David Lindesay-Bethune, 15th Earl of Lindsay

The Earl of Lindsay
Personal details
Born(1926-02-09)9 February 1926
London, England
Died1 October 1989(1989-10-01) (aged 63)
Congleton, Cheshire, England
Spouses
The Hon. Mary-Clare Douglas-Scott-Montagu
(m. 1953; div. 1968)
    Penelope Crossley
    (m. 1969)
    Parent(s)William Lindesay-Bethune, 14th Earl of Lindsay
    Marjory Cross
    EducationEton College
    Alma materMagdalene College, Cambridge
    AwardsHonorary rank of colonel
    Military service
    Allegiance United Kingdom
    Branch/service British Army
    RankMajor
    UnitScots Guards,
    Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse

    David Lindesay-Bethune, 15th Earl of Lindsay (9 February 1926 – 1 October 1989), styled Viscount Garnock between 1943 and 1985, was a British soldier.

    Early life

    Lindsay was the son of William Lindesay-Bethune, 14th Earl of Lindsay and Marjory Cross. Among his younger siblings were Hon. John Martin Lindesay-Bethune (who married Enriqueta Mary Jeanne Koch de Gooreynd and Jean Maxwell Brickman), Lady Elizabeth Marjory Beatrice Lindesay-Bethune (who married Maj. David Laurence Greenacre), and Lady Mary Bethune Lindesay-Bethune (who married Capt. Owen Buckingham Varney).[1]

    His paternal grandparents were Archibald Bethune, 13th Earl of Lindsay and Ethel Tucker (the daughter of William Austin Tucker). His maternal grandparents were Arthur John Graham Cross and Marjory Nelson Ritchie Edwards.[1]

    He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge.[2]

    Career

    He served in the Scots Guards as a junior officer and left with the rank of Major in 1951.[3]

    He was appointed Honorary Colonel on 29 May 1957[4] of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse. He held this post until 1962, when his tenure expired. He was however allowed to retain the honorary rank of Colonel.[5]

    His interest in steam railways led to his acquiring the locomotive The Great Marquess from British Railways following its withdrawal in 1962. He succeeded Sir Gerald Nabarro as chairman of the Severn Valley Railway in 1973.[6]

    Views on curtsying

    He was known as a vocal proponent of traditional British protocol. He gained publicity in 1971 when he sent Martha Mitchell, wife of US Attorney General John Mitchell, some critical correspondence after Mrs. Mitchell omitted to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II.

    Personal life

    On 31 October 1953, Lord Lindsay married the Honourable Mary-Clare Douglas-Scott-Montagu, daughter of John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and Alice Pearl Crake. Before their divorce in 1968, they had one son and one daughter:[1]

    He married as his second wife Penelope Crossley, daughter of Anthony Crossley and Clare Frances Fortescue Thomson, in 1969.[1]

    Lord Lindsay died in 1989 and was succeeded by his only son, James.[2]

    Arms

    Coat of arms of David Lindesay-Bethune, 15th Earl of Lindsay

    Coronet
    The coronet of an Earl
    Crest
    A swan with wings expanded proper.
    Escutcheon
    Quarterly, 1st & 4th: Gules, a fess chequy Azure and Argent, in chief three mullets of the second(Lindsay); 2nd & 3rd: counter-quartered, 1st & 4th: Azure, a fess between three lozenges Or (Bethune); 2nd & 3rd: Argent, on a chevron Sable, an otter's head erased of the first (Balfour) all within a bordure embattled Or.
    Supporters
    On both dexter and sinister, a griffin Gules, armed and legged Or
    Motto
    Above the crest: Je ayme (French: "I love")
    Below shield: "Live but Dreid"

    References

    1. ^ a b c d e f Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 2, page 2344.
    2. ^ a b David Lindesay-Bethune, 15th Earl of Lindsay profile, thepeerage.com; Retrieved 28 March 2016.
    3. ^ London Gazette (21 September 1951), london-gazette.co.uk; Retrieved 28 March 2016.
    4. ^ London Gazette (12 July 1957), london-gazette.co.uk; Retrieved 28 March 2016.
    5. ^ London Gazette (25 May 1962), london-gazette.co.uk; Retrieved 28 March 2016.
    6. ^ Marshall, John (1989). The Severn Valley Railway. Newton Abbot: David St John Thomas. pp. 183, 201. ISBN 0-946537-45-3.

    Sources

    • Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th Edition, edited by Charles Mosley, Wilmington, Delaware, 2003, vol II, pp. 2342–45; ISBN 0-9711966-2-1