Born on 7 July 1945, the 13th Marquess of Lothian (previously better known as Michael Ancram) was educated by the Benedictines at Ampleforth, before going on to Christ Church, Oxford, to read History. After further study at Edinburgh he was called to the Scottish bar; half a century of public service followed, during which Ancram won (and then lost) two Conservative seats in Scotland before becoming MP for Devizes in Wiltshire.
His courtesy title of Earl of Ancram enabled him to sit in the House of Commons, and a change of legislation meant that when his father died in 2004 he did not have to choose between sitting in the House of Lords and disclaiming his titles. Ancram only entered the upper chamber when he retired as an MP in 2010, and then as a life peer as Lord Kerr of Monteviot.
