| Earldom of Rosslyn | |
|---|---|
  Arms: Quarterly, 1st Argent, a Cross engrailed Sable (St Clair); 2nd Argent, a pale Sable (Erskine); 3rd Azure, a Bend between six Crosses-crosslet fitchée Or (Mar); 4th Argent, on a Chevron between three Roses Gules, a Fleur-de-lys of the field for difference (Wedderburn).Crests: 1st, Argent, a Demi-Phoenix in flames proper (St Clair); 2nd, An Eagle's Head erased proper (Wedderburn).Supporters: Dexter: An Eagle wings inverted proper, gorged with a Collar Argent, thereon a Rose Gules. Sinister: A Griffin wings elevated proper. | |
| Creation date | 21 April 1801 |
| Created by | King George III |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Baron Loughborough |
| Present holder | Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn |
| Heir apparent | Jamie St Clair-Erskine, Lord Loughborough |
| Remainder to | The 1st Earl'sheirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Baron Loughborough Baronet 'of Alva' |
| Status | Extant |
| Seat(s) | Rosslyn Castle |
| Motto | Below the Shield:FIGHT Over the first Crest:RINASCO PIÙ GLORIOSO(I am reborn more glorious) Over the 2nd CrestILLÆSO LUMINE SOLEM(Enjoy the sun with unimpaired light) |
Earl of Rosslyn is a title in thePeerage of the United Kingdom.[1] It was created in 1801 forAlexander Wedderburn, 1st Baron Loughborough,Lord Chancellor from 1793 to 1801, with special remainder to his nephewSir James St Clair-Erskine, as Wedderburn had no surviving issue of his own. Wedderburn had already been createdBaron Loughborough, ofLoughborough in theCounty of Leicester, in thePeerage of Great Britain in 1780,[2] with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body, andBaron Loughborough, of Loughborough in theCounty of Surrey, in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1795,[3] with the same remainder as the earldom. The 1780 barony became extinct upon his death, but the 1795 barony and the earldom passed, by the special remainder, to his nephew, who thus became the second Earl of Rosslyn. The second Earl was aLieutenant-General in the Army and also held political office asLord Privy Seal andLord President of the Council.
His son, the third Earl, was a General in the Army and held political office asMaster of the Buckhounds andUnder-Secretary of State for War. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He served asCaptain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (Chief Government Whip in theHouse of Lords[dubious –discuss]) inLord Salisbury's secondConservative administration.
As of 2015[update], the titles are held by his great-great-grandson, the seventh Earl, who succeeded his father in 1977. He is a former police officer with theMetropolitan Police Service. Lord Rosslyn is also one of theninety elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of theHouse of Lords Act 1999, and sits as across-bencher.
TheErskine Baronetcy, of Alva in theCounty of Clackmannan, was created in 1666 for Charles Erskine in theBaronetage of Nova Scotia. He represented Clackmannan and Stirling in theParliament of Scotland. His eldest son, the second Baronet, was killed at theBattle of Landen in 1693. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Baronet. He was one of theScottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain and later representedClackmannanshire. His eldest son, the fourth Baronet, was killed at theBattle of Lauffeld in 1747. His younger brother and successor, the fifth Baronet, was a Lieutenant-General in the Army and sat as Member of Parliament forAyr Burghs andAnstruther Easter Burghs. Erskine married Janet Wedderburn, daughter of Peter Wedderburn and sister of Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn. He was succeeded by his son, the aforementioned sixth Baronet, who in 1805 succeeded his uncle Lord Rosslyn in the barony of Loughborough and earldom of Rosslyn. See above for further history of the baronetcy.
Thefamily seat isRosslyn Castle inMidlothian,Scotland. The Earl also ownsRosslyn Chapel.
Theheir apparent is the present holder's son, Jamie William St Clair-Erskine, Lord Loughborough (b. 1986).
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