Lord Balvaird facts for kids
The title of Lord Balvaird was a special honor given in Scotland. It was created in 1641 for a man named Sir Andrew Murray. At that time, he was also the feudal Lord of Balvaird, meaning he owned and controlled the land called Balvaird.
This title was part of the Peerage of Scotland, which is a system of noble ranks and titles in Scotland, similar to how kings and queens give out titles like Duke, Earl, or Baron. These titles often came with special rights and responsibilities.
What is a Lordship?
A lordship is a very old type of noble title. In Scotland, a "Lord of Parliament" was a noble who had the right to attend the Scottish Parliament. The title of Lord Balvaird was one of these special lordships. It meant that the person holding the title was a very important figure in Scottish society.
How the Title Was Created
The title of Lord Balvaird was created by a special document called "letters patent." Think of letters patent as a royal decree or a fancy official paper from the king. This document officially announced that Sir Andrew Murray was now Lord Balvaird. It also explained how the title would be passed down through his family.
The First Lords Balvaird
The first person to hold the title was Andrew Murray. He became Lord Balvaird in 1641. He passed away in 1644.
His son, David Murray, became the second Lord Balvaird. However, something interesting happened during his time. In 1658, David Murray also inherited another important title: the Viscount Stormont. This happened because of a "special remainder" in the original letters patent. A special remainder is like a special rule written into the title's creation document, saying who gets the title if the main line of heirs runs out or if another title is inherited.
Merging of Titles
When David Murray became Viscount Stormont, the title of Lord Balvaird essentially merged with the Viscount Stormont title. This means that from then on, whoever was Viscount Stormont would also be Lord Balvaird. It's like two rivers joining to become one bigger river.
Later, the great-grandson of the second Lord Balvaird (who was also the seventh Viscount Stormont) inherited an even higher title: the Earl of Mansfield. This happened in 1793, again because of a special remainder. So, the titles of Lord Balvaird, Viscount Stormont, and Earl of Mansfield all became linked together.
To learn more about how these titles continued, you can look up the Viscount Stormont and the Earl of Mansfield articles.
