David Gordon Allen d'Aldecamb Lumsden of Cushnie 1933 - 2008

It is with immense sadness that I report to my reader the death of David Gordon Allen d'Aldecamb Lumsden of Cushnie, SMOM, MA, FSA Scot. who died yesterday 29th August 2008. 

Born on the 25th May 1933 in Quetta, Baluchistan, India he was the last of the family to hold the title of Baron of Cushnie Lumsden, Aberdeen having sold the barony in January 2004 to Alan Robertson just prior to the effects of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (2000) Act which came into being in November of that year. He served with great joy and enthusiasm as Garioch Pursuivant to the Chief of the Name and Arms of Mar – presently Margaret of Mar, 30th Countess of Mar.

He has been Chairman of the Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust, since 1985 and President of the "1745 Association" and the Scottish Military History Society, since 1991 and his career saw him working as an executive with British American Tobacco from 1959 – 1982; a director of Heritage Porcelain Ltd., Heritage Recordings Ltd., and a Member of Lloyd's from 1985 – 2001. He was the Co-Founder of the Scottish Historic Organs Trust in 1991 and served as a Member of the Council of the Royal Stuart Society and Convenor of the Monarchist League of Scotland in 1993.

As well as serving as Garioch Persuivant he was also a Knight of Malta; Knight of Justice Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George; Knight in the Order of SS Maurice and Lazarus; and Patron of the Aboyne Highland Games.

The web site of the Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust notes that :  “David Lumsden [of Cushnie] was always interested in castles – ‘L’ and ‘Z’ plan towers and keeps which are the domestic fortified architecture of Scotland.  On retiring from his multinational which gave him work in Africa, India, Eastern Europe (then behind the Iron Curtain) and the Far East, as far as Japan, in the mid 1980s, he set up the Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust in conjunction with the late Lord Borthwick (senior), Nigel Tranter and Hugh Ross.  Shortage of Government funding for historic building projects was chronic and still is when compared with other European countries.
On returning from Africa in 1970, David restored two family properties – Cushnie House (built 1688 by Alexander Lumsden) and Tillycairn Castle (built 1540 by Mathew Lumsden).  These were so successful  that he went on to restore Leithen Lodge, Innerleithen, a fine shooting lodge (built 1886/7), in the Arts and Crafts tradition thereafter Liberton Tower in 1994, the first project of the Trust.”

  

David Gordon Allen d'Aldecamb Lumsden of Cushnie 1933 - 2008