Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland
Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland(10 April 1766 – 19 February 1839) was a British politician and peer who sat in theHouse of Commonsfrom 1790 to 1820 when he was raised to thepeerage of the United Kingdom.
Early life[edit]
Dundas was the son ofThomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dundasand was born inWestminsteron 10 April 1766. He was educated atHarrowand was admitted atTrinity College, Cambridge.[1]He married Harriot Hale, one of the twenty-one children of GeneralJohn Haleand his wife Mary Chaloner, by whom he had three sons and four daughters.[2]
Political career[edit]
Dundas was electedWhigMember of ParliamentforRichmond, North Yorkshirein 1790. Twelve years later he exchanged this seat for that ofYork,and in 1808 returned toWestminsteras representative for his old Richmond seat. In 1811 he was again elected MP forYork,and becameLord Mayorof the city that same year, having been analdermansince 1808. He was Lord Mayor a second time in 1821.[2]
In 1820 Dundas succeeded his father as secondBaron Dundasand as abaronet.He was appointedLord Lieutenant of Orkney and Shetlandin 1831, and in 1838, on the occasion of thecoronationofQueen Victoria,he was createdEarl of Zetland(i.e.Shetland) for having provided financial assistance to the new Queen's parents, the Duke & Duchess of Kent, in the years preceding her accession.[2]
Slave holder[edit]
According to theLegacies of British Slave-Ownershipat theUniversity College London,Zetland was awarded compensation in the aftermath of theSlavery Abolition Act 1833with theSlave Compensation Act 1837.[3]
Zetland was associated with "T71/880 Grenada claim no. 604 (Dougalston Estate)" and "T71/881 Dominica claim no. 576A & B (Castle Bruce)", he owned 351 slaves inGrenadaandDominicaand received a £8,135 payment at the time (worth £975,176 in 2024[4]).[5]
Later life and legacy[edit]
Dundas's wife died in 1834. He died suddenly on 19 February 1839 at his home ofAske Hall,Yorkshire.He was succeeded by his eldest sonThomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland.[2]
He is buried in the family vault at Trinity Church in centralFalkirk.
References[edit]
- ^"Dundas, Lawrence (DNDS784L)".A Cambridge Alumni Database.University of Cambridge.
- ^abcd"DUNDAS, Hon. Lawrence (1766-1839), of Marske, nr. Redcar, Yorks".History of Parliament Online.Retrieved9 October2017.
- ^"Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland".University College London.Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^UKRetail Price Indexinflation figures are based on data fromClark, Gregory (2017)."The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)".MeasuringWorth.Retrieved7 May2024.
- ^"Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland".University College London.Retrieved 15 September 2021.
External links[edit]
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- 1766 births
- 1839 deaths
- People from Westminster
- Nobility from Falkirk (council area)
- People educated at Harrow School
- Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
- Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
- People associated with Shetland
- Anglo-Scots
- Councillors in North Yorkshire
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- British MPs 1790–1796
- British MPs 1796–1800
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1801–1802
- UK MPs 1802–1806
- UK MPs 1806–1807
- UK MPs 1807–1812
- UK MPs 1812–1818
- UK MPs 1818–1820
- UK MPs who inherited peerages
- UK MPs who were granted peerages
- Lord Lieutenants of Orkney and Shetland
- Lord Mayors of York
- Clan Dundas
- Recipients of payments from the Slavery Abolition Act 1833
- British slave owners
- Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria