KINCARDINE,
a title in the peerage of Scotland, now possessed by the earl of
Elgin, and first conferred, by King Charles I., on Sir Edward Bruce of
Carnock, with the secondary dignity of Lord Bruce of Torry, by patent,
dated at Carisbrook, 26th December 1647, to him and his
heirs male. As he died without issue, he was succeeded by his brother
Alexander, about 1662. The second earl of Kincardine acted a somewhat
conspicuous part in the reign of Charles II., and his character has
been drawn in the highest terms of eulogy by Burnet in his History of
his Own Times. He had married Veronica, daughter of Corneille Van
Arson Van Sommelsdyck, a rich Dutch noble, with whom he got a fortune
of 80,000 guilders, and was thus enabled to contribute largely to the
necessities of Charles II. during his residence at the Hague. At the
Restoration he was sworn a privy councillor, and on the proposed
re-establishment of prelacy in Scotland, he was the only member of the
privy council who opposed it, until the sense of the nation regarding
it should be ascertained. During the subsequent arbitrary proceedings
of the government, he was ever for moderate and legal measures. In
1667, with the earl of Tweeddale and Sir Robert Murray, he was
intrusted with the government in Scotland, and their mild
administration formed a striking contrast to the oppressive and
tyrannical rule of their predecessors. On 10th July 1667 he
was appointed an extraordinary lord of session. In 1674 he joined the
opposition against the duke of Lauderdale, and went to London to
justify his own proceedings to the king. by Lauderdale’s influence,
however, an order was obtained for his removal from court, and, with
the duke of Hamilton and other noblemen, he was dismissed from the
council in 1676. He died 9th July 1680. Burnet says: “He
was both the wisest and the worthiest man that belonged to his
country, and fit for governing any affairs but his own, which he, by a
wrong turn, and by his love for the public, neglected to his ruin; for
they, consisting much in works, coal, salt, and mines, required much
care; and he was very capable of it, having gone far in mathematics,
and being a great master of mechanics.” As he died deeply involved in
debt, his estate was brought to a judicial sale, by order of the court
of session, and purchased by Colonel John Erskine, son of David Lord
Cardross, in 1700. He had, with three daughters, two sons. Charles,
the elder son, predeceased him.
Alexander,
the younger son, third earl, was blind for some years before his
death, which took place in November 1705. As he died unmarried, his
eldest sister, Lady Mary, the wife of William Cochrane of Ochiltree,
founding on procuratories of resignation executed by her brother, for
devising the honours in her favour, claimed the title, as did also Sir
Alexander Bruce of Broomhall, the heir male of the family. He was the
son of Robert Bruce of Broomhall, a lord of session from 1st
June 1649, till his death 25th June 1652, by Helen,
daughter of Sir James Skene of Curriehill, lord president of that
court. On 10th October 1706, the estates of parliament,
before whom the question was debated, admitted Sir Alexander to his
seat and vote, as fourth earl of Kincardine, reserving Lady Mary’s
right. Against this decision Lady Mary protested. The case was
subsequently before the court of session, and on 28th March
1707, a decision was given that the procuratories of resignation did
not become void by the death of the earl before their full execution,
but that if the queen (Anne) pleased to accept of the resignation and
to confer the title on Lady Mary, they might still be completed, by a
new patent in her favour. The cause was then entered as an appeal to
parliament, but the Scots parliament had ceased to exist, and the suit
was not prosecuted. At the general election, 17th June
1708, a protest against the earl of Kincardine’s vote was entered by
Lady Mary Cochrane, and at the general election, 10th
November, 1710, she gave full powers to James, earl of Galloway, to
object and protest against Sir Alexander Bruce of Broomhall, pretended
earl of Kincardine, voting at the election. Sir Alexander was
joint-receiver-general of the supply and excise from May 1693 to
October 1695, and M.P. for Sanquhar. On the second reading of the act
for securing the presbyterian form of government to the Church of
Scotland, 12th June, 1702, he declared that it contained
things inconsistent with the essence of the monarchy; for which –
freedom of debate being a thing not understood in those days – he was
expelled from parliament, and a new writ ordered for Sanquhar. He had
afterwards a pension from the queen. He adhered to the duke of Athol’s
first protest against the Union in 1706, but does not appear to have
given any farther opposition to that important treaty. By his
countess, Christian, daughter of Robert Bruce of Blairhall, he had
four sons and five daughters. His three eldest sons, Robert,
Alexander, and Thomas, were successively earls of Kincardine. The
latter, the seventh earl, died at Broomhall, 23d March, 1740, aged 77.
His son,
William, eighth earl, died 8th September, the same year, at
Dunkirk, on his way to Naples, for the recovery of his health. He had
married Janet Robertson, celebrated in the poetry of Hamilton of
Bangour as one of the greatest beauties of his time, daughter of James
Robertson, advocate, one of the principal clerks of session, and had
three sons and two daughters. James, the second son, was a clergyman
of the Church of England, and Thomas, the youngest, a
lieutenant-general in the army, and M.P., died at Exeter, 12th
December, 1797.
Charles, the
ninth earl, succeeded his kinsman, the fourth earl of Elgin and
Ailesbury, in his Scottish titles, and was thenceforth styled earl of
Elgin and Kincardine (see ELGIN, fifth earl of).
