William (Duff) Duff of Braco and First Earl Fife (abt. 1696 - 1763)

Born about 1696 in Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Janet Ogilvy — married 19 Sep 1719 in Cullen, Banffshire, Scotland [uncertain]

Husband of Jean (Grant) Grant Countess Fife — married about 1723 in Banffshire, Scotland [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 30 Sep 1763 at about age 67 in Rothiemay Castle, Morayshire, Scotland

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Biography

William (Duff) Duff of Braco and First Earl Fife is a member of Clan MacDuff.

William was born in 1696, the son of William Duff and Jean Gordon.

William married Lady Janet Ogilvy, daughter of James Ogilvy and Anne Dunbar, on the 19th of September 1719 at Cullen.^[1][2][3]

William then married Jean Grant in 1723.

They had:

1. Anne
2. Janet
3. James
4. Alexander
5. Jean
6. George
7. Ludovic
8. Patrick
9. Helen
10. Margaret

He was Member of Parliament for Banffshire from 1727–34, and was created Lord Braco of Kilbryde in the Peerage of Ireland on 28 July 1735, and Earl Fife and Viscount Macduff, also in the peerage of Ireland, by letters patent dated 26 April 1759, after proving his descent from the MacDuffs, Earls of Fife.^[4]

He commissioned the construction of Duff House at Banff in 1740.

William Duff, Baron Braco, 1st Earl of Fife, died in 1763 at Rothiemay Castle^[5] and was buried in the parish church of Grange, before being moved to the mausoleum at Duff House. Rothiemay Castle was demolished in 1964 and Rothiemay House later constructed^[6]

Research Notes

• The Book of the Duff's, p. 127, states that this William and his spouse had 14 children.

Sources

1. ↑ Scotlands People. (2019). National Records of Scotland. Old Parish Marriage Registers.: Names: William Duff younger of Diple & Lady Jannet Ogilvie ; Date: 19 Sep 1719 ; Place: Cullen, Morayshire ; Reg: 150/20/426. [online] Available at: Search Accessed 28 Sep. 2019. Document in the personal files of David Urquhart
2. ↑ Tayler, Alistair, and Henrietta Tayler. 1914. The book of the Duffs. Edinburgh: W. Brown.>Lady Janet Ogilvy, Vol 1, p. 277
3. ↑ Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths for the Parish of Cullen, Banff: the page including Proclamations of ... 19 September 1719: copy provided by GRO Edinburgh 14 August 2000. Entry reads: "September 19 ... William Duff, younger son of Diple contracted marriage with Lady Jannet Ogilvie Lawful Daughter to the Earl of Findlater, were proclaimed and married"
4. ↑ Rothiemay
5. ↑ Rothiemay Castle
6. ↑ House

See Also:

• Find A Grave, database and images  : accessed 11 March 2020), memorial page for William Duff (Sep 1697–30 Sep 1763), Find A Grave: Memorial #150036505, 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.>Book of Duffs, Vol 2 , Index, p. 971
• Wikidata: Item Q8008060, en:Wikipedia