Sidney Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone

Sidney Herbert Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone
Born	Template:Birth date Carberry Tower, near Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	November 28, 1955(1955-11-28) (aged 86)
Occupation(s)	Aristocrat, institutional leader
Known for	Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Lord Clerk Register of Scotland; Keeper of the Signet; President of Cockburn Association; Knight of the Thistle; Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle; Captain General of the Royal Company of Archers; Governor of the Bank of Scotland

Sidney Herbert Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone and 2nd Baron Elphinstone, (27 July 1869 – 28 November 1955), was a distinguished British aristocrat who played prominent roles in the leadership of Scottish institutions.

Early life

Elphinstone was born at Carberry Tower, close to Edinburgh, as the son of William, 15th Lord Elphinstone, and Lady Constance Murray. His family heritage connected him to prominent Scottish and English nobility, including ties to the Earls of Dunmore and Pembroke. He received his education at Marlborough College and inherited his father's titles in 1893.

Career

Throughout his life, Lord Elphinstone occupied several influential positions. Between 1923 and 1924, he served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. From 1944 until his passing, he held the offices of Lord Clerk Register of Scotland and Keeper of the Signet. He led the conservationist Cockburn Association as president from 1924 to 1930. In recognition of his service, he was appointed a Knight of the Thistle in 1927 and later advanced to Chancellor of the Order in 1949. His leadership extended to being Captain General of the Royal Company of Archers from 1935 until 1953 and governing the Bank of Scotland for over thirty years, from 1924 to 1955.

In acknowledgment of his contributions to Scottish society and institutions, he was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 1938.

Scrap book

The Scrap book compiled by Lord Elphinstone is preserved within the Mary Ann Beinecke Decorative Art Collection at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Library. This unique manuscript catalogs Scottish clans alongside their distinctive badges. It features original textile samples representing clan tartans as well as watercolor depictions of clan flowers. Beyond this, Elphinstone also served as a Trustee and Commissioner for Manufacturers in Scotland. The Scrap book can be accessed online through the Digital Collections of the Clark Library.

Marriage and later life

On 24 July 1910, Lord Elphinstone wed Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon in Westminster. She was the daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck, and sister to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Their union produced five children:

• The Hon. Mary Elizabeth Elphinstone (1911–1980), who served as a bridesmaid at the 1923 marriage ceremony of Prince Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
• John Elphinstone, 17th Lord Elphinstone (1914–1975), who passed away unmarried with no descendants.
• The Hon. Jean Constance Elphinstone (1915–1999), married Captain John Wills; their daughter Marilyn was a bridesmaid at Princess Margaret’s 1960 wedding and goddaughter to her.
• The Hon. and Rev. Andrew Charles Victor Elphinstone (1918–1975), married Jean Hambro, who served as Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II; their son James succeeded as the 18th Lord Elphinstone.
• The Hon. Margaret Elphinstone (1925–2016), married Denys Rhodes; she was a bridesmaid at Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Philip Mountbatten in 1947.

Lord Elphinstone passed away on 28 November 1955 at the age of eighty-six.

External links

• Lord Elphinstone's Scrap Book Mary Ann Beinecke Decorative Art Collection