Duke of Perth

Duke of Perth The Duke of Perth was a Jacobite peerage title created during the exiled court of James II and VII for a leading member of the Drummond family. The dukedom functioned within the parallel system of honors maintained by the Stuart claimants and intersected with families active in the Jacobite risings, landed interests in Perthshire, and continental exile networks. Its holders were prominent in Scottish noble, military, and diplomatic circles associated with the Stuart cause.

History and creation

The title was created in 1701 by the exiled Jacobite claimant James II of England/VII of Scotland for James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth, connecting the Drummond lineage to the Stuart court in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the wider Jacobite apparatus centered on figures at Versailles and in service to Louis XIV of France. The creation formed part of a pattern of Jacobite peerages that paralleled creations like the Duke of Albany and the Duke of Tyrconnel, used to reward loyalty after the Glorious Revolution and the Williamite War in Ireland. The dukedom’s foundation reflected alliances among Catholic and Episcopalian nobles including ties to the House of Stuart, the Scottish Episcopalian leadership, and Continental military patrons such as commanders in the Nine Years' War and veterans of the War of the Spanish Succession.

Holders and succession

The first holder, James Drummond, previously styled as Earl of Perth, served as Secretary of State for Scotland under James II/VII and later became a prominent Jacobite exile associated with the Stuart household at Saint-Germain, while his heirs included members who served in Continental armies and Jacobite regiments like the Royal Scots Regiment variants. Successors maintained claims recognized by the Jacobite court, linking to cadet branches of the Drummond family and alliances with houses such as the Menzies family, the Graham family, and the Murray family. Succession disputes mirrored those in Scottish peerage law as adjudicated in periods of restoration attempts and were influenced by attainders enacted by the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of Great Britain after rebellions like the Jacobite rising of 1715 and the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Forfeiture and Jacobite context

The dukedom, like other Jacobite creations, existed largely outside recognition by the Parliament of Great Britain and faced legal forfeiture following participation in uprisings associated with leaders such as the Earl of Mar and Charles Edward Stuart. The Drummond holders were implicated in events tied to the Battle of Sheriffmuir, the Battle of Prestonpans, and the later campaign culminating at the Battle of Culloden, leading to attainders and the loss of civil rights under statutes influenced by figures in the Hanoverian dynasty and ministers like Robert Walpole. Despite forfeiture, claimants continued to receive honors from the exiled Stuart court and maintained networks with émigré communities in Paris, Rome, and the courts of Spain and Austria where they served in regiments alongside officers from the Scottish and Irish diaspora.

Estates and residences

The Drummond family seat and related properties were situated in and around Perthshire, with principal houses and lands connected to sites such as Stobhall, estates near Perth, Scotland, and properties historically linked to alliances with the Campbell family and marital ties to the Douglas family. Following forfeiture and the political repercussions of Jacobite participation, some estates were seized, sold, or administered by Crown agents, while other holdings passed through marriage into families like the Kerr family and the Hope family. Exiled dukes maintained residences in Stuart-friendly centers including lodging at Saint-Germain-en-Laye and accommodation in Rome near the papal court, forming part of the broader pattern of aristocratic exile housing seen with peers like the Earl of Mar and the Duke of Berwick.

Legacy and cultural references

The title’s legacy appears in histories of the Jacobitism movement, portraits held at institutions such as the National Galleries of Scotland and archives referencing correspondence with the Court of St James's and exiled Stuart chancelleries. Cultural evocations of the Drummond dukedom surface in literature about the risings authored by historians of the 18th century and in modern treatments by scholars associated with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, and the University of Aberdeen. The dukedom figures in studies of legal attainder, diasporic military service in the French Royal Army and the Austrian Army, and in genealogical works that also examine connections to families documented in the Scotland’s Places records and the collections of the National Records of Scotland.

Category:Jacobite peerages