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Fife, Earl (I, 1759 - 1912)

Creation: let.pat. 26 Apr 1759

Extinct: 29 Jun 1912

Family name: Duff

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Arms:

Quarterly:  1st and 4th, Or a Lion rampant Gules (Fife); 2nd and 3rd, Vert a Fess dancettée Ermine between a Hart's Head cabossed in chief and two Escallops Or in base (Duff)

Crest:

A Horse in full gallop Argent covered with a Mantling Gules bestrewed with Escutcheons Or each charged with a Lion rampant of the second on his back a Knight in Complete Armour with his Sword drawn proper on his sinister arm a Shield charged as the escutcheons on the helmet a Wreath of the colours thereon a Demi-Lion rampant Gules

Supporters:

On either side a Savage wreathed about the head and waist with Laurel and holding in their exterior hands Branches of Trees over their shoulders all proper

Motto:

Over the crest:  Deus Juvat;  Under the shield:  Virtute et Opera

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William [Duff], 1st Baron Braco later 1st Earl Fife

son and heir of William Duff, of Braco in the parish of Grange, and of Dipple, both in co. Banff, by his first wife Jean Gordon, dau. of Sir George Gordon of Edinglassie

born

c. 1696

mar. (1)

1719 Lady Janet Forbes (widow of Hugh Forbes, Yr. of Craigievar, 1st son and heir ap. of Sir William Forbes of Craigievar, 3rd Bt.; dsp. 25 Dec 1720; bur. at Banff), 2nd dau. of James [Ogilvy], 4th Earl of Findlater, by his wife Anne Dunbar, dau. of Sir William Dunbar of Durn, 1st Bt.

mar. (2)

1723 Jean Grant (b. 28 Sep 1705; d. 16 Jan 1788; bur. in the church of Grange), 2nd dau. of Sir James Grant later Colquhoun later Grant of Pluscardine, 6th Bt., by his wife Anne Colquhoun, only dau. and hrss. of Sir Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss, 5th Bt. MP

children by second wife

1. Hon James Duff, later 2nd Earl Fife

2. Hon Alexander Duff, later 3rd Earl Fife

3. Hon George Duff (d. 23 Nov 1818), mar. 7 Apr 1757 Frances Dalziel, dau. of Gibson Dalziel, and had issue

4. Capt Hon Ludovic Duff (dsp. 14 Oct 1811), mar. Deborah Davis, dau. of Griffith Davis

5. Hon Arthur Duff, Member of Parliament for Elginshire 1774-79 (d. 20 Apr 1805)

1. Lady Anne Duff, mar. Alexander Duff of Hatton, and had issue

2. Hon Janet Duff (d. 3 Mar 1758), mar. (1) Sir William Gordon of Park, 3rd Bt (d. 5 Jun 1751), and (2) George Hay of Montblary, and had issue by her first husband

3. Lady Jane Duff, mar. 25 Oct 1753 Keith Urquhart of Meldrum, Sheriff of Banffshire

4. Lady Helena Duff (d. 20 Sep 1778), mar. 1764 her cousin Vice Admiral Robert Duff of Logie and Fetteresso (d. 6 Jun 1787), and had issue

5. Lady Sophia Henrietta Duff, mar. 13 Jul 1774 Thomas Wharton, Commissioner of Excise for Scotland, and had issue

6. Lady Margaret Duff (d. 24 Apr 1786), mar. 6 Mar 1768 James Brodie of Brodie (d. 17 Jan 1824), and had issue

died

30 Sep 1763 (bur. in church of Grange and afterwards removed to the Mausoleum at Duff House)

created

28 Jul 1735 Baron Braco, of Klbryde in the County of Cavan

26 Apr 1759 Viscount Macduff and Earl Fife

suc. by

son by second wife

note

Member of Parliament (Whig) for Banffshire 1727-34

James [Duff], 2nd Earl Fife

born

28 Sep 1729

mar.

4 Jun 1759 (div. c.1771) Lady Dorothea Sinclair (b. 4 Apr 1739; dsp. 30 Sep 1818), only dau. of Alexander [Sinclair], 9th Earl of Caithness, by his wife Lady Margaret Primrose, 2nd dau. of Archibald [Primrose], 1st Earl of Rosebery

died

s. p. 24 Jan 1809 (bur. in the Mausoleum at Duff House)

created

5 Jul 1790 Baron Fife, of the County of Fife (Peerage of Great Britain)

suc. by

brother

note

Member of Parliament for Banffshire 1754-84 and for Morayshire 1784-90; Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire 1795-1809; on his death the Barony of Fife became extinct

Alexander [Duff], 3rd Earl Fife

born

1731

mar.

17 Aug 1775 Mary Skene (d. aft. 1811), 1st dau. of George Skene, of Skene, co. Aberdeen, and of Carriston, co. Forfar

children

1. Hon James Duff, later 4th Earl Fife

2. Gen Hon Sir Alexander Duff GCB, of Dalgety Castle, co. Aberdeen (d. 21 Mar 1851), mar. 16 Mar 1812 Anne Stein (d. 14 Feb 1859), yst. dau. of James Stein of Kilbogie, and had issue:

1a. James Duff, later 5th Earl Fife

2a. Hon George Skene Duff, Member of Parliament for Elgin 1847-57, granted the style and precedence of a younger son of an Earl by Royal Licence 2 Jun 1857, Lord Lieutenant of Morayshire (b. 13 Sep 1816; d. 15 Mar 1889)

1a. Lady Catherine Duff, granted the style and precedence of a daughter of an Earl by Royal Licence 2 Jun 1857 (d. 6 Dec 1869), mar. 11 Aug 1841 John Lewis Ricardo MP (d. 20 Aug 1862), and had issue

2a. Lady Louisa Duff, granted the style and precedence of a daughter of an Earl by Royal Licence 2 Jun 1857 (d. 23 Sep 1864), mar. 12 Dec 1848 Sir Richard Brooke, 7th Bt., of Norton Priory, and had issue

1. Lady Jane Duff (d. 22 May 1850), mar. 2 Dec 1802 Maj Alexander Francis Tayler

2. Lady Anne Duff (d. 24 Jan 1829), mar. 16 Oct 1809 Richard Wharton Duff of Orton

3. Lady Sarah Duff (d. 1811), mar. 20 Jun 1807 Daniel Collyer, of Gray's Inn, London

4. Lady Mary Duff (d. young)

died

17 Apr 1811

suc. by

son

note

Member of the Faculty of Advocates 1754

James [Duff], 4th Earl Fife, KT GCH

born

6 Oct 1776

mar.

9 Sep 1799 Maria Caroline Manners (b. 1775; dsp. 20 Dec 1805; bur. at Helmingham, co. Suffolk), 4th dau. of John Manners MP, of Grantham Grange, co. Lincoln, by his wife Lady Louisa Tollemache, later suo jure Countess of Dysart

died

s.p. 9 Mar 1857

created

28 Apr 1827 Baron Fife, of the County of Fife (Peerage of the United Kingdom)

suc. by

nephew

note

Major General in the Spanish Army; Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire 1813-56; Grand Master of Freemasons 1814-16; Member of Parliament (Tory) for Banffshire 1818-27; a Lord of the Bedchamber 1819-21 and 1827-35; Lord Rector of the Marischal College, Aberdeen 1820-22 and 1823-24; GCH 1823; Knight of the Thistle 1827; on his death the Barony of Fife became extinct

James [Duff], 5th Earl Fife, KT

born

6 Jul 1814

mar.

16 Mar 1846 Lady Agnes Georgiana Elizabeth Hay (b. 12 May 1829; d. 18 Dec 1869), 2nd dau. of William George [Hay], 18th Earl of Erroll, by his wife Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence, illegit. dau. of King William IV

children

1. Hon Alexander William George Duff, later 6th Earl Fife later 1st Duke of Fife

1. Lady Anne Elizabeth Clementine Duff (d. 31 Dec 1925), mar. 17 Oct 1865 John Villiers Stuart [Townshend], 5th Marquess Townshend, and had issue

2. Lady Ida Louisa Alice Duff (d. 29 May 1918), mar. (1) 3 Jun 1867 (div.) Adrian Elias Hope, and (2) 20 Sep 1880 William Wilson, of Hill Street, Mayfair, London, and had issue by her first husband

3. Lady Alexina Duff (dsp. 30 Apr 1882), mar. 2 Jul 1870 as his first wife Henry Aubrey Coventry, 3rd son of Hon Henry Amelius Coventry (by his wife Caroline Stirling Dundas, 2nd dau. of James Dundas, 28th of Dundas), 1st son by his second wife of George William [Coventry], 8th Earl of Coventry

4. Lady Agnes Cecil Emmeline Duff (b. 18 May 1852; d. 11 Jan 1925), mar. (1) 4 Oct 1871 (div. 1876) Hon George Robert Hay-Drummond, styled Viscount Dupplin (b. 27 May 1849; dvp. and spm. 9 Mar 1886), 1st son and heir ap. of George [Hay-Drummond], 12th Earl of Kinnoull, (2) 5 Aug 1876 Herbert Flower (d. 30 Dec 1880), and (3) 4 Jul 1882 Sir Alfred Cooper, of Whiting Bay, Isle of Arran (b. 1838; d. 3 Mar 1908), 3rd son of William Cooper, Recorder of Ipswich, by his wife Anna Marsh, dau. of Rev ..... Marsh, Perpetual Curate of Calthorpe, co. Norfolk, and had issue by her first and third husbands

died

7 Aug 1879

created

1 Oct 1857 Baron Skene, of Skene in the County of Aberdeen (Peerage of the United Kingdom)

suc. by

son

note

Member of Parliament (Liberal) for Banffshire 1837-57l Lord Lieutenant of Elginshire 1851-56 and Banffshire 1856-79; Knight of the Thistle 1860

Alexander William George [Duff], 6th Earl Fife later 1st Duke of Fife, KG KT GCVO PC

created

13 Jul 1885 Earl of Fife

29 Jul 1889 Marquess of Macduff and Duke of Fife

24 Apr 1900 Earl of Macduff and Duke of Fife, with special remainder in default of male issue to his first and other daughters by HRH Princess Louise and their male issue

The Earldom of Fife was held by the 1st Duke of Fife from 29 Jul 1889 until 29 Jan 1912, when on his death without a male heir the Irish Earldom and Viscountcy and Barony became extinct, as did all his United Kingdom titles except the Dukedom and Earldom created in 1900.

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