Earl of Gowrie is a title that has been created twice, once in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Unio ...

and once in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great ...

, both times for members of the

Ruthven family Ruthven may refer to: Places Scotland * Ruthven, Aberdeenshire, a village * Ruthven, Angus, a village ** Ruthven Castle, Angus * Ruthven, Badenoch, Highland ** Ruthven Barracks, Highland * Ruthven Castle (disambiguation) * Loch Ruthven, nature r ...

. It takes its name from

Gowrie Gowrie ( gd, Gobharaidh) is a region in central Scotland and one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It covered the eastern part of what became Perthshire. It was located to the immediate east of Atholl, and originally included t ...

, a historical region and ancient province of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. On 23 August 1581, William Ruthven, 4th Lord Ruthven, was created Earl of Gowrie by

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, King of the Scots. He was executed for high treason, attainted and his peerages forfeited on 28 May 1584. Two years later in 1586, the attainder was reversed and his son, the second Earl, was restored as Earl of Gowrie and Lord Ruthven, but both peerages were forfeited after the alleged plot and subsequent death of the second Earl's younger brother, the third Earl, in 1600. The Ruthven family descended from Sir William Ruthven, who was created Lord Ruthven in the Peerage of Scotland in 1488. Lord Ruthven's son and heir, William Ruthven, Master of Ruthven, was one of the many Scottish nobles killed at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

in 1513. Lord Ruthven died in 1528 and was succeeded by his grandson, William, the second Lord, the son of the Master of Ruthven. The second Lord was an

Extraordinary Lord of Session Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session in Scotland from 1532 to 1762, and were part of the historical judiciary of Scotland. When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President, 14 ...

and

Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal. The office has rem ...

. He was succeeded by his son, Patrick, the third Lord. Patrick was the leader of the band which murdered

David Rizzio David Rizzio ( ; it, Davide Rizzio ; – 9 March 1566) or Riccio ( , ) was an Italian courtier, born in Pancalieri close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts di San Paolo e Solbrito ...

. After the murder he fled to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

where he died in 1566. He was succeeded by his son, William, the aforementioned fourth Lord, who was created Earl of Gowrie in 1581 (see above). Thomas Ruthven, grandson of Alexander Ruthven of Freeland, younger son of the second Lord Ruthven, was created Lord Ruthven of Freeland in 1651. His descendant Walter Hore-Ruthven, 9th Lord Ruthven of Freeland, was created Baron Ruthven of Gowrie, of Gowrie in the County of Perth, in the

in 1919. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Walter, the tenth Lord and former

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

. On the latter's death in 1956 the Scottish lordship of Parliament devolved on his daughter, Bridget Helen Monckton, 11th Lady Ruthven, while the barony of Ruthven of Gowrie created in 1919 (which could only descend through male lines) devolved on his great-nephew,

Grey Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie Alexander Patrick Greysteil Hore-Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie, (26 November 1939 – 24 September 2021), usually known as Grey Gowrie or Lord Gowrie, was an Irish-born British hereditary peer, politician, and businessman. Lord Gowrie was also ...

, who became the third Baron. Lord Gowrie was the grandson of the Honourable Alexander Hore-Ruthven,

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.second Earl, elder son of the Honourable

Patrick Hore-Ruthven The Hon. Alexander Hardinge Patrick Hore-Ruthven (30 August 1913 – 24 December 1942) was a British soldier and poet. He was born in Quetta, British India (present-day Pakistan), the sole surviving child of Alexander Hore-Ruthven and Zara Eil ...

, only surviving son of the first Earl, succeeded in May 1955. He notably served in the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

administrations under

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

in the 1980s. However, he lost his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

after the passage of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

. As of 2021, the titles are held by his son, the 3rd Earl, who succeeded in that year. Lord Gowrie is also Chief of the Name and Arms of Ruthven. The Earl is in remainder to the lordship of Ruthven of Freeland (now held by the

Earl of Carlisle Earl of Carlisle is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England. History The first creation came in 1322, when Andrew Harclay, 1st Baron Harclay, was made Earl of Carlisle. He had already been summoned to Parliamen ...

). Several other members of the Ruthven family may also be mentioned.

Alexander Ruthven Alexander Ruthven, master of Ruthven (12 January 1580 – 5 August 1600) was a Scottish nobleman. He is most notable for his participation in the Gowrie conspiracy of 1600. Early life Ruthven was born in Perth, the third son of William Ruthven, ...

, third son of the first Earl of the first creation, took part in the

Gowrie conspiracy John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (c. 1577 – 5 August 1600), was a Scottish nobleman who died in mysterious circumstances, referred to as the "Gowrie Conspiracy", in which he and/or his brother Alexander were attempting to kill or kidnap King ...

of 1600, was condemned for treason and

hanged, drawn and quartered To be hanged, drawn and quartered became a statutory penalty for men convicted of high treason in the Kingdom of England from 1352 under King Edward III (1327–1377), although similar rituals are recorded during the reign of King Henry III ...

. Patrick Ruthven, 1st Earl of Brentford, was the grandson of William Ruthven, younger son of the first Lord Ruthven. Sir John Ruthven, nephew of the Earl of Brentford, was a

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav ...

. His son, Francis Ruthven, was created a Baronet in 1666 (see Ruthven Baronets). The Honourable

Malise Ruthven Malise Walter Maitland Knox Hore-Ruthven (born 14 May 1942) is an Anglo-Irish academic and writer. Born in Dublin in 1942, he earned an M.A. in English literature at the University of Cambridge, before working as a scriptwriter with the BBC Ar ...

, younger brother of the second Earl of Gowrie of the second creation, is a writer and historian. Ruthven-Cameron-Halyburton arms

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the first Gowrie earldom (1581 creation) was: ''quarterly, 1st and 4th, paly of six argent and gules (Ruthven); 2nd, barry of six or and gules (Cameron of Balledgarno); 3rd, Or, on a bend azure, three mascles or (Halyburton of Dirleton); all within a bordure or, charged with a double tressure flory counterflory gules. The coat of arms of the Earl of Gowrie (1945 creation) is: ''Paly of six argent and gules. Crest: A Ram's Head couped Sable, armed Or. Supporters: Dexter: a Ram Sable, gorged with a Coronet and chained Or. Sinister: a Goat Sable, gorged with a Coronet and chained Or. Motto: Deid Shaw''

Lords Ruthven (1488)

William Ruthven, 1st Lord Ruthven William Ruthven, 1st Lord Ruthven (died c. 1528) was a Scottish nobleman and founder of the noble lines of the Ruthven family. William Ruthven of Ruthven was created Lord Ruthven by summons at the Parliament of Scotland in February 1488. Jam ...

(d. 1528) *

William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven (died December 1552) was a Scottish nobleman. He served as an Extraordinary Lord of Session and Keeper of the Privy Seal. Life The 2nd Lord Ruthven was the son of William, Master of Ruthven (who was known as Li ...

(d. 1552) *

Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven (c. 1520 – 13 June 1566) played an important part in the political intrigues of the 16th century Scotland. He succeeded to the lordship in December 1552. The Ruthven lordship encompassed the offices of Provost ...

(c. 1520–1566) * William Ruthven, 4th Lord Ruthven (d. 1584) (created Earl of Gowrie in 1581)

Earls of Gowrie (1581)

William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, 4th Lord of Ruthven (c. 1541May 1584) was a Scottish peer known for devising the Raid of Ruthven. Life and career William Ruthven was born in 1541 in Ruthven Castle, in Perthshire, Scotland, the son of Patr ...

(c. 1545–1584) (forfeit 1584) * James Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie (1575–1588) *

John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (c. 1577 – 5 August 1600), was a Scottish nobleman who died in mysterious circumstances, referred to as the "Gowrie Conspiracy", in which he and/or his brother Alexander were attempting to kill or kidnap King ...

(1576–1600)

Earls of Gowrie (1945)

Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie Brigadier General Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, (; 6 July 1872 – 2 May 1955) was a British Army officer who served as the 10th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1936 to 1945. He was previously Governor ...

(1872–1955) * (Alexander Patrick) Greysteil Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie (1939–2021) *(Patrick Leo) Brer Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (b. 1964) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is the present holder's son, Heathcote Patrick Cornelius Hore-Ruthven, Viscount Ruthven of Canberra (b. 1990).

Line of succession

(1872–1955)'' ** '' Major Hon. Alexander Hardinge Patrick Hore-Ruthven (1913–1942)'' *** Coronet of a British Earl

'' (Alexander Patrick) Greysteil Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie (1939–2021)'' **** Coronet of a British Earl

(Patrick Leo) Brer Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (born 1964) ***** (1) Heathcote Patrick Cornelius Hore-Ruthven, ''Viscount Ruthven of Canberra'' (b. 1990) *** (2) Malise Walter Maitland Knox Hore-Ruthven (b. 1942)

References