The Riddell Collection of Wax Seals:
Seal Life Stories: the remarkable careers of 23 individuals from the Riddell Collection of Wax Seals
1: James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater and 4th Earl of Seafield (1750 – 1811)
Cullen House in Banffshire, childhood home of James Ogilvy, 6th Earl of Findlater
Born on 10th April 1750 at Huntingtower Castle near Perth, son of James Ogilvy, 6th Earl of Findlater and Lady Mary Murray, James Ogilvy grew up at Cullen House, in Banffshire. He studied at Oxford, where he was noted for his classical scholarship. He inherited the family estate in 1770 after his father took his own life.
James had a lifelong passion for landscape architecture, and inspired by the French Picturesque style, he made substantial improvements to the estates. As well as redesigning the gardens, he employed architects such as Adam and Playfair to design additions to the house.
He married Christina Teresa Josepha Murray, daughter of Sir Joseph Murray of Melgund, 3rd Bt., in 1779 but they separated two years later when James left to live in Germany and the Czech Republic. James was homosexual, and had lived with a male partner while still in Scotland. He is described as being unofficially banished to Europe, but was also drawn to the more tolerant society to be found in Europe. He settled in Carlsbad where he used the £40.000 per annum income from his Scottish estates to make improvements and beautifications to the town and its surroundings, and making substantial donations to local social institutions.
James completed various landscaping projects after moving to Carlsbad but his real focus was the vineyards at Loschwitz. Together with his partner Johann Georg Fischer, he bought five vineyards overlooking the Elbe River and planned a palatial residence there. Sadly he died before it was completed.
He left Findlater's Temple in Carlsbad, a classically styled pavilion reached via a trail, designed for visitors taking the local spa waters, as a token of his appreciation.