Shipley Erskine, 14th Earl of Buchan explained

Shipley Gordon Stuart Erskine, 14th Earl of Buchan, (27 February 1850 – 16 April 1934), styled Lord Cardross from 1857 until 1898, was a Scottish nobleman and racehorse owner.

Biography

Cardross was the eldest son of David Stuart Erskine, 13th Earl of Buchan and Agnes Graham Smith, daughter of James Smith, of Craigend Castle, Stirlingshire.^{[1] [2]} He was named after his great-grandfather, Maj.-Gen. Sir Charles Shipley.^[3] He was educated at Harrow.^[4]

Buchan was Conservative in politics but spent most of his life involved in equestrian and leisurely pursuits.^[5] He was thoroughly involved with the turf, owning several notable racehorses, and spent much time at Newmarket. While there he resided at his Exning estate. He was also an early member of the "Happy Valley set" in Kenya and in 1911 acquired 4,000 acres of farmland in Nyeri.^{[6] [7]}

Buchan was a member and supporter of the antisemitic group "The Britons", donating the equivalent of £2000 in 1922.^[8]

Buchan held the office of Justice of the peace and Deputy lieutenant for both Cambridgeshire and Linlithgowshire. He owned 3,000 acres in Linlithgowshire and Midlothian.^[9]

He died on 16 April 1934 in Chelsea, London.^[10]

Family

On 9 November 1876, Cardross married Rosalie Louise Sartoris (1859–1943), daughter of Capt. Jules-Alexandre Sartoris, of Hopsford Hall, Coventry, son of the Swiss Huguenot banker Peter Urban Sartoris. They had four children:

• Ronald Douglas Stuart Mar Erskine, 15th Earl of Buchan (1878–1960), styled Lord Cardross from 1898 until 1934, died unmarried
• Lady Muriel Agnes Stuart Erskine (1879–1967), married Hon. Charles Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby
• Lady Marjorie Gladys Stuart Erskine (1880–1910), died unmarried at Aviemore after having been missing for several weeks^[11]
• Lady Evelyn Hilda Stuart Erskine (1883–1939), married Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, who was assassinated in 1944^[12]

Lady Cardross, as La Duchesse de Lavis, attended the Devonshire House Ball of 1897.^[13] She was a famed beauty; likewise, Lord Cardross was known as the "Pocket Adonis".^[14] She died on 29 January 1943 at Almondell House, near Broxburn, Linlithgowshire.^[15]

See also

• Earl of Buchan
• Clan Erskine

Notes and References

1. [Burke's Peerage]
2. Book: Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles . Armorial Families: A Complete Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, and a Directory of Some Gentlemen of Coat-armour, and Being the First Attempt to Show which Arms in Use at the Moment are Borne by Legal Authority . 1895 . Jack . Edinburgh . en.
3. Book: Lodge, Edmund . The Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage & Companionage of the British Empire for 1907 . 1907 . Kelly's Directories . 356 . en . Buchan . https://books.google.com/books?id=Jl1HAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA356.
4. Book: Cokayne, G.E. . Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, Or Dormant . 1889 . G. Bell & sons . 58 . en.
5. Book: Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes . 1886 . Baily bros. . 57-58 . en . Lord Cardross.
6. Book: The Agricultural Journal of British East Africa . 1908 . Agricultural Department . en.
7. Book: Blue Book: British East Africa . 1914 . en . Statement of Land Grants.
8. Book: Toczek, Nick . Haters, Baiters and Would-Be Dictators: Anti-Semitism and the UK Far Right . Routledge . 2015 . 978-1-317-52588-2 . 245 . en.
9. [iarchive:greatlandownerso00bateuoft/page/76|The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland]
10. News: 21 April 1934 . Obituary: Earl of Buchan . . Nairobi.
11. News: 31 August 1910 . LADY MARJORIE ERSKINE'S DEATH. . 2024-06-25 . Evening News.
12. News: 8 November 1944 . LORD MOYNE ASSASSINATED . 2024-06-25 . Daily Mercury.
13. Web site: Lady Cardross at the Devonshire House Ball 1897, by Lafayette . lafayette.org.uk.
14. Book: Tatler & Bystander . 1914 . Tatler Publishing Company . 255 . en.
15. Web site: Almondell House Canmore . canmore.org.uk . en.