John Crichton-Stuart, 6th Marquess of Bute

National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh

John Crichton-Stuart was born in Mayfair, London, on 27 February 1933, [1] fifteen minutes before his twin brother, David. As such, he was the eldest son of John Crichton-Stuart, 5th Marquess of Bute, and Lady Eileen Forbes, the younger daughter of Bernard Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard, and Beatrice Mills Forbes, an American socialite who was the daughter of Ogden Mills.[2]

He was known as Lord Cardiff before the death of his grandfather in 1947, when he became Earl of Dumfries.[3] He attended Ampleforth College and, after national service in the Scots Guards, studied history at Trinity College, Cambridge.[2] At Cambridge he attended the Fine Art lectures of Nikolaus Pevsner.[4]

John Crichton-Stuart was a private man who eschewed publicity and grand gestures and refused to take part in the activities of the House of Lords on the grounds that "the scene" was uncongenial.[2] After his second marriage, he restored Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute.[3]

Crichton-Stuart inherited estates in Wales, England, and Scotland, including six castles and a highly esteemed collection of European paintings.[2] On his father's death in 1956, he inherited the title and estates. To settle death duties, he sold property in Cardiff to the city corporation and transferred Robert Adam houses on the south side of Charlotte Square, Edinburgh to the National Trust for Scotland. On the north side he transferred the central pavilion (5/6/7): 6 Charlotte Square, which he also transferred, became the official residence of the Secretary of State for Scotland and is known as Bute House due to its connection to him.[3] No 7 is open to the public as "The Georgian House, Edinburgh".

In 1982 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir Alwyn Williams, Frank Willett, Colin Thompson, R. G. W. Anderson, C. D. Waterston and Charles Kemball.[5]

From 1983 to 1988 he was Chairman of the Historic Buildings Council the forerunner to Historic Environment Scotland.

He was Lord Lieutenant of Bute and, from 1990, of Argyll and Bute.[3] As owner of Bute Fabrics, the largest employer on the Isle of Bute, Crichton-Stuart redirected the focus of the company towards designer fabrics and contemporary furniture.[2]

He held office in the National Trust for Scotland for twenty-five years, while its membership increased five-fold. From 1985, he was Chairman of the Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland, securing funding for the new west extension to the Royal Scottish Museum on Chambers Street in Edinburgh, now known as the Museum of Scotland. Despite opposition from Prince Charles, he ensured the project proceeded and saw the laying of the foundation stone in April 1993, shortly before his death.[3]

Crichton-Stuart died of cancer at Mount Stuart House on 21 July 1993.[6][7]

On 19 April 1955, he married, firstly, Beatrice Nicola Grace Weld-Forester, and they divorced in 1977.[1] They had four children:

• Lady Sophia Ann Crichton-Stuart (born 27 February 1956),[1] wife of the rock musician Jimmy Bain[8]
• Lady Caroline Eileen Crichton-Stuart (21 February 1957 – 1984)[1]
• John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute (born 26 April 1958)[1] also known as a racing driver under the name of Johnny Dumfries or John Bute.
• Lord Anthony Crichton-Stuart (born 14 May 1961)[1]

In 1978 he married, secondly, Jennifer, daughter of John Home-Rigg and former wife of Gerald Percy.[1] Jennifer, Marchioness of Bute, is a Patroness of the Royal Caledonian Ball.[9]

• Convener of Buteshire County Council (1967–1970)
• Countryside Commission for Scotland (1970–1978)
• Development Commission (1973–1978)
• Oil Development Council for Scotland (1973–1978)
• Council of the Royal Society of Arts (1990–1992)
• Board of the British Council (1987–1992)
• Scottish Standing Committee for Voluntary International Aid, Chairman/President (1964–1968/1968–1975)
• Scottish Committee of the National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases (1966–1993), Chairman
• Museums Advisory Board (Scotland), Chairman (1984–1985)
• Historic Buildings Council for Scotland (1983–1988), Chairman
• National Galleries of Scotland, Trustee (1980–1987)
• Royal Society of Edinburgh, Fellow (1992)

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Marquess of Bute