Earl of Wigtown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Earldom of Wigtown |
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Quarterly: 1st and 4th, gules, a chevron within a double tressure counterflory argent (Fleming); 2nd and 3rd, Azure, three cinquefoils argent (Fraser)
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| Creation date | 9 November 1341 |
| Monarch | David II of Scotland |
| Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
| First holder | Malcolm Fleming, 1st Earl of Wigtown |
| Subsidiary titles | Baron Galloway Lord of Cumbernauld Lord of Kirkintilloch Lord Fleming |
| Seat(s) | Tottenham House |
| Motto | "Let the deed shaw" |
The Earl of Wigtown was an important noble title in Scotland. It was created for powerful families not once, but twice! This title was part of the Peerage of Scotland, which is a special group of noble titles given out in Scotland.
Contents
The First Earls of Wigtown (1341)
The very first time the title of Earl of Wigtown was created was in 1341. King David II of Scotland gave this title to a man named Malcolm Fleming. He became the 1st Earl of Wigtown.
After Malcolm, his son Thomas Fleming became the 2nd Earl. But in 1372, Thomas decided to give up the title. He sold the Earldom and its lands to a powerful noble called Archibald the Grim. Archibald was also known as the Lord of Galloway.
The Douglas Family and the Earldom
The transfer of the Earldom to Archibald was confirmed by King Robert III later that same year. For the next 100 years, the Douglas family held the Earldom of Wigtown. They were already very powerful as the Earls of Douglas.
The Earldom stayed with the Douglas family until 1455. In that year, the title was taken away from James Douglas, the 9th Earl of Douglas. This happened because of a special legal process called an attainder. An attainder meant that a person's titles and lands were taken away, usually because they were seen as disloyal to the king.
The Second Creation of the Earldom (1606)
The title of Earl of Wigtown was created again in 1606. This time, it was given to John Fleming. This new creation of the Earldom lasted for many years.
The Earls from this second creation also held other smaller titles. These included Lord Fleming and Cumbernauld (from 1606) and Lord Fleming (from 1451). These titles were also part of the Peerage of Scotland.
The Earldom continued through several generations of the Fleming family. It finally ended when the 7th Earl died in 1747. After his death, the title became "dormant" or "extinct," meaning there was no one left to inherit it.
Important Earls of Wigtown (Second Creation)
- John Fleming, 1st Earl of Wigtown (1567–1619)
- John Fleming, 2nd Earl of Wigtown (1589–1650)
- John Fleming, 3rd Earl of Wigtown (died 1665)
- John Fleming, 4th Earl of Wigtown (died 1668)
- William Fleming, 5th Earl of Wigtown (died 1681)
- John Fleming, 6th Earl of Wigtown (1673–1744)
- Charles Fleming, 7th Earl of Wigtown (1675–1747)
