Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont
Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Scotland |
| Died | January 10, 1794 (aged 85) |
| Other names | Lord Polwarth (1724–1740) |
| Occupation(s) | Nobleman, politician |
| Years active | 1734–1784 |
| Known for | Representing Berwick-upon-Tweed in the British House of Commons; Scottish representative peer in the House of Lords; Governor of the Bank of Scotland; Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland |
Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont PC FRS (15 February 1708 – 10 January 1794), known as Lord Polwarth between 1724 and 1740, was a Scottish nobleman and politician who represented Berwick-upon-Tweed in the British House of Commons from 1734 until he succeeded to the earldom in 1740. Beginning in 1750, he served as a Scottish representative peer in the House of Lords.
He was the son of Alexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of Marchmont, and Margaret Campbell. His education comprised private tutoring in London, studies overseas in the Netherlands, followed by attendance at the University of Edinburgh. In 1731, he married Ann Western; after her passing, he wed Elizabeth Crompton in 1748.
During his tenure as Lord Polwarth, he secured election as MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed alongside his brother in 1734. He notably opposed punitive measures against Edinburgh after the Porteous Riots and engaged actively in military-related parliamentary discussions before relinquishing his Commons seat upon inheriting his father's title in 1740. From 1747 to 1764, he held the office of First Lord of the Police in Scotland and subsequently represented Scottish peers in the House of Lords until 1784.
Marchmont was esteemed for his profound expertise in classical literature, historical scholarship, and civil law. His election as a Fellow of the Royal Society occurred in 1753, and he joined the Privy Council in 1762. His prominent appointments included Governor of the Bank of Scotland from 1763 to 1790 and Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland until his death.
He passed away at age 85, with his earldom becoming extinct or falling into dormancy. By his first marriage, he fathered three daughters and two sons: Patrick (who died young), Anne (who married Sir John Paterson), Margaret (wife of James Stuart), Diana (married to Walter Scott of Harden), and Alexander (styled Lord Polwarth and created Baron Hume of Berwick but who predeceased him without heirs). His second marriage produced no offspring.
The subsidiary title Lord Polwarth was inherited by his granddaughter Anne Anstruther. There is an association between Marchmont and Rev. David Rose—allegedly an illegitimate son—and through Rose to politician George Rose, who received Marchmont’s valuable manuscript collection and acted as his executor. However, some authoritative accounts dispute this genealogical connection.