George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland

George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland

George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland, KG, PC (9 January 1758 – 19 July 1833) was the son of the 1st Marquess of Stafford. He is estimated to have been the wealthist man of the nineteenth-century, surpassing even that of Nathan Rothschild. The precise value of his estate at death is unknown, as is was simply classed as 'upper value'. He was described by Charles Greville as a "leviathan of wealth" and "...the richest individual who ever died".

He married Elizabeth Sutherland, 19th Countess of Sutherland, daughter of William Sutherland, 18th Earl of Sutherland and the former Mary Maxwell, on 4 September 1785. They had four surviving children:

*George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland,(1786–1861)
*The Lady Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower (c. 1788–1870), married Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk and had issue.
*The Lady Elizabeth Mary Leveson-Gower (1797–1891), married Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster and had issue.
*Francis Leveson-Gower (later Egerton) 1st Earl of Ellesmere, (1800–1857)

He was invested as a Privy Counsellor in 1790, a Knight of the Garter in 1806 and was created Duke of Sutherland on 28 January 1833. He is perhaps most well-known for his role in carrying out the Highland Clearances, where thousands of tenants, including the elderly and infirm, were forced out of their homes, which were often burned down, in order to make way for sheep. [cite web|url=http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/people/famousfirst621.html|title=George Granville Leveson-Gower (1st Duke of Sutherland)|work=Gazeteer for Scotland|accessdate=2008-02-01]

The clearances, described by some commentators as a form of ethnic cleansing, [Noble, Ross [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/scotland_clearances_01.shtml "The Cultural Impact of the Highland Clearances"] BBC History. Retrieved 7 July 2008.] were undertaken between 1811 and 1820. At first they involved relocations from Assynt to coastal villages on the assumption that farmers could take up fishing. Later when the consequences of these actions became clear, the evictions were met with opposition, which was ruthlessly repressed. Resentment mounted when one of his factors was acquitted of murder and then took over one of the massive sheep farms the evictions created. Condemnation was widespread and the Highlanders' grievances were heard in the British House of Commons. However, little was done in practice to prevent the emptying of the glens. [Mackie, J. D. (1970) "A History of Scotland". Middlesex. Penguin. p. 217.]

In 1837 a large monument, known locally as the "Mannie", was erected on Ben Bhraggie near Golspie to commemorate the Duke's life. [ [http://www.golspie.org.uk/mannie.htm " The First Duke of Sutherland"] golspie.org.uk Retrieved 1 February 2008.] The existence of this statue has been the subject of some controversy—in 1994, Sandy Lindsay, a former Scottish National Party councillor from Inverness proposed its demolition. He later altered his plan, asking permission from the local council to relocate the statue and replace it with plaques telling the story of the Clearances. Lindsay proposed moving the statue to the grounds of Dunrobin Castle, after the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles declined his offer to take it. [cite news|url=http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Thr_Yrs/DukeSuth/Glasgow_Herald_Dec15.html|title=New Plan to Remove, Not Demolish, Duke Statue|work=The Herald|date=1995-12-15|last=Ross|first=David|accessdate=2008-02-02] As of July, 2008, however, the statue still stands.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland — George Granville Sutherland Leveson Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland KG (August 8 1786 ndash;February 22 1861) was the son of George Leveson Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland.He married Lady Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Howard, daughter of George Howard …   Wikipedia

  • George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland — George Granville William Sutherland Leveson Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland (December 19 1828 ndash;September 22 1892) was the son of George Sutherland Leveson Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland. He was MP for Sutherland from 1852 until he succeeded his …   Wikipedia

  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford — Granville Leveson Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, 2nd Earl Gower PC (4 August 1721 ndash; 26 October 1803) was a British politician. Family He was a son of John Leveson Gower, 1st Earl Gower and his wife Lady Evelyn Pierrepont. His maternal… …   Wikipedia

  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville — (12 October, 1773 ndash;8 January, 1846) was a British Liberal statesman and diplomat.He was a son of Granville Leveson Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford and his third wife Lady Susannah Stewart, daughter of Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway) …   Wikipedia

  • Duke of Sutherland — Duchess of Sutherland redirects here. For the steam locomotive, see LMS Princess Coronation Class 6233 Duchess of Sutherland. Dukedom of Sutherland Creation date 14 January 1833 Created by William IV of the United Kingdom Peerage Peerage of the… …   Wikipedia

  • George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge — George Francis Hugh Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge, GCVO (11 October 1895 ndash; 16 April 1981), known as Prince George of Teck until 1917 and as Earl of Eltham from 1917 to 1927, was a descendant of the British Royal Family. He was the… …   Wikipedia

  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 1. Earl Granville — Thomas Lawrence: Granville Leveson Gower, um 1815 Granville Leveson Gower, 1. Earl Granville (* 12. Oktober 1773; † 7. Januar 1846 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland — …   Wikipedia

  • Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster — Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG (13 October 1825 ndash; 22 December 1899) was the son of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster and Lady Elizabeth Mary Leveson Gower. He married, firstly, Lady Constance Gertrude Leveson… …   Wikipedia

  • Frederick Leveson-Gower — Frederick Neville Sutherland Leveson Gower (31 May 1874 9 April 1959), was a British Conservative politician.Leveson Gower was the son of Lord Albert Leveson Gower, younger son of George Sutherland Leveson Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland. His… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”