Earl of Selkirk
Created on 4 August 1646 for Lord William Douglas, who upon becoming Duke of Hamilton surrendered his previous titles to the Crown, and they were reconferred on his son Charles Hamilton. This novodamus was with a unique remainder, alluded to in the Scottish country dance Hamilton House, whereby:
- the first Earl's eldest son came after his brothers in succession (since he inherited the Dukedom), and if the heir to the title was to receive the Dukedom of Hamilton beforehand, or at the same time, the Earldom would pass to his younger brothers (then their sons as normal), with the cycle repeating if the titles ever did meet again (or the direct line of the Earldom ran out).
This is demonstrated when the 2nd Earl (Charles) passed the title to his younger brother (John), because when he died without issue, his older brother (James) was still alive. If there were no brothers left, James would have recieved the title and passed it to his own second son upon his death (restarting the cycle), whereas if James had died before Charles, even if there were other brothers it would have gone to that same son directly.
add a story here, find one here [1] or here [2]