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61. Lord (7) John ERSKINE Earl of Mar (2nd) [image] (John , John , Robert , Alexander , Thomas , Robert , Thomas , Robert , William , John , John de , John , Henry de ) was born circa 1562. He died on 14 Dec 1634 in Stirling.
12th Lord Garioch, 19th Earl of Mar, ancient earldom ( Burke's)
K.G.
P.C.
personal and intimate friend of James VI
Lord High Treasurer of Scotland 1616-30
Attainted 1584, restored 1585
Ambassador to England 1603
created Lord Cardross 1610 (with power of nomination), assigned the barony to his second son HenrySir John was educated with King James VI at Stirling castle by George Buchanan, his mother and Sir Alexander Erskine of Gogar. He was only 14 years old when he succeeded his father.
In Aug. 1582 John was one of the people involved in the Raid of Ruthven to get rid of the favourites Lennox and Arran. In Nov. 1585 he and the other banished lords re-entered Scotland and raising a force of 8,000 men took possession of Stirling castle and the King with the unprincipled Arran, stripped of all his titles and estates dropped into obscurity. In Dec. Parliament ratified the pardons and their honors and estates were restored.
When a widower John fell in love with Lady Mary Stewart the daughter of Lennox and cousin of the King.
In 1592 he was appointed governor of the castle at Edinburgh. At this time he held the office of Great Master of the household and was charged with the care of Prince Henry with special instructions from King James.
In the spring of 1595 the Queen insisted that the Prince should be moved from Stirling to Edinburgh castle, but Sir John who had charge of the infant would not allow her to come near him by herself since she might carry him off. In July the King formally entrusted the keeping and education of the Prince to Sir John by a warrant in his own hand. At a meeting held at Holyrood House 10 Dec. 1598 Sir John was sworn one of the council appointed to meet twice per week to assist the King with their advice.
In 1601 Sir John was sent to England as ambassador and was instrumental in making the accession of King James to the English throne smooth.
In 1603 Sir John accompanied the King on his departure for London to take possession of the throne of England. Before reaching York he had to return as the Queen had taken advantage of his absence to go to Stirling with a large group of noblemen and others and demanded that Prince Henry be given to her. The Countess of Mar refused to hand him over without an order in Sir John's own hand. The Duke of Lennox was sent from court to straighten out the affair. He arrived at Stirling castle 19 May 1603 with the King's approval of the proceedings of Sir John and his mother and was told to bring the queen and prince to England. Sir John then returned to London and on 9 July he was made a Knight of the Garter and was sworn a member of the English privy council.
In 1604 John was made Lord Cardross with the power of assigning the barony and title to any of his male heirs. The reason for this unusual privilege as stated in the grant was that he "might be in a better condition to provide for his younger sons, by Lady Mary Stewart, daughter of the Duke of Lennox and a relation of his majesty."
In 1605 Henry IV of France wrote to the Earl wishing to maintain the friendship with King James and sent John a jewel valued at 15,000 levies.
In Dec. 1616 he was appointed Lord High Treasurer of Scotland which he held until 1630. At the opening of Parliament at Edinburgh 25 July 1621 he carried the sceptre as he had often done before. In 1623 he was made a member of a commission to sit at Edinburgh for the redress of grievances, but which never took effect. He was at the proclamation of Charles I as King at the Cross of Edinburgh 31 Mar. 1625.Died on 14th december 1634, after falling over a dog in the house built by his father in Stirling (house now known as Mar's Wark). The weather at the time was so cold, with the ground frozen hard, that his funeral had to be postponed until following April.
John married (1) Anne DRUMMOND on 1 Nov 1580. Anne died ante 1592.
Daughter of 2nd Lord Drummond
John and Anne had the following children:
+ 71 M i Lord (8) John ERSKINE Earl of Mar (3rd) died in 1653/1655.
John also married (2) Mary STEWART, daughter of Esmé STEWART Seigneur d'Aubigny and Catherine de BALZAC d'ENTRAIGUES, on 7 Dec 1592. Mary died on 11 May 1644.
daughter of Esmé, 1st Duke of Lennox and cousin of the king.
John and Mary had the following children:
+ 72 M ii James ERSKINE Earl of Buchan (6th) died circa 1639. 73 M iii Henry ERSKINE of Alva.
received barony of Cardross
ancestor of the Lords Cardross74 M iv Alexander ERSKINE died on 30 Aug 1640.
mistress Anna Bothwell (d. Apr. 1625).
He was blown up at Dunglas house, East Lothian with his brother-in-law the Earl of Haddington 30 Aug. 1640.75 M v Arthur ERSKINE died on 3 Sep 1651.
m. 25 June 1628 Margaret Buchanan of Satscraig,
killed 3 Sept. 1651 Worcester76 M vi John ERSKINE.
m. 1640 Margaret Inglis of Otterstoun, Fife,
d. before 166877 M vii Sir Charles ERSKINE of Alva.
married 1. Mary Hope of Craighall,
2. Helen Skene of Curriehill
ancestor of the Earl of Rosslyn78 M viii William ERSKINE.
Cupbearer to Charles II and master of Charles House, London, d.s.p79 F ix Mary ERSKINE.
m. 12 Oct. 1609 William, Earl of Marischal80 F x Anna ERSKINE.
m. 28 Dec. 1614 John, Earl of Rothes81 M xi Margaret ERSKINE.
m. John, Earl of Kinghorn, d.s.p82 F xii Catherine ERSKINE.
m. 27 Feb. 1622 Thomas, Earl of Haddington
64. Lord Thomas ERSKINE Earl of Kellie (1) (Alexander , John , Robert , Alexander , Thomas , Robert , Thomas , Robert , William , John , John de , John , Henry de ) was born in 1566. He died on 12 Jun 1639 in London and was buried on 23 Jun 1639 in Pittenweem, Co. Fife.
Educated with the King James VI, appointed in 1585 "one of the gentlemen of his majesty's bed-chamber"
In what is known as the Gowrie Conspiracy, 5 Aug. 1600, he earned the King's gratitude by killing Alexander Ruthven, who, with the Earl of Gowrie, his brother, was alleged to have attempted the King's life, and as a reward received a third of the forfeited lands of Dirletoun.
P.C. 2 July 1601.
He accompanied the Duke of Lennox, in 1601, on his embassy to France.
Attending the King into England, he was, 1603 to 1617, Capt. of the Yeomen of the Guard.
As Thomas Areskyne Knt. he was created, 8 July 1604, BARON ERSKINE (Areskyne) OF DIRLE- TOWNE. Groom of the Stole, Feb. 1604/5. On 18 Mar. 1606 he was Cr. VISCOUNT OF FENTOUN, "with remainder of that dignity to the heirs male in his body, whom failing, to his heirs male whatsoever".
P.C. 30 Jan. 1609/10.
After he had purchased Kellie castle (district of the County of Fife) in 1613 from the Oliphant family, being in great favour with the King, he was nom. K.G. 24 Apr. 1615 and inst. 22 May following.
He was Cr., 12 Mar. 1619, EARL OF KELLIE, VISCOUNT OF FENTOUN AND LORD DIRLETOUN, with rem. to heirs male bearing the name and arms of Erskine.Married secondly (1604) Elizabeth Pierrepont, dau. of Sir Henry Pierrepont, of Holme PierrePont, Notts
and thirdly Dorothy SMITH, dau. of Ambrose or Humphrey Smith, of Cheapside, London.
Thomas married Anne OGILVY on 30 Nov 1587. Anne was born in 1570.
They had the following children:
+ 83 M i Alexander ERSKINE Viscount Fentoun was born in 1590 and died on 11 Feb 1633. 84 F ii Anna ERSKINE.