Earl of Ross

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For the Irish peerage possessed by the Parsons family based in County Offaly, see Earl of Rosse.

The title Earl of Ross has existed in both Scotland and Ireland.

1 Scottish Creations
2 Irish Creation
3 Earls of Ross, First Creation (1157)
4 Earls of Ross, Second Creation (1215)
5 Earls of Ross, Third Creation (1481)
6 Earls of Ross, Fourth Creation (1565)
7 Earls of Ross, Fifth Creation (1600)
8 Earls of Ross, Irish Creation (1772)
9 References

[edit] Scottish Creations

The Clan Chief of Clan Ross was the Earl of Ross until Uilleam III, Earl of Ross died in 1372. It then passed to Euphemia I, Countess of Ross, the wife of Sir Walter Leslie. The position of Earl of Ross stayed with the Leslie line until the death of Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross in 1402. The Earlodm then passed to MacDonald, Lord of the Isles and then later it passed to the House of Stuart.

In Scotland the title is an ancient one, having been first created in 1157 for Malcolm MacHeth to whom Malcolm IV gave Ross, with the title of Earl of Ross, but the inhabitants rose against him and drove him out of the district. Wyntoun mentions an Earl "Gillandrys", a name which is derived from the common ancestor of the Mackenzies and Rosses, "Gilleoin-Ard-Rois," as one of the six Celtic earls who besieged King Malcolm at Perth in 1160. Skene is also of opinion that this Gillandres represented the old Celtic earls of Ross, as the clan bearing the name of Ross are called in Gaelic Clann Ghilleanrias, or descendants of Gillandres, and may, he thinks, have led the revolt which drove Malcolm Mac Heth out of the earldom. The same King, two years after the incident at Perth, gave the earldom of Ross to Floris III, Count of Holland, on that nobleman's marriage with his niece Ada, in 1162, but the new earl never secured practical possession. He is, however, found claiming it as late as 1179, in the reign of William the Lion.

This creation became extinct on his death in 1168. It was next created in 1215 for Ferchar mac in tSagairt, which creation was surrendered to the crown in 1476. The third creation in the peerage of Scotland was on January 23, 1481 for James Stewart, the second son of King James III. He was simultaneously created Lord Ardmannoch and Lord Brechin and Navar. He was later created Duke of Ross. The fourth creation was on May 20, 1565, for Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who was simultaneously created Lord Ardmannoch. Shortly thereafter (July 20, 1565) he was created Duke of Albany. After his murder at Kirk o' Field House, he was succeeded by his infant son James, whose accession as James VI a few months later returned the peerages to the crown. Upon the creation of Charles Stuart as Duke of Albany on January 23, 1600, he was also invested with the subsidiary titles of Marquess of Ormonde, Earl of Ross, and Lord Ardmannoch. He was crowned as Charles I in 1625, and the titles again returned to the crown.

[edit] Irish Creation

The title Earl of Ross was created once in the peerage of Ireland for Sir Ralph Gore, 6th Baronet. For more information on this creation, see Gore Baronets of Magherabegg.