There have been several

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

titles created with the name Avondale (or Avandale), referring to the dale (or

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

) of the Avon Water in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The word strath also means valley, and the area is now better known as Strathaven. The title Earl of Avondale, along with that of Lord Balveny, was created for James Douglas, known as "the Gross", in 1437. He was a younger son of Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas and succeeded to the Earldom of Douglas in 1440 following the deaths of his

nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of an individual's sibling or sibling-in-law. A niece is female and a nephew is male, and they would call their parents' siblings aunt or uncle ...

and great-nephew. The titles were forfeit in 1455 on the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

of his son

James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG (1426–1491) was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. Early life The son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas, by his wife Lady Beatrice Sinclair, daugh ...

and 3rd Earl of Avondale. The second creation was for Andrew Stuart, who was created Lord Avondale in 1459. He was a son of Sir Walter Stewart and therefore a grandson of

Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany () (1362 – 25 May 1425) was a leading Scottish nobleman, the son of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, and the grandson of King Robert II of Scotland, who founded the Stewart dynasty. In 1389, he became Justiciar o ...

. He served as

Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally titled Lord High Chancellor, was an Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. The Lord Chancellor was the principal Great Officer of State, the presiding officer of the Parliament of Scotland, the K ...

between 1460 and 1482, and died in 1488, when the title became extinct. The third creation was for another Andrew Stuart, who was created Lord Avondale in about 1499. He was a great-grandson of Sir Walter Stewart, and thus a great-nephew of the first Lord Avondale. On his death on 9 September 1513, he was succeeded by his son, also named Andrew. The second Lord Avondale exchanged his title for that of Lord Ochiltree on 15 March 1543. The most recent creation was for

Prince Albert Victor Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). From the time of his ...

, eldest son of

the Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

(later King Edward VII). He was created Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone on 24 May 1890, but died on 14 January 1892, when the titles became extinct.

Earls of Avondale (1437)

* James Douglas, 1st Earl of Avondale (1371–1443) * William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale (1425–1452) * James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale (1426–1488)

Lord Avondale (1459)

* Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avandale (d. 1488)

Lords Avondale (c. 1499)

* Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale (d. 1513) - great nephew of the former 1st Lord Avondale. * Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Avondale (d. 1548)

Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1890)

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). From the time of his ...

(1864–1892)

Family tree

References