Popular patron of charity and the arts and co-founder of prize for historical fiction
Duchess of Buccleuch Born: June 8, 1954; Died: April 30, 2023
ELIZABETH Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, who has died aged 68 after a short illness, was a well-known and much respected figure in Scotland – especially in the Borders. She supported many worthy causes, both national and local. A personal favourite was the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction which she and her husband founded in 2010. The first winner was Hilary Mantel.
The Duke of Buccleuch spoke warmly of his wife to The Herald. “She was a wonderful support to me and the local community in Dumfriesshire – especially with the Girl Guides, the Dumfries Festival and the Dumfries Music Society. But she was also involved in such national institutions as the National Museum of Scotland and Scottish Ballet. She was a wonderful ambassador for Scotland and was refreshingly unpompous.”
The Duchess’s family, the Kerrs, are as much a part of the history of the Borders as her husband’s. Both come from noble Scottish families who have contributed much to the social and political life in Scotland. The bitter rivalry between the Kerrs and Scotts dates back to the 16th century when there was much debate about the ownership of some land between Scotland and England. The result was border raids, family disagreements and much ill-will.
In 1981 the Duchess married Richard Scott, the 10th Duke of Buccleuch, thus joining the two families in a more peaceful and positive relationship.
Lady Elizabeth Marion Frances Kerr was brought up at the Kerr family home at Crailing, near Jedburgh, one of six children. Her father, Peter, Marquess of Lothian, had served as a junior minister in Alec DouglasHome’s government in the 1960s. The Duchess was known affectionately from her youth as Bizza on account of her inability to say her first name – she pronounced it Bizzabeth. One of her two brothers is the distinguished former MP (now in the House of Lords) Michael Ancram, who served as deputy leader of the Conservative Party from 2001 to 2005.
She spent much of her youth in the Borders and was privately educated at home until she went to Woldingham, a convent school in
Surrey. There she proved academically talented gaining good passes in her A-levels. She then read sociology at the London School of Economics where she studied under Professor Ralph Miliband, the sociologist and father of the MPS David and Ed.
On passing her BSC she got a post in the arts department at the BBC. She was often heard on Radio 4 covering issues connected with the arts but principally she became a popular member of Radio 4’s Kaleidoscope arts programme transmitted in the late evening.
She and the Duke had known each other in their youth and the families had often holidayed together in the Highlands. They married in 1981 in Dalkeith Palace – it was a grand society occasion. He devoted much of his time to the management of his considerable estates and houses while the Duchess maintained her interest in broadcasting through Radio Solway.
When the Duke inherited the title in 2007 he also had control of a large business and one of the largest estates in Scotland. The Duchess gave her husband sterling support and kept closely in touch with the tenants in a delightfully informal manner. Her Catholic faith was central to her life and she had, on several occasions made pilgrimages to Lourdes.
Her support for the Walter Scott Prize was broadened in 2012 to include books written and published in the Commonwealth and a junior version was launched in 2015. Mantel spoke enthusiastically of the prize saying it has “pushed writers on to explore the limits of technique and the limits of their influence. It will open up for readers, I hope, the treasures of the genre”.
The duchess had been much occupied recently in writing a book on the life of Charlotte Anne, the wife of the 5th duke who converted to Roman Catholicism.
The Duchess served as chairman of
Scottish Ballet and did much to expand its repertory and its appeal. She often led the company on tours abroad – the Tour to
China, the Duke recalled caused a slight problem. “The hosts couldn’t believe that such a prestigious visit was being led by a woman.”
Lady Elizabeth, who was a keen gardener and painter, is survived by her husband and their two sons and two daughters.