| Earldom of Cromartie | |
|---|---|
 Earl of Cromartie Coat of Arms. Quarterly: 1st, Or a Mountain Azure in flames proper (Macleod of Lewis);2nd, Azure a Buck's Head cabossed Or (Mackenzie);3rd, Gules three Legs of a Man armed proper conjoined in the centre at the upper part of two of the thighs flexed in triangle garnished and spurred Or (Isle of Man);4th, Argent on a Pale Sable an Imperial Crown proper all within a Double Tressure flory counterflory Gules (Erskine of Innerteall) | |
| Creation date | 21 October 1861[1] |
| Creation | Second |
| Created by | Queen Victoria |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland |
| Present holder | John Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie |
| Heir apparent | Colin Mackenzie, Viscount Tarbat |
| Remainder to | By special remainder (see below) |
| Subsidiary titles | Viscount Tarbat Baron Castlehaven Baron MacLeod |
| Status | Extant |
| Seat(s) | Castle Leod |
| Motto | Luceo Non Uro ("I shine but do not burn") |
Earl of Cromartie (/ˈkrɒmərti/ ⓘ) is a title that has been created twice, both for members of the Mackenzie family. It was first created asEarl of Cromarty in thePeerage of Scotland in 1703 forSir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet, but his titles were forfeited after theJacobite rising of 1745. It was recreated in 1861 in thePeerage of the United Kingdom forAnne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland (née Hay-Mackenzie). Since 1979, the Earl of Cromartie has been chief ofClan Mackenzie.[1]
This branch of the family descends from Sir Roderick Mackenzie, whose elder brother Kenneth Mackenzie was createdLord Mackenzie of Kintail in 1609 and was the father of Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth (see theEarl of Seaforth for further history of this branch of the family). Sir Roderick's son, John Mackenzie, was in 1628 created abaronet, ofTarbat in theCounty of Ross, in theBaronetage of Nova Scotia, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever. He was succeeded by his son,Sir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet. He was a prominent statesman and judge and served asLord Justice General from 1678 to 1680 and from 1704 to 1710 and asSecretary of State from 1702 to 1704. In 1685, he was raised to thePeerage of Scotland asLord MacLeod and Castlehaven andViscount of Tarbat. In 1703 he was further honoured when he was madeLord MacLeod and Castlehaven,Viscount of Tarbat andEarl of Cromarty. In 1704, Lord Cromartie resigned his baronetcy in favour of his second son the Hon. Kenneth Mackenzie (died 1728), who was created a baronet, of Cromarty and Grandvale (seeMackenzie baronets).[1]
He was succeeded in the peerages by his eldest son, the second Earl. On his death, the titles passed to his eldest surviving son, the third Earl. He supported theJacobite rising of 1745 and led a force of 400 men from Clan Mackenzie at theBattle of Falkirk in 1746. Lord Cromartie was captured by government forces the same year and pleaded guilty tohigh treason before theHouse of Lords. He was sentenced to death but received a conditional pardon on 22 January 1748, on the condition that within six months he surrender all the rights of his estates as lord and forfeit his titles, which he did.[2] His eldest son and heir apparent,John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod, fought alongside his father in the rebellion of 1745. He was also convicted of high treason and sentenced to death, but received a full pardon in 1748. He later had a successful career in both the British and Swedish armies. He achieved the rank ofMajor-General in the British Army, and was created aCount in theSwedish nobility, a title which was recognized byGeorge II. In 1784, the Cromartie estates were restored to him by Act of Parliament for a payment of £19,000 (equivalent to £2,936,000 in 2023). Lord MacLeod died childless in 1789, and in his will he created an entail as to his heirs.[2]
The Mackenzie estates were inherited first by his cousin Kenneth, nephew of the third earl, and then to Lady Isabella Mackenzie, eldest daughter of the attainted third Earl, marriedGeorge Murray, 6th Lord Elibank. Their eldest daughter, the Hon. Maria Murray, married Edward Hay, younger brother ofGeorge Hay, 7th Marquess of Tweeddale. Edward assumed the additional surname of Mackenzie as required by the entail of Lord McLeod. Their eldest son John Hay-Mackenzie passed the estates to his only childAnne Hay-Mackenzie, who in 1849 marriedGeorge, Marquess of Stafford, futureDuke of Sutherland.
In 1861, the titles held by Anne's ancestors were recreated when she was raised to thePeerage of the United Kingdom in her own right asBaroness MacLeod, ofCastle Leod in the County of Cromartie,Baroness Castlehaven, of Castlehaven in the County of Cromartie,Viscountess Tarbat, of Tarbat in the County of Cromartie, andCountess of Cromartie.[3][2][1]
As her children were already in remainder to the peerages of the Sutherland-Leveson-Gower family, the Cromartie titles were created with special remainder to keep them separate and in line with the Peerage of Scotland, in which females are able to inherit titles.
Lady Cromartie was succeeded according to the special remainder by her second surviving son, Lord Francis, the second Earl. As Viscount Tarbat he had been sub-lieutenant in theShropshire Yeomanry in 1876[4] and was later a Major in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of theSeaforth Highlanders and served as a Vice-Lord-Lieutenant andDeputy Lieutenant ofRoss and Cromarty. Lord Cromartie had no sons and on his death in 1893 the titles fell intoabeyance between his two surviving daughters, Lady Sibell Lilian and Lady Constance (by regulation 3. of the remainder). The abeyance was terminated in 1895 in favour of the elder daughter, Sibell Lilian, who became the third Countess. In 1899, she married Edward Walter Blunt (1869–1949), son of Major-General Charles Harris Blunt, great-grandson of Sir Henry Blunt, 2nd Baronet (seeBlunt baronets). He assumed the additional surname of Mackenzie in 1905. However, Lady Cromartie later discontinued the use of the surname Blunt. She was succeeded by her eldest son, the fourth Earl. He was also a Major in the Seaforth Highlanders and fought in the Second World War. From 1940 to 1945, he was a Prisoner of War. Lord Cromartie was also a member of the Ross and Cromarty County Council. In 1979, he discontinued the use of the surname Blunt for himself and his son and was recognized by theLord Lyon asCabarfeidh[5](Chief) ofClan Mackenzie. Since 1989, the titles have been held by his only son, the fifth Earl. As a male-line descendant of Sir Henry Blunt, 2nd Baronet, he is also inremainder to this title. He is also in remainder to theearldom of Sutherland, which can descend through female lines, but not to thedukedom of Sutherland and the subsidiary titles presently attached to it, as these can only descend through male lines.[1]
The family seat isCastle Leod, nearDingwall inRoss-shire.
Theheir apparent is the present holder's son Colin Ruaridh Mackenzie, Viscount Tarbat (born 1987).
