John Sutherland, (died 1460) was the 7th

Earl of Sutherland Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia and is the premier earldom in the Peerage of Scotland. The earl or countess of Sutherland is also the chief of Clan Sutherland. The origin ...

and 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 ...

, a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Goidelic languages, Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official ...

of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

Early life

He was the son of

Robert Sutherland, 6th Earl of Sutherland Robert Sutherland, (died 1444) was the 6th Earl of Sutherland and chief of the Clan Sutherland, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life Robert Sutherland, 6th Earl of Sutherland was the son of William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Suthe ...

and Margaret Stewart, daughter of

Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, Alasdair Mór mac an Rígh, and called the Wolf of Badenoch (1343 – c. 20 July 1405), was the third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland and youngest by his first wife, Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan. He w ...

(the Wolf of Badenoch).

Earl of Sutherland

According to 19th-century historian William Fraser, the first mention of John, 7th Earl of Sutherland was in 1408 by

Andrew of Wyntoun Andrew Wyntoun, known as Andrew of Wyntoun (), was a Scottish poet, a canon and prior of Loch Leven on St Serf's Inch and, later, a canon of St. Andrews. Andrew Wyntoun is most famous for his completion of an eight-syllabled metre entitled, '' ...

in his ''

Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland The ''Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland'' ("Original Chronicle of Scotland") is a history of Scotland from the beginning of the world until the accession of King James I. Attributed to Andrew of Wyntoun, a learned scholar of the time, it is one of t ...

''. Before the commencement of the

Battle of Baugé The Battle of Baugé, fought between the English and a Franco- Scots army on 22 March 1421 at Baugé, France, east of Angers, was a major defeat for the English in the Hundred Years' War. The English army was led by the king's brother Thomas, ...

in 1421 in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where the Scots defeated the English, the

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

knighted several of the squires and the first of these was John of Sutherland. The next record of John, 7th Earl of Sutherland is in 1444 when he was at

Pontefract Castle Pontefract (or Pomfret) Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil War. ...

as a hostage for the ransom of

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...

. The earl or his father had gone to England in 1427 as substitutes for the eldest son of the

Earl of March Earl of March is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or borderlands between England and either Wales (Welsh Marches) or Scotland (Scottish Marche ...

and the hostages were apparently allowed to receive friends as well as carry out their business. John of Sutherland is found granting to his kinsman,

Alexander Sutherland, 3rd of Duffus Alexander Sutherland, 3rd of Duffus (died 1482) was a Scottish member of the nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Laird of Duffus He was the son of Henry Sutherland of Torboll and Margaret Mureff or Moray. His uncle was John Sutherland, ...

, a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

for the lands of Torboll in terms of resignation by Alexander's father and grandfather. The grant was witnessed by several Scottish gentlemen including Michael Scott of Balwearie, Alexander Erskine of Dun, Alexander Straton of Lauriston, and Sir William Baillie of Hoprig, who was either brother-in-law or father-in-law to the earl himself. The earl is found back at his own seat of

Dunrobin Castle Dunrobin Castle (mostly 1835–1845 — present) is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, as well as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie and approximatel ...

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

in May 1448 where he issued a presentation in favour of Alexander Rattar to be chaplain of St Andrews chaplainry at

Golspie Golspie ( , gd, Goillspidh) is a village and parish in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland, which lies on the North Sea coast in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie. It has a population of around 1,350. History The name derives from the Norse for "gull ...

. In 1451, the earl received to himself and his wife, Margaret, a crown charter for Crakaig, Easter Loth, Overglen of Loth, Wester Loth, and other lands in the parish of Loth. The earl also resigned the earldom into the hands of

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

in 1456, for a re-grant to his second son, John, and his heirs, but reserving the aforementioned lands to himself and his countess. According to 17th-century historian,

Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun (14 May 1580 – 1656) was a Scottish politician and courtier, known as the historian of the noble house of Sutherland. Early life Born at Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Sutherland, on 14 May 1580, he was the fourth ...

, it was during the time of John, 7th Earl of Sutherland that

John of Islay, Earl of Ross :''This article refers to John II, Lord of the Isles; for John I, see John of Islay, Lord of the Isles'' John of Islay (or John MacDonald) (1434–1503), Earl of Ross, fourth (and last) Lord of the Isles, and ''Mac Domhnaill'' (chief of Clan Don ...

invaded Sutherland with five or six hundred followers and penetrated as far as

Skibo Castle Skibo Castle (Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Sgìobail'') is located to the west of Dornoch in the Highland county of Sutherland, Scotland overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Although largely of the 19th century and early 20th century, when it was the hom ...

, but that the invaders were subsequently defeated at the

Battle of Skibo and Strathfleet A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. According to Gordon, in the initial engagement the MacDonalds under John of Islay were attacked and routed at Skibo by the forces of Neil Murray of Aberscross, the principal

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

and

sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ( ...

of the Clan Sutherland, who had been sent by the Earl of Sutherland. At the second engagement at Strathfleet where the MacDonalds were also defeated, the Clan Sutherland had been led by Robert Sutherland, brother of the Earl of Sutherland. According to historian D. M Rose, the 7th and 8th Earls of Sutherland did little to advance their family's reputation, leaving their kinsman the Murays of Culbin, Pulrossie and Aberscross to fight their battles. According to Gordon, John, 7th Earl died at Dunrobin in 1460 and was buried at the chapel of St Andrews in

, rather than the usual burial place of the earls at

Dornoch Cathedral Dornoch Cathedral is a former Roman Catholic cathedral and is currently a Church of Scotland parish church serving the small Sutherland town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian ...

Family

John Sutherland, 7th Earl of Sutherland married Margaret, daughter or sister of Sir William Ballie of Lamington who was one of the earl's fellow hostages. They had the following children: #Alexander, Master of Sutherland, who appears on a charter of

Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross 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 ...

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

dated 10 October 1444, but who died before his father in 1456. According to Gordon he left a daughter, Marjorie, who married

William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness William Sinclair (1410–1480), 1st Earl of Caithness (1455–1476), last Earl (Jarl) of Orkney (1434–1470 de facto, –1472 de jure), 2nd Lord Sinclair and 11th Baron of Roslin was a Norwegian and Scottish nobleman and the buil ...

. However, according to Fraser, Lord Hailes proves that Marjorie, Countess of Caithness, was the daughter of Alexander Sutherland of Dunbeath, but that he could not have been aware of the aforementioned charter, concluding that Alexander must have died previous to 1456 when his next brother John was treated as the heir to the title of the earldom of Sutherland. #

John Sutherland, 8th Earl of Sutherland John Sutherland, (died 1508) was the 8th Earl of Sutherland and chief of the Clan Sutherland, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life He was the son of John Sutherland, 7th Earl of Sutherland and Margaret, daughter or sister of S ...

, heir and successor. #Nicolas Sutherland, who witnessed his father's letter of presentation in 1448, but of whom nothing further is known. #Thomas Beg Sutherland, according to Gordon, he was the ancestor of the Sutherlands in Strath Ullie, but according to Fraser nothing further of him is known. #Lady Jean Sutherland, who married Sir James Dunbar, and left issue. #Lady Murial Sutherland, who married Alexander Seton of Meldrum. However, according to Fraser, while there is evidence that Alexander Seton married a Murial Sutherland, her connection with the Earl of Sutherland has not been confirmed and the Seton pedigree says that she was from the Sutherland of Duffus family. #Thomas More Sutherland, a natural son, who in turn had two sons of his own who were killed by their uncle, John Sutherland, 8th Earl of Sutherland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland

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 ...

1460 deaths