Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland (c.1505-1530), Scottish magnate, made

Earl of Sutherland Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia, 1st Earl of Sutherland, William de Moravia and is the premier earldom in the Peerage of Scotland. The earl or countess of Sutherland is al ...

in 1527.

Early life

Alexander Gordon was the son of Adam Gordon of Aboyne (d.1538) and

Elizabeth Sutherland, 10th Countess of Sutherland Elizabeth Sutherland, (died 1535) was the 10th Earl of Sutherland, Countess of Sutherland having succeeded to the Earldom of Sutherland after her brother John Sutherland, 9th Earl of Sutherland died in 1514. Early life She was the daughter of J ...

(d.1535), the daughter of John Sutherland, 8th Earl of Sutherland.

Sutherland estate

19th-20th century historian Angus Mackay rejects the history written by 17th century historian

Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun (14 May 1580 – 1656) was a Scottish politician and courtier, known as the historian of the noble house of Sutherland. Early life Born at Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Sutherland, on 14 May 1580, he was the fourt ...

who himself was a son of Alexander Gordon, 12th, Earl of Sutherland. Sir Robert Gordon stated that between 1517 and 1522,

John Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver John Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver (died 1529), was the eleventh chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life John Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, was the eldest son of Iye Roy Mackay, 10th of Strathnaver, an ...

led six warlike expeditions of his clansmen into Sutherland in which the Mackays were defeated in every one of them. According to Sir Robert Gordon, one of these battles was the

Battle of Torran Dubh The Battle of Torran Dubh also known as the Battle of Torran-dow or the Battle of Torran Du was a Scottish clan battle that was fought in 1517 in Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands. There are two very different accounts of this battle. The fi ...

, in which Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland had persuaded her half brother, Alexander Sutherland, to resist John Mackay, whose sister Alexander Sutherland later married. However, both historians Angus Mackay and Sir William Fraser show that it can be proved that Alexander Sutherland was in prison in 1517 when the Battle of Torran Dubh is supposed to have taken place. Angus Mackay says that the Battle of Torran Dubh was actually fought by the Clan Mackay against the

Murrays Murrays Coaches is an Australian express and coach charter company. History Murrays was founded by Bill Murray in the early 1950s as a school bus operator in Canberra. The operation was taken over by Ron Murray in 1970 by which time it was o ...

Clan Ross Clan Ross ( ) is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earl of Ross, Earls of Ross. History Origins The first recorded chief of the Clan Ross was Fearchar, Earl of Ross, "Fearcher Mac an t-Sagairt" which ...

and

Clan Gunn Clan Gunn () is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan associated with lands in northeastern Scotland, including Caithness, Sutherland and, arguably, the Orkney Isles. Clan Gunn is one of the oldest Scottish Clans, being descended from t ...

, and not against the family of Sutherland.Mackay, Angus. (1906). ''The Book of Mackay''. pp. 82 – 83. Quoting: the ''MS Account of the Gunns''. According to historian Angus Mackay a few months after the battle another skirmish took place upon the borders of Ross in the parish of Rogart in which on one side William Mackay, chieftain of the

Mackay of Aberach The Mackays of Aberach also known as the Clan Aberach are a Scottish family and a branch of the ancient Clan Mackay of the Scottish Highlands. They were the senior cadet branch of the Clan Mackay and were seated at Achness, in Strathnaver, which i ...

branch of clan was killed as was his brother Donald, and on the other side was killed John Murray of Aberscross. Shortly after this the Mackays burned the town of Pitfure in Strathfleet, Rogart. However, this was immediately followed by a bond of friendship between the Mackays and Adam Gordon, Earl of Sutherland dated 16 August 1518, in which Mackay renewed the bond that his father had made with the Gordon Earl of Sutherland before him. Angus Mackay states that historian Sir Robert Gordon incorrectly refers to these skirmishes as "defeats" for the Mackays, and that Gordon also fails to mention that the Mackays rounded the year off by securing a title to the lands in the said parish of Rogart as confirmed by the ''Reay Papers''. Angus Mackay also disputes Sir Robert Gordon's account that in 1522, Sir Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland overthrew John Mackay of Strathnaver at

Lairg Lairg (, meaning "the shank/shin") is a village and parish in Sutherland, Scotland. It has a population of 891 and is at the south-eastern end of Loch Shin. Lairg is unusual in the northern Highlands in being a large settlement that is not on ...

and that Mackay then submitted himself to Gordon, the Earl of Sutherland. Angus Mackay explains that Earl Adam, resigning the earldom into his son Alexander's hands was simply renewing the bond of friendship that he had made with Mackay in 1518 this time with his son Alexander.

William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus (killed in 1530) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Early life He was the son of William Sutherland, 5th of Duffus (died 1529) and his wife Janet, daughter of Alexander I ...

, as the new Laird of Skelbo and having entered into a fresh acquisition of territory gave a bond of

manrent Manrent refers to a Scottish contract of the mid-15th century to the early 17th century, usually military in nature and involving Scottish clans. The bond of manrent was commonly an instrument in which a weaker man or clan pledged to serve, in ...

to Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland on September 4, 1529 which acknowledged that the Master of Sutherland had received him as a tenant and

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

in the lands. A breach of the bond of service and manrent would incur a fine of £1500 Scots, £500 of which would have to be paid to

Dornoch Cathedral Dornoch Cathedral is a Church of Scotland parish church serving the small Sutherland town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, the church is not the seat of a bishop but retai ...

, £500 to the Master of Sutherland and £500 to the King. Perhaps in connection with Alexander's marriage to Janet Stewart, daughter of

John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl ( – ) was the second Earl of Atholl. He fought in the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513. Biography He was born after 1475 to John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl and Eleanor Sinclair. He married Lady Janet Ca ...

, his parents resigned the Earldom of Sutherland to Alexander in November 1527, and a crown charter to this effect was issued in December. Alexander, now Earl of Sutherland lived at

Dunrobin Castle Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, that serves as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland, Chief of Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie and approximately south of Brora, overlo ...

, and died there on 13 January 1530.

Master's charter

Alexander's royal charter of the earldom, dated 1 December 1527 describes his parents as the Earl of Countess of Sutherland. They resigned to him the earldom of Sutherland and its lands, Dunrobin with all its tenants and outliers, mills, sea and freshwater fishing, patronage of the church and chapel there, with some reservations to Adam and Elizabeth in their lifetimes. As Alexander pre-deceased his parents, he did not profit from the earldom in full.''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, 1513-1546'', (1883), p.116 no.520

Family

With Janet Stewart, Alexander had children: *

John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

*Alexander Gordon (of Kintessock), (d.1552) *William Gordon *Janet Gordon, married Patrick Dunbar of Westfield and Cumnock *Beatrice Gordon, married William Sinclair of Dunbeath.

References

Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun (14 May 1580 – 1656) was a Scottish politician and courtier, known as the historian of the noble house of Sutherland. Early life Born at Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Sutherland, on 14 May 1580, he was the fourth ...

, ''A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland, from Its Origin to the Year 1630; with a Continuation to the Year 1651'', Edinburgh (1813) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Alexander Year of birth uncertain Gordon, Alexander Nobility from Highland (council area) Gordon, Alexander

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

Place of birth unknown