William Duff, 1st Earl Fife (1697 – 30 September 1763), of Braco, Banff, was a Scottish landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 to 1734.
Early life
Duff was the eldest surviving son of William Duff, merchant, of Dipple and Braco, and his wife Jean Gordon, daughter of Sir George Gordon, Shire Commissioner in the Parliament of Scotland, of Edinglassie, Aberdeen.[1][2][3]
Career
Duff House, Banff
Duff was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Banffshire at the 1727 British general election. He spoke and voted against the Government on the Hessians in 1730 and also voted against the Administration on the repeal of the Septennial Act in 1734. At the 1734 British general election, he stood down in favour of his brother-in-law James Abercromby. Abercrombie was a government supporter, and as a reward, Duff was created Lord Braco of Kilbryde in the Peerage of Ireland on 28 July 1735. He continued to dominate the political scene at Banffshire.[4]
In 1740, he commissioned the construction of Duff House in Banff. He was later created 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.
After her death in 1720, he married Jean Grant (1705–1788), second daughter of Sir James Grant, 6th Baronet, of Pluscardine. in 1723. He inherited substantial estates from his father on his death in 1722.[4] By his second wife Jean he had seven sons and seven daughters, including:[6]
Hon. William Duf (1724–1753), who died unmarried.[7]
Lady Anne Duff (1725–1805), who married Alexander Duff, 2nd of Hatton, son of Alexander Duff, 1st of Hatton, in 1745.[6]
Lord Fife died on 30 September 1763, and was buried in the parish church of Grange, before being moved to the mausoleum at Duff House. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son James. On his death without issue in 1809, he was succeeded by his younger brother Alexander.[6]
References
^The Book of the Duffs (Alistair & Henrietta Tayler, 1914), Vol. I, p. 87
^G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume V, page 378.
