John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair (died 27 March 1659) was a Scottish statesman who was created Baron Stewart of Traquair in 1628 and Earl of Traquair in 1633.

Life

He was the son of John Stewart, the Younger, of

Traquair Traquair ( gd, Cille Bhrìghde) is a small village and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Scottish Borders; Counties of Scotland, until 1975 it was in the county of Peeblesshire. The village is situated on the B709 road south of Inn ...

in Peeblesshire, of a branch, originally illegitimate, of the house of Buchan. His mother was Margaret Stewart, a daughter of Andrew, Master of Ochiltree, and Margaret Stewart. She was a lady-in-waiting in the household of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

. He was appointed

Treasurer-depute of Scotland The Treasurer-depute was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland. It was the equivalent of the English post of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Originally a deputy to the Treasurer, the Treasurer-depute emerged as a separate Crown ap ...

and an

Extraordinary Lord of Session Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session in Scotland from 1532 to 1762, and were part of the historical judiciary of Scotland. When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President, 14 ...

in 1630. In February 1633 Traquair visited building and repair works at Linlithgow Palace,

Dunfermline Palace Dunfermline Palace is a ruined former Scottish royal palace and important tourist attraction in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. It is currently, along with other buildings of the adjacent Dunfermline Abbey, under the care of Historic Environment ...

, and Stirling Castle. In 1633

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

was crowned in Edinburgh, and Traquair was involved in repairing the Scottish crown jewels and the royal wardrobe. Traquair is said to have given the casting vote against

John Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Balmerino John Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Balmerino (died 28 February 1649) was a Scottish aristocrat, convicted in a celebrated trial of the 1630s which became a crux of the religious issue of the time. Early life He was the son of James, 1st Lord Balmerino, ...

at his trial in 1634, but afterwards obtained his pardon. From 1636 to 1641 he held the office of

Lord High 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 aided

in introducing the

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

. He endeavoured to prevent a conflict by impressing on the king the necessity of caution and the danger of extreme measures against the rioters. He was, however, compelled to publish Charles's proclamation enforcing the use of the liturgy and forbidding hostile demonstrations on pain of treason (1638). This was followed by military measures in which Traquair assisted by secretly conveying munitions of war to

Dalkeith Palace Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 on the site of th ...

. He was, however, obliged to surrender the place with the regalia to the Covenanters (March 1639). After the Treaty of Berwick he was appointed the king's commissioner to the

assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

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 ...

(August 1639), and he assented in writing to the act abolishing episcopacy, but prevented its ratification by adjourning the opening of parliament. His apparent double-dealing made him suspected by both parties, and in 1641 the Scottish parliament issued a warrant for his arrest. In his absence he was sentenced to death, but, although the king secured the remission of this penalty, he was dismissed from his office of treasurer, and in 1644, for repairing to the court and opposing the covenant, he was declared an enemy to religion and fined 40,000 marks. Stewart was accused of being a freemason. His son, Lord Linton, whom he had sent to Montrose with a troop of horse, withdrew on the eve of the

Battle of Philiphaugh The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquis of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, ...

(September 1645) and it has been supposed that Traquair betrayed Montrose's plans to David Leslie. He was readmitted to parliament in 1646, raised cavalry for the "engagement" between the king and the Covenanters, and was captured at Preston (1648). He was released by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

in 1654, and died on 27 March 1659. He was succeeded by his only son John (c. 1622-1666), whose descendants held the title until 1861, when on the death of Charles, the 8th earl, it became dormant or extinct.

Family

He married Lady Catherine Carnegie, daughter of

David Carnegie, 1st Earl of Southesk Sir David Carnegie, 1st Earl of Southesk, 1st Baron Carnegie of Kinnaird, 1st Baron Carnegie, of Kinnaird and Leuchards (1575–1658) was a Scottish nobleman. He was a member of the Privy Council of Scotland and held the office of Lord of Session. ...

and had three children: * John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Traquair (c. 1622-1666). * Margaret Stewart, married

James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Queensberry James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Queensberry (before 16221671) was a Scottish noble, politician and Covenanter. Biography James was the second son of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Queensberry and his wife Isabel. On his father's death in 1640 he succeed ...

. Parents of

William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry PC (163728 March 1695), also 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Marquess of Queensberry, was a Scottish politician.G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and L ...

. * Elizabeth Stewart, married Patrick Murray, 2nd

Lord Elibank Lord Elibank, of Ettrick Forest in the County of Selkirk, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1643 for Sir Patrick Murray, 1st Baronet, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever. He had already been created a Baronet, of ...

Notes

References

* That article references: ** Spalding, ''Memorialls'' (

Spalding Club The Spalding Club was the name of three successive antiquarian and text publication societies founded in Aberdeen, which published scholarly editions of texts and archaeological studies relevant to the history of Aberdeenshire and its region. The ...

) ** Sir James Balfour, ''Annals'' (ed. Haig, 1824) ** '' Dict. Nat. Biog.'', vol. liv. {{DEFAULTSORT:Traquair, John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lord High Treasurers of Scotland Earls in the Peerage of Scotland Peers of Scotland created by Charles I 1659 deaths Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland People from the Scottish Borders Scottish Freemasons Extraordinary Lords of Session Members of the Privy Council of Scotland 17th-century Scottish politicians 17th-century Scottish people Lords High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1621 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1625 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1639–1641 Treasurers-depute Year of birth unknown

Life

Family

See also

Notes

References