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- SIR Winston Churchill once said: "We make a living by what we get, we make a life from what we give."
If this is true, then the life of Francis David Charteris, the 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th Earl of March, was a very rich one indeed.
An acclaimed conservationist and landowner, Lord Wemyss, who passed away on December 12 and was laid to rest on Monday at Aberlady Parish Church, never made any secret of his belief that the aristocracy had to work hard to maintain its position within society.
His heir James Donald Charteris, Lord Neidpath, who will succeeds his father to become the head of one of Scotland's oldest and wealthiest dynasties, this week paid tribute to his father, a man whose 96 years of life were defined by "longevity, endurance and perseverance".
Educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, Lord Wemyss displayed a thirst for knowledge even in his school years that led him to immerse himself in any subject he became interested in, from lepidopterology (the study of butterflies and moths) to railways.
It was a character trait that would define his life's work, culminating in a immense public career devoted to, amongst many other things, the conservation of Scotland's heritage.
Born in 1912 at Stanway in Gloucestershire, Lord Wemyss was the eldest son of the late Lord Elcho ? who, in 1916, was killed in action during the First World War ? and Lady Violet, nee Manners, the daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland.
In 1937, the death of his grandfather led the then Lord Elcho to succeed to the earldom of Wemyss and March.
In that same year, he was appointed as an assistant district commissioner in the colonial administration service in Basutoland, South Africa ? a post that would begin an extremely memorable chapter in the aristocrat's life.
Displaying a determination to succeed that would become one of his life's trademarks, the young earl quickly became fluent in Sesotho, the language of Basutoland natives.
"The happiest time of his life was working there," said Lord Neidpath, who lives at Stanway House.
"He loved South Africa. It was just completely different from the sort of world he'd left behind ? it was a fresh start and he just blossomed.
"And he met my mother during that time."
Wedlock
Lord Wemyss married Mavis Lynette Gordon Murray, of Cape Town, South Africa ? with whom he later had two sons and two daughters ? in 1940, and the couple would make many returns to the country they loved before her death in 1988.
As one of the few British officers who could fluently speak the soldiers' language, Lord Wemyss joined the Basutoland Pioneer Troops in 1940, and served with them in the Middle East.
His other efforts during the War included a period with the Eighth Army and staff appointments at G.H.Q Middle East and Tripoli.
It was on his return to Gosford House ? the family seat since the 18th century ? in 1944 that the Earl started on the path that would see him become an acclaimed conservationist and landowner, and for many the champion of Scotland's heritage.
And though his talents advanced many causes further afield, East Lothian certainly reaped the benefits of Lord Wemyss' shrewd intelligence and resoluteness, as he felt strongly about nurturing the county that he had made his home
This included serving as the Queen's Lord Lieutenant for East Lothian for two decades, from 1967-87, and a 60-year association with the East Lothian Antiquarian and Field Naturists Society.
He was also a pivotal figure as a trustee of the Lamp of Lothian Collegiate Trust and played a key role in securing the future of 17th century Haddington House when it was sold in 1966 by the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton.
Lord Neidpath, aged 60, explained: "He believed that in order to be effective it was very important to try and stay in one place.
"So he knew that the only way to be useful to East Lothian was to be based there the whole time."
This determination to focus his energies beyond the traditional duties of his titles saw him sit in the House of Lords just five times in his entire life, preferring to concentrate his efforts closer to home.
He was reported to have said: "What right has an earl like me to go to London occasionally to blow in, blow up and blow out?
"I do not wish to be a regular attender and therefore have no moral right to vote."
It didn't matter how great or small the cause was, if he felt he could make a contribution then he would, said Lord Neidpath.
"And he didn't believe in just sitting on committees ? if he became involved in a cause then it had to be in a role where he could make a real difference," he added.
Lord Wemyss also undertook a great many positions and responsibilities within the Church of Scotland.
Said Lord Neidpath: "When my elder brother was killed in 1954 (aged eight, as the result of a motor accident), both his and my mother's faith deepened considerably."
This strengthening of his religious beliefs led Lord Wemyss to become an elder of Aberlady Parish Church, a position he held for more than 50 years.
And it was in the same county church that he married his second wife, Canadian Shelagh Kennedy, in 1995.
"He very much liked the Church of Scotland," added Lord Neidpath.
His sense of duty to the church was realised through various roles and responsibilities, including serving on the Scottish Churches Council from 1964 to 1971, and for a time on the World Council of Churches.
He was a Lieutenant of the Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers, and from 1974 was Lord Clerk Register of Scotland and Keeper of the Signet.
A source of particular pride to Lord Wemyss was his appointment as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, a position he held three times in 1959, 1960 and 1977.
"He was particularly proud to be Lord High Commissioner in 1960 as that year was the 400th anniversary of the Reformation in Scotland," added Lord Neidpath.
And to have fulfilled the responsibility three times was a rare achievement according to Aberlady minister, the Very Rev John Cairns, who conducted Monday's service.
Describing the earl as "quite a brilliant man", Mr Cairns told the Courier: "He was very much a part of life in this county.
"He was already ready to greet people and herd them in and a lot of them (the congregation) had known him for a very long time."
'Drawn to people'
Aside from his magnificent efforts to preserve Scotland's heritage and historical landmarks, Lord Wemyss also devoted much time to aiding charities such as Marie Curie Cancer Care (of which he was a life vice-president) and the Christian homeless charity the Grassmarket Mission.
"He was drawn to people who needed him," said Lord Neidpath, who has still to decide how much time he will spend at Gosford House, which sits between Aberlady and Longniddry.
"He simply didn't have a lot of time to spend with people of his own milieu.
"He chose his friends from his colleagues."
Never someone who liked to "dither", the earl's active public duties were complemented by a private life occupied by a host of hobbies and interests that he pursued with the same vigour that defined his career.
"He had an extraordinary memory," said Lord Neidpath, who fondly remembers as a child watching his father mend clocks ? another of his keen interests ? and accompanying him to the estate's woodlands to learn about forestry.
"And he possessed such an appetite for getting things done and getting them in order."
In Lord Wemyss' later years, his desire to be kept busy and astonishingly phyically active never faded.
"What really kept him going over the last eight years was working in the woods (surrounding the estate office, near Craigielaw)," said Lord Neidpath.
"From nine to five, he would be out there, it didn't matter what the weather was like, he was always smiling and in a good mood when he was doing that."
Assuming the titles of the 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March, Lord Neidpath is now the head of an estate estimated to be worth ?20 million, including 62,000 acres of land in Haddington, Peebles, Perth and Gloucestershire, as well as his stately home of Stanway House, Gloucestershire, and Neidpath and Elcho Castles in Scotland.
Realising the potential of Gosford House by continuing the restoration of the vast 18th century mansion and its grounds is one of the challenges that he is determined to undertake ? a cause that his father would surely have approved of.
Designed by Robert Adams and famous for its marble hall and collection of old masters, the family seat was in an "awful" state of disrepair before Lord Wemyss first embarked on its restoration more than 60 years ago.
"When my father first came back from the Middle East in 1944, Gosford House was in a very depressing state," explained Lord Neidpath.
"The army had been there since the war broke out and a quarter of the house was badly damaged by dry rot and fire."
He added: "It is a very nice place and I feel it is under-appreciated at the moment.
"Ideally, I would like to encourage people to come and visit Gosford House and enjoy what it has to offer.
"It will no doubt be a very challenging task, but I'd like to get it back to the way it was."
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