Ramsay family, Earls of Dalhousie

By the 16th century the Ramsay family was established in Midlothian (at Carrington, Cockpen and Dalhousie), and had property in Fife (Carnock and Clatty), Berwickshire (Foulden) and East Lothian. William Ramsay (d. 1672) was created Earl of Dalhousie in 1633, and further property (for example at Melrose (Roxburghshire) and in Fife) was acquired in the 17th century. Of these family estates, only those in Midlothian appear to have been retained by the 19th century. West Lothian property entered the Ramsay family through the marriage in 1767 of the 8th Earl of Dalhousie and Elizabeth Glen, niece and heiress of James Glen of Longcroft (West Lothian), but was sold in the early 19th century. The 10th Earl (1812-60) was created Marquess in 1849 but on his death without male issue the marquessate expired, while the earldom and Midlothian estates passed to his cousin Fox Maule, 2nd Baron Panmure (see below).

The fortunes of the Maule family were established by Patrick Maule (1585-1661) of Panmure (Forfarshire), a favourite of James I and Charles I, who was raised to the peerage as Earl of Panmure in 1646 and acquired extensive estates in Forfarshire (Arbroath, Brechin, Downie, Navar) and Kincardineshire (Balmakelly), with Collyweston (Northamptonshire) and Eltham Park (Kent). The 2nd Earl bought Belhelvie (Aberdeenshire) from Patrick, Earl of Kinghorne, in 1663-4, and the 3rd and 4th Earls extended the Forfarshire holdings, purchasing Kelly (from the Irvine family of Drum (Aberdeenshire) in 1679), Edzell and Glenesk (from the Lindsay family of Edzell c.1703) and other properties. The 4th Earl's estates were forfeited owing to his Jacobitism and sold in 1719 to the York Building Company, the mansions of Panmure House and Brechin Castle, however, being leased by the Countess of Panmure, who also bought Inverkeilor (Forfarshire) in 1724. The Forfarshire estates were subsequently re-purchased in 1764 by William Maule, son and heir of the antiquarian Harry Maule of Kelly and nephew of the 4th Earl. William Maule was created Earl of Panmure in the Irish peerage in 1743 but died without issue in 1782, when he was succeeded in the Forfarshire estates by his nephew the 8th Earl of Dalhousie. From him they passed to his second son William Ramsay (1771-1852), who took the name of Maule and was created Baron Panmure in 1831. Fox Maule, 2nd Baron Panmure, succeeded his cousin as 11th Earl of Dalhousie in 1860.

Colstoun (East Lothian) was acquired through the marriage of the 9th Earl (1770-1838) to Christian, daughter and heir of Charles Broun of Colstoun. It devolved in 1860 upon the Marquess of Dalhousie's daughter Lady Susan Georgiana Broun-Ramsay, who married firstly the Hon Robert Bourke (created Baron Connemara in 1887) and secondly Lt-Colonel William Hamilton Briggs. On her death in 1898 Colstoun descended to her great-niece Lady Edith Broun-Lindsay, who also inherited the Ayrshire estate (Wellwood, sold in 1925) of her father Lt-Colonel John George Alexander Baird (d. 1917).

Estates in 1883: Forfarshire 136,602 acres, Midlothian 1,419 acres, total 138,021 acres worth £58,603 a year, exclusive of £250 mine rental.