Earl of Breadalbane and Holland

Earldom of Breadalbane and Holland
Arms of the 6th Earl of Breadalbane, 1868 (Lyon Register, vol. 8, p. 13)
Creation date	13 August 1681
Created by	Charles II
Peerage	Peerage of Scotland
First holder	John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
Last holder	John Campbell, 10th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
Present holder	Dormant
Remainder to	Heirs male of the son chosen to succeed him, failing which to the heirs male of his body, failing which to his own heirs male, failing which to his heirs whatsoever
Subsidiary titles	Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick Viscount of Tay and Paintland
Former seat(s)	Taymouth Castle

Campbell of Breadalbane

Kilchurn Castle, seat of the Earl of Breadalbane

Earl of Breadalbane and Holland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1681 for Sir John Campbell, 5th Baronet, of Glenorchy, who had previously been deprived of the title Earl of Caithness. It refers to Breadalbane, Scotland (/brəˈdɔːlbən/ ; Scottish Gaelic: Bràghaid Albann, meaning "upper Alba" or "upland of Alba"), a region of the southern/central Scottish Highlands, within the Grampian Mountains range, archaically spelt Broadalbin.

Creation

Sir John, as a principal creditor, had acquired the estates of George Sinclair, 6th Earl of Caithness who had died heavily in debt and without issue in 1670. Sir John was consequently created Earl of Caithness in 1673. However after much litigation and even bloodshed, George Sinclair of Keiss (died 1698), the second son of George, 5th Earl of Caithness (died 1643), recovered the estates. Sinclair of Keiss then successfully petitioned parliament regarding the earldom, which was removed from Campbell and finally restored to him in 1681.

Thus deprived by parliament of the Caithness earldom, Sir John Campbell was created Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, with the precidency of the last, on 13 August 1681 as compensation. The titles were created with the power to nominate any of his sons by his first wife to succeed him, failing which to any surviving male son, then to male heirs, failing which to any heirs whatsoever. The "and Holland" part of the title derived from the fact that Campbell was the husband of Lady Mary Rich, daughter of Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland (see Earl of Holland). Sir John Campbell then became known as "Breadalbane"

The Glenorchy line

As a member of a junior branch of Clan Campbell, Breadalbane was a descendant of Sir Colin Campbell, 1st of Glenorchy (died 1475), the son of Duncan Campbell, 1st Lord Campbell by his second wife Margaret Stewart and the half-brother of Archibald Campbell, Master of Campbell, ancestor of the Dukes of Argyll. Colin Campbell was granted Glenorchy and other lands by his father, Duncan, and built Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe in Argyll. King James III knighted him and granted him land around Loch Tay in thanks for hunting down the local earls who had assassinated James II, and to end the power vacuum in the surrounding region that had resulted when they were executed. The land around Loch Tay formed Breadalbane, creating the association between the area and Sir Colin's descendants.

Sir Colin's son Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy was one of the many Scottish nobles killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Sir Duncan's great-grandson and namesake Duncan Campbell, known as "Black Duncan", represented Argyllshire in the Scottish Parliament. He was knighted in 1590 and created a baronet, of Glenorchy in the County of Perth, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1625. His elder son, Sir Colin, the second Baronet, died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, Sir Robert, the third Baronet. He represented Argyllshire in the Scottish Parliament. He was succeeded by his son, Sir John, the fourth Baronet. He also represented Argyllshire in Parliament. He was succeeded by his son by his first marriage, the aforementioned Sir John Campbell, the fifth Baronet, who was created Earl of Breadalbane and Holland in 1681.

History of the Title

Lord Breadalbane and Holland's elder son Duncan Campbell, styled Lord Ormelie, was overlooked for the succession (owing to his "incapacity") and died childless in 1727. Breadalbane nominated his younger son John as his successor, as allowed by the patent, and this John consequently succeeded in the titles on his father's death in 1717.

John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish representative peer between 1736 and 1747. He was succeeded by his son, also John, the third Earl.

The third Earl was a prominent statesman, ambassador and a Lord of the Admiralty. He married as his first wife Lady Amabel Grey, daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent. Their daughter Lady Jemima Campbell succeeded her maternal grandfather as Marchioness Grey in 1740. Through Lady Jemima this Lord Breadalbane was a great-grandfather of Prime Minister Lord Goderich. The third Lord Breadalbane outlived both his only son by his first wife and his two sons by his second marriage to Arabella Pershall. On his death in 1782 the male line of the first Earl failed.

The late third Earl was succeeded by his kinsman, the great-grandson of Colin Campbell of Mochaster, younger son of Sir Robert Campbell, 3rd Baronet, and uncle of the first Earl. John Campbell, who became the fourth Earl. He was a Lieutenant-General in the British Army and sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish representative peer between 1784 and 1806. In 1806 he was created Baron Breadalbane, of Taymouth Castle in the County of Perth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which entitled him to an automatic permanent seat in the House of Lords. In 1831 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Ormelie and Marquess of Breadalbane in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was succeeded by his only son, John Campbell, who became the second Marquess.

John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane was a Liberal politician and served twice as Lord Chamberlain of the Household. He was childless and the United Kingdom peerages of Baron Breadalbane, Earl of Ormelie and Marquess of Breadalbane became extinct on his death in 1862. He was succeeded in the Scottish titles by his kinsman, John Campbell, who became the sixth Earl.

The sixth Earl was the grandson of James Campbell, great-great-grandson of William Campbell of Glenfalloch (died 1648) who was in turn the brother of the aforementioned Colin Campbell of Mochaster.

On his death the titles passed to his son, Gavin, the seventh Earl. He was a Liberal politician and notably served as Treasurer of the Household and Lord Steward of the Household. In 1873 he was created Baron Breadalbane, of Kenmure in the County of Perth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which entitled him to an automatic seat in the House of Lords. In 1885 he was made Earl of Ormelie, in the County of Caithness, and Marquess of Breadalbane in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, thus recreating the UK peerage titles held by the third Earl. Gavin Campbell was however childless and these titles consequently again became extinct on his death in 1922. He was succeeded in the Scottish titles by his nephew, Iain Campbell, the eighth Earl.

Iain was the son of Captain the Honourable Ivan Campbell, second son of the sixth Earl. Iain, the eighth Earl, died at an early age in 1923, only a year after succeeding his uncle.

Iain was succeeded by his kinsman, Charles Campbell, the ninth Earl. Charles was the son of Major-General Charles William Campbell of Borland, grandson of John Campbell of Borland, younger brother of the aforementioned James Campbell, grandfather of the sixth Earl. Charles Campbell, 9th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer between 1924 and his death in 1959. He was succeeded by his only son, John, the tenth Earl.

John was severely wounded while serving with the Black Watch in the Second World War and he died childless in 1995 when the titles became dormant.

Pretenders

There are claims that Hungarian-born Huba Campbell (born 1945) petitioned the Lord Lyon for recognition of his right to the Earldom of Breadalbane and Holland, together with the subsidiary titles, and to the undifferenced arms. However, an extensive search in the records of the Lyon Office and discussions with the lawyer involved shows that no such petition was ever made. Genealogist Hugh Peskett failed to find any evidence in Hungary of such a link, and the search was abandoned on 2000. The claim that Huba is the great-great-grandson of George Campbell, brother of George Andrew Campbell (1791–1852), brother of Charles William Campbell of Borland, grandfather of the ninth Earl, cannot be substantiated.

A British aristocrat, Sir Lachlan Campbell, 6th Baronet, also claims the titles. He is a descendant of Sir Guy Campbell, 1st Baronet, grandson of John Campbell, son of the Honourable Colin Campbell, the son of first Earl by his second marriage to Lady Mary Campbell. Sir Lachlan however, is apparently unable to succeed because his ancestor John Campbell was illegitimate (see Campbell baronets, of St Cross Mede, for further history of this branch of the family).

Taymouth Castle

The main seat of the Earls of Breadalbane and Holland from the early 19th century was the vast Taymouth Castle in Scotland, which was sold by the seventh Earl shortly after the end of the First World War in 1922.

The father of the Scottish writer Fred Urquhart was chauffeur to the Earl in the early twentieth century, and Urquhart's novel Palace of Green Days (1979) draws on his childhood memories of this.

Campbell baronets, of Glenorchy (1625)

• Sir Duncan Campbell, 1st Baronet (1545–1631)
• Sir Colin Campbell, 2nd Baronet (c. 1577–1640)
• Sir Robert Campbell, 3rd Baronet (c. 1580–c. 1650)
• Sir John Campbell, 4th Baronet (c. 1615–c. 1670)
• Sir John Campbell, 5th Baronet (1635–1717) (created Earl of Breadalbane and Holland in 1681)

Earls of Breadalbane and Holland (1681)

• John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1635–1717)
  • Duncan Campbell, Lord Ormelie (c. 1660 – 1727)
• John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1662–1752)
• John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1692–1782)
  • Hon. Henry Campbell (c. 1721 – 1727)
  • Hon. George Campbell (died 1744)
  • John Campbell, Lord Glenorchy (1738–1771)
• John Campbell, 4th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1762–1834) (created Marquess of Breadalbane in 1831)

Marquesses of Breadalbane; First creation (1831)

Marquessate of Breadalbane Extinct
Creation	1831 (first creation) 1885 (second creation)
Created by	William IV (first creation) Victoria (second creation)
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	John Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane
Last holder	Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Ormelie
Extinction date	1862 (first creation) 1922 (second creation)
Former seat(s)	Taymouth Castle

• John Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane (1762–1834)
• John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane (1796–1862)

Earls of Breadalbane and Holland (1681; Reverted)

• John Alexander Gavin Campbell, 6th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1824–1871)
• Gavin Campbell, 7th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1851–1922) (created Marquess of Breadalbane in 1885)

Marquesses of Breadalbane; Second creation (1885)

• Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane (1851–1922)

Earls of Breadalbane and Holland (1681; Reverted)

• Iain Edward Herbert Campbell, 8th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1885–1923)
• Charles William Campbell, 9th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1889–1959)
• John Romer Boreland Campbell, 10th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1919–1995)

Family tree

Family tree of the Marquess of Breadalbane and Earl of Breadalbane and Holland

Campbell baronets, of Glenorchy, 1625 Duncan Campbell 1545–1631 1st Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Coli Campbell c. 1577–1640 2nd Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Robert Campbell c. 1580–c. 1650 3rd Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy John Campbell c. 1615–c. 1670 4th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Colin Campbell of Mochaster 1616–1668 William Campbell d. 1648 Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick, 1681 John Campbell 1636–1717 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 5th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Earl of Caithness Robert Campbell b. 1647 John Campbell 1662–1752 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 6th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Robert Campbell 1660–1705 Colin Campbell 1680–1737 John Campbell 1696–1782 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 7th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Colin Campbell of Carwhin 1704–1772 William Campbell 1715–1791 Baron Breadalbane of Taymouth Castle, 1806 Marquess of Breadalbane (1st creation), Earl of Ormelie (1st creation), 1681 John Campbell 1738–1771 styled Lord Glenorchy Decessit sine prole John Campbell 1762–1834 1st Marquess of Breadalbane, Earl of Ormelie, and Baron Breadalbane 4th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 8th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy James Campbell 1754–1806 John Campbell 1763–1823 John Campbell 1824–1862 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane, Earl of Ormelie, and Baron Breadalbane 5th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 9th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy William Campbell 1788–1850 Charles William Campbell 1789–1861 George Andrew Campbell 1791–1852 Marquessate of Breadalbane (1st creation), Earldom of Ormelie (1st creation) extinct, 1834 John Alexander Campbell 1796–1862 6th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 10th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Charles William Campbell 1836–1894 John Breadalbane Campbell 1839–1918 Baron Breadalbane of Kenmure, 1873 Marquess of Breadalbane (2nd creation), Earl of Ormelie (2nd creation), 1885 Gavin Campbell 1851–1922 Marquess of Breadalbane, Earl of Ormelie, and Baron Breadalbane 7th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 11th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Ivan Campbell 1859–1917 Andrew John Breadalbane Campbell 1874–1899 Marquessate of Breadalbane (2nd creation), Earldom of Ormelie (2nd creation) extinct, 1922 Iain Edward Herbert Campbell 1885–1923 8th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 12th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Charles William Campbell 1889–1959 9th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 13th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Janos Breadalbane Campbell b. 1895 John Romer Boreland Campbell 1919–1995 10th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick 14th Campbell Baronet of Glenorchy Huba Campbell b. 1945 All titles dormant, 1995 Petitioned for rights

See also

• Earl of Caithness
• Earl of Holland
• Duke of Argyll
• Clan Campbell
• Carter-Campbell of Possil
• Campbell baronets of Glenorchy

References

• Brown, Peter, publisher, The Peerage of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1834, pps: 91–2 and 141.
• Genealogy of the Earls of Breadalbane
• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: London: Dean & son, limited. p. 138.