Earl of Breadalbane and Holland

Earl of Breadalbane and Holland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1681 for Sir John Campbell, 5th Baronet, of Glenorchy, who had previously been deprived of the title Earl of Caithness. It refers to Breadalbane ( ; Scottish Gaelic: Bràghaid Albann, meaning "upper Alba" or "upland of Alba"), a district in Perthshire, comprising a valley within the Grampian Mountains range, archaically spelt Broadalbin.

Creation

Sir John Campbell, as a principal creditor, had acquired the estates of George Sinclair, 6th Earl of Caithness who had died heavily in debt and without issue in 1670. Sir John was consequently created Earl of Caithness in 1673. However after much litigation and even bloodshed at the Battle of Altimarlach, George Sinclair of Keiss (died 1698), the second son of George, 5th Earl of Caithness (died 1643), recovered the estates. Sinclair of Keiss then successfully petitioned parliament regarding the earldom, which was removed from Campbell and finally restored to him in 1681.

Thus deprived by parliament of the Caithness earldom, Sir John Campbell was created Lord Glenorchy, Benederaloch, Ormelie and Weick, Viscount of Tay and Paintland, and Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, with the precedency of the last, on 13 August 1681 as compensation. The titles were created with the power to nominate any of his sons by his first wife to succeed him, failing which to any surviving male son, then to male heirs, failing which to any heirs whatsoever. The "and Holland" part of the title derived from the fact that Campbell was the husband of Lady Mary Rich, daughter of Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland (see Earl of Holland).