John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland (1661–1733) was a Scottish nobleman and army officer. He was the only son of George Gordon, 15th Earl of Sutherland (1633–1703), and his wife, Jean Wemmyss.
Upon his father's death in 1703 he succeeded as earl of Sutherland. He supported the Glorious Revolution, revolution of 1688 and was a commissioner for the union of England and Scotland. He was a Scottish representative peer in four parliaments, president of the Board of Trade and manufactures, and lord-lieutenant of the eight northern counties 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 ...

. In 1703 he was appointed a privy councillor by Queen Anne. He aided in putting down the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...

. When the rebellion had been quashed, Gordon was invested by

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

with the Order of the Thistle and was granted an annual pension of £1200 in recognition of his services. In 1719 he led his regiment in the

Battle of Glen Shiel The Battle of Glen Shiel ( gd, Blàr Ghleann Seile) took place on 10 June 1719 in the West Scottish Highlands, during the 1719 Jacobite Rising. A Jacobite army composed of Highland levies and Spanish marines, was defeated by British troops, rei ...

, which brought to an end the third Jacobite rising. He resumed the name of Sutherland, instead of Gordon. In 1719 by decree of

Lyon Court The Court of the Lord Lyon (the Lyon Court) is a standing court of law, based in New Register House in Edinburgh, which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All ...

, he was thereafter recognised Chief of the

Clan Sutherland Clan Sutherland is a Highland Scottish clan whose traditional territory is the shire of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. The chief of the clan was also the powerful Earl of Sutherland, however in the early 16th century this title passed ...

Family

He married three times, first to

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

, daughter of William Cochrane, Lord Cochrane and Catherine Kennedy; secondly to Katherine Tollemache, daughter of

Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet (1624–1669) of Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, was the head of a prominent East Anglian family. He was the son of Sir Lionel Tollemache, 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Stanhope, daughter and heiress of John Stanhope, ...

; and thirdly to Frances Hodgson. He had two children with Helen: * William Gordon, Lord Strathnaver (19 December 168313 July 1720) who married Catherine Morrison *Jean Gordon (c. 1692, Scotland11 February 1747, Virginia)), who married James Lauderdale, the son of

John Maitland, 5th Earl of Lauderdale John Maitland (later Lauder), 5th Earl of Lauderdale (1655 – 30 August 1710, both at Haltoun House, Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland) was a Scottish judge and politician who supported the Acts of Union. Biography Maitland was the second son of Cha ...

. Persuasive claims have been put forth in the Allan P. Gray account, that the "Honbl. Capt." referenced in the Dugald Gilchrist Papers is Lt. Col. James Sutherland of Uppat, of the 38th Foot, and superintendent of the estate of the Countess of Sutherland at Dunrobin, making James Sutherland an illegitimate son to Gordon (mother unknown). Illegitimate children are fairly common and though unproven this would account for the mysterious and suspicious familiarity between James Sutherland and the acquisition of the Uppat estate, the military appointments, and the closeness to the Gordon family at large.

References

External links

* 1661 births 1733 deaths

John 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 * Secon ...

Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Scottish representative peers {{Scotland-earl-stub