in Edinburgh, but eventually refused to renew her residence at George Square, Edinburgh, because it was "a vile dull place". The Hon. Henry Erskine is said to have written the following lines to her:[5]
"That is, quoth he, as if the Sun should say,
A vile dark morning this – I will not rise to-day."
The Duke and Duchess's marriage was tempestuous from the start and neither made any particular effort to be faithful to the other. For some years before her death, she was bitterly estranged from the Duke. While the Duchess circulated at the centre of society, the Duke lived in retirement at Gordon Castle. Elizabeth Grant mentions "The great width of the Spey, the bridge at Fochabers, and the peep of the towers of Gordon Castle from amongst the cluster of trees that concealed the rest of the building....the Duke lived very disreputably in this solitude, for he was very little noticed, and, I believe, preferred seclusion."[6]
The Duchess is best remembered for placing the King's shilling between her teeth to help recruitment to the Gordon Highlanders which were founded by her husband. However, she also possessed a capacity for match-making which was unrivalled. Of her five daughters, three were married to Dukes (Richmond, Manchester and Bedford) and one to a Marquess (Cornwallis).
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The Duchess of Gordon died at Pulteney's Hotel, Piccadilly, Middlesex, on 14 April 1812 and was buried at her beloved Kinrara near Aviemore. After her death Alexander married at the Kirk of Fochabers (probably Bellie) in July 1820, Jane [or Jean] Christie, who was a native of Fochabers and was then aged about 40. Alexander had previously had four children by her. After their marriage, she lived in great style, not at the castle, but at a townhouse in Fochabers. She claimed that by residing at the Castle, which the Duke had rebuilt and enlarged considerably, none of his friends would visit him.
One of the Duke's illegitimate sons, Colonel Charles Gordon, was given the property of Glasterim near Port Gordon. Curiously, Colonel Gordon had been a great favourite with the late Duchess. Elizabeth Grant described Colonel Gordon as "much beloved by Lord Huntly, whom he exceedingly resembled, and so might have done better for himself and all belonging to him, had not the Gordon brains been of the lightest with him".[7]
Jane died on 17 June 1824. The Duke himself died suddenly at Mount Street, Berkeley Square, on 17 June 1827, and was buried in Elgin Cathedral. He was succeeded by his son George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon.
Legitimate issue
The Duke had a total of seven children by his first wife:
- Duchess of Richmond's Ball—"the most famous ball in history",[8]and eventually inherited all of the vast estates of the Gordon family.
- George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon (Edinburgh, 2 February 1770 – London, 28 May 1836)
- Lady Madelaine Gordon (1772 – 31 May 1847); married firstly 2 April 1789 in London Sir Robert Sinclair, 7th Baronet (died August 1795), and had issue; married secondly 25 November 1805 at Kimbolton Castle Charles Fysche Palmer of Luckley Park, Berkshire with no issue.
- Lady Susan Gordon (Gordon Castle, 2 February 1774 – Bedfont Lodge, 26 August 1828); married 7 October 1793 in Edinburgh, William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester, and had issue. Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchas in her Memoirs of a Highland Lady noted in 1812 that "the Duchess [of Manchester] had left home years before with one of her footmen", while Lady Jerningham wrote in September 1813 that "The Duchess of Manchester is finally parted from her husband, her conduct being most notoriously bad".
- Lady Louisa Gordon (Gordon Castle, 27 December 1776 – Park Crescent, Middlesex, 5 December 1850); married 17 April 1795 in London, Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Marquess Cornwallis, and had issue. Allegedly, when the Marquess had "expressed to the Duchess of Gordon some hesitation about marrying her daughter on account of the supposed insanity in the Gordon family, he received from the Duchess the gratifying assurance that there was not a drop of Gordon blood in Louisa."[9]
- Lady Georgiana Gordon (Gordon Castle, 18 July 1781 – Nice, 24 February 1853); married 23 June 1803 in London John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, and had issue.
- Lord Alexander Gordon (1785 – 8 January 1808); served as an officer in the British Army, unmarried.
In popular culture
Gordon has twice been depicted incorrectly as fighting at the Battle of Waterloo: in the 1970 film Waterloo, where he was played by Rupert Davies, and the Dad's Army episode A Soldier's Farewell, where he was played by John Laurie.
References
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- ^ "Monday's Post". Leeds Intelligencer. 5 May 1778. p. 5.
- ^ Quoted in The Complete Peerage Volume VI, p.5, footnote b.
- ^ The Complete Peerage Volume VI, p.5, footnote c.
- ^ The Fiddler's Companion
- ^ The Poetical Epitome; Or, Elegant Extracts [in Poetry] Abridged from the Larger Volume [of V. Knox], Etc. 1807. pp. 312–.
- ^ Grant, Elizabeth. Memoirs of a Highland Lady. Edinburgh: Canongate, 1992. Volume I, p 125.
- ^ Grant, Elizabeth. Memoirs of a Highland Lady. Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 1992. Volume I, p 112.
- ^
ISBN 978-0-19-520528-2page 194).
- ^ The Complete Peerage Volume VI, p.6 footnote a.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Gordon
- Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon