Countess Agnes

Countess Agnes (1829-1869) was born Lady Agnes Hay, a daughter of the Earl of Errol. In 1846 at just 17 she married James Duff (1814-79), the 5th Earl, in Paris. He was 15 years older than her.

Despite the age gap, it was said that the Earl remained rather in awe of his beautiful younger wife and the couple went on to have six children, five daughters, Anne, Ida, Alexina, Agnes, and Mary, who sadly died young, and a son, Alexander, who later became the 6th Earl.

It is from this line that the author and diplomat Sir Duff Cooper, the present Duke of Fife and Prime Minister, David Cameron, are all descended.

Countess Agnes loved living at Duff House and during her life-time, decorated the house with many fine things almost all of which have since disappeared. Two items that have been recovered and restored to the building are a chandelier and mirror which can still be seen in the North Drawing Room. Photographs taken at the time reveal grand rooms crammed full of paintings and furniture, typical of the Victorian traditional country house style.

Luckily a copy of a gardener's diary from this period has survived so we know fairly accurately what vegetables and fruit the family ate as well as what plants and flowers they liked.  

Countess Agnes died in 1869 at the age of 40 at the family’s house in London but because of her great affection for Duff House, her body was brought north to Banff so she could be buried in the family mausoleum.