Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun
Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun (1681–1742), was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of John Hope of Hopetoun and a daughter of the 4th Earl of Haddington. His father bought the baronies of Niddry Castle and Abercorn and held the office of hereditary sheriff of Linlithgow. His grandfather was Sir James Hope of Hopetoun and his great-grandfather was Sir Thomas Hope, 1st Baronet of Craighall.
In 1681 his father served Linlithgow in the Parliament of Scotland as a shire commissioner. The following year his father died when HMS Gloucester sank. A family tradition says John Hope saved a rescue boat seat for the Duke of York, and in thanks Charles was made Earl of Hopetoun in 1703 by Queen Anne after he reached his majority.
The family estates and business, including lead mining, were run by his mother, Lady Margaret Hope of Hopetoun. She revived plans to build a church for miners at Leadhills and began Hopetoun House.
Charles Hope supported the union with England. He served as a Scottish representative peer at Westminster from 1722 until his death. He was Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1723. He was Governor of the Bank of Scotland from 1740 until his death and was made a Knight of the Thistle in 1738.
Around 1738/9 he bought the Ormiston estate from John Cockburn. In 1699 he married Lady Henrietta Johnstone, and their children included John, the eldest son.
Charles Hope died on 26 February 1742, aged about 60 or 61, and was succeeded by his son John.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:27 (CET).