Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
During the 1960s, John Henry Stuart Borthwick was the de jure (rightful by law) 23rd Lord Borthwick and Chief of Clan Borthwick.
The ancient Scottish title of Lord Borthwick became dormant multiple times due to the repeated failure of the direct male line. The peerage originally fell into dormancy after the death of the 9th Lord Borthwick (who famously surrendered Borthwick Castle to Oliver Cromwell's forces in 1650) and again following the death of John, the 10th Lord Borthwick, in 1675. Although Henry Borthwick of Neathorn successfully reclaimed the lordship as the 14th Lord Borthwick in 1762, he died without issue ten years later, plunging the title back into a century of fierce disputes among competing branches. The title was briefly revived for the 19th Lord, Cunninghame Borthwick, in 1870, but upon the death of his childless son, Archibald, in 1910, the title became dormant once more. It remained empty for 76 years until Major John Henry Stuart Borthwick of Crookston successfully petition the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1986. His victory relied on newfound Vatican records, newly cataloged Scottish archives, and crucial documents discovered by genealogist Hugh Peskett under a billiard table at Crookston House. Peskett proved that the first Lord Borthwick had married twice and lived 25 years longer than historical records stated, forcing a full correction and renumbering of the entire lineage.
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John A MacLellan (1921-1991): 2/4 Competition March in A Mixolydian, "The Borthwick of Borthwick" (1967).
performance: Jordan Alexander Key
edition: Jordan Alexander Key
During the 1960s, John Henry Stuart Borthwick was the de jure (rightful by law) 23rd Lord Borthwick and Chief of Clan Borthwick.
The ancient Scottish title of Lord Borthwick became dormant multiple times due to the repeated failure of the direct male line. The peerage originally fell into dormancy after the death of the 9th Lord Borthwick (who famously surrendered Borthwick Castle to Oliver Cromwell's forces in 1650) and again following the death of John, the 10th Lord Borthwick, in 1675. Although Henry Borthwick of Neathorn successfully reclaimed the lordship as the 14th Lord Borthwick in 1762, he died without issue ten years later, plunging the title back into a century of fierce disputes among competing branches. The title was briefly revived for the 19th Lord, Cunninghame Borthwick, in 1870, but upon the death of his childless son, Archibald, in 1910, the title became dormant once more. It remained empty for 76 years until Major John Henry Stuart Borthwick of Crookston successfully petition the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1986. His victory relied on newfound Vatican records, newly cataloged Scottish archives, and crucial documents discovered by genealogist Hugh Peskett under a billiard table at Crookston House. Peskett proved that the first Lord Borthwick had married twice and lived 25 years longer than historical records stated, forcing a full correction and renumbering of the entire lineage.
__________________________________________
John A MacLellan (1921-1991): 2/4 Competition March in A Mixolydian, "The Borthwick of Borthwick" (1967).
performance: Jordan Alexander Key
edition: Jordan Alexander Key
