John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1585 – 1654) was a Scottish landowner.

Career

He was the son of

John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1558–1634) John Erskine, Earl of Mar (c. 155814 December 1634)''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online (ODNB)'', "John Erskine, eighteenth or second earl of Mar," by Julian Goodare. was a Scottish politician, the only son of another John Erskine an ...

and Anne Drummond (1555-1587), daughter of Lord David Drummond (d. 1571) and Lilias Ruthven. Until his father's death in 1634, he was known as John, Lord Erskine, or the "Master of Mar".

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

, the son of

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

and

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 The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

was kept at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

. After the

Union of the Crowns The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...

in 1603, King James went to England. Anne of Denmark came to Stirling on 10 May to claim her son. The Earl of Mar was absent. John Erskine and his step-mother

Marie Stewart, Countess of Mar Marie Stewart, Countess of Mar (1576-1644) was a Scottish courtier. She was the daughter of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, a favourite of James VI of Scotland, and Catherine de Balsac. After her marriage, as was customary in Scotland, she di ...

denied the queen's request to take Henry away. His father arrived on 12 May and sent him to London with messages for the king. According to the Earl of Mar, King James forgave his family for this, thinking that his "young son and honest poor friends have done nothing but served him faithfully". John Erskine went to Venice in May 1605 and the ambassador

Henry Wotton Sir Henry Wotton (; 30 March 1568 – December 1639) was an English author, diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1614 and 1625. When on a mission to Augsburg, in 1604, he famously said, "An ambassador is an honest gentlema ...

introduced him to the

Doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...

Marino Grimani Marino Grimani (c.1489–1546) was an Italian Cardinal and papal legate. He was from an aristocratic Venetian family. He was elected bishop of Ceneda in 1508, when he was under age. He was patriarch of Aquileia in 1517. He was created Cardin ...

, who complimented him on his noble good looks. Erskine took part in the masque at the wedding of John Ramsay, Viscount Haddington and Elizabeth Radclyffe, daughter of

Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex, KG (12 June 1573 – 22 September 1629) was an English peer. Life He was the only son of Henry Radclyffe, 4th Earl of Sussex and his wife Honora Pounde, and was known as Viscount Fitzwalter from 1583 unti ...

in February 1608 known as ''Lord Haddington's Masque'' or ''

The Hue and Cry After Cupid ''The Hue and Cry After Cupid,'' or ''A Hue and Cry After Cupid,'' also ''Lord Haddington's Masque'' or ''The Masque at Lord Haddington's Marriage,'' or even ''The Masque With the Nuptial Songs at the Lord Viscount Haddington's Marriage at Cour ...

''. Erskine was knighted on 30 May 1610 at the creation of Prince Henry as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. A detailed bill for Lord Erskine's clothes from an English tailor survives from May 1611. In 1612 Erskine unsuccessfully advocated for a knighthood to be given to the laird of Findlater. In September 1613 Erskine hosted the Venetian ambassador

Antonio Foscarini Antonio Foscarini (c. 1570 in Venice – April 22, 1622) belonged to the Venetian nobility and was Venetian ambassador to Paris and later to London. He was the third son of Nicolò di Alvise of the family branch of San Polo and Maria Barbarigo di ...

. Foscarini had travelled to Scotland after discussing the country with

. On 29 December 1634 he wrote from

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

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 ...

with news of his father's death. In 1638 he wrote to king about the poor state of repair of

and the walls of the park, and the Earl of Traquair was ordered to make repairs. In 1645 Robert Farquharson of Invercauld was the keeper of

Kildrummy Castle Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is ow ...

for the earl and his son Lord Erskine. The laird of Glenkindie also helped to keep the castle, fearing the depredations that a garrison of "stranger" soldiers would make on his lands. The main residence of the Earl of Mar was

Alloa Tower Alloa Tower in Alloa, Clackmannanshire in central Scotland is an early 14th century tower house that served as the medieval residence of the Erskine family, later Earls of Mar. Retaining its original timber roof and battlements, the tower is o ...

Marriage and children

In 1610 he married Christian Hay (d. 1668), a daughter of

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll (30 April 156416 July 1631) was a Scottish nobleman. A convert to Catholicism, he openly conspired with the king of Spain to try to unseat the Protestant Queen Elizabeth. Biography He was the son of Andrew Hay ...

and Elizabeth Douglas, a daughter of

William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton (c. 1540 – 1606) was the son of Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland. Career Connections Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the k ...

and

Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton (born after 1541 – c. 1606) was a Scottish noblewoman, being the daughter of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes as well as a great-granddaughter of King James II. She was the wife of William Douglas, 6th Ear ...

. Their children included: * John Erskine, later Earl of Mar * Francis Erskine (d. 1662) * Elizabeth Erskine, who married

Archibald Napier Archibald Napier may refer to: * Sir Archibald Napier (landowner) (1534–1608), Scottish landowner and official, master of the Scottish mint and Laird of Merchiston * Archibald Napier, 1st Lord Napier (c. 1576–1645) * Archibald Napier, 2nd Lord ...

, 2nd

Lord Napier Lord Napier, of Merchistoun, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for Sir Archibald Napier, 1st Baronet. Earlier that year, he already held the Napier Baronetcy, of Merchistoun in the County of Midlothian, created in ...

Merchiston Merchiston ( ) is a residential area around Merchiston Avenue in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Location Merchiston Avenue is 1.3 miles Southwest of the West End of Edinburgh's principal street, Princes Street. Other areas near Merchi ...

. She was a prisoner in

in August 1645 with her sister-in-law Lilias Napier. * Mary Erskine The Earl of Erroll wrote to Lord Erskine on 14 October 1613 to congratulate him on the birth of a son, and requesting his wife return to him, as he was ill himself.''HMC Mar & Kellie'', vol. 2 (London, 1930), p. 55.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mar, John Erskine, Earl of 1585 births 1654 deaths

Erskine Erskine (, sco, Erskin, gd, Arasgain) is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire, and historic county of the same name, situated in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the southern bank of the River Clyde, providing the lo ...

16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish peers Lords Erskine