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 parish in the Scottish Borders; until 1975 it was in the county of Peeblesshire. The village is situated on the B709 road south of Innerleithen at .
History
Traquair, said to me ...
in
Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire ( gd, Siorrachd nam Pùballan), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a Counties of Scotland, historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire t ...
, 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 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 O ...
in 1630. In February 1633 Traquair visited building and repair works at
Linlithgow Palace
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although m ...
,
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 Environme ...
, and
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 ...
. 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
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 ...
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
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from '' Coven ...
(March 1639).
After the
Treaty of Berwick he was appointed the
king's commissioner to the
assembly at
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore o ...
(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
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
.
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 Lesli ...
(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 ...
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 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 succee ...
. Parents of
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry.
* Elizabeth Stewart, married
Patrick Murray, 2nd
Lord Elibank.
See also
*
William Armstrong, outlaw employee of the Earl.
Notes
References
* That article references:
**
Spalding, ''Memorialls'' (
Spalding Club)
**
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