Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet (9 April 1919 – 27 February 1985), Chief of Clan Moncreiffe, was a British Officer of Arms and genealogist.

Biography

Moncreiffe was the son of Lieutenant-Commander Gerald Moncreiffe, RN, and Hilda, daughter of the Comte de Miremont. He succeeded his cousin as 11th

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

and Chief of

Clan Moncreiffe Clan Moncreiffe is a Highland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pa ...

in 1957.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 276 - 277. Educated at

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmast ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

, and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniq ...

, as a cadet officer Moncreiffe trained with Derek Bond (actor) and

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's great ...

, he later served in Scots Guards during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, then as attaché at the British embassy in Moscow, before studying Scots Law at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

. He was awarded a PhD (1958) with a thesis on the Origins and Background of the Law of Succession to Arms and Dignities in Scotland, which was published as a monograph in 2010. A prominent member of the Lyon Court, Moncreiffe held the offices of Falkland Pursuivant (1952),

Kintyre Pursuivant Kintyre Pursuivant of Arms was a Scottish pursuivant of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon. The Kintyre Pursuivant was formerly a private officer of arms in the service of the Lord of the Isles, but along with Dingwall Pursuivant, Ross Herald ...

(1953), Unicorn Pursuivant (1955), and (from 1961) Albany Herald. He wrote a popular work about the Scottish clans, ''The Highland Clans'' (1967), and with Don Pottinger ''Simple Heraldry, Cheerfully Illustrated'' (1953), ''Simple Custom'' (1954), and ''Blood Royal'' (1956), but his interests also extended to Georgian and Byzantine noble genealogies. ''Lord of the Dance, A Moncreiffe Miscellany'', edited by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd encompassed his genealogical world-view. He was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists in 1969. He was an incorrigible snob; he even called himself Master Snob. He took silk (relatively late in his career) because very few barristers specialised in heraldic matters and he wished to highlight the importance of this field of speciality. He was a frequent writer of amusing and often illuminating letters to newspapers, particularly ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', and provided the introduction to

Douglas Sutherland Douglas Chalmers Hutchinson Sutherland (18 November 1919 – 28 August 1995) was a British author and journalist, best known for his biographies and the humorous ''English Gentleman'' books. Background Sutherland was born in 1919 at Bongate ...

's satirical book ''

The English Gentleman ''The English Gentleman'' (1978) is a humorous book written by Douglas Sutherland and illustrated by Timothy Jacques, with an introduction by Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk. The book acts as a satirical guide to the life of an English gentleman ...

'' (1978). He held membership in many London clubs and founded his own club in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, called Puffin's Club, – the name was taken from the nickname of Sir Iain's first wife, 'Puffin', Diana Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll. It was and continues to be a weekly luncheon club, which between the early 1960s and late 1990s met in Martin's restaurant in Rose Street Lane North, Edinburgh. It still meets monthly in London and Edinburgh. The membership was and is as varied and eccentric as its founder. Ex-King Zog I, King of Albania paid his founding subscription of £5 in 1961, but died before he could attend. The actor Terence Stamp, Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, Sir Fitzroy Maclean and

Lord Dacre Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. History The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multo ...

all attended with varying frequency. It was said that at some point half the crowned heads of Europe were on the list.

Family

Moncreiffe married twice. Firstly Diana Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll, whom he married on 19 December 1946 at St Margaret's, Westminster. They had three children: * Merlin Sereld Victor Gilbert, styled Lord Hay, later 24th Earl of Erroll (b. 20 April 1948). * Hon. Peregrine David Euan Malcolm Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Chief of

(b. 16 February 1951), married in 1988 Miranda Mary Fox-Pitt (b. 29 December 1968). * Lady Alexandra Victoria Caroline Anne Moncreiffe Hay (b.

, 30 July 1955), married

Jolyon Connell Jolyon Connell is a former ''Sunday Telegraph'' and ''Sunday Times'' journalist who left Fleet Street to found ''The Week'' in 1995, the news digest magazine which was ultimately purchased by his mentor and guide, the late publisher and poet Felix ...

(b. Edinburgh, 16 May 1952); they have two daughters, Flora Diana Catharine Cecelia Connell (b. London, 24 February 1990) and Ciara Edith Elisabeth Connell (b. London, 28 March 1994). Lady Alexandra also has a son, Ivar Francis Grey de Miremont Wigan. Moncreiffe's first marriage was dissolved in 1964 and in 1966 he took as his second wife Hermione Patricia Faulkner, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Douglas Faulkner and Patricia Katherine Montagu Douglas Scott.

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References

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Biography

Family

Notes

References

Further reading