Alexander Livingston, 1st Earl of Linlithgow PC (died 24 December 1621) was a Scottish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

, and politician. His wife was

Helenor Hay, Countess of Linlithgow Helenor Hay, Countess of Linlithgow (–1627) was a Scottish courtier and writer. Early life Born , she was the eldest daughter of Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll by his first wife, and cousin, Lady Jean Hay, only child of William Hay, 6th Earl o ...

who was a Royal tutor.

Early life

He was the eldest son of

William Livingstone, 6th Lord Livingston William Livingstone, 6th Lord Livingston, (died 1592), was a Scottish lord of Parliament. Early life William Livingstone was the son of Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston (c. 1500–1553) and his second wife, Lady Agnes Douglas, daughter ...

, by his wife Agnes, second daughter of

Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming (c. 1494 – 10 September 1547), was Lord Chamberlain of Scotland to King James V, from 1524. Early life He was the son and heir of John Fleming, 2nd Lord Fleming, who was killed in a feud with the Tweedie of D ...

. Among his siblings were Jean Livingston, who married Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone, the

Treasurer of Scotland The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre- Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland. Lord Treasurer The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation'', ...

, and Margaret Livingston, who married

Lewis Bellenden Sir Lewis Bellenden of Auchnole and Broughton (c. 1552 – 27 August 1591, in Edinburgh), was the eldest son of Sir John Bellenden of Auchnole & Broughton, whom he succeeded as Lord Justice Clerk on 15 March 1577. Career He was knighted about 1577 ...

and

Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney Patrick Stewart, Earl of Orkney, Lord of Zetland (c. 1566 – 6 February 1615) was a Scottish nobleman, the son of Robert, Earl of Orkney, a bastard son of King James V. Infamous for his godless nature and tyrannical rule over the Scottish arc ...

. He supported the faction of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

and at the capture of

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dum ...

on 2 May 1571, he was taken prisoner, but appears to have been freed soon afterwards.

Career

On his father making submission to the

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had ...

on 22 May 1574, Livingstone was relieved of bonds, which he had entered into for the deliverance of

Callendar House Callendar House is a mansion set within the grounds of Callendar Park in Falkirk, central Scotland. During the 19th century, it was redesigned and extended in the style of a French Renaissance château fused with elements of Scottish baronial ...

. In September 1579 he accompanied James VI of Scotland from

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, on the occasion of his royal entry, and on 24 September 1580 he was appointed a gentleman of the king's bedchamber. Livingstone was a member of the assize for the trial of Morton in 1581; and he remained a loyal supporter of

Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny, (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry, France, was a Roman Catholic French nobleman of Scottish ancestry ...

. When the Duke had to depart from Edinburgh on 5 September 1582, Livingstone accompanied him westwards to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and he was also connected with the conspiracy of the Duke on 30 November to seize Edinburgh. When the Duke left for France on 20 December following, Livingstone accompanied him, but after the Duke's death on 26 May 1583 he returned to Scotland. For his prompt action in taking possession of

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

on 22 April 1584, after it had been vacated by the

Ruthven raiders The Raid of Ruthven was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 22 August 1582. It was composed of several Presbyterian nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who abducted King James VI of Scotland. The nobles intended ...

, he was declared to have done good service.

Lord Livingstone

Alexander Livingstone succeeded his father as Lord Livingstone in 1592. Although he may well have been concerned in negotiations with Spain, he was on 31 October 1593 appointed a member of the commission for the trial of the Earls of Angus, Huntly, and Erroll for the same treasonable conduct, in the

Spanish blanks plot The Spanish blanks plot was an alleged pro-Spanish Catholic conspiracy in Scotland, discovered in late 1592. A number of letters to Spain were discovered, which included blank sheets signed by prominent nobles. Background The Spanish Armada had f ...

; and he signed the act of abolition in their favour on 26 November. On 18 January 1594 he was named a commissioner of taxation, and in May 1594 he was chosen a lord of the articles. At the baptism of

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

on 23 August 1594, Livingstone carried the towel. In November 1596 the care of Princess Elizabeth was entrusted to him and his wife Helen Livingstone, Countess of Linlithgow, which caused continuing controversy because she was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. He was chosen one of the members of the Scottish privy council, on its reconstitution in December 1598. In March 1600 he had a charter of ''novo damus'' of the barony of Callendar, in which the town of

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

was erected into a free burgh of barony.

Earl of Linlithgow

On 25 December 1600 Livingstone was, on the occasion of the baptism of

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, created

Earl of Linlithgow Earl of Linlithgow was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1600 for Alexander Livingston, 7th Lord Livingston, along with the subsidiary title of Lord Livingston and Callendar. In 1695, the Earldom of Linlithgow merged with ...

, Lord Livingstone and Callendar.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant'', new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume VIII, p. 26. He and Lady Livingstone remained guardians of the Princess Elizabeth until the departure of King James to London in 1603, and after the princess was restored to the king at Windsor an act was passed discharging them of their duty. In July 1604 the Earl was appointed one of the

commissioners for a union with England The Jacobean debate on the Union took place in the early years of the reign of James I of England, who came to the English throne in 1603 as James VI of Scotland, and was interested in uniting his Kingdoms of England (including Wales) and Scotla ...

. In 1621 he voted, through his procurator, against the

Five Articles of Perth The Five Articles of Perth was an attempt by King James VI of Scotland to impose practices on the Church of Scotland in an attempt to integrate it with those of the Church of England. This move was unpopular with those Scots who held Reformed vi ...

Personal life

On 26 January 1583, he was married to Lady Helen Hay (–1627). She was the eldest daughter of

Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll ( – 8 October 1585) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. Biography He was the son of George Hay by his first wife, Margaret Robertson. His father inherited the earldom after the death of his uncle, William ...

and his first wife (and cousin), Lady Jean Hay (only child of

William Hay, 6th Earl of Erroll William Hay, 6th Earl of Erroll (1521 – 11 April 1541), styled as Lord Hay until age 1, was a Scottish peer. Biography William Hay was the son of the William Hay, 5th Earl of Erroll. He had double royal lineage, descended from Kings Robert ...

). Together, they had three sons and two daughters: * John, Master of Livingston, who died unmarried. *

Alexander Livingston, 2nd Earl of Linlithgow Alexander is a male given name. 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 are Aleksandar, Al ...

(d. 1648), who married Lady Elizabeth Gordon, second daughter of

George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns. Biography The son o ...

and Lady Henrietta Stuart (eldest daughter of

Esmé Stuart, 1st Duke of Lennox Esmé (more commonly Esme) or Esmée, including Esmee is an English first name, from the past participle of the Old French verb '' esmer'', "to esteem", thus signifying "esteemed". Another theory is that ''esmer'' is an alternate spelling of toda ...

). *

James Livingston, 1st Earl of Callendar James Livingston, 1st Earl of Callendar (s – March 1674), was a Scottish army officer who fought on the Royalist side in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Early life Livingston was the third son of Alexander Livingston, 1st Earl of Linlithgow an ...

(d. ), who married Hon. Margaret Seton, the widow of

Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline (1555–1622) was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician. He served as Lord President of the Court of Session from 1598 to 1604, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1604 to 1622 and as a Lord High Commiss ...

who was the only daughter of

James Hay, 7th Lord Hay of Yester James Hay, 7th Lord Hay of Yester (1564-1609) was a Scottish landowner and courtier. He was a son of William Hay, 5th Lord Hay of Yester and Margaret Ker eldest daughter of Sir John Ker of Ferniehirst. His older brother William Hay, 6th Lord ...

and Lady Margaret Kerr (third daughter of

Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian Mark Kerr (or Ker), 1st Earl of Lothian (15538 April 1609) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He became the first Earl of Lothian in 1606. Family He was a member of the "famous border family" of Ker of Cessford. He was the son of Mark Ke ...

). * Anne Livingston (d. 1632), who married to

Alexander Montgomerie, 6th Earl of Eglinton Alexander Montgomerie, 6th Earl of Eglinton (1588–1661) was a Scottish aristocrat and soldier, originally known as Sir Alexander Seton of Foulstruther. Life He was the third son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton by his wife Lady Margaret ...

. * Margaret Livingston (d. ), who married

John Fleming, 2nd Earl of Wigtown The title of Earl of Wigtown (or Wigton or Wigtoun) was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The first creation was in 1341 for Malcolm Fleming, and was surrendered in 1372, when the second Earl sold the Earldom and territory to Archibal ...

. Linlithgow died on 24 December 1621 at

, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest surviving son.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingstone, Alexander Year of birth missing 1621 deaths Earls of Linlithgow

Alexander Livingston, 1st Earl of Linlithgow Alexander Livingston, 1st Earl of Linlithgow PC (died 24 December 1621) was a Scottish nobleman, courtier, and politician. His wife was Helenor Hay, Countess of Linlithgow who was a Royal tutor. Early life He was the eldest son of William Li ...

Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Keepers of Linlithgow Palace