Earl of Airlie

Earldom of Airlie
Creation date	2 April 1639
Monarch	King Charles I
Peerage	Peerage of Scotland
First holder	James Ogilvy, 7th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie
Present holder	David Ogilvy, 13th Earl
Heir presumptive	The Hon. David John Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy
Remainder to	the 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten.
Subsidiary titles	Lord Ogilvy of Airlie Lord Ogilvy of Alyth and Lintrathen Chief of the Name and Arms of Ogilvy

Earl of Airlie is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created on 2 April 1639 for James Ogilvy, 7th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie, along with the title Lord Ogilvy of Alith and Lintrathen. The title Lord Ogilvy of Airlie had been created on 28 April 1491.

In 1715, James Ogilvy, son of the 3rd Earl, took part in a Jacobite uprising against the Crown, and was therefore punished by being attainted; consequently, at his father's death two years later, he was unable to inherit the title. He was, however, pardoned in 1725. At his death, his brother John was recognised as the Earl, but John's son David was also attainted, but later pardoned. Then, a cousin, also named David Ogilvy, claimed the title, suggesting that the previous attainders did not affect its succession, but the House of Lords rejected his claim. Parliament later passed an Act completely reversing the attainders; therefore, David Ogilvy was allowed to assume the title. In the list of earls below, the attainders are therefore disregarded for the purpose of numbering.

The Earl is the chief of Clan Ogilvy.

The Earl's heir apparent uses the title Lord Ogilvy.

The family seats are Airlie Castle and Cortachy Castle, near Kirriemuir, Angus, in Scotland.

The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the earldom is: Argent, a lion passant guardant gules crowned with an imperial crown and collared with an open one proper.

The family was probably descended from Gillebride, Earl of Angus, who received lands from William the Lion. Sir Walter Ogilvy (died 1440) of Lintrathen, lord high treasurer of Scotland from 1425 to 1431, was the son of Sir Walter Ogilvy of Wester Powrie and Auchterhouse, a man, says Andrew of Wyntoun, "stout and manfull, bauld and wycht," who was killed in 1392. He built a castle at Airlie in Forfarshire, and left two sons. The elder of these, Sir John Ogilvy (d. c. 1484), was the father of Sir James Ogilvy (c. 1430–c. 1504), who was made a Lord of Parliament in 1491; and the younger, Sir Walter Ogilvy, was the ancestor of the Earls of Findlater. The Earldom of Findlater, bestowed on James Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy of Deskford, in 1638, was united in 1711 with the Earldom of Seafield and became dormant after the death of James Ogilvy, the 7th earl, in October 1811.

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