History of the Earl of Annandale & Hartfell
July 2009.
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Earl of Annandale and Hartfell
Section Titles
1. Earl of Annandale & Hartfell
2. Children of Patrick Andrew Wentworth Hope Johnstone, 11th Earl of Annandale & Hartfell & Susan Josephine Ross
3. Children of David Patrick Wentworth Hope Johnstone, Lord Johnstone & Lady Penny Mcmillan.
4. Earls of Annandale (from 1625)
5. Earls of Annandale & Hartfell (from 1661)
6. Title Descent Notes – 9.12.08
Earl of Annandale and Hartfell
Patrick Andrew Wentworth Hope Johnstone of Annandale and of that Ilk.
11th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, Chief of the name and Arms of Johnstone. Baron of the lands of Annandale and Hartfell and of the lands of Johnstone: Hereditary Steward, the Stewartry of Annandale: Hereditary Keeper of the keys of Lochmaben Castle ; Deputy Lieutenant, Dumfriesshire, 1987-92, vice- Lord Lieutenant, since 1992: Born 19.04.1941, Auldgirth, Dumfriesshire; Married Susan Josephine Ross; 1 son; 1 daughter.
The Johnstones came into prominence as a powerful Border Clan involved in frequent episodes of Border warfare. In 1633, in the reign of King Charles I, James Johnstone of Johnstone was created Lord Johnstone of Lochwood and in 1643 advanced to be Earl of Hartfell. The extinct Earldom of Annandale was conferred on his heir, the 2 nd Earl of Hartfell in 1661, who died in 1672. His son, William, became the first Marquis of Annandale in 1701. The Marquisate, the Earldom of Hartfell and Lord Johnstone became extinct and all the other peerages and titles became dormant in 1792 on the death of William's grandson, George, 3 rd Marquis of Annandale who died unmarried.
Nearly 200 years passed without a Chief of Clan Johnstone possibly through confusion that none of the Heads of the Johnstone family had matriculated his or her arms with the Lord Lyon. This should be done at least every second generation. Then in 1983, the Lord Lyon of Scotland officially recognized Percy Wentworth Hope Johnstone of Annandale and of that ilk as Chief of the Name and Arms of Johnstone. After his death a few months later, his son Patrick Andrew Wentworth Hope Johnstone became the present Clan Chief. In 1985, the House of Lords recognized Patrick as the 11 th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell.
The title of Earl of Annandale and Hartfell was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1661 for James Johnstone by letters patented to the then Earl of Hartfell who at that time only had daughters. The destination of the 1661 peerage patented was to his heirs male, whom failing the eldest heirs female of his body, etc.. Therefore at that time the title would have gone to a 4 th cousin.
On representation to King Charles II a new title of Earl of Annandale and Hartfell was granted by a territorial Earldom of 1662 with a destination explicitly to heirs male of the body, heirs female of the body, etc., thus securing the correct line of descent in the event of failure of heirs male of the current Earl. The title then could go to any daughters.
This second territorial Earldom had tax collecting powers and the power of the pit and gallows (this was removed in 1747.)
Therefore James, Earl of Hartfell, now held two identical hereditary honours each with different destinations, the 1661 letters patented to heirs male, etc., (no one yet identified) and the 1662 territorial Earldom by the Crown charter which would secure the title to any son he might have, whom failing to his daughters. This was all at the expense of distant cousins even if male although such persons were not precluded from inheriting 1661 creation.
James, Earl of Annandale and Hartfell attempted to resign his honours and lands in 1657 for a new re-grant to himself and his heirs male of his body etc. This re-grant was only found in the latter part of the 1800s, but was never proceeded with as there was no King or Queen to whom to present it. Oliver Cromwell was in charge during the commonwealth period after Charles I was executed (1649) and before the restoration of Charles II in 1660.
William, the second Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, was created Marquis of Annandale in 1701. At the death of the third Marquis, George, who died unmarried in 1792 in London, the Annandale inheritance descended through Lady Henrietta Johnstone (William's only daughter) who married Charles Hope who had been created Earl of Hopetoun in 1702. His grandson, James Hope, the third Earl of Hopetoun, had to add the extra surname Johnstone so as to inherit the Annandale Estates in 1792. He lodged a claim for the Annandale Earldom of 1661, but no progress was made before his death in 1816.
His daughter Lady Anne Hope Johnstone attempted to claim the Earldom of 1661 following his death, but she only survived a further two years, dying in 1818. Her eldest son, John James also claimed the Earldom of 1661 in 1825. He had to advertise widely to identify other possible male claimants. It was not until 1845 that John James Hope Johnstone was judged not to have made out his case. (There were many claimants who put themselves forward, none of them could prove any connection, so were ruled out.)
The Earldoms remained dormant until Patrick Hope Johnstone's claim was approved by the House of Lords in 1985. The Committee for Privileges ruled that the creation of 1662 constituted the creation of a new title. The 1662 creation therefore descended through the female line and the closest heir was Patrick Hope Johnstone.
Patrick Andrew Wentworth Hope Johnstone of Annandale and of that Ilk, 11 th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, was born 19 th April 1941. He is the son of Major Percy Wentworth Hope Johnstone and Margaret Jane Hunter-Arundell. He married Susan Josephine Ross, daughter of Colonel Walter John Macdonald Ross, on 23 rd August 1969.
Lord Patrick was educated at Stowe School , Buckingham, Buckinghamshire , England . He was an underwriting member of Lloyds from 1976 until 2003. He gained the title of 26 th Chief of Clan Johnstone on 5 th April 1983. He holds the office of Hereditary Steward of Stewartry of Annandale and Hereditary Keeper of Lochmaben Palace (castle). He succeeded to the title of 11 th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell (S., 1662) in 1985, after his claim was allowed by the Committee of Privileges in the House of Lords. He holds the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of Dumfries . He also holds the office of Vice-Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfries since 1992.