James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford

Who was James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford?

James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford and 7th Earl of Balcarres was an Earl in the Scottish peerage.

James Lindsay was born on 24 April 1783 at Balcarres, Fife to Alexander Lindsay, 23rd Earl of Crawford and inherited the title of 7th Earl of Balcarres on his father's death in 1825. In 1826 he was created Baron of Wigan in the peerage of Great Britain. In 1843 he claimed the abeyant title of Earl of Crawford and in 1848 the House of Lords allowed the claim and conferred on him the title of 24th Earl of Crawford, and by extension, the title of 23rd Earl of Crawford on his dead father.

He married at Muncaster, Cumbria on 21 November 1811 the Hon. Maria Margaret Frances Pennington, daughter of John Pennington, 1st Baron Muncaster. They had four sons.

He entered the army and attained the rank of major in the 20th Light Dragoons until he left in 1804. He was returned as Tory MP for Wigan from 1820 to 1825.

He inherited a third share of a company that supplied slaves to the British Army from his father. After the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 he was paid a large amount of compensation for the loss of slaves.