Earl of Balcarres facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Earldom of Balcarres |
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Quarterly, 1st & 4th: Gules, a fess chequy argent and azure (for Clan Lindsay); 2nd & 3rd: Or a lion rampant gules surmounted of a bend sable (for Abernethy) within a bordure azure powdered with 14 stars or (for Lindsay of Balcarres)
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| Creation date | 9 January 1651 |
| Monarch | Charles II |
| Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
| First holder | Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Balcarres |
| Present holder | Anthony Lindsay, 30th Earl of Crawford |
| Heir apparent | Alexander Thomas Lindsay, Lord Balniel |
| Remainder to | The 1st Earl's heirs male bearing the name Lindsay |
| Subsidiary titles | Lord Lindsay of Balcarres Lord Lindsay of Balneil |
| Status | Extant |
| Seat(s) | Balcarres House |
| Motto | Astra castra, numen, lumen munimen ("The stars my camp, and God my light and strength") |
The Earl of Balcarres is an important noble title in Scotland. It was created in 1651 for a man named Alexander Lindsay, who was already the 2nd Lord Balcarres. Since 1848, this title has been held together with another very old title, the Earldom of Crawford. The person who holds these titles is also the traditional leader, or clan chief, of Clan Lindsay.
Contents
How the Title Began
The story of the Earl of Balcarres title began with Alexander Lindsay's father. He was given the title Lord Lindsay of Balcarres on 27 June 1633. This first Lord was the grandson of the 9th Earl of Crawford.
When his father passed away in 1642, Alexander Lindsay became the 2nd Lord Lindsay of Balcarres. He was a strong supporter of King Charles I. Because of his loyalty, he was given even higher titles in 1651: Earl of Balcarres and Lord Lindsay of Balneil.
During a time when Oliver Cromwell ruled England, known as The Protectorate, the first Earl of Balcarres died in 1659. He was living away from home in Breda at the time.
Later Earls and Royal Connections
After the first Earl, his third son, Charles, became the 2nd Earl. When Charles passed away, his younger brother, Colin, became the 3rd Earl of Balcarres.
When he was young, the 3rd Earl Colin was a close friend of King Charles II. This was after the king returned to the throne in 1660, an event called the Restoration. However, Colin later became very loyal to King James VII.
After the Glorious Revolution, when King James was removed from power, Colin had to leave Scotland. He went to Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France. This was because he was involved in a plan to help King James get his throne back. Around 1701, he returned to Scotland and was welcomed by Queen Anne. Even though he lost some money during the revolution, he kept his noble titles.
Joining the Crawford Earldom
For a long time, the ancient Earldom of Crawford was held by a different part of the Lindsay family. This title dated all the way back to 1398. In January 1808, the Crawford title became inactive after the death of the George Lindsay-Crawford, 22nd Earl of Crawford.
In 1843, James Lindsay, 7th Earl of Balcarres, made a claim to the Earldom of Crawford. His oldest son, Alexander, had done a lot of research to support this claim. In 1848, a special group in the government, the House of Lords, agreed with their claim.
They decided that James Lindsay's father, the 6th Earl of Balcarres, should have been the rightful 23rd Earl of Crawford, even though he never claimed it himself. So, the 6th Earl of Balcarres was officially named the 23rd Earl of Crawford after his death. His son, the 7th Earl of Balcarres, then became the 24th Earl of Crawford. Since then, the two earldoms have been held by the same person.
The family's main home is Balcarres House, which is located near Colinsburgh in Fife, Scotland.
Early Lords and Earls of Balcarres
- David Lindsay, 1st Lord Balcarres (1587–1642)
- Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Balcarres (1618–1659) – he later became the 1st Earl of Balcarres.
- Alexander Lindsay, 1st Earl of Balcarres (1618–1659)
- Charles Lindsay, 2nd Earl of Balcarres (1650–1662)
- Colin Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Balcarres (1652–1722)
- Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Balcarres (died 1736)
- James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres (1691–1768)
- Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres (1752–1825) – he was considered the 23rd Earl of Crawford, even though he didn't claim it.
- James Lindsay, 7th Earl of Balcarres (1783–1869) – he was officially declared the 24th Earl of Crawford in 1848.
For the Earls who came after, please see the article about the Earl of Crawford.
See also
- Lindsay family tree – This shows how some of the people mentioned above are related.
