Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch

Charles William Henry Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch and 6th Duke of Queensberry, KT (24 May 1772 – 20 April 1819), styled Earl of Dalkeith until 1812, was a British landowner, amateur cricketer and Tory politician.

The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry
The Duke of Buccleuch
Personal details
Born24 May 1772 (1772-05-24)
London, England
Died20 April 1819 (1819-04-21) (aged 46)
Lisbon, Portugal
Political partyTory
Spouse(s)Hon. Harriet Townshend
(1773–1814)
Children
Parents
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford

Background and education edit

Styled Earl of Dalkeith from birth, he was born in London, England, the fourth child of seven, and the second son of Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Elizabeth Montagu, daughter of George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu. His elder brother George had died when only two months old after receiving a smallpox inoculation.[1] He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.

Cricket career edit

Lord Dalkeith was an amateur cricketer who made four known appearances in first-class cricket matches in 1797. He was a member of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).[2][3]

Public life edit

Dalkeith was returned to Parliament for Marlborough in 1793, a seat he held until 1796,[4] and then represented Ludgershall until 1804,[5] Mitchell between 1805 and 1806[6] and Marlborough again between 1806 and 1807.[4] The latter year he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Scott of Tyndale.[7] He was also Lord-Lieutenant of Selkirkshire between 1794 and 1797, of Dumfriesshire between 1797 and 1819 and of Midlothian between 1812 and 1819. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Northamptonshire on 9 May 1803.[8] In 1812 he was made a Knight of the Thistle. He succeeded his father in the dukedom the same year and one of his first acts was to commission what is now the oldest iron bridge in Scotland.[9] Also in 1813 his long-time friend[10] Walter Scott was offered the position of Poet Laureate. Montagu counselled him to retain his literary independence, and the position went to Scott's friend, Robert Southey.[11]

Family edit

 
Dalkeith Palace, Midlothian
 
Statue of Lord John Douglas-Montagu-Scott by Joseph Durham

A statue of Scott, by Joseph Durham, stands in the centre of Dunchurch, Warwickshire.

Buccleuch married the Honourable Harriet Katherine Townshend (29 November 1773 – 24 August 1814), daughter of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, on 24 March 1795. They had nine children:

The Duchess of Buccleuch died at Dalkeith House in August 1814, aged 40, and was buried at Warkton, Northamptonshire. Buccleuch died on 20 April 1819, aged 46, at Lisbon, Portugal, from tuberculosis,[1] and was buried at Warkton. Having survived the death of his first-born son in 1808, he was succeeded by his second-born son, the twelve-year-old Walter, Earl of Dalkeith.


Titles, honours and awards edit

  • 24 May 1772: Earl of Dalkeith
  • 11 January 1812: His Grace The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury
  • 22 May 1812: His Grace The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury KT[1]

Ancestry edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c G. E. Cokayne, Vicary Gibbs, H. A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., Scotland 1910–1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000, volume II, page 370.
  2. ^ Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826), Lillywhite, 1862
  3. ^ CricketArchive
  4. ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)
  5. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 3)
  7. ^ "No. 16018". The London Gazette. 11 April 1807. p. 449.
  8. ^ "No. 15666". The London Gazette. 14 January 1804. p. 63.
  9. ^ MacKechnie, Aonghus (2014). "Duchess Bridge, Langholm: An Early Scottish Cast-Iron Footbridge — Made in England" (PDF). Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  10. ^ Sir Walter Scott's friends / by Florence MacCunn. MacCunn, Florence A. (Florence Anne Sellar), 1857 p163
  11. ^ "Scott the Poet". Walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk. 11 December 2007.
  12. ^ "Moore, Henry Walter, 1849-1917". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2 February 2024.

External links edit

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Marlborough
with Thomas Bruce

1793–1796
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Ludgershall
1796–1801
With: Thomas Everett
Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Parliament of Great Britain
Member of Parliament for Ludgershall
1801–1804
With: Thomas Everett
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Mitchell
1805–1806
With: Robert Ainslie
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Marlborough
1806–1807
With: Lord Bruce
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
New office Lord Lieutenant of Selkirkshire
1794–1797
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Dumfriesshire
1797–1819
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Midlothian
1812–1819
Succeeded by
Masonic offices
Preceded by Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Scotland

1800–1802
Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Duke of Buccleuch
2nd creation
1812–1819
Succeeded by
Duke of Queensberry
1812–1819
Peerage of England
Preceded by Baron Scott of Tyndale
(writ of acceleration)
1807–1819
Succeeded by