Robert_St_Clair-Erskine,_4th_Earl_of_Rosslyn

Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn

Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn

British Conservative politician


Robert Francis St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn (2 March 1833 – 6 September 1890),[1] styled Lord Loughborough from 1851 until 1866, was a British Conservative politician. He served as Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms under Lord Salisbury between 1886 and 1890.

Quick Facts The Right HonourableThe Earl of Rosslyn, Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms ...
The grave of Robert Francis St Clair-Erskine near Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian

Early life

Rosslyn was the son of James St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn, and Frances (née Wemyss). He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1866.

He served under Lord Salisbury as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms from 1886 until shortly before his death in September 1890. He was a minor poet[2] and published "Sonnets" in 1883, "A Jubilee Lyric" in 1887 (dedicated to Queen Victoria) and "Sonnets and Poems" in 1889.[citation needed]

Freemasonry

Robert joined Lodge Oswald of Dunnikier together with James Townsend Oswald on 8 April 1867.[3] In addition to being a Grand Master Mason of the Grand Lodge of Scotland between 1870 and 1873, he became Depute Master of Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No. 2, on 1 August 1853.[4] Lord Rosslyn was the Grand Master of the modern Masonic Great Priory of Scotland from 1884 until his death in 1890.[5]

Personal life

Lord Rosslyn married Blanche Adeliza, great granddaughter of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton and widow of Colonel the Honourable Charles Henry Maynard, on 8 November 1866. They had five children:

Lord Rosslyn died in Dysart, Fife on 6 September 1890, aged 57. He was buried on 11 September, just west of Rosslyn Chapel, which traditionally has very strong masonic links. The monument is carved in two different types of sandstone. His wife Blanche was later buried with him.

The Countess of Rosslyn survived her husband by over 40 years and died at York Terrace, Regent's Park, London, in December 1933.[1] She was described in her obituary in The New York Times as "one of the last survivors of the great Victorian hostesses". She knew personally many of the most famous people of the Victorian era, including Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone.[8]


References

  1. "University of Hull, Directory of Royal Genealogical Data: Robert Francis St.Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  2. "Rosslyn: The chapel, castle and scenic lore". Kirkcaldy Dysart & Rosslyn Estates.
  3. "James Townsend Oswald". Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Archived 25 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "The Great Priory of Scotland". Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  5. Ethier, Stewart N. (2010). The Doctrine of Chances: Probabilistic Aspects of Gambling. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 316. ISBN 978-3-540-78783-9.
  6. "Rosslyn Countess dead at age of 94". The New York Times. 9 December 1933. p. 15.

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