Francis Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss
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Francis Wemyss Charteris Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss, 4th Earl of March (15 April 1772 – 28 June 1853), known as the Earl of March from 1810 to 1826 and as the Earl of Wemyss and March from 1826 to 1853, was a Scottish peer.
Wemyss was the son of Francis Wemyss Charteris, Lord Elcho (1749-1808), and the grandson of Francis Charteris, de jure 7th Earl of Wemyss. In 1810 he succeeded his second cousin twice removed William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry and 3rd Earl of March to the Earldom of March, as the lineal heir male of the aforementioned Lady Anne Douglas, sister of the first Earl of March. In 1821 he was created Baron Wemyss, of Wemyss in the County of Fife, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which entitled him to an automatic seat in the House of Lords. In 1826 he obtained a reversal of the attainder of the earldom of Wemyss and became the eighth Earl of Wemyss as well. From 1821 to 1853 he served as Lord-Lieutenant of Peeblesshire.
On 31 May 1794, he married Margaret Campbell and they had eight children:
- Charlotte Charteris (d. 1886)
- Louisa Antoinetta Charteris (d. 1854)
- Harriet Charteris (d. 1858)
- Eleanor Charteris (1796–1832)
- Francis Wemyss-Charteris, 9th Earl of Wemyss (1796–1883)
- Walter Charteris (1797–1818)
- Margaret Charteris (1800–1825)
- Lady Katherine Charteris Wemyss (1801–1844)
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ? |
Lord-Lieutenant of Peeblesshire 1821–1853 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Wemyss and March |
| Freemasonry offices | ||
| Preceded by Lord Haddo |
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland 1786 – 1788 |
Succeeded by The Lord Napier |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by Francis Charteris |
Earl of Wemyss 1826 – 1853 |
Succeeded by Francis Wemyss-Charteris |
| Preceded by William Douglas |
Earl of March 1810 – 1853 |
|
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New title | Baron Wemyss 1821–1853 |
Succeeded by Francis Wemyss-Charteris |
