A financial and political study of James Duff, 2nd Earl of Fife, between 1763 and 1809
James Duff, 2nd Earl of Fife, was an important eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Scottish landed magnate who expanded his estate significantly. Fife's political power in terms of the ability to control local parliamentary elections grew along with his wealth and landholding until circa 1790, after which his influence declined markedly. This thesis attempts to explore and explain these developments. A detailed and systematic analysis of the Earl's financial records has enabled, for the first time, authoritative conclusions to be drawn about the financial affairs of a late eighteenth-century Scottish landowner, and in particular about the dynamics of landed expansion. Markets for debt were successfully exploited. Initially heavily geared towards the Edinburgh funds market, as the eighteenth century progressed local borrowing became dominant. More importantly, income surpluses were used to rapidly pay down debt and thus enable more land to be purchased. Costs were kept under control, principally as a result of the Earl's prudent approach but nevertheless an increasingly London-focused lifestyle could be enjoyed. Improvement costs were not significant, however this did not prevent the estate participating
Forty, Richard C. F.
A financial and political study of James Duff, 2nd Earl of Fife, between 1763 and 1809. James Duff, 2nd Earl of Fife, was an important eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Scottish landed magnate who expanded his estate significantly. Fife's political power in terms of the ability to control local parliamentary elections grew along with his wealth and landholding until circa 1790, after which his influence declined markedly. This thesis attempts to explore and explain these developments. A detailed and systematic analysis of the Earl's financial records has enabled, for the first time, authoritative conclusions to be drawn about the financial affairs of a late eighteenth-century Scottish landowner, and in particular about the dynamics of landed expansion. Markets for debt were successfully exploited. Initially heavily geared towards the Edinburgh funds market, as the eighteenth century progressed local borrowing became dominant. More importantly, income surpluses were used to rapidly pay down debt and thus enable more land to be purchased. Costs were kept under control, principally as a result of the Earl's prudent approach but nevertheless an increasingly London-focused lifestyle could be enjoyed. Improvement costs were not significant, however this did not prevent the estate participating
financial_political study james earl fife james earl fife important scottish land magnate expand estate significantly fife political_power term ability control local parliamentary election grow along wealth landholding circa influence decline markedly attempt_explore explain development detail_systematic analysis earl financial record enable first_time authoritative conclusion_draw financial affair scottish landowner particular dynamic land expansion debt successfully exploit initially heavily gear_towards edinburgh fund market progress local borrowing become_dominant importantly income surplus use rapidly pay debt thus enable land purchase keep control principally earl nevertheless increasingly london focused lifestyle could enjoy improvement cost significant however prevent estate participate