Title of article :
THE EARL OF EGLINTON, SCOTTISH CONSERVATISM, AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE VINDICATION OF SCOTTISH RIGHTS
Abstract :
This article re-evaluates the role and importance of the thirteenth earl of Eglinton as
president of the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights (NAVSR). Departing from the
established historiography, which depicts his career as a romantic absurdity because of his organization of a
medieval tournament in 1839, it shows Eglinton to have been a political figure of substance, who played a
significant role in public life during the mid-Victorian era. The article emphasizes the importance of
‘ administrative devolution ’ as a feature of long-term Conservative political thought and points to activities of
Eglinton and his circle as an example of the need to give more weight to the importance of Conservatives in
modern Scottish history
