James Drummond 1674-1720
James DRUMMOND, 5th Earl of Perth & 2nd duke of Perth, 1674-1720
Biographical Note
Born in Perthshire to James Drummond 1648-1716, 4th Earl of Perth and Jacobite 1st Duke of Perth, and Lady Jane Douglas d.(1678), daughter of William Douglas, first marquess of Douglas. Like his father and uncle he supported the Stuart cause, and in 1686 converted to Roman Catholicism. He moved to France shortly after the deposition of James VII/II and studied intermittently at the Scots College in Paris from 1689, before travelling in France and Italy.
In 1695, he returned to Scotland to run the family estates in Perthshire. In 1706, he married Lady Jean Gordon (1682/3-1773), daughter of the first Duke of Gordon, and had issue, including his heir James Drummond, 1713-1746. He was involved with the Jacobite plot in 1707/08 to aid the French descent on the Firth of Forth, and was consequently briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London. He took part in the 1715 Jacobite rising, taking 200 highlanders for an unsuccessful attempt at securing Edinburgh Castle. He escaped from Montrose in February 1716 with the Pretender, James Stuart, remaining with him in exile at the Jacobite courts at Avignon and Rome. He died in Paris on 6 April 1720 and was buried beside his father at the Scots College.
Books
The Catalogue of Drummond Castle (1912) contains many books formerly owned by James. These include:
Petrus Danetius Dictionarium Antiquitatum (Amsterdam, 1701) inscribed “Drummond Oct. 1708.”
David Gregory Astronomiae Physicae et Geometricae Elementa (Oxford, 1702) inscribed “Edinburgh 30 Sept 1703, Drummond”
His copy of Jean Dubreuil La perspective pratique, necessaire a tous peintres, graveurs, architects… (Paris, 1663) is inscribed “Drummond In the Tower of London June 22 1708.” (Hall.201.a)
It is unclear whether his books were part of the library of Edward Drummond, 6th Duke of Perth, whose library was sold in Paris in December 1760.
Characteristic Markings
He inscribed his books “Drummond.”
Sources
- Alger, J. G., and John Sibbald Gibson."Drummond, James, styled fifth earl of Perth and Jacobite second duke of Perth (1674–1720), Jacobite army officer." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
- Catalogue of the rare and most interesting books and manuscripts in the library at Drummond Castle, compiled by G.P. Johnston, Edinburgh, 1910
- Corp, Edward. ‘Jacobite Books at Toulouse’ Journal of the Edinburgh Bibliographic Society, 1 (2006) pp.71-85