James Ogilvy (1750-1811), inherited the Cullen estate as well as the titles of 7th Earl of Findlater and 4th Earl of Seafield upon his father’s death in 1770. James was an amateur architect, landscape architect and philanthropist. He married Christina Teresa Murray (1755-1813) in 1779 but shortly after ceased to live with her, residing instead with his companion, Mr Wilson. He had a room for Mr Wilson included in a design for Findlater Castle by Robert Adam. He spent a lot of time living on the Continent, as recorded in The Gentleman’s Magazine. After acquiring a number of vineyards in the Loschwitz district of Dresden, Findlater began the construction of an extensive country house residence overlooking the River Elbe. The house, which later formed the core for Schloss Albrechtsberg, was nearing completion when the Earl died on 5 October 1811. He was succeeded by his cousin Lewis Alexander Grant (later Grant-Ogilvy), but only in the Earldom of Seafield. Upon his death, the Earldom of Findlater and Lordships of Deskford and Ogilvy became dormant. A number of properties, including that in Dresden, had been bequeathed to Findlater’s then companion, Johann Georg Fischer. Findlater was buried in a tomb at Loschwitz Church, where some years later at the age of 87, Fischer was also interred.

Between 1781 and 1783, the Adam office made at least four different designs for a lodge for the Earl of Findlater. The surviving drawings show three schemes for a classical lodge and one elevation for a castle-style lodge. The location for the proposed lodge is not known and it appears that none of these designs were executed. Adam made several unexecuted designs for the Earl of Findlater at his estate at Cullen House, as well as a town house thought to be for Portland Place, London and a new castle at Cullen called Findlater Castle. The Earl was an amateur architect himself, and Rowan suggests that the eccentric nature and extravagance of some of the designs produced for the Earl were a result of Robert Adam altering schemes to incorporate his client's own ideas.

See also: Cullen House, Moray; Findlater Castle, Moray, and Designs for a town house, possibly Portland Place.

Literature:
A.T. Bolton, The Architecture of Robert and James Adam, Volume II, Index, 1922, pp.8, 71; A. Rowan, Designs for Castles and Country Villas by Robert and James Adam, 1985, p. 138; A. Tait, ‘Lord Findlater, Architect’, The Burlington Magazine, October 1986, pp. 737-41; D. King, The Complete Works of Robert & James Adam and Unbuilt Adam, Volume 2, 2001, pp. 135, 165; A. McAlaney, ‘Earl of Findlater, designs for a town house for an unknown location, possibly Portland Place, London’, Sir John Soane’s Museum Collection, online, 2019, [accessed 01 February 2024]

Louisa Catt, 2024