Anthony St Clair-Erskine, 6th Earl of Rosslyn

The Right Honourable
The Earl of Rosslyn
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
11 August 1939 – 22 November 1977
Hereditary Peerage
Preceded byThe 5th Earl of Rosslyn
Succeeded byThe 7th Earl of Rosslyn
Personal details
Born
Anthony Hugh Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine

(1917-11-22)22 November 1917
London, England
Died22 November 1977(1977-11-22) (aged 60)
Midlothian, Scotland
Spouse
Athenais de Mortemart
​
​
(m. 1955; div. 1962)​
ChildrenLady Caroline Marten
Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn
Parent(s)Francis St Clair-Erskine, Lord Loughborough
Sheila Chisholm
RelativesSerena Dunn Rothschild (cousin)
Nell Dunn (cousin)
Alice St Clair (granddaughter)

Anthony Hugh Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine (18 May 1917 – 22 November 1977), styled Lord Loughborough from 1929 to 1939, was a British peer. The Earl's lands included the noted Rosslyn Chapel.

Early life

Lord Rosslyn was born in London on 18 May 1917 and was known as "Tony".[1] He was the eldest son of the former Margaret Sheila Mackellar Chisholm (1898–1969) and Hon. Francis Edward Scudamore St Clair-Erskine, styled Lord Loughborough (1892–1929), who was known as "the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo"[2] His younger brother was Peter George Alex St Clair-Erskine, who served in the Royal Air Force until his death in 1939. His parents divorced in 1926 and his mother married Sir John Milbanke, 11th Baronet in 1928. They also divorced and she married Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich of Russia in 1954.[3]

His maternal grandfather was Harry Chisholm of Sydney.[4] His paternal grandparents were James St Clair-Erskine, 5th Earl of Rosslyn and the former Violet Aline Vyner (the second daughter and co-heiress of Robert Charles de Grey Vyner of Gautby Hall and Newby Hall). His grandparents divorced in 1902,[5] and in 1903 his grandmother married the English race car driver Charles Jarrott (father of director Charles Jarrott).[6] Through his half-aunt, Lady Mary, he was a cousin of Serena Mary Dunn, who married Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild; and Nell Mary Dunn, who married Jeremy Sandford and became a playwright and author.[7]

Career

Upon his grandfather's death on 10 August 1939, as his father predeceased his grandfather, Anthony succeeded at the 6th Earl of Rosslyn.[3][8] Lord Rosslyn was a friend of future American President John F. Kennedy, and wrote to him in 1940, stating:[1]

"I read your book and I thought it very good indeed. It was beautifully written, though most American do not write beautifully."[1]

In 1950, Lord Rosslyn added a stained glass memorial window in the baptistery Rosslyn Chapel, designed by William Wilson, dedicated to his late brother, a pilot who died in active service in 1939, and to his stepfather, Wg Cdr Sir John Milbanke, 11th Baronet, who died in 1947 from injuries also received during World War II.[9] Later in the 1950s, he also led a programme of work to repair the roof and clean the interior carvings of the Chapel.[10] In 1970, Lord Rosslyn added a second stained glass window, designed in a St Francis of Assisi theme by Carrick Whalen, and dedicated to his mother, Princess Dimitri of Russia who died in 1969.[9]

Personal life

On 3 August 1955, Lord Rosslyn was married to French citizen Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, the only daughter of Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duc de Vivonne, and Mme. Michaël Valéry Ollivier (née Solange Marie Paule d'Harcourt). Before their divorce in 1962, they were the parents of two children:[3]

Lord Rosslyn died on 22 November 1977 at Midlothian and was buried at Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.

Descendants

Through his son, he was posthumously a grandfather of James William St Clair-Erskine, Lord Loughborough (b. 1986), actress Lady Alice St Clair-Erskine (b. 1988), The Hon. Harry St Clair-Erskine, and Lady Lucia St Clair-Erskine.

References

  1. ^ a b c Sandford, Christopher (2017). Union Jack: JFK's Special Relationship with Great Britain. University Press of New England. p. 299. ISBN 978-1-5126-0093-3. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Australia's entrancing Sheila". The Spectator. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Rosslyn, Earl of (UK, 1801)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. ^ Campbell, Lady Colin (2012). The Queen Mother: The Untold Story of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Who Became Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-250-01896-0. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Lord Rosslyn Secures Divorce". The New York Times. 26 January 1902. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  6. ^ Bergan, Ronald (6 March 2011). "Charles Jarrott obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Nathaniel owner Lady Rothschild dies aged 83". Sporting Life. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Caroline (2011). Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy. Grand Central Publishing. pp. 78, 377. ISBN 978-1-4013-0395-2. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  9. ^ a b "St Clair Family". www.rosslynchapel.com. The Official Rosslyn Chapel Website. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  10. ^ Moncreiffe, Iain (1967). The Highland Clans: The Dynastic Origins, Chiefs and Background of the Clans and of Some Other Families Connected with Highland History. Barrie & Rockliff. p. 168. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  11. ^ Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (2010). Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Vol. 178. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Ltd. p. 845. ISBN 978-0-905702-89-6.
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl of Rosslyn
1939–1977 		Succeeded by