Baron Hume of Berwick facts for kids

The title of Baron Hume of Berwick was created two times in history. A "Baron" is a noble title, usually passed down through families. The first time it was created, it was either in the noble system of England or Scotland. The second time, it was created in the noble system of Great Britain.

First Creation of the Title

The title of Baron Hume of Berwick was first created on July 7, 1604. It was given to a man named George Home. He was a very important person at the time. He was the Lord Treasurer of Scotland, which meant he managed the country's money. He was also part of the English Privy Council, a group of advisors to the King. Plus, he was the Keeper of the Great Wardrobe, in charge of the King's clothes and other royal items.

A year later, in 1605, George Home was given an even higher title: Earl of Dunbar.

There's a bit of a mystery about whether this first Baron Hume title was an English or Scottish one. Some old records say it was English. However, a later book called the Complete Peerage suggests it was Scottish. This is because the original document creating the title allowed George Home to choose a relative to inherit it. This kind of rule was common in Scottish noble titles but not in English ones.

George Home passed away in January 1611 without a male heir. After his death, his noble titles, including Baron Hume of Berwick, became "dormant." This means the title still exists but no one is officially holding it. Most people think the title ended then.

However, a different book called Debretts (from 2003) has another idea. It says the title might have passed down to the Earls of Home through Lady Anna Home. Lady Anna Home was George Home's daughter. She was also the mother of James Home, 3rd Earl of Home.

This question about the title came up again in 1963. At that time, the Prime Minister, Alec Douglas-Home, who was the 14th Earl of Home, had to give up all his noble titles. He did this so he could become a member of the House of Commons, which is like the main parliament in Britain. A new law called the Peerage Act 1963 made this possible.

On October 23, 1963, Alec Douglas-Home signed a special document called the 'Instrument of Disclaimer.' This document listed all the noble titles he was giving up, and Baron Hume of Berwick was included.

When Alec Douglas-Home passed away in 1995, his son, David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home, took back his father's titles. It is said that he believes he also has a claim to the title of Lord Hume of Berwick. However, he has not yet officially asked the Crown (the King or Queen) to recognize this claim.

Debretts still believes this title is more likely Scottish because of its unusual rules for who could inherit it. To avoid any confusion when Alec Douglas-Home gave up his titles, the Lord Chancellor's office (a government department) listed it in two ways on the document: "The Lordship of Hume of Berwick in the peerage of Scotland" and "The Barony of Hume in the Peerage of England." This was a bit unusual, but it covered all possibilities.

Second Creation of the Title

The title of Baron Hume of Berwick was created a second time on May 14, 1776. This time, it was given to Alexander Hume-Campbell, Lord Polwarth. He was the son and heir of Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont. This creation was part of the Peerage of Great Britain.

However, this title did not last long. Alexander Hume-Campbell passed away without any children. Because of this, the title became "extinct," meaning it completely ended and could not be passed on to anyone else.

See also

• Baron Berwick
• Tony Lloyd, Baron Lloyd of Berwick