Baron Terence Alvis of Lee. Alvis of Lee Tartan. Lee Castle, Lanark, Scotland.
I recently read, with great interest, the correspondence by an obviously very knowledgeable gentleman, McMillan of Rathdown, dated 07/26/2008. As I was directly involved in both sales of Lee Castle in Lanark, Scotland I would like, with the very greatest of respect to McMillan of Rathdown, to correct a couple of small inaccuracies in the correspondence. Without doubt His Excellency The Baron McMillan of Rathdown knows infinitely more about Scottish Feudalism and Scottish Baronies than I ever will and I bow to his superior and vast knowledge.

However, I have intimate first hand knowledge of The Lee as I was involved in the first sale of Lee Castle from Terence Alvis of Lee to Mr. Leslie Peter. Ultimately, the final buyer, Leslie Peter, was introduced by Harold Brooks-Baker director of Burke’s Peerage and formerly of Debretts. After the death of Leslie Peter I was approached by Leslie Peter’s son, Steven, on behalf of the Trustees and The Lord Kinross in Edinburgh to assist in reselling Lee Castle. With assistance from Baron Alvis of Lee in Los Angles we did this in 2004 for, I am informed, the highest price ever paid in Scotland for a private residence, a record which, I understand, still stands to this day.

Baron Alvis, an ardent wearer of the kilt and supporter of all things Scottish, sold Lee Castle to Leslie Peter in 1988, not 1985. Although the family has other private tartans, I believe the Alvis of Lee Modern Day Tartan was finally registered around 1985 by Kinloch Anderson. McMillan of Rathdown is absolutely correct in that it is indeed a private family tartan.

At this point I would like to say that although not a Scot myself, I was brought up and educated in Scotland and I wore the kilt for the first time, on the insistence of Baron Alvis of Lee, at his Wedding in Luss at Loch Lomond in March this year. I was given the honour of walking in front of the Inverary and District Pipe Band (who were currently World Champions in Grade 2) through Luss to Luss Parish Church which was also celebrating its 1500th Anniversary in 2010. Had I known how exhilarating, exciting and liberating wearing a kilt was I would have worn one every day of my life!! It was this experience which indirectly caused me to find X Marks the Scot.

Baron Alvis of Lee also sold the lands and Caput of the Barony to Leslie Peter but Terence Alvis of Lee also held the Barony of Cambusnethan and therefore continued to be a Scottish Feudal Baron and is not “Mr. Alvis” as suggested in the correspondence. I believe the correct form of address is: The Much Honoured Terence Alvis of Lee Baron of Cambusnethan. Despite a claim in 2002 to the barony, which is around 900 years old, by an American doctor the Scottish Court of Session upheld Baron Alvis of Lee’s very much older and prior title which is also uniquely supported by a Land Certificate. In fact, none of the four defendants put up any defense what so ever as Baron Alvis of Lee’s title was indisputable.