Earl of Moray
Earldom of Moray | |
---|---|
Heir apparent | James Stuart, Lord Doune |
Remainder to | Heirs male of the 1st earl's body[2] |
Subsidiary titles | Lord Abernethy Lord Strathdearn Lord Doune Lord St Colme Baron Stuart of Castle Stuart |
Status | Extant |
Seat(s) | Doune Park Darnaway Castle |
Former seat(s) | Castle Stuart Doune Castle |
Motto | Salus per Christum redemptorem ("Salvation through Christ the Redeemer") |
The title Earl of Moray, or Mormaer of Moray, was originally held by the rulers of the
The title has subsequently been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland. It has been held by Clan Stewart since the 16th century, when James Stewart, illegitimate son of James V, was granted the title.
History of the Earldom of Moray
The province of Moray's importance as part of the kingdom of Scotland was demonstrated during the years of major warfare between 1296 and 1340. The province was relatively untouched by direct fighting and Royal-led English armies penetrated Moray on only three occasions in 1296, 1303 and 1335, and significant English occupation occurred only in 1296–97. This security meant that it was a vital refuge and recruitment ground for the Scottish guardians between 1297 and 1303, and provided
Thomas's son John Randolph was killed in 1346, leaving no heir and the other noble families including the Comyns, Strathbogies and Morays had all disappeared from or left the province by between 1300 and 1350. With the absence of noble leaders, power fell to lesser figures who functioned in kin-based groups such as the
The division of Moray led to local conflict which was exacerbated by the activities of local kindreds and the eastward spread of the Gaelic superpower, the Lord of the Isles. The activities of the islesmen and kindreds in the service of Alexander Stewart made Moray the area of greatest conflict between the revived power of Gaelic Scotland and the structured society under the crown established during the previous centuries. Churchmen and burgesses made repeated complaints about the attacks of raiding caterans, the most notable being the burning of Elgin Cathedral by Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, also known as the Wolf of Badenoch, in a dispute with the Bishop of Moray.[3]
Scotland's rulers were slow to react to the problems in the earldom of Moray. Their response was largely indirect and the governor,
The earldom eventually descended to
The next grant was made to James Stewart, the son of King James IV. He, however, died without children, and the title became extinct. The title was next given to George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly. Gordon fell out of royal favour, and in 1462, he was killed and his title forfeited.[2]
The most recent creation was in favour of another James Stewart, the illegitimate son of King James V. Other Scottish titles associated with this creation are: Lord Abernethy and Strathearn (created 1562), Lord Doune (1581) and Lord St Colme (1611). Furthermore, Lord Moray holds the title Baron Stuart (1796), of Castle Stuart in the County of Inverness; since it is in the Peerage of Great Britain, it entitled the Earls of Moray to sit in the House of Lords before the passage of the Peerage Act 1963.
Perhaps the most well-known Earl of Moray was
The family seats are Doune Lodge, near Doune, Stirling and Darnaway Castle, near Forres, Moray.
Mormaers of Moray
- Findláech mac Ruaidrí (before 1014–1020)
- Máel Coluim mac Maíl Brigti (1020–1029)
- Gille Coemgáin mac Maíl Brigti (1029–1032)
- King of Scotland) (1032–1057)
- Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin(1057–1058)
- Máel Snechtai mac Lulaich (1058–1078/1085)
- ?
- Óengus (?–1130)
- ? William fitz Duncan (1130s–1147)
- To Scottish Crown
- To
Earls of Moray, first creation (1312)
- Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray (d. 1332)
- Thomas Randolph, 2nd Earl of Moray (d. 1332)
- John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray (d. 1346)
Earls of Moray, second creation (1372)
- John Dunbar, 1st Earl of Moray (d. 1391)[4]
- Thomas Dunbar, 2nd Earl of Moray (d. 1422?), son of 1st Earl
- Thomas Dunbar, 3rd Earl of Moray (d. ?), son of 2nd Earl
- James Dunbar, 4th Earl of Moray (d. 1429), cousin of 3rd Earl
- Elizabeth Dunbar, Countess of Moray (d. 1485) (forfeit 1455), daughter of 4th Earl
- Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray (d. 1455), brother of the 8th and 9th Earls of Douglas (acceded 145?), husband of Elizabeth Dunbar
- James Crichton, 2nd Lord Crichton and Earl of Moray (d. 1454) (acceded 1452), the husband of Janet Dunbar (sister of Elizabeth Dunbar)
Earls of Moray, third creation (1501)
- James Stewart, Earl of Moray (c. 1499–1544)
Earls of Moray, fourth creation (1549)
- George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, Earl of Moray (1514–1562), title forfeited
Earls of Moray, fifth creation (1562)
- James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531–1570)
- Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray (d. 1591)
- James Stewart, jure uxoris 2nd Earl of Moray (d. 1592)
- James Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray (d. 1638)
- James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray (d. 1653)
- Alexander Stuart, 5th Earl of Moray (d. 1701)
- Charles Stuart, 6th Earl of Moray (d. 1735)
- Francis Stuart, 7th Earl of Moray (d. 1739)
- James Stuart, 8th Earl of Moray (1708–1767)
- Francis Stuart, 9th Earl of Moray (1737–1810)
- Francis Stuart, 10th Earl of Moray (1771–1848)
- Francis Stuart, 11th Earl of Moray (1795–1859)
- John Stuart, 12th Earl of Moray (1797–1867)
- Archibald George Stuart, 13th Earl of Moray (1810–1872)
- George Philip Stuart, 14th Earl of Moray (1816–1895)
- Edmund Archibald Stuart, 15th Earl of Moray (1840–1901)
- Francis James Stuart, 16th Earl of Moray (1842–1909)
- Morton Gray Stuart, 17th Earl of Moray (1855–1930)
- Francis Douglas Stuart, 18th Earl of Moray (1892–1943)
- Archibald John Morton Stuart, 19th Earl of Moray (1894–1974)
- Douglas John Moray Stuart, 20th Earl of Moray (1928–2011)
- John Douglas Stuart, 21st Earl of Moray(b. 1966)
Present peer
John Douglas Stuart, 21st Earl of Moray (born 29 August 1966) is the only son of the 20th Earl of Moray and Lady Malvina Dorothea Murray, elder daughter of Mungo Murray, 7th Earl of Mansfield. Known as Lord Doune between 1974 and 2011, he was educated at Loretto School and University College London, graduating BA in History of Art. In 2003 he lived at Doune Park, Perthshire. On 23 September 2011 he succeeded to the peerages of his father. On 1 July 2000, he married Catherine Jane Lawson, daughter of Professor Wilfred Alan Lawson, of Cloncallow, County Wicklow, and they have three sons:[5]
- James Douglas Stuart, Lord Doune (born 2002), heir apparent
- Alexander Francis Alan Stuart (born 2004),
- Frederick Charles Randolph Stuart (born 2006)
See also
References
- ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- ^ a b Balfour Paul, James (1904). The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas. pp. 314–315. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0.
- ^ Balfour Paul, James (1904). The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas. pp. 298–307. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, volume 2 (2003), p. 2762
External links
- Moray Estates Development Company, which manages the family properties