Mark Dundas, 4th Marquess of Zetland
British peer (1937–2026)
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Lawrence Mark Dundas, 4th Marquess of Zetland, DL (28 December 1937 – 24 January 2026), informally known as Mark Zetland, was a British hereditary peer, known before 1989 as Earl of Ronaldshay. He was a member of the House of Lords from 1989 to 1999.
28 December 1937
The Marquess of Zetland | |
|---|---|
| Member of the House of Lords | |
Lord Temporal | |
| as a hereditary peer 5 October 1989 – 11 November 1999 | |
| Preceded by | The 3rd Marquess of Zetland |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished [a] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lawrence Mark Dundas 28 December 1937 |
| Died | 24 January 2026 (aged 88) |
| Party | Conservative |
| Relations | David Dundas (brother) |
Early life and education
Lord Zetland was the eldest son of Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Marquess of Zetland, and Penelope Pike. He was educated at Harrow School, where he was deputy head boy to Robin Butler and 12th man for the Eton-Harrow cricket match, and then read law at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he was a Half-Blue for Real tennis. He then joined the Grenadier Guards.[1]
In 1981, he took his father's place as chairman and managing director of Redcar Racecourse, a tradition going back to the creation of the course on the family's land in 1872. There he oversaw a redevelopment of the course and in 1989 launched the Two-Year-Old Trophy, a £100,000 handicap run over six furlongs, with the handicap weights calculated according to the value of the sire's offspring, thus benefitting smaller owners.[1]
He succeeded to the marquessate and other peerages upon the death of his father in 1989.[2]
He was the elder brother of rock musician Lord David Dundas.[3]
Later life
Lord Zetland was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the County of North Yorkshire on 6 May 1994.[4] On 28 December 2012 he was moved to the retired list upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Lord Zetland appeared as a contestant on the 4 August 1959 episode of To Tell the Truth. He resided at Aske Hall.[5]
Lord Zetland was a significant figure in the administration of horse racing. He carried on as chairman and managing director of Redcar Racecourse until 2013, was a member of the Jockey Club, and was one of the founding directors of the British Horseracing Board in 1993. He was also a director of Aintree and Catterick racecourses and a steward at a number of other courses. Zetland also took part in horse racing as a racehorse owner and breeder.[3][1]
Marriage and children
Lord Zetland married Susan Chamberlin on 4 April 1964. They had four children:[2]
- Robin Lawrence Dundas, 5th Marquess of Zetland (born 5 March 1965).
- Lord James Edward Dundas (born 2 May 1967)
- Lady Henrietta Kate Dundas (born 9 February 1970)
- Lady Victoria Clare Dundas (born 2 January 1973)
Death
Arms
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Notes
- Under the House of Lords Act 1999.
