David Erskine, 2nd Baron Erskine
Encyclopedia
David Montagu Erskine, 2nd Baron Erskine (12 August 1776 – 19 March 1855) was a British
diplomat
and politician.
, Erskine was the eldest son of Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
, fourth son of Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan
. His mother was Frances, daughter of Daniel Moore, MP. He was educated at Charterhouse
, Winchester
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. After matriculating
in 1796, he was called to the Bar
, Lincoln's Inn
, in 1802.
, however, instead he was elected as Member of Parliament
for Portsmouth
in 1806, in place of his father, who was appointed Lord Chancellor
. At the request of Erskine's father to Charles James Fox
, then Foreign Secretary, he was appointed Minister to the United States later that year.
In 1809, Erskine was recalled by the Foreign Secretary, George Canning
, for having offered the withdrawal of the Orders in Council
of 1807 against the Americans and his resolution of the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair. He thus remained out of favour and unemployed until 1824, when he inherited his father's title and was appointed Minister to Stuttgart. He subsequently transferred to Munich in 1828. He retired in 1843.
Lord Erskine had lived in the United States prior to his appointment as Minister to Washington. He married as his first wife Frances Cadwalader, daughter of John Cadwalader
(a general
during the American Revolutionary War
), in 1799. They had twelve children:
Lady Erskine died in Genoa
in March 1843. Erskine married as his second wife Anne, daughter of John Travis, in July 1843. After Anne's death in April 1851, he married as his third wife Anna, daughter of William Cunninghame Graham and widow of Thomas Calderwood Durham, in 1852. There were no children from his second and third marriage. Lord Erskine died at his home of Butler's Green in Sussex
in March 1855, aged 78, and was buried at Cuckfield
. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, Thomas. Lady Erskine married the Venerable John Sandford, Archdeacon of Coventry, in 1856. She died in March 1886.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
and politician.
Background and education
A member of Clan ErskineClan Erskine
-Origins of the Name:The surname Erskine is derived from the name of Erskine, an area to the south of the River Clyde and ten miles to the west of Glasgow...
, Erskine was the eldest son of Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine KT PC KC was a British lawyer and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom between 1806 and 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background and childhood:...
, fourth son of Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan
Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan
Henry David Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan FRS , styled Lord Auchterhouse until 1745, was a Scottish peer....
. His mother was Frances, daughter of Daniel Moore, MP. He was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, Winchester
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. After matriculating
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
in 1796, he was called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
, Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, in 1802.
Political and diplomatic career
Erskine did not practise lawLaw
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, however, instead he was elected as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Portsmouth
Portsmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Portsmouth was a borough constituency based upon the borough of Portsmouth in Hampshire. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.- History :...
in 1806, in place of his father, who was appointed Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
. At the request of Erskine's father to Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
, then Foreign Secretary, he was appointed Minister to the United States later that year.
In 1809, Erskine was recalled by the Foreign Secretary, George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
, for having offered the withdrawal of the Orders in Council
Orders in Council (1807)
The Orders in Council were a series of legislative decrees made by the United Kingdom in the course of the wars with Napoleonic France which instituted its policy of commercial warfare. Formally, an "Order in Council" is simply the type of legislation by which the British government decreed these...
of 1807 against the Americans and his resolution of the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair. He thus remained out of favour and unemployed until 1824, when he inherited his father's title and was appointed Minister to Stuttgart. He subsequently transferred to Munich in 1828. He retired in 1843.
Family
John Cadwalader (general)
John Cadwalader was a commander of Pennsylvania troops during the American Revolutionary War.-Early life:...
(a general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
), in 1799. They had twelve children:
- Hon. Thomas Americus, later 3rd Baron Erskine, diplomat.
- Hon. John Cadwallader, later 4th Baron Erskine, diplomat.
- Hon. David Erskine (1816-1903), soldier.
- Hon. Edward Morris (1817-1883), diplomat.
- Hon. James Stuart (1821-1904), created Graf Erskine by Ludwig II of BavariaLudwig II of BavariaLudwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...
. - Hon. Frances (d. 1876), married Gabriel Shawe.
- Hon. Sevilla (d. 1835), married Sir Henry Howard.
- Hon. Steuarta (d. 1863), married Yeats Brown.
- Hon. Elizabeth (c. 1812-1886), married Sir St Vincent Hawkins-Whitshed, 2nd Baronet.
- Hon. Harriett (d. 1855), married Charles Woomass.
- Hon. Jane Plumer (d. 1846), married James Callander of Craigforth and ArdkinglasJames Henry CallanderJames Henry Callander , of Craigforth, Stirlingshire, was a Scottish politician.-Background and education:Callandar was the eldest son of Colonel George Callander, of Craigforth, and his wife the Honourable Elizabeth Erskine...
.
Lady Erskine died in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
in March 1843. Erskine married as his second wife Anne, daughter of John Travis, in July 1843. After Anne's death in April 1851, he married as his third wife Anna, daughter of William Cunninghame Graham and widow of Thomas Calderwood Durham, in 1852. There were no children from his second and third marriage. Lord Erskine died at his home of Butler's Green in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in March 1855, aged 78, and was buried at Cuckfield
Cuckfield
Cuckfield is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess...
. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, Thomas. Lady Erskine married the Venerable John Sandford, Archdeacon of Coventry, in 1856. She died in March 1886.