R OBERT KERR, of Ancrum, had from his father, July 20,1538,

a charter of the third part of the lands of Dirleton, and another of the lands of Woodhead in Overancrum, in feu-farm from the Abbot of Jedburgh, July 7, 1542, and also a charter of the lands of Newton, in the barony of Bedrule, November 17, 1586. He died in February, 1588, and was succeeded by his son, William Kerr of Ancrum, who, as we have seen, was assassinated by Robert Ker of Cessford in 1590. Archbishop Spottiswoode greatly laments his premature death, describing him as "a man generally well given, wise, of great courage, and expert beyond others in the laws and customs of the Borders." His eldest son, Sir Robert Kerr of Ancrum, was a man of considerable accomplishments and much refinement of mind. He was born about the year 1578, and at an early period of life obtained a considerable share of Court favour, being first nominated to a high position in the household of Prince Henry, which was formed ona scale of lavish magnificence, and after his death being placed about the person of Prince Charles, with whom he soon formed congenial tastes for the fine arts. In 1620 he had the misfortune to kill at Newmarket, in a duel which had been forced upon him, a young man named Charles Maxwell, whose brother was a member of the King's family, and though Maxwell's own friends are said to have acquitted him of all blame, he was forced to fly to Holland, where he remained about a year. During

his exile be employed himself in collecting pictures, which he brought back with him and ultimately presented to Charles. On the 21st of August, 1611, he had had a charter of the lands of Whitchester ; on the 20th of June, 1625, he had another of Jedwaxt. field, and the right of patronage of the parish of Ancrum, and on the 14th of January, 1632, of the barony of Langnewton. On the accession of Charles he was made one of the Gentlemen of the Bedchamber. He had married first Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Murray, of Blackbarony, by whom he had a son, William, and after her death, through the mediation of

Charles, he married the Lady Anne Stanley, only surviving daughter of William, sixth Earl of Derby, by whom he had several daughters and one son, Charles. His eldest son, William, married, as we have had occasion to mention, Anne, Countess of Lothian (and heiress of a Cessford branch), and was created Earl of Lothian on the 5th of October, 163L Sir Robert himself,

at the King's coronation in Scotland, was on the 24th of June,, 1633, also raised to the peerage, under the titles of Earl of An- crum and Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewton, and Dolphingstoun,. with remainder of the same to his heirs male by his second marriage, which failing, to his other heirs male, and their heirs- male for ever. He adhered to the King's side during the Civil. War, although his two sons joined the opposite party. After the- King's death he took refuge in Holland, and there passed the remainder of his days in solitude and poverty, though keeping up a continual correspondence with his family, and devoting his time to study and composition. A sonnet of his, "in praise of a solitary life," is found among the works of Drummond the poet, to whom it was sent with a letter, and considering the circum- stances under which it was probably composed, as well as its own merits, it is worthy of attention. It runs as follows :—

" Sweet solitary life ! lovely dumb joy,

That needs no warnings how to grow more wise By other men's mishaps, nor the annoy Which from sore wrongs done to one's self doth rise.

The morning's second mansion, truth's first friend, Never acquainted with the world's vain broils, Where the whole day to our own use we spend, And our dear time no fierce ambition spoils !

Most happy state, that never takest revenge For injuries received, nor dost fear The Court's great earthquake, the grieved truth of change, Nor more of falsehood's savoury lies dost hear, Nor knows hope's sweet disease that charms our sense, Nor his sad cure, dear-bought experience !

R. K. A."

The Earl died at Amsterdam in 1654, at the age of seventy-six.. His son by his second marriage, Charles, Lord Kerr, who succeeded' his father as second Earl of Ancrum, espoused the cause of the Covenant, and entered the Long Parliament as a " recruiter " for. the borough of St. Michael in Cornwall. He was also returned for - Wigan in Lancashire in 1660, and represented it till 1689, speak- ing frequently. He had a pension of 500/. a year, sat in the Par- liament of Scotland in 1681, but dying without issue, his titles devolved on the then Earl of Lothian. His brother William, Earl of Lothian, adhered with great zeal to the Covenant in 1638, was

in the Scotch army which invaded England in 1610, and on the. capture of Newcastle was constituted governor of that town. In. 1611 he was appointed one of the four commissioners of the. Treasury, and the same year was sent to consult with the English Parliament about quelling the Irish rebellion, and in 1642 had the command of a regiment for that purpose, with which he went over to Ireland. On the 5th of November, 1642, he had a charter of the lordship of Jedburgh. In 1643 he was sent by the Privy Council, with the King's approbation, to make some propositions to. the French Court respecting Scotch privileges, and on his return. waited on the King at Oxford, where he was detained by Charles's order on suspicion of treachery, and was committed

close prisoner to Bristol Castle. Here he remained several months, till released on petition from the Committee of Estates..

He now joined the party of Argyll in Scotland, and held a joint command with him against Montrose in 1614. He was president of the committee sent by Parliament to the, King with propositions for peace in December, 1646, which were refused by Charles. Burnet says of him that "he knew the King- very well, and loved him little." lie protested against Hamilton's- " Engagement " in 1618, occupia1 Edinburgh during his march-

into England, and joined Argyll in welcoming Cromwell into' Scotland. He was in 1619 appointed Secretary of State in place- of the Earl of Lanark. He was sent by the Scottish Parliament to remonstrate and protest against the proposal execution of Charles, and being very zealous in his efforts to raise a party-

against that proceeding, was put under arrest and sent with a imaid to Gravesend, and thence to Scotland. On his return thither he was thanked by Parliament, and sent along with the Earl of (loosens to Breda in 1649, to invite Prince Charles into Scotland. He afterwards acquiesced in the Protectorate, and sur- viving the Restoration, died in 1675. He was succeeded as fourth Earl of Lothian by his eldest son, Robert, who as we have seen, in 1692 succeeded to the representation of the male line of the House of Kerr of Fernihirst. In 1673 he had distinguished himself as a volunteer in the Dutch war, and had in 1678 a new patent of the Earldom of Lothian to him and the heirs male of his body, and was sworn a Privy Councillor January 4, 1686. He espoused, however, the cause of the revolution, was made a Privy Councillor by William lIE., and Justice-General, and was High Commissioner to the Assembly of the Church in 1692. On the 23rd of June, 1701, he had a patent of the dignity of Marquis of Lothian to him and the heirs male of his body, which failing, to the other heirs of entail succeeding to him in his estate. He died February 15, 1703. He had married Lady Jean Campbell, second daughter of the Marquis of Argyll, and was succeeded by his eldest son by her, William, second Marquis of Lothian, who supported the Revolution of '89, in 1692 suc- ceeded to the lordship of Jedburgh, and had a charter of the lands of Nether-Chatto in Roxburghshire in 1695, sat in the Parliament Of Scotland as Lord Jedburgh,and had acommission in 1696 as Colo- nel of the 11th Dragoons and afterwards of the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards, and in 1708 ranked as a lieutenant-general in the army. He is thus described by a contemporary at the time of his succes- sion to the Marquisate :—" He hath abundance of fire, and may prove himself a man of business when he applies himself that way ; laughs. at all revealed religion, yet sets himself up as a pillar of presbytery, being very zealous, though not devout. He is brave in his person, loves his country and his bottle ; a thorough liber- tine; very handsome ; black, with a fine eye ; forty-five years old." He was very active for the Union, and a warm supporter of the Whig party. At the election of representative peers for Scot- land in 1708 he was returned, but after a prolonged investigation unseated for informalities in the giving of the votes, and the Mar- quis of Annandale substituted for him. In 1713 the Tory admin- istration deprived him of the command of his regiment of Foot Guards. He was chosen one of the representative peers of Scotland in 1715, and was major-general on the staff in Scotland. He died in London on the 28th of February, 1722. He had married his cousin, Lady Jean Campbell, daughter of Archibald, Earl of Argyll (beheaded in 1685), while the family were under attainder and in deep poverty, "purely out of a principle of honour, be- lieving they suffered wrongfully." By her he had five children, and he was succeeded by his only son, William, third Marquis of Lothian, who during his father's lifetime sat and voted as Lord Jed- ;burgh. He was elected one of the representative peers for Scotland in 1731, and sat in that capacity for thirty years. He was High Commissioner from 1732 to 1788, and in 1739 was appointed Lord Clerk-Register of Scotland, but resigned it in 1756, and died at Lothian House, Edinburgh, July 28, 1767, and was buried at New- battle Abbey. His second son, Lord Robert Kerr, was killed while still a youth in the battle of Culloden, in resisting a charge of the Chevalier's men which had broken his regiment. His elder brother, William Henry, succeeded as fourth Marquis of Lothian. He had chosen the army as a profession, and rose ultimately to the rank of General. He was aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland at the battle of Fontenoy, where he was severely wounded, commanded the cavalry on the left wing at the battle of .Culloden, and after that battle had the command of all the forces at Aberdeen and on the east coast of Scotland till August, 1746. He then, in December, 1746, accompanied the Duke of Cumberland back to the Continent, and in 1758 served as Lieutenant-General to the Duke of Marlborough in his inglorious expedition to the coast of France. In 1747 he was elected member for Richmond in the English House of Commons, and sat for it till 1763, when the Earl of Holdernesse, whose pocket-borough it was, sold his estate there to Sir Lawrence Dundas, ancestor of the present Earl of Zetland. Lord Jedburgh had married in 1735 the Lady Catherine D'Arcy, only daughter of the Earl of Holdernesse, and great-granddaughter of Frederick, Duke of Schomberg (William III.'s favourite, killed at the battle of the Boyne), and of Charles Louis, Elector Palatine. On the occasion of this marriage he dropped the titlevf Lord Jedburgh, and assumed that of Earl of Ancrum. After succeeding his father as Marquis he was chosen in 1768 one of the representative peers for Scotland, and died April 12, 1775. He was succeeded by his only son, William John, fifth Marquis of Lothian. He also chose the army as a profession, and had several commiasions in the Foot

Guards, Life Guards, and other regiments. He was elected one of the representative peers for Scotland in 1778, and re-chosen, 1780 and 1784. On the Regency Bill in 1788 he took the Whig side in favour of full powers to the Prince Regent, and signed the protest to that effect in December. For this, on the King's recovery, he was removed from his command in the Life Guards, which raised a discussion in the House of Commons, March 17, 1789. However, on October 23, 1798, he was appointed to the Colonelcy of the 11th Dragoons (often held by mem- bets of his family), and ranked as general from May, 1796. He died in 1815. His third son, Lord Mark Robert Kerr, married Charlotte, daughter of the Marquis of Antrim, and subse- quently herself Countess of Antrim, and his second son by her, Mark, is the present Earl of Antrim. Lard Mark's eldest brother, William, succeeded as sixth Marquis of Lothian, and died April 27, 1824. He was made a peer of the United Kingdom in 1821 as Baron Kerr of Kersheugh. His second wife was a daughter of Henry, third Duke of Buccleuch, a renewal of the old connection with the Scotts, but she was not the mother of his eldest son and successor, John William Robert, seventh Marquis. This latter nobleman joined the Tory party as one of the majority who rejected the first Reform Bill in the House of Lords, and on the formation of Sir Robert Peel's ministry in 1841 he was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard. He had not entered on his duties when he died, November 14 in that year. He married the only daughter of the late Earl Talbot, and his elder son and successor, William Schomberg Robert, eighth and present Marquis, has also married his cousin, the Lady Constance Talbot, daughter of the present Earl Shrewsbury and Talbot. The present Marquis, a Tory in politics, is a man of considerable literary acquirements, but is prevented by ill-health from taking an active part in political life.