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Dukedom of Buccleuch
held with
Dukedom of Queensberry
Coronet of a British Duke
Duke of Buccleuch arms
Creation date 1663
Created by Charles II
Peerage Peerage of Scotland
First holder Anne Scott
Present holder Richard Scott, 10th Duke
Heir apparent Walter Scott, Earl of Dalkeith
Remainder to the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles Marquess of Dumfriesshire
Earl of Buccleuch
Earl of Dalkeith
Earl of Doncaster
Earl of Drumlanrig and Sanquhar
Viscount of Nith, Tortholwald and Ross
Baron Scott of Tindale
Lord Scott of Buccleuch
Lord Scott of Whitchester and Eskdaill
Lord Douglas of Kilmount, Middlebie and Dornock

The title Duke of Buccleuch /bəˈkl/, formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, is a title created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The second creation dates to the 20 April 1663. The Dukedom was for the Duke of Monmouth, who was the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II of Scotland, England, and Ireland, and who had married Anne Scott, 4th Countess of Buccleuch. The Duke also holds the Dukedom of Queensberry, created in 1684.

Anne Scott was created Duchess of Buccleuch in her own right along with her husband, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth; thus, her title was unaffected by Monmouth's attainder of 1685. The title passed on to their descendants, who have successively borne the surnames Scott, Montagu-Scott, Montagu Douglas Scott and Scott again. In 1810, the 3rd Duke of Buccleuch inherited the Dukedom of Queensberry, also in the Peerage of Scotland, thus separating that title from the Marquessate of Queensberry. Thus, the holder is one of only five people in the UK to hold two or more different dukedoms, the others being the Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, the Duke of Argyll (who holds two dukedoms named Argyll), and the Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon.

The substantial origin of the ducal house of the Scotts of Buccleuch dates back to the large grants of lands in Scotland to Sir Walter Scott of Kirkurd and Buccleuch, a border chief, by James II, in consequence of the fall of William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas (1452), but the family traced their descent back to a Sir Richard le Scott (1240–1285). Sir Walter Scott of Branxholme and Buccleuch (died 1552) distinguished himself at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (1547). His great-grandson Sir Walter was created Lord Scott of Buccleuch in 1606.[1]

Other subsidiary titles associated with the Dukedom of Buccleuch are: Earl of Buccleuch (1619), Earl of Dalkeith (1663) and Lord Scott of Whitchester and Eskdaill (1619) (all in the Peerage of Scotland). The Duke also holds the two subsidiary titles of the attainted Dukedom of Monmouth, namely Earl of Doncaster (1663) and Baron Scott of Tindale (1663) (both in the Peerage of England), and several subsidiary titles associated with the Dukedom of Queensberry, namely Marquess of Dumfriesshire (1683), Earl of Drumlanrig and Sanquhar (1682), Viscount of Nith, Tortholwald and Ross (1682) and Lord Douglas of Kilmount, Middlebie and Dornock (1682) (all in the Peerage of Scotland). The Earldom of Doncaster and Barony of Scott of Tindale had been forfeit at the time of the first Duke's attainder, but the titles were restored to the 2nd Duke of Buccleuch in 1742. Until 1835, the Dukes also held lands in the West Riding of Yorkshire and the ancient title of Lord of Bowland. The Duke of Buccleuch is the hereditary chief of Clan Scott.[2]

The courtesy title used by the Duke's eldest son and heir is Earl of Dalkeith; and that of Lord Dalkeith's eldest son and heir is Lord Eskdaill.

Sir Walter Scott, Bart., was directly descended of the Lords of Buccleuch. His family history, fancifully interpreted, is the main subject of much of The Lay of the Last Minstrel.

The current Duke of Buccleuch, Richard Scott, the 10th Duke, is the largest private landowner in Scotland[3] and chairman of the Buccleuch Group, a holding company with interests in commercial property, rural affairs, food, and beverages. The title originally comes from a holding in the Scottish Borders, near Selkirk.

The family seats are Bowhill House, three miles outside Selkirk, representing the Scott line; Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway, representing the Douglas line; and Boughton House in Northamptonshire, England, representing the Montagu line. These three houses are still lived in by the family and are also open to the public. The family also owns Dalkeith Palace in Midlothian, which is let, and has owned several other country houses and castles in the past. Its historic London residence was Montagu House, Whitehall, now demolished.

Most of the Dukes of Buccleuch (the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th) are buried in the Buccleuch Memorial Chapel in St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Dalkeith, Midlothian. The 2nd Duke (died 1751) is buried in Eton College Chapel. The most recent Dukes (the 8th and 9th) are buried among the ruins of Melrose Abbey in Melrose.[4]

Feudal barons of Buccleuch (1488)[]

  • David Scott, 1st of Buccleuch (died c. 1491/2)
  • Walter Scott, 2nd of Buccleuch (died c. 1504)
  • Walter Scott of Branxholme and Buccleuch, 3rd of Buccleuch (died 1552)
  • Walter Scott, 4th of Buccleuch (c. 1549–1574)
  • Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch (1565–1611) (created Lord Scott of Buccleuch in 1606)

Lords Scott of Buccleuch (1606)[]

  • Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch (1565–1611), son of the 4th Baron
  • Walter Scott, 2nd Lord Scott of Buccleuch (died 1633) (created Earl of Buccleuch in 1619)

Earls of Buccleuch (1619)[]

Dukes of Buccleuch, first Creation (1663)[]

Dukes of Buccleuch, second Creation (1663)[]

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Walter John Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (born 1984).

Coats of Arms[]

Family Tree[]

In media[]

  • Nick Carraway, the narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, says his family has "a tradition that we're descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch", but then points out that this is not true.

See also[]

  • Buccleuch, Scottish Borders
  • Clan Douglas
  • Clan Scott
  • Clan Stewart as they are descendants of the Duke of Monmouth, the eldest illegitimate son of King Charles II

References[]

External links[]


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Duke of Buccleuch. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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