David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow

David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow, GCMG (31 May 1833 – 13 December 1915), was a British naval commander and colonial governor. He served as Governor of New Zealand between 1892 and 1897.

The Earl of Glasgow
The 7th Earl of Glasgow
12th Governor of New Zealand
In office
6 June 1892 – 8 February 1897
MonarchVictoria
PremierJohn Ballance
Richard Seddon
Preceded byThe Earl of Onslow
Succeeded byThe Earl of Ranfurly
Member of the House of Lords
Hereditary peerage
23 July 1897 – 13 December 1915
Preceded byPeerage created
Succeeded byThe 8th Earl of Glasgow
Personal details
Born(1833-05-31)31 May 1833
Died13 December 1915(1915-12-13) (aged 82)
NationalityBritish
Spouse
Dorothea Elizabeth Thomasina Hunter-Blair
(m. 1873)
Children8, including Patrick
RelativesDavid Boyle, Lord Boyle (grandfather)
Sir James Fergusson (cousin)

Background edit

Boyle was the son of Patrick Boyle (eldest son of David Boyle, Lord Boyle, by his first wife, Elizabeth Montgomerie). His mother was Mary Frances Elphinstone-Dalrymple, daughter of Sir Robert Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, 1st Baronet. He succeeded in the earldom in 1890.[citation needed]

Royal Navy edit

Boyle served with the Royal Navy during the Crimean and Second Opium Wars. He was commander of HMS Niobe when the ship wrecked in 1874.[1] He retired with the rank of captain.[2]

Governor of New Zealand edit

Boyle was the Governor of New Zealand from 1892 to 1897. He was the cousin of another Governor, Sir James Fergusson.[1] The Wellington suburb of Kelburn in New Zealand is named after Viscount Kelburn, the son of Boyle.[3]

Upon his return to the UK, Lord Glasgow was elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1897 as Baron Fairlie, of Fairlie in the County of Ayr, to enable him to sit in the House of Lords (the Earldom of Glasgow and all its subsidiary titles being in the Peerage of Scotland).

Later life edit

Lord Glasgow took an active interest in the city of Glasgow.

He received the honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D) from the University of Glasgow when they celebrated the 450th jubilee in June 1901.[4]

Family edit

Lord Glasgow married Dorothea Elizabeth Thomasina Hunter-Blair (eldest daughter of Sir Edward Hunter-Blair, 4th Baronet, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George Wauchope), on 23 July 1873.[2] They had five sons and three daughters:

Lord Glasgow died in December 1915, aged 82, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son, Patrick. The Countess of Glasgow died in January 1923.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Earl of Glasgow, GCMG". The Governor-General. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b Mennell, Philip (1892). "Glasgow, His Excellency the Right Hon. David (Boyle), Earl of" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
  3. ^ "Western suburbs". Te Ara. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  4. ^ "Glasgow University jubilee". The Times. No. 36481. London. 14 June 1901. p. 10. Retrieved 5 January 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ RAF Web, biography of Hon John Boyle

External links edit

Government offices
Preceded by Governor of New Zealand
1892–1897
Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Glasgow
1890–1915
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Fairlie
1897–1915
Member of the House of Lords
(1897–1915)
Succeeded by