Marquess of Lothian is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, which was created in 1701 for Robert Kerr, 4th Earl of Lothian. The Marquess of Lothian holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Lothian (created 1606), Earl of Lothian (created again 1631), Earl of Ancram (1633), Earl of Ancram (created again 1701), Viscount of Briene (1701), Lord Newbattle (1591), Lord Jedburgh (1622), Lord Kerr of Newbattle (1631), Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun, and Dolphinstoun (1633), Lord Kerr of Newbattle, Oxnam, Jedburgh, Dolphinstoun and Nisbet (1701), and Baron Ker, of Kersheugh in the County of Roxburgh (1821), all but the last in the Peerage of Scotland. As The Lord Ker in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, previous marquesses sat in the House of Lords before 1963, when Scottish peers first sat in the House of Lords in their own right. The holder of the marquessate is also the Chief of Clan Kerr.
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Quick Facts Marquessate of Lothian, Creation date ...
Marquessate of Lothian
Arms: Quarterly: 1st & 4th, Azure, a Sun-in-Splendour proper (Lothian, as a coat of augmentation); 2nd & 3rd, Gules, on a Chevron Argent, three Mullets Gules (Kerr of Jedburgh). Crests: 1st, A Sun-in-Splendour proper (Lothian); 2nd, A Stag's Head cabossed Argent (Kerr of Jedburgh). Supporters: Dexter: An Angel proper, vested Azure, surcoated Vert, winged and crined Or; Sinister: A Unicorn Argent, armed crined and unguled Or, gorged with a Collar Gules, charged with three Mullets Argent.
Earl of Lothian Earl of Ancram (1633) Earl of Ancram (1701) Viscount of Briene Lord Newbattle Lord Jedburgh Lord Kerr of Newbattle Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun, and Dolphinstoun
The 13th Marquess of Lothian was better known as the Conservative politician Michael Ancram. In November 2010, he received a life peerage as Baron Kerr of Monteviot and so became entitled to sit in the House of Lords. He lived at Monteviot House in Roxburghshire. The family previously owned a larger Scottish seat, Newbattle Abbey in Midlothian, which is now a college, and also Blickling Hall in Norfolk, which now belongs to the National Trust.
The current Marquess is Ralph Kerr, brother of the 13th Marquess, who owns Ferniehirst Castle in Roxburghshire, which is the family seat that was restored by the 12th Marquess, and Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire. The heir apparent is his eldest son John.
Clan Kerr has several branches. The name "Kerr," from the Old Norse "kjrr" meaning "marsh-dweller," arrived in Scotland from Normandy. In Scotland it was rendered Kerr, Ker, Carr and Carre, with a Scottish variant on the west coast taken from the Gaelic "ciar," meaning dusky.[1] According to the lore of the family of Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian, the name comes from the Norman chiefs, Ralph and Robert, both brothers who came to Roxburgh from Lancashire[1] in the 1300s.[2]
The Kerrs of Ferniehurst claim descent from Ralph, and the Kerrs of Cessford claimed they are descended from Robert.[1] These two man branches of Clan Kerr were often at odds with one another, fighting until they came together in the early 1500s.[1] The Kerrs subsequently also warred with the Scott Clan, until the feud ended when Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehurst married Janet Scott. In a 1591 charter, Mark Kerr had his lands at Newbattle and Prestongrange erected into the barony of Newbattle.[1]
1st title
Mark Kerr was created Lord Newbattle in 1591 and Earl of Lothian in 1606, both with remainder to his heirs male.[3] The title went to the eldest of his four sons, Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian.[2] In 1621 both titles were surrendered by the 2nd Earl and regranted with a special remainder to his daughters, the eldest of whom, Lady Anne Kerr, succeeded to both titles on his death in 1624.[4] Her husband, Sir William Kerr (eldest son of Sir Robert Kerr, later 1st Earl of Ancram) was created Lord Kerr of Newbattle and Earl of Lothian in 1631. On her death in 1667 their eldest son became 4th Earl of Lothian (though he was not recognised as such) and on her husband's death in 1675 also 2nd Earl of Lothian.
2nd title as Marquess
By this point Sir Robert Kerr, father of the 1st Earl of the 2nd creation, had been created Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun and Dolphinstoun and Earl of Ancram, and the titles had been inherited by the 4th and 2nd Earl of Lothian's uncle, Charles Kerr, on whose death in 1690 he became 3rd Earl of Ancram.
He was then created Lord Ker of Newbattle, Oxnam, Jedburgh, Dolphinstoun and Nisbet, Viscount of Briene, Earl of Ancram and Marquess of Lothian in 1701.
The 2nd Marquess succeeded his cousin as Lord Jedburgh before succeeding to the Marquessate, and the 6th Marquess was created Baron Ker, of Kersheugh in the County of Roxburgh, in 1821, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
The 1st Earl of Roxburghe is also a descendant great-grandson of Andrew Kerr of Cessford through his first son, Walter Kerr of Cessford (brother of Mark Kerr).
The creation of the Earldom of Ancram had a special remainder where the title went first to the heirs male of Robert Kerr by his second wife, Anne Portman (nee Stanley), and then to his heirs male general. As a result, his eldest son of his second marriage succeeded to the title upon his death. When the male line of the 1st Earl's second marriage became extinct, the title reverted to the male line of the 1st Earl's first marriage and the 2nd Earl's nephew, later the 1st Marquess of Lothian, succeeded to the title.
There has been some confusion as to whether Anne Kerr actually acceded to the title or whether it reverted to the Crown. The estates of her father did pass to her as she did fulfill the terms of her father's will that she marry a member of the clan Kerr. Her husband was granted a new title of Earl of Lothian. Their son did assume the 1631 creation of the Lothian Earldom, but he never did assume the 1601 creation and titles held by the current Marquess of Lothian do not include the 1601 creation.
More information Line of succession (simplified) ...
Line of succession (simplified)
William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian (1737-1815)
William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian (1763-1824)
John William Robert Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian (1794-1841)
Lord Walter Talbot Kerr (1839-1927)
Andrew William Kerr (1877-1929)
Peter Francis Walter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian (1922–2004)
Ralph William Francis Joseph Kerr, 14th Marquess of Lothian (b. 1957)
(1) John Walter Donald Peter Kerr, Earl of Ancram (b. 1988)
(2) Lord Frederic James Michael Ralph Kerr (b. 1989)
(3) Lord Francis Andrew William George Kerr (b. 1991)
(4) Lord Hugh Alexander Thomas Joseph Kerr (b. 1999)
Lord John Andrew Christopher Kerr (1927-2018)
(5) William Walter Raleigh Kerr (b. 1950)
(6) Robert John Edward Kerr (b. 1987)
(7) Hugh Cornelius William Kerr (b. 2019)
(8) Rupert Aubrey Michael Kerr (b. 2022)
(9) Walter William Kerr (b. 1992)
(10) David John Kerr (b. 1952)
(11) John Andrew David Kerr (b. 1981)
(12) Andrew Christopher Kerr (b. 1984)
(13) Andrew Peter Hugh Kerr (b. 1955)
Lord Henry Francis Charles Kerr
Francis Ernest Kerr
Henry Francis Kerr
Francis Robert Newsam Kerr (1916-1995)
Male issue living
Lord Charles Lennox Kerr (1814-1898)
Charles Wyndham Rodolph Kerr (1849-1894)
Charles Iain Kerr, 1st Baron Teviot (1874-1968)
Charles John Kerr, 2nd Baron Teviot (1934-2023)
Male issue living
Lord Frederic Herbert Kerr (1818-1896)
Arthur Herbert Kerr 1862-1930)
Mark Peregrine Charles Kerr (1891-1951)
Frederic Mark Kerr (1919-2000)
Male issue living
Lord Mark Robert Kerr (1776-1840)
Hugh Seymour McDonnell, 4th Earl of Antrim (1812-1855)[6]
Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim (1814-1869)
William Randal McDonnell, 6th Earl of Antrim (1851-1918)
Randal Mark Kerr McDonnell, 7th Earl of Antrim (1878-1932)
Randal John Somerled McDonnell, 8th Earl of Antrim (1911-1977)
Alexander Randal Mark McDonnell, 9th Earl of Antrim (1935-2021)
Male issue living
Lord Robert Kerr (1780-1843)
William Walter Raleigh Kerr (1809-1881)
William Walter Raleigh Kerr (1859-1941)
Louis William Howard Kerr (1894-1977)
Male issue living
The above line of succession represents only those whom are in remainder to the Marquessate of Lothian. There are further collateral branches that provide heirs to other titles separately granted and are currently held by the current Marquess of Lothian.
Alexander Ker's father, William Kirkaldy (formerly Ker), assumed the surname of Kirkaldy upon assuming the Grange estates of the Kirkaldy family. Alexander Ker re-assumed his father's original surname of Ker upon relinquishing those Grange estates back to the heir male of the Kirkaldy family
The Antrim Earldom was granted, under special remainder to Randal William McDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim and 1st Earl of Antrim with only the Earldom falling under the terms of the special remainder that allowed the succession to the title to pass through the 1st Earl's daughters for lack of male heir. He was succeeded in the Earldom first by his eldest daughter, the 2nd Countess of Antrim, and then his younger daughter, the 3rd Countess of Antrim who was also the wife of Lord Mark Robert Kerr who was, in his own right, in the line of succession to the Marquessate of Lothian. Members of the Antrim line have assumed the matrilineal surname of McDonnell by deed poll.
