Earl of Aboyne


Earl of Aboyne is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the Gordon family. The earldom was created in September 1660 for Charles Gordon, fourth son of George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly, and younger brother of James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne.
Charles Gordon was granted the title along with the subsidiary title of Lord Gordon of Strathaven and Glenlivet on the same date in September 1660, both dignities being in the Scottish peerage. The earldom descended through the male line for several generations within the Gordon family.
The fifth Earl eventually inherited the higher title of Marquess of Huntly in 1836. Since that time, the earldom has served as a subsidiary title of the marquessate, with the heir apparent to the marquessate traditionally using the title as a courtesy title. The title also exists as a separate dignity within the Baronage of Scotland and is currently held by Christiano Arnhold Simoes, Earl and Lord of Aboyne.
Some contemporary evidence suggests that the title may have been originally created during the English Civil War for the then-Viscount Aboyne. However, this alleged prior creation lacks substantiation in the primary sources documenting British and Scottish peerage titles.

Earls of Aboyne (1660)

''see Marquess of Huntly for further succession''