Marquess of Lothian


Marquess of Lothian is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, which was created in 1701 for Robert Kerr, 4th Earl of Lothian. The Marquess of Lothian holds the subsidiary peerages of Earl of Lothian, Earl of Ancram, Viscount of Briene, Lord Newbattle, Lord Jedburgh, Lord Kerr of Newbattle, Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun, and Dolphinstoun, Lord Kerr of Newbattle, Oxnam, Jedburgh, Dolphinstoun and Nisbet, and Baron Ker, of Kersheugh in the County of Roxburgh, all but the last in the Peerage of Scotland. As The Lord Ker in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, previous marquesses sat in the House of Lords before 1963, when Scottish peers first sat in the House of Lords in their own right. The holder of the marquessate is also the Chief of Clan Kerr.
The 13th Marquess of Lothian was better known as the Conservative politician Michael Ancram. In November 2010, he received a life peerage as Baron Kerr of Monteviot and so became entitled to sit in the House of Lords. He lived at Monteviot House in Roxburghshire. The family previously owned a larger Scottish seat, Newbattle Abbey in Midlothian, which is now a college, and also Blickling Hall in Norfolk, which now belongs to the National Trust.
The 14th and current Marquess is Ralph Kerr, brother of the 13th Marquess. He owns Ferniehirst Castle in Roxburghshire, which is the family seat that was restored by the 12th Marquess, and Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire. The heir apparent is his eldest son John.

History of the titles

has several branches. The name "Kerr," from the Old Norse "kjrr" meaning "marsh-dweller," arrived in Scotland from Normandy. In Scotland it was rendered Kerr, Ker, Carr and Carre, with a Scottish variant on the west coast taken from the Gaelic "ciar," meaning dusky. According to the lore of the family of Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian, the name comes from the Norman chiefs Ralph and Robert, brothers who came to Roxburgh from Lancashire in the 1300s.
The Kerrs of Ferniehurst claim descent from Ralph, while the Kerrs of Cessford claim they are descended from Robert. These two main branches of Clan Kerr were often at odds with one another, fighting until they came together in the early 1500s. The Kerrs subsequently also warred with the Scott Clan, until the feud ended when Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehurst married Janet Scott. In a 1591 charter of King James V, Mark Kerr had his lands at Newbattle and Prestongrange erected into the barony of Newbattle.

1st title

was created Lord Newbattle in 1591 and Earl of Lothian in 1606, both with remainder to his heirs male. The title went to the eldest of his four sons, Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian. In 1621 both titles were surrendered by the 2nd Earl and regranted with a special remainder to his daughters, the eldest of whom, Lady Anne Kerr, succeeded to both titles on his death in 1624. Her husband, Sir William Kerr was created Lord Kerr of Newbattle and Earl of Lothian in 1631. On her death in 1667 their eldest son became 4th Earl of Lothian and on her husband's death in 1675 also 2nd Earl of Lothian.

2nd title as Marquess

By this point Sir Robert Kerr, father of the 1st Earl of the 2nd creation, had been created Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun and Dolphinstoun and Earl of Ancram, and the titles had been inherited by the 4th and 2nd Earl of Lothian's uncle, Charles Kerr, on whose death in 1690 he became 3rd Earl of Ancram.
He was then created Lord Ker of Newbattle, Oxnam, Jedburgh, Dolphinstoun and Nisbet, Viscount of Briene, Earl of Ancram and Marquess of Lothian in 1701.
The 2nd Marquess succeeded his cousin as Lord Jedburgh before succeeding to the Marquessate, and the 6th Marquess was created Baron Ker, of Kersheugh in the County of Roxburgh, in 1821, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Earls of Lothian; First creation (1606)

  • Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian
  • Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian
  • Anne Kerr, 3rd Countess of Lothian
  • Robert Kerr, 4th and 2nd Earl of Lothian and 3rd Earl of Ancram

    Earls of Lothian; Second creation (1631)

  • William Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian
  • ''The Earldom was inherited by the 4th Earl of the first creation.''

    Lords Jedburgh (1621/2)

  • Andrew Ker, 1st Lord Jedburgh
  • Alexander Kirkaldy later Ker, de jure 2nd Lord Jedburgh
  • John Ker, de jure 3rd Lord Jedburgh
  • Robert Ker, 4th Lord Jedburgh
  • William Ker, 5th Lord Jedburgh ; ''later 2nd Marquess of Lothian ''

    Earls of Ancram (1633)

  • Robert Kerr, 1st Earl of Ancram
  • Charles Kerr, 2nd Earl of Ancram
  • ''The Earldom was inherited by the 4th and 2nd Earl of Lothian.''

    Marquesses of Lothian (1701)

  • Robert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian
  • William Kerr, 2nd Marquess of Lothian
  • William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian
  • William Henry Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian
  • William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian
  • William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian
  • John William Robert Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian
  • William Schomberg Robert Kerr, 8th Marquess of Lothian
  • Schomberg Henry Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian
  • Robert Schomberg Kerr, 10th Marquess of Lothian
  • Philip Henry Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian
  • Peter Francis Walter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian
  • Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian
  • Ralph William Francis Joseph Kerr, 14th Marquess of Lothian

    Present peer

Ralph William Francis Joseph Kerr, 14th Marquess of Lothian is the son of the 12th Marquess of Lothian and his wife Loris Antonella Thomasa Newland. Known as Earl of Ancram, he was educated at Ampleforth College.
On 6 September 1980, as Lord Ralph Kerr he married firstly Lady Virginia Mary Elizabeth FitzRoy, daughter of Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton. They were divorced in 1987, and in 1988 Ancram married secondly Marie-Claire Black, daughter of Michael Donald Gordon Black and Priscilla Holt. With her he has six children:
  • John Walter Donald Peter Kerr, Earl of Ancram
  • Lord Frederick James Michael Ralph Kerr
  • Lord Francis Andrew William George Kerr
  • Lady Amabel Amy Antonella Kerr
  • Lady Minna Alice Priscilla Elizabeth Kerr
  • Lord Hugh Alexander Thomas Joseph Kerr
Ancram was admitted to the Royal Company of Archers and in 2003 lived at Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire. On 1 October 2024 he succeeded his brother as Baron Ker of Kersheugh ; Lord Jedburgh ; Lord of Ker of Newbottle ; Viscount of Briene ; Marquess of Lothian ; Earl of Ancram ; on Earl of Ancrame ; Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewtoun and Dolphinstoun ; Earl of Lothian ; and Lord Ker of Newbattle.
The heir apparent is the present peer's son John Walter Donald Peter Kerr, Earl of Ancram.

Family tree and succession

  • 25px William Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian
  • *25px William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian
  • **25px John Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian
  • ***25px William Kerr, 8th Marquess of Lothian
  • ***25px Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian
  • ****25px Robert Kerr, 10th Marquess of Lothian
  • ***Major General Lord Ralph Drury Kerr
  • ****25px Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian
  • ***Lord Walter Talbot Kerr
  • ****Andrew William Kerr
  • *****25px Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian
  • ******25px 25px Michael Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, Lord Kerr of Monteviot
  • ******25px Ralph Kerr, 14th Marquess of Lothian
  • ******* ' John Walter Donald Peter Kerr, Earl of Ancram
  • ******* ' Lord Frederic James Michael Ralph Kerr
  • ******* ' Lord Francis Andrew William George Kerr
  • ******* ' Lord Hugh Alexander Thomas Joseph Kerr
  • ***** Lord John Andrew Christopher Kerr
  • ****** ' William Walter Raleigh Kerr
  • ******* ' Robert John Edward Kerr
  • ******** ' Hugh Cornelius William Kerr
  • ******** ' Rupert Aubrey Michael Kerr
  • ******* ' Walter William Kerr
  • ******** ' Alfred Benjamin Fox Kerr
  • ****** ' David John Kerr
  • ******* ' John Andrew David Kerr
  • ******* ' Andrew Christopher Kerr
  • ****** ' Andrew Peter Hugh Kerr
  • ** Lord Henry Francis Charles Kerr
  • *** Francis Ernest Kerr
  • **** Henry Francis Kerr
  • ***** Francis Robert Newsam Kerr
  • ****** Male issue in remainder
  • ** Lord Charles Lennox Kerr
  • *** Charles Wyndham Rodolph Kerr
  • ****25px Charles Iain Kerr, 1st Baron Teviot
  • *****25px Barons Teviot
  • ** Lord Frederic Herbert Kerr
  • *** Arthur Herbert Kerr
  • **** Mark Peregrine Charles Kerr
  • ***** Frederic Mark Kerr
  • ****** Male issue in remainder
  • * Lord Mark Robert Kerr
  • **25px Hugh Seymour McDonnell, 4th Earl of Antrim
  • **25px Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim
  • ***25px Earls of Antrim
  • * Lord Robert Kerr
  • ** William Walter Raleigh Kerr
  • *** William Walter Raleigh Kerr
  • **** Louis William Howard Kerr
  • ***** Male issue and descendants in remainder
The above line of succession represents only those whom are in remainder to the Marquessate of Lothian. There are further collateral branches that provide heirs to other titles separately granted and are currently held by the current Marquess of Lothian.