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Robert Kerr, 1st Earl of Ancram (c. 1578–1654), was a Scottish nobleman, politician and writer.
[Chambers, Robert (1840)]
A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen
Volume 3, Blackie and Son, pp 315-6.
Biography
He descended from a third son of Sir Andrew Kerr of
Ferniehurst, and was laird of
Ancrum
Ancrum ( gd, Alan Crom) is a village in the Borders area of Scotland, 5 km north west of Jedburgh.
The village — which currently has a population of around 300 — is situated just off the A68 trunk road on the B6400 which runs through A ...
in
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
. His father was William Kerr of Ancrum and his mother was Margaret Dundas, a daughter of Alexander Dundas of Fingask.
He was born about 1578, and succeeded to the family estate in 1590 on the death of his father, who was assassinated on the orders of his kinsman, Robert Ker, younger of
Cessford. Cessford's men ambushed William Kerr of Ancram on the stairs at the entry to his lodging and shot him with a pistol called a "dag". The dispute concerned the office of Provost of Jedburgh. His widowed mother married George Douglas of Mordington, a son of
George Douglas of Parkhead
George Douglas of Parkhead, (died 1602), was a Scottish landowner, mining entrepreneur, Provost of Edinburgh, and Keeper of Edinburgh Castle.
Career
George Douglas was a son of George Douglas of Pittendreich, the name of his mother is unknown. H ...
, and had several more children.
Robert Kerr was honoured at an early age with court favour. Soon after the king's accession to the English throne, Kerr occupied a considerable station in the household of
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 ...
and
Princess Elizabeth at
Oatlands. He was knighted, probably in 1605. In March 1608, James gave him diamond-set gold locket with his picture, supplied for £300 by the goldsmith Henrick van Hulton.
After the death of Prince Henry in 1612, Kerr joined the household of
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
as a gentleman of the bedchamber, gaining the position with the help of his cousin, the favourite
Robert Carr, then Lord Rochester. In April 1613 he was made a denizen of England. Charles became his patron through life. Charles mediated his second marriage to
Lady Anne Stanley, daughter of the
Earl of Derby
Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end ...
.
[
In 1620, Kerr was involved in a fatal quarrel with Charles Maxwell, who insinuated that he had slighted the ]Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham.
...
and insulted him without provocation as he entered the palace at Newmarket. In a duel that followed, Sir Robert killed Maxwell. Even though Maxwell's friends acquitted Kerr of blame, the king's strict rules for prevention and punishment of duels forced him to flee to Holland, where he remained about a year. During his exile, he collected pictures, for which, like his royal master, he had good taste. He eventually presented those he brought back with him to the prince. He was also distinguished by his literary taste and was a friend of John Donne
John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's ...
.[ He also lived in ]Whitehall Palace
The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. Hen ...
and Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
.
On the accession of 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 ...
to the throne, in 1625, Sir Robert Kerr was made a gentleman of the bedchamber
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...
.
He was Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for Aylesbury
Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...
in 1625, and for Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel (; kw, Lostwydhyel) is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 c ...
and Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
in 1628.
Kerr came to Scotland in June 1629. He brought a gift from Charles I to Lady Yester, a jewelled hair-dressing described as a "head busk", a band of small diamonds set in fleur de lys to wear at the forehead from ear to ear. He mentioned Charles' gratitude to her mother Lady Seton for looking after him as a child at 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 Environm ...
.
On 24 June 1633, when Charles was in Scotland at his coronation, Kerr was elevated to the peerage under the titles Earl of Ancram
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
and Lord Kerr of Nisbet, Langnewton, and Dolphinstoun. Previously, his son William, by his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Murray of Blackbarony
Black Barony, also known as Blackbarony, Barony Castle, and Darnhall, is a historic house at Eddleston in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The house is currently operated as a hotel, and is protected as a Category B listed building. Nearb ...
, had married his relative, Anne, Countess of Lothian in her own right, and had been, by the king, given the title Earl of Lothian.[David Laing, ''Correspondence of Sir Robert Kerr, first Earl of Ancram'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1875), pp. xlviii, li.] It was therefore arranged, in the patent granted to Kerr, that his own title should descend to the children of his second marriage. Thus, he was father of two peers.[
Unlike others who owed everything to this prince, the Earl of Ancram remained the prince's steady adherent during the whole of his troubles—though he was unable to prevent his eldest son, the Earl of Lothian, from acting a conspicuous part on the opposite side. On the death of King Charles, Kerr took refuge in Holland, where he spent the remainder of his days in solitary afflictions and poverty, and died in 1654, aged 76. ]Jan Lievens
Jan Lievens (24 October 1607 – 4 June 1674) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who was associated with his close contemporary Rembrandt, a year older, in the early parts of their careers. They shared a birthplace in Leiden, training with Pieter L ...
painted him marvelously.
His son Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
, inherited his title, but ultimately merged with that of Lothian.[
]
Family
He had two sons by his first marriage to Elizabeth Murray:
*Stanley Kerr (d. bef. May 1672)
*William Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian
William Kerr, first Earl of Lothian of a new creation (1605–1675) was a Scottish nobleman.
Career
Kerr signed the national covenant in 1638 and marched with the Scots into England in 1640, being present when the English were routed at t ...
(bef. 1615 – c. October 1675)
He had one son and two daughters by his second marriage to Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, daughter of William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby
William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, KG (1561 – 29 September 1642) was an English nobleman and politician. Stanley inherited a prominent social position that was both dangerous and unstable, as his mother was heir to Queen Elizabeth I un ...
:
*Charles Kerr, 2nd Earl of Ancram
Charles Kerr, 2nd Earl of Ancram (1624 – September 1690) was a Scottish peer and a member of the English House of Commons.Lodge (1847)p. 305/ref>
Biography
Charles was born on 6 August 1624 at Richmond, Surrey to Anne daughter of William Sta ...
(6 August 1624 – September 1690)
*Vere Kerr
*Elizabeth Kerr
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancram, Robert Kerr, 1st Earl Of
1570s births
1654 deaths
Earls of Ancram
Knights of the Bath
British duellists
17th-century Scottish writers
People from Roxburgh
People from Surrey
English MPs 1625
English MPs 1628–1629
Peers of Scotland created by Charles I