Earl of Aboyne

Earl of Aboyne is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, borne in the Gordon family (see the Marquess of Huntly for earlier history of the family).

There is some contemporary evidence that this title was first created for James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne during the Civil War, but this creation is not recorded in peerage sources.

The title was created (or revived) on 10 September 1660 for Lord Charles Gordon, fourth son of George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly, and Viscount Aboyne's younger brother. He was made Lord Gordon of Strathaven and Glenlivet at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland.[1] His great-great-grandson (the titles having descended from father to son), the fifth Earl, succeeded as Marquess of Huntly in 1836, since when the earldom has been held as a subsidiary title.[2] Earl of Aboyne is now a courtesy title used by the heir apparent to the Marquessate of Huntly.

Earl of Aboyne is also a separate, non-peerage earldom in the Baronage of Scotland. An earl in the Baronage of Scotland is also always a Scots baron. Historically, this earldom was held by one and the same person as the peerage earldom. However, when (in the early 20th century) the relevant part of the feudal estate was disponed outside of the family that historically held it, this also included the disposition of the (non-peerage) earldom, thereby resulting in its line of descent (according to Scots property law) to the present day. As of 2016, the current earl is Christiano Amhold Simoes, Earl of Aboyne (on record with the Registry of Scots Nobility).[3]