The Drummond earldom of Perth in the peerage of Scotland was created in 1605, but the most determined genealogist will struggle to trace its subsequent, rather tortuous descent. Matters were complicated by the creation of a Jacobite dukedom in 1701, attainder in 1716, and a tendency for the title to pass sideways through the family with bewildering rapidity.
The Drummonds held to the Stuart cause and the Old Faith, suffering imprisonment and exile in consequence. The 13th Earl and 10th Duke, a Catholic cleric, died in 1840 and was succeeded by a Protestant nephew.
Tradition sat lightly with John Eric Drummond, the 18th earl, who dismissed his forebears as all those “hairy ancestors”. Asked whether he preferred to be addressed as “My Lord”, or “Your Grace”, he was likely to give a robust and forthright response. To associates, he was “Eric Perth”; to family and friends, he was simply “Jeric”.
He took a mischievous pleasure in planning his Requiem Mass. Any Jacobite sympathisers present were required to sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. For Jeric was half Scottish, half American. Always immaculately turned out, he displayed great charm, gentle kindness, and an unerring solicitude for the well-being of others. Just when one expected a stiff Scottish earl, his transatlantic genes kicked in: an irreverent sense of humour and an enthusiastic embrace of modern technology.
Jeric was born on July 7, 1935. His grand- father, Sir Eric Drummond, first Secretary-General of the League of Nations, was at the time British Ambassador to Italy. Jeric was deposited with a nanny in the Embassy in Rome – not a happy experience. The family had returned to the Catholic faith with Sir Eric’s marriage to Angela Constable-Maxwell, daughter of Lord Herries.
His parents were David, the 17th earl, and his American wife, Nancy Fincke. As Harold Macmillan’s Minister for Colon-ial Affairs, Jeric’s father assisted in giving away large chunks of the Empire. A devout Catholic, his co-religionists had cause to be grateful for his willingness to plead their cause and smooth out difficulties. Much money and love were poured into the restoration of the exquisitely romantic Stobhall Castle, overlooking the Tay.
Jeric’s childhood was not always easy. Losing a kidney at an early age precluded participation in most sports and time in the Army. From Downside he went on to Trinity College, Cambridge and the Harvard Business School. There and elsewhere, he inspired affection among friends who supported him in good times and bad.
It was the beginning of a complex relationship with the world of finance. There were pos- itions with Inchcape and various US firms, a period as a London broker. Jeric displayed great potential as a salesman. He had an extraordinary flair for formulating and communicating a vision; realising it was often more elusive.
In 1963 Jeric married Margaret Ann Gordon (“MA”). There were periods of happiness, particularly in Kenya, but tragedy as well. Their daughter, Annabella, died after only a few days in 1964. James was born in 1965, Robert in 1967. Jeric and MA divorced in 1973, but he went on to receive great kindness from MA and Sir John Eden at their Wiltshire home.
Jeric was a desperately shy man, who sought to address his fear of social occasions by means which were neither helpful nor healthy. He had to contend with his dem- ons, but he overcame them by the grace of God, visits to Hazelden in Minneapolis and the help of the AA Fellowship. In recovery, he acknowledged his debt to the Fellowship and gave back generously in turn. That was important to him.
If life was sometimes chaotic, it was seldom dull. At one point, Jeric found himself engaged to Miranda Nuttall, Peter Sellers’s widow. Turning the corner was inseparably linked to his love for Marion Elliot (née Eton). Acquiring a step-daughter, Mary, Jeric had to adopt a different set of parenting skills. To his credit, he did so. He became able to receive and bestow affection.
Recent years were replete with health issues. There was a near-death experience four years ago. Jeric’s concern was not for himself, but for Marion. He willed himself well again to be by her side during the difficult years of the pandemic.
Jeric was always a little coy about his time at Downside. Yet he gave his school credit for two things: an enduring love for Gregor-ian chant and his understated, but deep, faith. Jeric spoke to his God in prayer with regularity and familiarity. Perfectly content falling asleep in prayer, he resumed the next morning where he had left off.
In purely material terms, Jeric might not have achieved his potential. Yet men are not created for success, but for love – and he was at peace at the end. Acknowledging his frailties, he was not afraid to die; he looked forward to meeting his Lord.
Jeric died in his London home on March 27, 2023, surrounded by his family and fortified by the rites of the Church. He is succeeded by his elder son, James.
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