Earl of Huntly
| Marquessate of Huntly | |
|---|---|
 
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| Creation date | 17 April 1599 |
| Monarch | King James VI |
| Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
| First holder | George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly |
| Present holder | Granville Gordon, 13th Marquess |
| Heir apparent | Alastair Gordon, Earl of Aboyne |
| Remainder to | the 1st Marquess's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Earl of Huntly, Earl of Enzie, Earl of Aboyne, Lord Gordon of Badenoch, Baron Meldrum |
| Seat(s) | Aboyne Castle |
| Former seat(s) | Huntly Castle |
Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelt Marquis in Scotland) (Scottish Gaelic: Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles, only the English marquessate of Winchester being older. The Marquess holds the following subsidiary titles: Lord Gordon of Strathaven and Glenlivet and Earl of Aboyne (1660; Peerage of Scotland), and Baron Meldrum, of Morven in the County of Aberdeen (1815; Peerage of the United Kingdom)
The Gordon family descends from Sir Adam Gordon of Huntly, killed at the Battle of Humbleton Hill in 1402 and succeeded in his estates by his daughter Elizabeth Gordon, wife of Alexander Seton who assumed the surname of Gordon for himself and "all his heirs male." He was created Earl of Huntly in the Peerage of Scotland in 1445 and succeeded by his son, the second Earl, who served as Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1498 to 1501. His younger son the Hon. Adam Gordon married Elizabeth, suo jure Countess of Sutherland. Their grandson John Gordon succeeded his grandmother in the earldom in 1535 (see the Earl of Sutherland for further history of this branch of the family).
Lord Huntly's elder son, the third Earl, was a member of the Council of Regency in 1517. He was succeeded by his grandson, the fourth Earl, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1546 to 1562, who was killed in the latter year, and in 1563 an Act of Attainder was passed through Parliament with all his titles forfeited. His eldest surviving son, George Gordon, was condemned to death for treason in 1563 but later pardoned. He obtained a reversal of his father's attainder in 1567 and served as Lord Chancellor of Scotland.
George Gordon was succeeded by his son, the aforementioned sixth Earl, who was several times engaged in rebellion against the king and had his titles forfeited in 1593. He was restored to his titles in 1597. In 1599 King James VI created him Lord Gordon of Badenoch, Earl of Enzie and Marquess of Huntly in the Peerage of Scotland. He was succeeded by his elder son, the second Marquess.
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