The Erskine of Alva & Rosslyn Connections
I had wondered whether I'd ever get down to completing this Connection, but my recent (Jun 2015) realisation that Rosemary Millicent Leveson-Gower (see below) might easily have become Princess of Wales at the end of the Great War, and subsequently Queen of England, has provided the necessary nudge.
First of all, the lovely heraldic stuff – Andy Warhol once described himself as 'deeply superficial', and this irresistible oxymoron perfectly describes my knowledge of heraldry. What little I did acquire a couple of years ago has by now mostly evaporated, so I'll just refer you back to the opening sections of the Erskine of Mar and Dun Connection for commentary.
Erskine Baronetcy of Alva
Alexander Wedderburn,
1st Earl of Rosslyn
Erskine Earldom of Rosslyn
St Clair-Erskine Barony of Loughborough
And then of course the ancestral piles – not hereditary haemorrhoids, but the great houses in which this branch of the Erskines resided. These are difficult to illustrate, as the original Alva House (built by the first Sir Charles Erskine) is no more, and Rosslyn Castle (built during the Middle Ages), looks scarcely more to judge from the picture below, although one section has been completely renovated and modernised in recent years.
The ruins of Rosslyn Castle
(detail from landscape painted in 1803)
Far better known these days, of course, is Rosslyn Chapel – founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen in the mid-15th century by William Sinclair (1410-1484), 3rd Earl of Orkney, 1st Earl of Caithness, and Baron of Roslin. The Sinclair family remained Catholic despite the Scottish Reformation in 1560. Presumably the Chapel redenominated to the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland at that time, but it was later closed for over a century until it reopened in 1861 with adherence to the (Anglican) Episcopal Church of Scotland.
I was sent a copy of the da Vinci Code to read whilst recuperating from brain surgery in 2004; maybe the Little Grey Cells had suffered some collateral damage, but I thought the book was pretentious, turgid drivel. I persevered out of loyalty to the friend who'd sent it, but the denouement in the Rosslyn Chapel remained unread – maybe it would have been worth finishing at home!
But having now seen internet pictures of the strange phantasmagorical interior of the Chapel, I would very much like to visit it myself, Dan Brown notwithstanding.
I'm (as usual) very grateful indeed to two remarkable websites which in each of their own inimitable ways made the following tabulation possible, plus almost every other table of descent in OrnaVerum
Let's also hear it for the almost supernaturally brilliant search engine Google. How strange that it should have Googlemail as a stablemate.
| # | Individual | Spouse / Partner | Family |
| 1 | Sir Charles Erskine of Alva (d 8 Jul 1663) built Alva House |
Mary Hope (m 1639) |
Col John Erskine
Sir Charles Erskine of Alva, 1st Bt (4 Jul 1643 – 4 Jun 1690) |
 | |||
| 2 | Sir Charles Erskine of Alva, 1st Bt (4 Jul 1643 – 4 Jun 1690) |
Christian Dundas
daughter of Sir James Dundas, Lord Arniston |
Sir James Erskine of Alva 2nd Bt (ca 1670 – 29 Jul 1693) Helen Erskine Sir John Erskine of Alva 3rd Bt (1672 – 1739) Mary Erskine Robert Erskine Charles Erskine of Alva Lord Tinwald1A, 1B, 2 (1680 – 5 Apr 1763) Portrait |
| |||
| 3 | Sir James Erskine of Alva, 2nd Bt (ca 1670 – 29 Jul 1693) killed at the Battle of Landen |
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| 3 | Sir John Erskine of Alva, 3rd Bt1, 2 (1672 – 1739) found silver mine and became very rich! |
Catherine St Clair
daughter of Henry 1st/10th Lord Sinclair |
Sir Charles Erskine of Alva, 4th Bt (d 2 Jul 1747) Lt Gen Sir Henry Erskine of Alva, 5th Bt (ca 1710 – 7 Aug 1765) |
| |||
| 4 | Sir Charles Erskine of Alva, 4th Bt (d 2 Jul 1747) killed at the Battle of Lauffeld |
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| 4 | Lt Gen Sir Henry Erskine of Alva, 5th Bt1, 2 (ca 1710 – 7 Aug 1765) Portrait |
Janet Wedderburn (d Jun 1797) daughter of Peter Wedderburn, Lord Chesterhall sister of Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Baron Loughborough 1st Earl of Rosslyn (3 Feb 1733 – 2 Jan 1805) Portrait |
John Erskine (d 10 Feb 1817) James Erskine of Alva 6th Bt 2nd Earl of Rosslyn (1762 – 18 Jan 1837) |
| |||
| 5 | Lt Gen James Erskine of Alva $, 1, 2 6th Bt 2nd Baron Loughborough 2nd Earl of Rosslyn (1762 – 18 Jan 1837) Became St Clair-Erskine from 1805 |
Harriet Elizabeth Bouverie (d 8 Aug 1810) |
James Alexander St Clair-Erskine 3rd Earl of Rosslyn (15 Feb 1802 – 16 Jun 1866) |
| |||
| 6 | Gen James Alexander St Clair-Erskine1, 2 3rd Baron Loughborough 3rd Earl of Rosslyn (15 Feb 1802 – 16 Jun 1866) |
Frances Wemyss (d 30 Sep 1858) |
Robert Francis St Clair-Erskine 4th Earl of Rosslyn (2 Mar 1833 – 6 Sep 1890) |
| |||
| 7 | Robert Francis St Clair-Erskine1, 2
4th Baron Loughborough 4th Earl of Rosslyn (2 Mar 1833 – 6 Sep 1890) |
Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy (1839 – 8 Dec 1933) (m 8 Nov 1866) Portrait |
Lady Millicent Fanny St. Clair-Erskine1, 2, 3 (20 Oct 1867 – 20 Aug 1955) Portrait James Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine 5th Earl of Rosslyn (16 Mar 1869 – 10 Aug 1939) Alexander Fitzroy St. Clair-Erskine (22 Apr 1870 – 25 Feb 1914) Lady Sybil Mary St. Clair-Erskine1, 2 (20 Aug 1871 – 21 Jul 1910) Portraits Angela Selina Bianca St. Clair-Erskine (11 Jun 1876 – 22 Oct 1950) Portraits |
| |||
| 8 | James Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine 5th Baron Loughborough 5th Earl of Rosslyn (16 Mar 1869 – 10 Aug 1939) Portraits The Man Who Didn't Break The Bank At Monte Carlo reckless gambler and drinker |
Violet Aline Vyner (d 17 Feb 1945) (m 19 Jul 1890) |
Lady Rosabelle Millicent St Clair-Erskine (30 Oct 1891 – 12 Dec 1956) Portraits Francis Edward Scudamore St Clair-Erskine (16 Nov 1892 – 4 Aug 1929) |
| Anna Robinson (ca 1870 – 4 Oct 1917) (m 20 Mar 1905) |
|||
| Vera Mary Bayley (m 8 Oct 1908) |
James Alexander Wedderburn St. Clair-Erskine (b 23 Aug 1909) Lady Mary Sybil St. Clair-Erskine (b 9 May 1912) David Simon St. Clair-Erskine (b 18 Nov 1917) | ||
| |||
| 9 | Francis Edward Scudamore St. Clair-Erskine, Lord Loughborough (16 Nov 1892 – 4 Aug 1929 suicide?) reckless gambler and drinker |
Margaret Sheila (or Sheila Margaret) MacKellar Chisholm1, 2, 3 (9 Sep 1898 – 13 Oct 1969) (m 27 Dec 1912, div 1926) The original "good-looking sheila", thrice-married, buried in Rosslyn Chapel next to her son Peter St Clair-Erskine |
Anthony Hugh Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine 6th Earl of Rosslyn (18 May 1917 – 22 Nov 1977) Pilot-Officer Peter George Alexander St Clair-Erskine (30 Oct 1918 – 8 Sep 1939 KIA) |
| |||
| 10 | Anthony Hugh Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine 6th Earl of Rosslyn (18 May 1917 – 22 Nov 1977) Portrait |
Athenais Marie Madeleine Victurnienne de Rochechouart de Mortemart (b 17 Apr 1935) (m 3 Aug 1955) |
Lady Caroline St Clair-Erskine (b 7 Jun 1956) Peter St Clair-Erskine 7th Earl of Rosslyn (b 31 Mar 1958) |
| |||
| 11 | Peter St Clair-Erskine
7th Earl of Rosslyn1, 2 (b 31 Mar 1958) |
Helen Watters (m 1982) |
Jamie William St Clair-Erskine Lord Loughborough (b 28 May 1986) Lady Alice St Clair-Erskine (b 1988) Hon Harry St Clair-Erskine Lady Lucia St Clair-Erskine |
$ He inherited the Rosslyn and Dysart estates in 1789, from his cousin James Paterson St Clair, upon which he adopted the surname of St Clair-Erskine. In 1805, he inherited the title of Earl of Rosslyn (created 1801 for Alexander Wedderburn); since that date, the Rosslyn estate has been in possession of the Earls of Rosslyn. He presumably was known ever after as Lucky Jim.