Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch
Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, 7th Duke of Queensberry, (25 November 1806 – 16 April 1884), styled The Honourable Charles Montagu-Scott between 1806 and 1808, Lord Eskdail between 1808 and 1812 and Earl of Dalkeith between 1812 and 1819, was a Scottish politician and nobleman. He was Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1842 to 1846. Background and education. Buccleuch was born at Dalkeith House, Midlothian, Scotland, the fifth child of seven, and second son of Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch, and the Honourable Harriet Katherine  Townshend, daughter of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney and Elizabeth Powys. When his older brother, George Henry, died at the age of 10 from measles, Walter became heir apparent to the Dukedoms of Buccleuch and Queensberry. He was only thirteen when he succeeded his father to the Dukedoms of Buccleuch and Queensberry in 1819. He was educated at Eton and St John's College, Cambridge (M.A., 1827). In June 1833 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1841, he played in two first-class cricket matches for Marylebone Cricket Club. Career. A great Scottish land magnate, Buccleuch  was a Conservative in politics, and was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1835 and a Privy Counsellor in 1842. He served as Lord Privy Seal from 1842 to 1846 and as Lord President of the Council from January to July 1846 in Peel's government, when he reluctantly supported Peel's decision to repeal the Corn Laws. After Peel's fall, the Duke's political career largely came to an end. In 1878 he became Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, a post he held until his death in 1884. On 6 January 1842 he was appointed Colonel  of the Edinburgh Militia (a regiment that his grandfather the 3rd Duke had raised in 1798). He was appointed an Aide-de-Camp to the Queen for the militia on 19 March 1857. On resigning from the command on 20 May 1879 he was appointed the first Honorary Colonel of the Queen's Edinburgh Light Infantry Militia, as the regiment had by then become. He joined the Canterbury Association on 20 May 1848. It was planned to build a town called Buccleuch in his honour near Alford Forest, but this did not eventuate. Family. Buccleuch married Lady Charlotte Anne Thynne , daughter of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath and the Honourable Isabella Elizabeth Byng, on 13 August 1829 at St George's church, Hanover Square, London. The couple had four sons and three daughters: King George IV spent some days in 1822 as the Duke's guest at Dalkeith Palace, the first visit of a reigning Hanoverian monarch to Scotland. Twenty years later, Queen Victoria also honoured him with a visit. The family continued to hold a high profile in royal circles, being invited to the Coronations of William IV and Victoria, with the Duke acting as Gold Stick. The  story goes that in 1879 the Historical Manuscripts Commission discovered an old black box amongst the Duke of Buccleuch's papers at Dalkeith, which was found to contain a contract proving Charles II had married Lucy Walter. In fact the document meant the Duke was rightful King of England. When he was shown the deed, he threw it on the fire, remarking, “that might cause a lot of trouble.“ Death. Buccleuch died in Bowhill, Selkirkshire, in April 1884, aged 77, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William. He was buried in the family crypt of the Buccleuch Memorial Chapel  in St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Dalkeith, Midlothian. The church is located on Dalkeith's High Street, at the entrance to Dalkeith Country Park.