Earl of Mansfield

William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield

Earl of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, and Earl of Mansfield, of Caen Wood in the County of Middlesex, are two titles in the Peerage of Great Britain that have been united under a single holder since 1843. They were created in 1776 and 1792 respectively for the Scottish lawyer and judge William Murray, 1st Baron Mansfield, fourth son of David Murray, 5th Viscount of Stormont (see the Viscount Stormont for earlier history of the family). He was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1756 to 1788. Murray had already been created Baron Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1756, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body. The two earldoms were created with different remainders. The 1776 earldom was created with remainder to Lord Mansfield's niece Louisa Murray (née Cathcart), Viscountess Stormont (daughter of Charles Schaw Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart), second wife of his nephew David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont, while the 1792 earldom was created with remainder to his nephew the Viscount Stormont.

Lord Mansfield was childless and on his death in 1793 the barony became extinct. He was succeeded in the 1776 earldom according to the special remainder by his niece Louisa, the second Countess, and in the 1792 earldom according to the special remainder by his nephew Lord Stormont, who became the second Earl. The latter was a noted politician in his own right and served as Lord Justice General, Secretary of State for the Northern Department and Lord President of the Council. He was succeeded by his and the Countess of Mansfield's son, the third Earl. He was Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire. On his death the titles passed to his son, the fourth Earl. He was a Tory politician and served as a Lord of the Treasury from 1834 to 1835 in the first administration of Sir Robert Peel. In 1843 he succeeded his grandmother the Countess of Mansfield (who had outlived her husband by forty-seven years) and became the third Earl of Mansfield of the 1776 creation as well.

He was succeeded by his grandson, the fifth Earl. He was the eldest son of William David Murray, Viscount Stormont. He died unmarried and was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth Earl. His son, the seventh Earl, represented Perth in the House of Commons and served as Lord Lieutenant of Perthshire. As of 2014 the titles are held by his only son, the eighth Earl of Mansfield of the 1792 creation and the seventh Earl of Mansfield of the 1776 creation. He is also the fourteenth Viscount Stormont, the fourteenth Lord Scone and the twelfth Lord Balvaird. He also holds the titles of Earl of Dunbar, Viscount of Drumcairn and Lord Halldykes in the Jacobite peerage (see the Viscount Stormont for the background to these titles). Lord Mansfield held office in the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher as a Minister of State at the Scottish Office from 1979 to 1983 and at the Northern Ireland Office from 1983 to 1984.

The family seat is Scone Palace, near Scone, Perthshire.

Earls of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham (1776)

• William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, 1st Earl of Mansfield (1705–1793)
• David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield (1727–1796)
• David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield (1777–1840)
• William David Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield, 3rd Earl of Mansfield (1806–1898)
• William David Murray, 5th Earl of Mansfield, 4th Earl of Mansfield (1860–1906)
• Alan David Murray, 6th Earl of Mansfield, 5th Earl of Mansfield (1864–1935)
• Mungo David Malcolm Murray, 7th Earl of Mansfield, 6th Earl of Mansfield (1900–1971)
• William David Mungo James Murray, 8th Earl of Mansfield, 7th Earl of Mansfield (1930–2015)
• Alexander David Mungo Murray, 9th Earl of Mansfield, 8th Earl of Mansfield (b. 1956)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son William Philip David Mungo Murray, Viscount Stormont (b. 1988).

Earls of Mansfield, of Caen Wood in the County of Middlesex (1792)

• William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (1705–1793) (also 1st Earl of Mansfield of the 1776 creation)
• Louisa Murray, 2nd Countess of Mansfield (1758–1843)
• William David Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield (1806–1898) (succeeded also as 4th Earl of Mansfield of the 1776 creation in 1840)

References

• Kidd, Charles & Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
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Dramatic recreations

• Let Justice Be Done Mixed Blessings Theatre Group. 2008 play featuring part of the Earl of Mansfield story