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53. Lord (6) John ERSKINE Earl of Mar(1st) [image] (John , Robert , Alexander , Thomas , Robert , Thomas , Robert , William , John , John de , John , Henry de ) died on 29 Oct 1572.
6th Lord Erskine, 11th Lord Garioch, de jure 18th Earl of Mar in ancient earldom ( Burke's).
Guardian of James VI (cradle to be seen in Alloa tower).
PC; restored by Queen Mary to the Earldom of Mar (Charter 23 june 1565, ratified by Act of Parliament, 19 April 1567) as heir of Countess Isabel.
Regent of Scotland from 6 sept 1571 until his death.Sir John succeeded his father as governor of Edinburgh castle and was Abbott of Dryburgh and Commendator of Inchmahome in 1548 and Commendator of Cambuskenneth. Although a Protestant himself he preserved strict neutrality in the struggles between the Lords of the Congregation and the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise. He upheld the authority of the Queen Regent to whom when hard pressed by her enemies he gave protection in Edinburgh castle where she died 11 June 1560.
On the return of Queen Mary from France in 1561 he was appointed one of her privy council and was of the opinion that she should marry an Englishman. In the following year he submitted his claim to the Earldom of Mar to Parliament and was successful in establishing his right as the descendant of Gratney, eleventh Earl of Mar. From Queen Mary and King Henry (Lord Darnley) he received a charter 18 July 1566 granting to him and his heirs the office of sheriff of Stirlingshire, the captainship and custody of Stirling castle with the office of bailiary and chamberlainry of the lands and lordship of Stirling and of the water of the Forth.
Upon the birth of James VI in 1566 Sir John was entrusted with keeping the Prince and on the death of the Earl of Lennox in 1571 he was chosen regent (5 Sept.). John was far too honest and patriotic for the post of regent to which he had been elected at a time when a civil war raged in the kingdom. He was unable to prevent the war or to bring about any union of the various parties and he died the following year leaving a reputation for integrity and honesty.
Built a beautiful stone house up in Stirling, on the way to the castle, now known as "Mar's Wark".
John married Lady Annabella MURRAY on 29 Jan 1556/1557. Annabella died Feb 1602-03.
Daughter of Sir William Murray of Tullibardine.
Her nursing chair preserved at Alloa House bears her initials "A M"
John and Annabella had the following children:
+ 61 M i Lord (7) John ERSKINE Earl of Mar (2nd) was born circa 1562 and died on 14 Dec 1634. 62 F ii Mary ERSKINE.
married 13 June 1573 Archibald, Earl of Angus
54. Sir Alexander ERSKINE of Gogar [image] (John , Robert , Alexander , Thomas , Robert , Thomas , Robert , William , John , John de , John , Henry de ) died on 3 Apr 1592.
Appointed by Parliament Guardian James VI and Ist of England, after his brother John died, 1572.
Governor of Edinburgh castle, Keeper of Stirling Castle,
vice Chamberlain of Scotland and of his majesty's PC, 1578, from which he was ejected by his nephew 2nd Earl of Mar 1578.
Had 5 sons and 4 daughters (or 3 sons and 3 daughters according to Debrett's 1803)
Alexander married Margaret HOME on 20 Mar 1563/1564.
Daughter of George, 4th lord Home
Alexander and Margaret had the following children:
63 M i Sir Alexander ERSKINE died in 1578 in Stirling Castle. + 64 M ii Lord Thomas ERSKINE Earl of Kellie (1) was born in 1566 and died on 12 Jun 1639. 65 M iii Sir George ERSKINE of Innertale.
one of the senators of the College of Justice66 F iv Margaret ERSKINE.
married to James Crichton, of Ruthven, esq.67 F v Jane ERSKINE.
married John Lesly, of Ralquhain, esq., mother by him to Walter, first count Lesly, in Germany.
58. Margaret ERSKINE (John , Robert , Alexander , Thomas , Robert , Thomas , Robert , William , John , John de , John , Henry de ) died on 5 May 1572.
married 11 July 1527 ROBERT DOUGLAS,
mistress of James V,
mother by James V of James Stuart created Earl of Moray
d. 5 May 1572
Margaret married (1) King James V STEWART, son of King James IV STEWART.
King: 1513-1542
James and Margaret had the following children:
Margaret also married (2) Robert DOUGLAS in 1527. Robert died in 1547.
60. John ERSKINE (John , John , John , Alexander , John , Thomas , Robert , William , John , John de , John , Henry de ) was born in 1508. He died on 12 Mar 1591.
Sir John succeeded to the estate when only five years old and was educated by his uncle Sir Thomas Erskine of Brechin.
John murdered a priest from Montrose, Sir William Froster, and was required to pay a fine to the priest's father 5 Feb. 1530.
Sir John studied abroad and upon returning in 1534 he brought with him a Frenchman to teach Greek. On 10 May 1537 he had a license from James V for himself and his son John: "to pas to the partis of ffrance, Italie, or any uthiris beyond se, and thair remane, for doing of thair pilgramagis besynes and uthir lefull erandis, for the space of thre yeiris."
Thomas Erskine of Brechin obtained from the King the office of Constabulary of Montrose which he gave to John 9 Feb. 1541. In Apr. 1542 John and his cousin Thomas and John Lambie of Duncarry had a license to travel into France and Italy for two years.
Sir John became a convert to the Protestant cause and his house was always a sanctuary for those who were persecuted. In 1548 and 1549 he supported the Queen Dowager and the French in opposing the English and in 1548 when some English ships landed near Montrose he attacked and defeated them. Mary, the Queen Dowager highly respected John and many of their letters have been published. In a letter 29 Aug. 1549 she tells of the arrival of French Captain Beauschattel in Montrose and reassured John that there was: "na entent bot till kepe the fort and nocht till hurt you in your heretage or ony othir thing."
At Stirling 10 Mar. 1556 John and others signed a "call" to John Knox in Geneva to return to Scotland and promote the Reformation. At a dinner at Sir John's house it was resolved to stop attending Mass. Knox stayed at Dun quite some time and on 3 Dec. 1557 Sir John signed the first Covenant at Edinburgh. At Parliament 14 Dec. 1557 he was appointed to go to France to witness Queen Mary's marriage to the dauphin. Upon his return the Protestants due to their increase in numbers and the accession of Elizabeth to the English throne petitioned the Queen Regent to be allowed to practice their religion. However, for granting toleration she issued a proclamation requiring the Protestant ministers to appear at Stirling 10 May 1559 to be tried as heretics. Sir John in an effort to avoid a battle went to Stirling and talked the Queen out of trying the preachers, but no sooner had she made the promise than she broke it and the ministers were declared rebels and a civil war began which ended 23 Oct. 1559. On 10 June 1560 the Queen Regent died. Sir John had by this time relinquished his armour and became a preacher and was appointed to act as an ecclesiastical superintendant of counties Angus and Mearns in July 1560. He was installed in his office by John Knox in 1562.
Sir John was appointed moderator of the 9th General Assembly at Edinburgh 25 Dec. 1564 and also in 1565, 1566 and 1567. In Jan. 1572 he attended the convention at Leith where episcopacy was established. When Mary, Queen of Scots was asked to hear some of the Protestant preachers she said as Knox relates: "That above all others she would gladly hear the superintendent of Angus, Sir John Erskine for he was a mild and sweet natured man, and of true honesty and uprightness." In 1569 he visited the university of Aberdeen and suspended the principal, sub-principal and three professors for supporting "popery". In 1577 he assisted in writing the Second Book of Discipline. On 20 Sept. 1579 he was required to take the house of Redcastle from James Gray and return it to John Stewart. Sir John still retained some of the old beliefs from the Catholic church as he was given permission from the King and Privy Council 25 Feb. 1584 to eat meat during Lent.
In 1584 at the insistence of the King Parliament passed "the obligation" which made the King supreme head of the church. John told his ministers to go along with the law and therefore "the Laird of Dun was a pest then to the ministers in the north."
A summons for payment of John's stipend as superintendent of Angus and Mearns 9 Sept. 1585 shows £800 of which £337/11/6 was paid in money.
John died in 1591 at age 82.
Spottswood states that he governed the part of the country given to his "superintendance with great authority till his death giving no way to the novations introduced nor suffering them to take place within the bounds of his charge while he lived. A baron he was of good rank, wise, learned, liberal, and of singular courage; who, for diverse resemblances may well be said to have been another Ambrose."
John married (1) Elizabeth LINDSAY on 20 Dec 1522. Elizabeth died on 29 Jul 1538.
They had the following children:
69 M i John ERSKINE. 70 F ii Margaret ERSKINE.
m. PATRICK MAULE
John also married (2) Barbara DE BEIRLE.