350 FIFE — FINCH. VL 1879. 6. and 1. Alexander William George (Duff), Earl _ . , Fife [1759], Viscount Macduff [1759] and Baron Braco of .earldom. Kilbryde [1739], in the Peerage of Ireland, also Baron Skene [1857], I. 1885. only s- and h. 6. 10 Nov. 1849 ; styled Viscount Macduff, 1857-79 ; ed at Eton ; M.P. for Elgin and Nairnshire 1874-79 ; Lord Lieut of Dukedom. co . Elgin, 1879 j Capt. of the Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, 1880-81 ; t looq P.C. 1880; XT. 1881 ; Envoy Extraordinary to Saxony for the 100 investiture (at Dresden) 27 Feb. 1882, of King Albert, with the order of the Garter.p) He wan or. 13 July 1885, EARL OF FIFE, and was cr. 29 July 1889 (two days after bis marriage) MARQUESS OF MACDUFF, co. Fife and DUKE OF FIFE. Partner in the Banking firm of " Sir Samuel Scott & Co." He m. 27 July 1889, at Buckingham Palace Chapel, Midx., U.R.H. the Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dngmar, 1st da. of U.R.H. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, by Alexandra, 1st da. of King Christian IX, of Den- mark. She was b. 20 Feb. and bap. 10 May 1867, at Marlborough House, Pall Mall, Midx. Family Estates. — These, in 18S3, consisted of 135,829 acres in co. Aberdeen (worth but £16,240 a year) ; 72,432 acres in co. Banff ; 40,959 in co. Elgin (besides an un- stated quantity in that county worth £1,251 a year) making (with this exception) 249,220 acres worth £72,563 a year. Principal Residences. Duff House, Banffshire ; Mar Lodge, Aberdeenshire, &c. The Duke of Fife is one of the 28 noblemen who, in 1883, possessed above 100,000 acres in the United Kingdom and stands fifth in order of acreage, tho' but 13th in point of income derived therefrom. See a list of these vol. ii, p. 51, note " a," sub " Buccleuch." It may be remarked that he has not (neither had any of hia predecessors) one acre of land in the county of Fife. See, however, the Duke of Devonshire, the Marquess of Exeter, the Earl of Derby, &c, for nobleman similarly situated. FINCASTLE. i.e., "Eincastle," Viscountcy [S.] {Murray), cr. 1G86 with the Earldom of Dcnmore [S.], which see. FINCH OF FORDWICH. Barony. "John Finch, Knt. Keeper of the Great Seal of T 1 640 England," was 7 April 1640, cr. BARON FINCH OF FORDWICH, to co. Kent."( b ) He was s. of Sir Henry Finch, Serjeunt at Law (2d b. 1 fif n °* Thomas Finch, of Eastwell, Kent), by Ursula, da. of John lboU. Thwaites ; was 6. 17 Sep. 1584 ; admitted to Gray's Inn, Feb. 1600 ; Barrister, Nov. 1611 ; Bencher. 1617 ; Autumn Reader, 1618. He was M.P. for Canterbury, 1614 ; Recorder thereof, 1617-20 ; M.P. (again), 1625-29 ; knighted, at Canterbury, 15 June 1625 ; and made King's Counsel and Attorney Gen. to the Queen in 1628. Speaker of the House of Commons, 1628-29, being held in his chair (as such), 25 Feb. 1628/9, when the House wag ordered to adjourn j Ch. Justice of the Common PleaB, 1634-39 ; Lord Kef.per, 1640-41, being then raised to the Peerage as above Btated. He fled from England to the Hague in 1641 where he continued during the Commonwealth when be compounded with the governing powers for £7,000. He m. firstly Eleanor, da. of Sir George Wtatt, of Boxley, co. Kent, by Jane, da. of Sir Thomas Finch, of Eastwell, in that co. He m. secondly Mabel, da. of the Rev. Charles Fotherby, Dean of Canterbury, by Cecilia, da. and h. of Ralph Waller. He d. s.p.m. 20 Nov. 1660, when the peerage became extinct.( 0 ) He was bur. at St. Martin's, Canterbury. M.I. Will pr. 29 May 1661. ( a ) See an account of these special Garter Missions, vol. ii, p. 192, note "a," sub "Cathcart." (>>) See " Creations, 1483-1646," in ap. 47th Rep. D.K. Pub. Records. ( c ) His conduct in support of the King's claim to " ship money " rendered him extremely unpopular and was probably that of " an unprincipled lawyer and a time- serving minister." See Foss's " Judges." He is also Bpoken of in no very favourable manner by Lord Clarendon.
