Captain Thomas Crawford or Thomas Craufurd (1530–1603) of

Jordanhill Jordanhill ( sco, Jordanhull, gd, Cnoc Iòrdain)
is an ...

(an estate in the West End of

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 ...

, part of which is now a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

and hospital near

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

) was a trusted confidant of

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567), was an English nobleman who was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to both the Scottis ...

, husband 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 S ...

and a retainer of the

Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, ...

(Darnley's father). He famously planned the assault and led a small force of 150 men in 1571 that scaled the cliffs and embattlements to expel the castle garrison loyal to

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Queen Mary from

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 ...

. Six years later, he became Provost of Glasgow, establishing a bursary for a student at the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

and saving the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

from destruction.

Family

Thomas married first, Marion, daughter of Sir John Colquhoun of Luss, widow of Robert, Master of Boyd. They had a daughter: W.H. Hill, "Early records of an old Glasgow family", (Glasgow, University Press, 1902
p. 107
# Marion, m. Sir Robert Fairlie of Fairlie He married second, Janet, eldest daughter of Robert Ker of Kersland (the elder). They had issue: # Daniel, who assumed the name of his mother's family to becom Ker of Kersland. # Hew # Susanna

Early career

Thomas Crawford was born about 1530, a son of Lawrence Crawford of Kilbirnie Place near

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...

in what is now North Ayrshire. As youngest of six sons, his career options were open, and he became a professional soldier.WS Griffith, 2006
Accessed 12 November 2011 In 1547, he was at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, but had the misfortune of being taken prisoner, and was detained till ransomed. In 1550, he went to France and entered the service of King Henry II as one of the '' Gens d’Armes'', under the command of the Earl of Arran. Thomas Crawford acquired the land and title of

Jordanhill Jordanhill ( sco, Jordanhull, gd, Cnoc Iòrdain)
is an ...

from Bartholemew Montgomerie (the chaplain of

Drumry Drumry is a district in the Scottish town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, split into North and South Drumry by its main thoroughfare, Drumry Road. Some of the housing, including five tower blocks, was refurbished in the early 2010s. North D ...

) following his return to Scotland from France with

in either 1560scotwars.com Thomas Crawford - Scottish Gentleman
Accessed 10 November 2011 or 1562.Glasgow University history
Accessed 12 November 2011 Stuart McLean, Local History of Jordanhill
Accessed 14 November 2011 To secure this position, Crawford became a retainer of the 4th Earl of Lennox, grandfather of the future

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

. Ultimately, he became the Earl's deputy, second only to the Earl's Chamberlain, John Cunningham of Drumquhassle. He notability increased in 1569 following the murder of Queen Mary's husband,

Lord Darnley Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Sco ...

, by suspected agents of the Queen.

William Maitland of Lethington William Maitland of Lethington (15259 June 1573) was a Scottish politician and reformer, and the eldest son of poet Richard Maitland. Life He was educated at the University of St Andrews. William was the renowned "Secretary Lethington" to ...

(and Sir James Balfour) were publicly accused of Darnley's murder by Crawford; Balfour escaped, but Lethington was imprisoned and was released by

William Kirkcaldy of Grange Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation but ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the co ...

, commander in Edinburgh Castle, which subsequently became the fortress of Mary's cause during the Lang Siege in the ensuing

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Assault on Dumbarton Castle

Crawford planned the assault and led a force of 150 men in the early hours of 2 April 1571 that scaled the cliffs and embattlements to expel the castle garrison loyal to

Queen Mary from

. In this task he was assisted by John Cunningham of Drumquhassle, Matthew

Douglas of Mains The Douglases of Mains are a branch of the Clan Douglas, related to the Lords of Douglas through Archibald I, Lord of Douglas. The first Laird obtained land through marriage into the Galbraith family, which had been granted land in New Kilpatr ...

(both also retainers of the Earl of Lennox) and a traitor from the castle garrison called Robertson. He was once warden of the castle, knew the topography of the rock well and in particular, knew how it could be scaled. It seems that while in the service of the Governor, his wife was accused of theft and publicly flogged. This episode appears to have provoked Robertson to leave Queen's supporters in the castle and offer his services to the King's supporters, initially to Robert Douglas, who introduced him to Drumquassle. A truce between supporters of the King and supporters of the Queen expired on 1 April 1571. That evening, Crawford set out from Glasgow with Robertson and a company of men. He had sent a small advance group of horsemen ahead of him to stop all wayfarers (who might betray the mission), and he made his way to an agreed meeting place within a mile of the castle, ( Dumbuck) where he was joined by Drumquhassle and Captain Hume. Here he equipped the soldiers with ropes and scaling ladders. The night was foggy and the

escalade {{Unreferenced, date=May 2007 Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders. Escalade was a prominent feature of sieges in ancient and medieval warfare, and though it is no longer common in modern warfare ...

relied upon stealth, because the number of ladders that could be employed was limited. On the first attempt, the ladders slipped while the soldiers were on them; if the watch of the garrison had been more aware of the danger, the noise could have given warning of the attack and the castle might have been successfully defended. However, no alarm was raised. On the second attempt, the ladders were fixed more securely, and, their 'craws' or steel hooks being lodged firmly into the crevices of the rock. The leaders of the party then took hold of a small intermediate ledge where an ash tree was growing. They attached their ropes to the tree and pulled up the remainder of their company. However, they were still only halfway to the base of the curtain wall. They positioned their ladders again and began scaling the next stage. At this point, one of the soldiers climbing a ladder was seized with a fit. In his convulsion, he gripped the ladder so firmly and in such a way that no others could pass by him or remove him. Crawford's solution to this problem was to tie the unfortunate soldier to the ladder and turn it round (with the man suspended beneath it), so the passage was clear again. All-but-one of the party thus reached the bottom of the garrison wall, a precarious and narrow ledge. Crawford's ensign and two other soldiers scaled the wall and then came under attack by three guards until they were joined by the rest of the party. The wall (which was in poor repair) collapsed, opening a breach through which Crawford's men were able to rush in, shouting, "''A Darnley, a Darnley!''" (Crawford's watchword). The wall was breached on the north east side of the castle where it is highest and therefore presumed to be the least well guarded. The eastern peak of the rock (The Beak) was quickly gained, and the

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

there was captured and turned on the garrison, who attempted very little resistance, preferring to escape rather than fight back. The castle governor (Fleming) managed to escape through the

postern gate A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern ...

which opened onto the River Clyde and reached Argyllshire. Key supporters of Queen Mary found within the castle included de Verac, the French ambassador, who was allowed to go free, but was subsequently caught aiding the Queen's supporters in Edinburgh Castle. John Hamilton, Archbishop of St Andrews was also found in the castle wearing items of armour (a mail shirt and helmet). The wife of the governor (Lady Fleming) was also detained, but was permitted to go free with her possessions. Hamilton was hanged within a matter of days at Stirling Castle. As important as the arrest of key people was the capture of documents, including some implicating Queen Mary with

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, ( Kenninghall, Norfolk, 10 March 1536Tower Hill, London, 2 June 1572) was an English nobleman and politician. Although from a family with strong Roman Catholic leanings, he was raised a Protestant. He was ...

and the

Ridolfi plot The Ridolfi plot was a Roman Catholic plot in 1571 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. The plot was hatched and planned by Roberto Ridolfi, an international banker who was able to travel betwee ...

. An Act of Parliament was passed on 28 August 1571 in favour of "Johnne Cuningham of Drumquhassel, Matho Dowglas of Manys, Captain Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill, and others takeris of the Castell of Dumbartane," discharging them of any criminal or civil liabilities incurred in the recapture of the castle.The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707
K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2010) Accessed on: 9 November 2011

Subsequent life

Two years later, he advised on operations to end the siege of Edinburgh Castle. This eliminated the final barrier to a reunification of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

under Queen Mary's son,

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

King James, in 1573. In 1579 the Hamilton family were suppressed for their support for Queen Mary, and for the murders of

Regent Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for hi ...

and

Regent Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, ...

. They fortified their houses and castles including Craignethan Castle and the Castle of Hamilton ( Cadzow Castle). Cadzow was bombarded by

Michael Gardiner Michael Strickland Gardiner (born 5 July 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Albany, Western Australia. Ga ...

, and fell on 19 May 1579. The castle was slighted by Captain Thomas Crawford, who received £455 Scots for the work. Rumours reached England that Crawford had been injured at Hamilton. His lineage became known as Crawford of Jordanhill, his estate in the present-day suburbs of

, of which he was made provost in 1577. He was also the first person to provide a bursary out of his own wealth at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, (16 bolls of oatmeal from the mill at

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and ...

) - an amount large enough to completely support one student. It was while Crawford held the office of Provost that

Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The cathedral was the seat of the Archbisho ...

was threatened with destruction (as part of the religious unrest during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

). According to one story, it was Crawford who saved the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

building. He is reported to have said to those who were eager for its demolition, and pressing him to give permission for their action:- : "''I am for pu'ing doon the auld kirk, but no till we ha'e first built a new ane''" : (I am in favour of pulling down the old church, but not until we have first built a new one).Captain Crawford of Jordanhill, and his gallant capture of Dumbarton Castle, by Robert Alison
Accessed 13 November 2011 Crawford retired to his childhood home of Kilbirnie Place, where he died on 3 January 1603 and is entombed with his wife Janet Ker of Kerlsand at

Kilbirnie Auld Kirk Kilbirnie Auld Kirk is a Church of Scotland congregation on Dalry Road (at Kirkland Road), Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, Scotland. Although the building dates back to the 15th century, the present congregation was formed in 1978 by the amalgamation ...

. The family sold the estate in 1750.

External links

:

Thomas Crawford's tomb and effigy at Kilbirnie Auld Kirk. :

Video and commentary on Thomas and Janet Craufurd's tomb in Kilbirnie.

Clan Crawford Association

The Crawfords of Donegal, Robert Crawford MA. Published by Ponsonby and Weldrick, 1897

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Thomas 1530 births 1603 deaths 16th-century Scottish people Scottish soldiers People from Jordanhill 16th-century soldiers Lord Provosts of Glasgow People associated with the University of Glasgow People of the Scottish Marian Civil War Scottish philanthropists Scottish expatriates in France Military strategists