The correspondence is composed of: letters about a recruiting sergeant, 1815, and about the House of Lords, 1815, 1836; letter to Sir H. Torrens, about the application of Cornet M. N. Grant to be taken back on full pay, 1819; letter to Conway about taxes liable from (possibly) Lord Loughborough (his son and latterly the 3rd Earl of Rosslyn), 1834; franked postal cover addressed to Miss Thompson, 1836; and, letter to J. Wills about shares in the General Horticultural Company, 1880.
Letters of Sir James St.Clair Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn (1762-1837)
This material is held atEdinburgh University Library Heritage Collections
- Reference
- GB 237 Coll-641
- Dates of Creation
- 1815-1836
- Name of Creator
- Language of Material
- English.
- Physical Description
- 1 fragment, 6 letters Access to records in a fragile condition may be restricted.
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Sir James St.Clair Erskine was born in 1762. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy before entering the army. In 1782 he was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Viceroy of Ireland, and the same year he was elected as MP for Castle Rising, and then for Morpeth in 1784. In 1796 he was elected MP for Kirkcaldy burghs. In politics he was involved in the management of the impeachment of Warren Hastings and he also voted against Pitt. In the army he saw service not only in Ireland but also in the Mediterranean, the Iberian Peninsula, Denmark, and in the Walcheren. During Wellington's administration, Rosslyn was Lord Privy Seal and a member of the Privy Council. He was Lord President of the Council. The Earl had been a general officer, Colonel of the 9th Regiment of Dragoons, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath. Sir James St.Clair Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn, died on 18 January 1837 at Dysart House, Fife.
Access Information
Generally open for consultation to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance.
Note
The biographical/administrative history was compiled using the following material: (1) Stephen Leslie. and Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of national biography. Vol. 6. Drant-Finan. London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1908. (2) Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke, Asworth P. (eds.) A genealogical and heraldic history of the peerage and baronetage, the Privy Council, and knightage. 87th ed. p.2014. London: Burke's Peerage Ltd., 1929.
Compiled by Graeme D Eddie, Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections Division.
Other Finding Aids
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Accruals
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