who was bap. 18 May 1677, at Kensington, d. 19 Sep. 1718, and is said(a)[1] to have been bur. 5 Oct. in Westm. Abbey. He d. at Floors afad., 24 Feb. 1740/1, agod about 60, and was bur. at Bowden.(b)[2].
| Dukedom [S.] | 1740/1. | |
| II. | ||
| Earldom [S.] | ||
| VI. |
2 and 6. Robert (Ker), Duke of Roxburge, &c. [3.], also Earl Ker of Wakefield, &c. [G. B.], only's. and h., b. about 1709; styled Marquess of Bowmont till 24 Feb. 1740/1; was cr. v.p. (when a boy), 24 May 1722, Baron Ker of Wakefield, co. York, and Earl Ker of Wakefield, in the said county, taking his seat, 18 Jan. 1730. He suc. as Duke of Roxburghe, &c. [S.], 24 Feb. 1741/2.(c)[3] He m., 16 June 1789, his cousin, Essex, 1st da. of Sir Roger Mostyn, 3 Bart., of Mostyn, co. Flint, by Essex, da. of Daniel (Finch), 2d Earl of Nottingham abovenamed. He d. at Bath, 23 Aug. 1755, aged about 46. Will pr. 1755. His widow d. 7 Dec. 1764, at Bowmont Lodge, co. Roxburgh. Will pr. 1764.
| Dukedom [S.] | 1755. | |
| III. | ||
| Earldom [S.] | ||
| VII. |
3 and 7. John (Ker), Duke of Roxburghe, &c. [S.], also Earl Ker of Wakefield, &c. [G. B.], 1st's. and h., b. in Hanover square, 23 April 1740; styled Marquess of Bowmont from Feb 1740,1 till suc. to the peerages [S. and G. B.] as above, 23 Aug. 1755;(d)[4] was a Lord of the Bedchamber, 1768; KT., 28 Nov. 1768; L. Lieut. of co. Roxburgh, 1794; P.C., 1796; Groom of the Stole and First Lord of the Bedchamber, 1796; F.S.A., 1797; KG., 8 June 1801, being allowed to retain the order of the Thistle there with.(e)[5] He is best known as a collector of rare books(f)[6] and of broadside ballads. (g)[7] He d. unm, of inflammation of the liver, 19 March 1804, in his 64th year, at his house in St. James' square, and was bur. at Bowden, when the Earldom and Barony of Ker of Wakefield [G. B.] became extinct. Will, disposing of property worth some £120,000 between his two sisters for their lives, pr. 1811.(h)[8]
- ↑ (a) See, however, vol. iv, p. 135, note "c," sub "Halifax."
- ↑ (b) Macky speaks of him, when about 25, as " of great learning and virtue; knows all the ancient languages thoroughly, and speaks most of the modern perfectly well without pedantry; is a fine gentleman and lives up to his quality; hath a good estate; is handsome in his person, brown complexioned." (Patten "Rebellion") says that "by all that are so happy as to be acquainted with him he gains their affection and applause," while Lockhart of Carnwath, (tho' with many invectives against him) says "that perhaps he was the best accomplished young man of quality in Europe."
- ↑ (c) By the act of 1747, abolishing heritable jurisdictions, he got. £2,100 in full of his claim of £4,000 "for the bailiaries of the regality of Kelso, of Sprouston, of Ancrum, &c." [Wood's " Douglas."]
- ↑ (d) He is said to have formed an attachment when on the continent to the eldest da of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, but when, soon afterwards, her youngest sister was (Sep. 1761) affianced to George III, it was thought right to break off the intended match. Both parties died unmarried. He was [Gent. Mag. lxxiv, 388], "when a young man as remarkable for his personal figure as for his mental accomplishments."
- ↑ (e) See vol. i, p. 11, note "b," sub "Aberdeen."
- ↑ (f) (His collection of books from the Caxton press was unrivalled. His library was sold in 9,353 lots, 18 May to 8 July 1812, realising above £23,000. Valdafer's edit, of "Buccaccio" (for which the second Duke paid 100 guineas) passed into the Marlborough collection for £2,260, in commemoration of which event the chief bibliophiles inaugurated "The Roxburghe Club" (consisting of 24 members) 24 June 1812.
- ↑ (g) These were acquired by the British Museum in 1845 and have been since edited for "The Ballad Society."
- ↑ (h) His portrait by Patch was presented in 1884 to the Nat. Portrait Gallery; one of him as a young man "after W. Hamilton" is engraved in Doyle's "Offic. Bar.," sub "Ker."
