Definition
The Earl of Balcarres is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1651 and has been held jointly with the earldom of Crawford since the early 19th century.
Overview
- Creation: The title was bestowed by King Charles II on 20 May 1651 upon James Livingston, 2nd Lord Livingston, in recognition of his Royalist service during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
- Succession: The earldom follows male‑preference primogeniture, passing to the eldest legitimate son or, failing that, to the next male heir of the body.
- Union with Crawford: In 1808 the 5th Earl of Balcarres, James Lindsay, succeeded as the 7th Earl of Crawford, merging the two peerages. The titles have remained united, and the holder is customarily styled “Earl of Crawford and Balcarres.”
- Current holder: As of 2023, the titles are held by James Ludovic Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford and 12th Earl of Balcarres.
- Family seat: The historic family residence is Balcarres House, a 17th‑century mansion near Colinsburgh in Fife, Scotland.
Etymology / Origin
The designation “Balcarres” derives from the name of the family estate in Fife. “Bal‑” is a common Scots element from the Gaelic baile meaning “farmstead” or “settlement.” The second element is believed to be a personal or topographic name, possibly the surname “Carres” or a variation thereof, yielding the meaning “Carres’ farm” or “settlement of Carres.”
Characteristics
- Rank: As an earldom, it ranks above a lordship but below a marquessate in the Scottish hierarchy of nobility.
- Subsidiary titles: Holders also possess the Lordship of Lindsay of the Byres (created 1458) and, after the 1808 union, the Earldom of Crawford.
- Heraldry: The coat of arms combines elements from the Livingston and Lindsay families, featuring a lion rampant and a chevron, traditionally displayed on the family’s standards and at Balcarres House.
- Parliamentary role: Prior to the 1707 Acts of Union, the Earl sat as a representative peer in the Parliament of Scotland. After the union, the earldom was eligible for election as a Scottish Representative Peer to the House of Lords until the peerage reforms of 1963.
Related Topics
- Peerage of Scotland – the system of hereditary titles to which the earldom belongs.
- Earl of Crawford – the senior title held concurrently with Balcarres.
- Balcarres House – the ancestral seat and historic estate of the earls.
- Livingston family – the original family name associated with the title’s creation.
- Lindsay family – the surname adopted by later earls after the marriage of the Livingstons to the Lindsays in the 17th century.
All information presented reflects the consensus of published historical and genealogical sources up to 2023.