James (Duff) Duff Second Earl Fife (1729 - 1809)

Born 28 Sep 1729 in Banffshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothea (Sinclair) Sinclair Countess Fife — married 5 Jun 1759 in Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland

Descendants

Died 24 Jan 1809 at age 79 in London, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

James Duff was second son of William Duff, 1st Earl Fife, and Jean Grant (daughter of Sir James Grant of Pluscardine, Baron of Luss & Grant), his father's second wife.^[1]

He succeeded his father in the title and estates in September 1763.

James Duff married on 5 June 1759, Lady Dorothea Sinclair, only child of Alexander, ninth earl of Caithness, but he had no issue, and his British peerage became extinct on his death.

He married, in 1759, Lady Dorothea Sinclair, only child of the ninth Earl of Caithness, and got with her a dowry of £40,000, but did not, as he is believed to have expected, succeed to the title and estates, which went to a younger branch. Of this union there were no children, which was a source of great disappointment, and probably led to the disagreements and unhappiness which finally culminated in 1794 in a separation, Lady Fife retiring to live at Hermitage House, Leith, where she died in 1818, nine years after her husband.^[2]

He was succeeded in his Irish earldom by his next brother, Alexander.^[1]

He had three children by his mother's personal maid, Margaret Adam of Keith, all of whom were born before his marriage to Sinclair.^[3]

Duff House Mausoleum, Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: The Right Honourable JAMES, second Earl of Fife, Viscount Macduff, Baron Braco of the Kingdom of Ireland, Baron Fife in Great Britain, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Banff, Colonel of the Banffshire Local Militia, F.R.S. and S.A. Died January 24, 1809, in the eightieth year of his age.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Vian, Alsager Richard (1888). "Duff, James (1729-1806)". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 16. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 128, 129.
2. ↑ Tayler, Alistair, and Henrietta Tayler. 1914. The book of the Duffs. Edinburgh: W. Brown.Vol 1, pg 169
3. ↑ Stephens, H. M. (May 2008) [2004]. "Duff, Sir James (1753–1839)". In Wood, Stephen (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8169.
4. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images  : accessed 11 March 2020), memorial page for James Duff (28 Sep 1729–24 Jan 1809), Find A Grave: Memorial #150032619, citing Duff House Mausoleum, Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland ; Maintained by GariochGraver (contributor 47469430) .

• Tayler, Alistair, and Henrietta Tayler. 1914. The book of the Duffs. Edinburgh: W. Brown.>Vol 1, pg 277
• Tayler, Alistair, and Henrietta Tayler. 1914. The book of the Duffs. Edinburgh: W. Brown.>Book of Duffs, Vol 2 , Index, pg 971

See also:

• Wikipedia : James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife
• Wikidata: Item Q6132882, en:Wikipedia