Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 1 Vol 3.djvu/278

 276 ERSKINE. VI. 1552. 6. John (Ersiuxe), Lord Erskine [3.], 3d but first surv. B. and h,(*l He renewed the claim of his ancestors to the Earldom of Mar and obtained 23 June 1505, a charter restoring him per mtxftm justiciar to that Earldom as the heir of the Countess Isabel. <'') This restitution ■ was, however, held by the House of Lords in 1875 not to have affected the peerage title, their Lordships holding that by an undiscovered document, dated 29 or 30 July 1565, he moat have been crated EARL OF MAR [S.] with a limitation to heirs male of his body. With the Earldom of Mar (which see) the Huron;/ of Erskine remained united till both were forfeited (by the well known Earl of Mar) in the insur- rection of 1715, the restorations of the Earldom in 1824 and 1SS5 in no way affecting this Baron>j.{*) ERSKINE OF jDIRLETOUN. Barony [S-] Sir Thomas Erskine, of Gogar, having assisted in rescuing I 1 GOI *' 10 ^' n S f roru the " tsotcric plot," received on the attainder, in 1 liOO, of John (Huthven), Earl of Gowrie, Lord liuthven ami J.ord Dirletoun [S.], a third part of the Lordship of Dirletoun, co. Berwick (forfeited by the said Earl) and was, as "Thomas Areskyne, Knt., Prefect of the Royal Guard," .a: 8 July 1601, "BARON ERSKINE [Areskyne] OK DIRLETOWNE, in Scot- land."('; He was, as "Thomas Frskinc, Lord Diiicloun,'' cr. 18 March 1600, VISCOUNT OF FENTOUN [S.], and, on 12 March 1019, was cr. EARL OV ■ KELLIE [S.] See that dignity. ERSKINE OF RESTORMEL CASTLE. Barony. 2. The Hon. Thomas Erskine, 3<l and yst. s. of Henry I 180G David (Erskine), Eabl op Bucfian [S.], by Agues, 2d da. of Sir James Steuaiit, Bart. [S.], was b. 10 Jan. 1749/50, iu Gray's Close, Edinburgh :(") ed. nt the grammar school aud the Univ. of St. Andrews ; joined the Royal Navy in March 176 I ; entered the army, 1st Foot, 1763, becoming a Lieut, in 1773, but, having imprudently married (before he was of age) in 1770, he on 13 Jan. 1776, matrie. at Cambridge (Trio. Coll.) became M.A. in June 1778, and a Banister at Law (Line. Inn) July 1778, in which profession by his ' diligence, his "courageous self-reliance, and his forensic eloquence" as displayed in the defence, of Capt. Baillie iu 1778, of Lord Keppel in 1770, of Lord George Gordon in 1781, &c.; he soon became distinguished ; M.P. for Portsmouth, 1783-84, and again 1790 — 1806, on the " liberal" side, being " full of admiration for the principles of the French revolution." King's Counsel 1783; Attorney Gen. to the Prince of Wales, 1783-92, at which date he was Counsel for Tom Paine, the writer of the " Rights of Man"; he successfully defended Hardy (the Shoemaker) "/"arson" Horne-Tooke, and Thelwall, who in Oct. 1794 were tried for high treason; Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall, 1802, from which office he was per saltum raised to be LORD HIGH ( a ) Of his two elder brothers (1) Robert, Master of Erskine, was slain at the battle of Pinkie, 10 Sep. 1547, h p. legit, and (2) Thomas, also Master of Erskine, sometime Ambassador to Eugland, rf. (also) s.p. legit. 1551. ( b ) In the "Earldom of Mar restitution " bill, 1885, it is stated that in the year 1565 John, then Lord Erskine, was the lawful heir general of the said Countess . Isabella, who, if the said ancient territorial Earldom of Mar [S.] had not been by any lawful means forfeited or surrendered, was entitled thereto." See, also, ante, p. 275, note " b." ( c ) As to the right to the Barony of Erskino (subject to the attainder) see p. 275., note "a." (d) "Creations 1483—1646," in ap. 47th Rep. D.K. Pub. Records. See also, ante, p. 201, note " a," sub "Duubar," as to the Scotch creations of Hume of Berwick, Bruce of Kinloss, and Erskine of Dirletoun (all in 1601), being all three enrolled iu England. (») It is said that his father's income at that time was but ±'200 a year. See Stephen's " Nat. Bio'jr." 0 A very long (5 full page^) burlesque upon Gray's " Sard,'' written by hin» at Trin. Coll. (1776-78), and entitled the "Barber" (beginning "Ruin seize thee, scoundrel Coe," &o.) attests, it is presumed, the extent of his talents for poetry and sarcasm. It is reprinted iu Whibloy's " In, cap. and gown," 1890.