Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch


Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch and 10th Duke of Queensberry, was a Scottish peer and Conservative politician. He was the son of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Margaret Alice "Molly" Bridgeman. His sister, Alice, married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1935, becoming a member of the British Royal Family.

Early life and education

Montagu Douglas Scott was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, and had a military career commanding the 4th King's Own Scottish Borderers. He was also Captain-General of the Royal Company of Archers.

Political activity

As Earl of Dalkeith, Scott was Scottish Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire from 1923 until 1935, when he succeeded as Duke of Buccleuch and Duke of Queensberry. He was succeeded as MP for the constituency by his brother, Lord William Scott. According to Cowling, he met German ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop in London. Seen as pro-German, he was compelled to 'resign' as Lord Steward by King George VI. He had attended Hitler's 50th birthday celebration in 1939 and he opposed war with Germany; once war broke out, he campaigned for a truce which allowed Hitler to keep all his conquered territory.
Scott inaugurated a racist campaign against workers in the British Honduran Forestry Unit who had come to Scotland to help in the war effort. He complained that not only were the workers lazy but was also concerned that some had married local women. Harold Macmillan, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies replied to his complaints suggesting that the problem was more the extreme cold the Hondurans encountered – quite different from their tropical homeland.

Personal life

He married Vreda Esther Mary Lascelles, granddaughter of William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans, on 21 April 1921. They had three children, sixteen grandchildren, forty-four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren:
He died on 4 October 1973 and was buried among the ruins of Melrose Abbey.

Ancestry