Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess of Zetland, (16 August 1844 – 11 March 1929), known as Lawrence Dundas until 1873 and as the Earl of Zetland from 1873 to 1892, was a British

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 ...

and

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 ...

statesman. He was

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

between 1889 and 1892.

Early life and education

Lord Zetland was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the son of John Charles Dundas, younger son of Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland (Zetland is an archaic spelling of

Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

). His mother was Margaret Matilda, daughter of James Talbit. He was educated at Harrow and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

Military service

Zetland was commissioned as a

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

in the Royal Horse Guards in 1866. By 1869 Zetland was a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and he retired from the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

in 1872.

Political career

In 1872 Zetland was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for

Richmond, North Yorkshire Richmond is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located at the point where Swaledale, the upper valley of the River Swale, opens into the Vale of Mowbray. The town's population at the 2011 ...

that same year. However, he sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

for less than a year before succeeding his

uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent, as well as the parent of the cousins. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an un ...

as third Earl of Zetland. A Lord in Waiting from May to September 1880, Lord Zetland subsequently moved from supporting the Liberals to joining the Conservative Party in 1884. In 1889 he was sent to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

. The same year he was appointed a Knight of the Order of Saint Patrick (KP). In the post he proved both successful and popular, and remained there until the Liberals returned to power in 1892. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1889 and in 1892, on Lord Salisbury's recommendation, he was created Earl of Ronaldshay, in the County of Orkney and Zetland, and Marquess of Zetland. In the 1890s Lord Zetland became more involved in local politics, becoming an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

on the North Riding of Yorkshire

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

in 1894 and being elected

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Richmond in 1895 and 1896. In 1900 he was made a

Knight of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The ...

. A

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

like his uncle and grandfather, Zetland was the society's provincial Grand Master in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

from 1874 to 1923. He was also an enthusiastic sportsman, and was Master of the Zetland Hunt for thirty-five years. He owned 68,000 acres, with 11,000 in the North Riding of Yorkshire, 29,000 acres in Orkney and 13,000 acres in Shetland.

Marriage and children

Lord Zetland married Lady Lilian Selina Elizabeth Lumley (1851 - 24 December 1943), daughter of Richard Lumley, 9th Earl of Scarbrough, on 3 August 1871. They had five children:Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003 * Lady Hilda Mary Dundas (24 November 1872 - 19 May 1957), married Charles Henry FitzRoy, 4th Baron Southampton on 9 July 1892. * Thomas Dundas, Lord Dundas (19 January 1874 - 11 February 1874) * Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland (11 June 1876 - 6 February 1961) * Lady Maud Frederica Elizabeth Dundas (9 July 1877 - 15 March 1967), married

William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam William "Billy" Charles de Meuron Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam, (25 July 1872 – 15 February 1943), styled Viscount Milton from 1877 to 1902, was a British Army officer, nobleman, politician, and aristocrat. Early life and cont ...

on 24 June 1896. * Lord George Heneage Lawrence Dundas (1 July 1882 - 30 September 1968), married Iris Winifred Hanley on 23 December 1905.

Death

Lord Zetland died in 1929 at the age of 84 at Aske Hall,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

and was buried there. He was succeeded in the marquessate and other titles by his eldest surviving son

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

. The Dowager Marchioness of Zetland died on 24 December 1943.

Arms

Notes

References

* *

External links

*
Zetland Estates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zetland, Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess 1844 births 1929 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Knights of the Thistle Liberal Party (UK) Lords-in-Waiting Dundas, Lawrence Lords Lieutenant of Ireland Marquesses of Zetland Mayors of Richmond, North Yorkshire Members of North Riding County Council Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria People educated at Harrow School Royal Horse Guards officers Dundas, Lawrence Zetland, M1 UK MPs who were granted peerages