Baron Margadale, of

Islay Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...

in the

County of Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area now forms part of ...

, is a title 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 B ...

. It was created on 1 January 1965 for the

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

politician John Morrison. , the title is held by his grandson, the third baron, who succeeded his father in 2003. The barony of Margadale is the most recent extant non-royal hereditary barony. Lord Margadale is the most junior of Britain's

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

s. The barony is named after the area of Margadale, in Islay. James Morrison, great-grandfather of the first Baron, was a

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

innkeeper's son who became the greatest textile wholesaler in England and a prominent merchant banker. He left circa £4 million in 1857, the second largest non-landed fortune in Britain up to that time after

Nathan Mayer Rothschild Nathan Mayer Rothschild (16 September 1777 – 28 July 1836), also known as Baron Nathan Mayer Rothschild, was a British-German banker, businessman and finance, financier. Born in Free City of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, he was the third of ...

's £5 million. James's son Charles Morrison continued in the same lines of business, and left £10.9 million in 1909, which was the largest British estate for

probate In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...

purposes up to that time. He was probably the second richest man in Britain at his death, after the

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.Rubinstein, W. D. ''Men of Property'' (2006), pp. 59–60. . Charles Morrison's nephew Hugh Morrison was the father of the first Baron Margadale. James Morrison, uncle of the first Baron, was a politician. Sir Charles Morrison and Sir Peter Morrison, younger sons of the first Baron, were both Conservative politicians. The family seat is Fonthill House, near Fonthill Bishop,

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Barons Margadale (1965)

* John Granville Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale (1906–1996) * James Ian Morrison, 2nd Baron Margadale (1930–2003) * Alastair John Morrison, 3rd Baron Margadale (born 1958) The

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

is the present holder's son, the Hon. Declan James Morrison (born 1993)

Line of succession

''Major John Granville Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale (1906–1996)'' ** Coronet of a British Baron

'' James Ian Morrison, 2nd Baron Margadale (1930–2003)'' *** Coronet of a British Baron

Alastair John Morrison, 3rd Baron Margadale (born 1958) **** (1) ''Hon.'' Declan James Morrison (born 1993) *** (2) ''Hon.'' Hugh Morrison (born 1960) **** (3) Geordie Anthony Morrison (born 1989) ** ''Hon. Sir Charles Andrew Morrison (1932–2005)'' *** (4) David John Morrison (born 1959) **** (5) Ivo Charles David Morrison (born 1990)

Arms

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *# {{DEFAULTSORT:Margadale Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1965 Peerages created for UK MPs Margadale