Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss


Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March DL , styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was a Scottish Conservative politician.

Early life

He was the fifth but eldest surviving son of The 10th Earl of Wemyss and his wife, Lady Anne Frederica Anson. His sister, Evelyn Charteris, was married to The 4th Viscount de Vesci; their only child was the second wife of Aubrey Herbert, whose daughter Laura Herbert married the writer Evelyn Waugh and was the mother of Auberon Waugh.
His father was the eldest son, and heir, of The 9th Earl of Wemyss. His mother was a daughter of The 1st Earl of Lichfield.

Career

He entered Parliament for Haddingtonshire in 1883, but lost his seat in the 1885 general election. He returned to the House of Commons in the 1886 general election as one of two representatives for Ipswich, a seat he held until 1895.
He succeeded his father in the two earldoms in 1914 and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire from 1918 to 1937.

Personal life

In 1883, he married Mary Constance Wyndham, daughter of the Hon. Percy Scawen Wyndham and sister of George Wyndham. They were both two of the original members of The Souls. His married life was detailed in the book Those Wild Wyndhams by Claudia Renton. Among their children were:
By 1912, Lady Angela Forbes was his mistress, sharing his house in East Lothian, while his wife lived at Stanway in Gloucestershire. Although he and his mistress lived together for many years, he remained married, and his wife became Countess of Wemyss when he inherited the earldom. She died in April 1937, aged 74. Lord Wemyss survived her by three months and died in July of the same year, aged 79. He is buried in the family burial enclosure on the north side of Aberlady churchyard.

Succession

Lord Wemyss was succeeded in his titles by his grandson David; two of his sons, Captain Hugo Francis Charteris and Lt Yvo Alan Charteris, had been killed in action during the First World War. Hugo's second son was Martin Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield.
His granddaughter was the socialite Ann Fleming, and his grandson, Hugo Charteris, was a renowned post-war author and screenwriter. He is the great-grandfather of the Scottish cartoonist Jamie Charteris.