Earls of March

Earldom of the March (Scottish)
Creation date	11th century
Monarch	Malcolm III of Scotland
Peerage	Peerage of Scotland
First holder	Patrick de Dunbar, 8th Earl of March
Present holder	Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond
Remainder to	the 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten.
Subsidiary titles	The Arms of the Realm and Ancient Local Principalities of Scotland

The title The Earl of March has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or boundaries between England and either Wales (Welsh Marches) or Scotland (Scottish Marches), and was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those border districts. Later, however, the title came to be granted as an honorary dignity, and ceased to carry any associated power in the marches. The title is now a subsidiary title of the dukes of Richmond and the current duke's eldest son Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara uses it as a courtesy title.

The Earls of March on the Scottish border were descended from Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria but being soon afterwards deprived of this position he fled to Scotland, where Máel Coluim III, King of Scotland, welcomed him and granted him Dunbar and the adjoining lands. His successors controlled the Marches, but Earl of March was only assumed as an alternative title to that of Earl of Dunbar by Patrick de Dunbar, 8th Earl of March. The last of his successors was George de Dunbar, 11th Earl of March & Dunbar, whose honours and lands were forfeited to the Crown. He retired into England and died in obscurity.

Following his forfeiture, the next creation of the Earldom of March was for Alexander Stuart, Duke of Albany. At the death of his successor John, the dukedom and earldom became extinct. The next creation was for Robert Stuart, but at his death the earldom again became extinct.

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Wikipedia