The 3rd Earl of Airlie, David Ogilvy (1634–1717), maintained a quieter political profile, particularly during the 1707 Act of Union, although his cousin, the Earl of Seafield, was instrumental in its passage. The 3rd Earl’s son, James Ogilvy (d. 1731), joined the Jacobite Rising of 1715 under the Earl of Mar. He was attainted for his participation and only received a pardon in 1725. Although he did not officially inherit the title due to the attainder, he was recognized de jure as the 4th Earl.
The family’s support for the Jacobite cause persisted during the 1745 Rising. David Ogilvy (1725–1803), de jure 6th Earl of Airlie, raised a regiment of approximately 600 men for Prince Charles Edward Stuart. This regiment fought at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 (see lot 219) but suffered significant desertions. Following the Jacobite defeat, Ogilvy fled to France, later serving in the French army in Sweden. As a result, the family lost their titles and estates, which were not formally restored until 1826. Despite this, the Ogilvys continued to use their heraldic insignia and coronet, bestowed centuries earlier by the Stuart monarchy.
The family’s loyalty to the monarchy has endured into modern times. David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie (1926–2023), exemplified this tradition. A godson of King George V, he maintained close ties with the Royal Family throughout his life (see lot 226, a christening gift from King George V).