John Somerville, 3rd Lord Somerville (died 1491) was the son of

William Somerville, 2nd Lord Somerville William Somerville, 2nd Lord Somerville (died 20 August 1456) was a member of the Scottish Parliament in the mid-15th century. He is the first person to have clearly held the title Lord Somerville, having been created such in 1445, although other ...

and Janet Mowat. He was a member of the Scottish Parliament. In 1449 he fought with the Scots who defeated the English at

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of ...

. He was also present at the siege of Roxburgh in 1460 during which James II of Scotland died.

Family

Somerville first married Helen Hepburn (daughter of Lord Hailes). He was succeeded by their grandson

John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville, (c.1484-1523), was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland. He was the eldest son of William Somerville, Master of Somerville, the son of John Somerville, 3rd Lord Somerville, and Marjory Montgomerie, daughter o ...

, the son of William, Master of Somerville. Their daughter Elizabeth married Gillespic (Archibald) Campbell, Master of Campbell, and was the mother of

Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll (c. 1433 – 10 May 1493) was a medieval Scottish nobleman, peer, and politician. He was the son of Archibald Campbell, Master of Campbell and Elizabeth Somerville, daughter of John Somerville, 3rd Lord S ...

. After Helen's death, John married Marion Baillie, daughter of Sir William Baillie of Lamington. John's son by Marion Baillie, John Somerville of Quothquan, 1st Baron of Cambusnethan, was called 'Red Bag' on account of the red satin satchel he carried while hawking. Red-Bag would later be involved in rivalry over the Somerville family estates (died on Flodden Field 1513). After Lord John died, Marion married Humphrey Colquhoun, 10th of Colquhoun and 12th of Luss.

Alliance with the Boyds

On 9 July 1466, Lord John, with the Boyds,

Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes (after 1432 – 1479) was Sheriff of Berwickshire in April 1467, and had a charter of confirmation of Dunsyre in the sheriffdom of Lanarkshire, dated 13 October 1475, being thereafter designated 'of Dunsyre'. Family ...

, and Andrew Ker of Cessford, abducted

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh ...

who was hunting near Linlithgow Palace to Edinburgh. The Boyds then attempted to gain control of the Scottish government for two years. Although John Somerville himself had assisted the Boyds at the abduction, in November 1469, Lord John attended the Parliament that condemned Sir Alexander Boyd to beheading for the abduction of James III in 1466.

Marriages of William, Master of Somerville and John 'Red Bag' Somerville

According to the family history written by the 11th Lord Somerville, Lord John's heir, William, Master of Somerville, was born in 1453. He married firstly Marjorie Montgomery in June 1476. The 11th Lord wrote that James IV of Scotland visited Lord John at Cowthally Castle in September 1489, following the marriage of John's second son, John 'Red Bag' Somerville to Elizabeth Carmichael. (Elizabeth by her previous marriage was a sister-in-law of

George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, Lord Douglas, Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest (c. 1427 – 12 March 1463)Alan R. Borthwick, 'Douglas, George, fourth earl of Angus (c.1417–1463)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University ...

's wife) However, there is no record of this visit in the King's financial accounts. William, Master of Somerville, died sometime after 18 May 1491. Soon after Lord John died, and on 14 February 1492 Marion Baillie, Lady Somerville, sued for 1000 marks to be given according to a marriage contract made for her deceased son William, Master of Somerville, to Jonet Douglas, daughter of William Douglas of

Drumlanrig Drumlanrig (Scottish Gaelic: ''Druim Lannraig'') is a settlement in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which is best known for nearby Drumlanrig Castle. The earliest record for Drumlanrig is from 1384, spelled ''Drumlangryg''. There are a number o ...

.''Acts of the Lords Auditors of Causes and Complaints, 1466-1494'', (1839), 155, 165.

References

Sources

*G. E. C., ed. Geoffrey F. White. ''The Complete Peerage''. (London: St. Catherine Press, 1953) Vol. XII, Part 1, p. 92-93. * Scott, Walter, ed.,

James Somerville Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in the First World War as fleet wireless officer for the Mediterranean Fleet where he was involved in providing naval suppo ...

, author
''The Memorie of the Somervilles by James, 11th Lord Somerville'', vol. 1, Ballantyne, Edinburgh (1815)
* Scott, Walter, ed.
''The Memorie of the Somervilles by James, 11th Lord Somerville'', vol. 2, Ballantyne, Edinburgh (1815)
* MacDougall, Norman, ''James III: a political study'', John Donald (1982) {{DEFAULTSORT:Somerville, John, 3rd Lord Year of birth unknown 1491 deaths Lords of Parliament (pre-1707)