Sir William Livingstone of Kilsyth (died 1627) was a Scottish landowner and courtier. He was a son of William Livingstone of Kilsyth and Christian Graham, a daughter of

William Graham, 3rd Earl of Menteith William Graham, 3rd Earl of Menteith (c. 1500 – c. 1543) was a Scottish magnate and third Earl of Menteith. Biography He was the son of Alexander Graham, 2nd Earl of Menteith (c. 1475 – c. 1537), and Margaret Buchanan. He was the great-gra ...

and Margaret Mowbray of Barnbougle, widow of John Cornwall of Bonhard. This branch of the Livingstone family had long been landowners in

Kilsyth Kilsyth (; Scottish Gaelic ''Cill Saidhe'') is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 9,860. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the relig ...

, then also known as "Monyabroch". In 1605 the church minister

John Welsh of Ayr John Welsh (–1622) was a Scottish Presbyterian leader. He was born in Dumfriesshire and attended the University of Edinburgh to obtain his MA in 1588. He became a minister in Selkirk and married Elizabeth Knox, a daughter of John and Margaret ...

wrote to him from his prison cell in

Blackness Castle Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s. At this time, Blacknes ...

, assuring him that the wrath of God would fall on Archbishop Spottiswood and his family. He kept in touch with the court of King James in London and was a correspondent of

Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond (29 September 157416 February 1624), lord of the manor, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman who through their paternal lines was a second cousin o ...

and

Margaret Hartsyde Margaret Hartsyde or Hairtsyde ( fl. 1600–1640) was a Scottish servant, jewel thief, and landowner. A servant of the queen, Anne of Denmark, Hartsyde's duties included looking after the queen's jewels, dealing with the goldsmith George Heriot, ...

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

, the chamberer who looked after the queen's jewels. He was an agent for the duke's business in Scotland. The Duke of Lennox was thought to be a conduit for patronage and court appointments, and those hoping to find their friends and allies positions at court would solicit his favour. However, Lennox claimed that placing more Scottish people in the king's household was increasingly difficult. He wrote to Livingstone, who had asked him to find a place for a Napier of

Merchiston Castle Merchiston Tower, also known as Merchiston Castle, was probably built by Alexander Napier, the 2nd Laird of Merchiston around 1454. It serves as the seat for Clan Napier. It was the home of John Napier, the 8th Laird of Merchiston and the inven ...

in the king's Privy Chamber:

"although the King has this long time promised Merchiston ever the next vacant place, yet many hes bein placed over him and in this hes found gret impediments; for belive that ane stranger shall finde graet difficulty to obteane any suche place so long as ther is any Inglishe man that does aim at it; for it is thought by them all that ther is alreddy too many Scots heire in such places."

Margaret Hartsyde's letter to Livingstone describes how she was surprised by his leaving the court. Anna of Denmark had expected him to deliver a jewel to her. Hartsyde had told that queen that Livingstone had been waiting for an opportunity to give her the jewel in person. He should now send it to queen as soon as possible. Hartsyde was hoping to buy a house in Libberton in

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

with her husband John Buchanan. Margaret Fleming, Lady

Torwood Torwood ( gd, Coille Tor) is a small village located north-northwest of Larbert, north-west of Falkirk and south-southeast of Stirling. Torwood lies within the Falkirk Council area of Scotland. The population recorded in the 2011 UK Census ...

, aunt of his eldest son's bride, wrote to him in 1609. Hugh, Lord Campbell of Loudon, brother of Lennox's deceased second wife Jean Campbell, wrote to Livingstone in 1610 about the Lennox lands of

Inchinnan Inchinnan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Innis Fhionghain'') is a small village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The village is located on the main A8 road between Renfrew and Greenock, just south east of the town of Erskine. History The name of Inchinnan villa ...

, and silver that had belonged to his sister. Lennox wrote that he was glad Livingstone was coming to court in 1622. He died in 1627.

Marriages and family

His first wife was Antoinette de Bord. Their children included William Livingstone of Darnchester (d. 1614), who married his cousin Anna Fleming, a daughter of

John Fleming, 1st Earl of Wigtown John Fleming, 6th or 7th Lord Fleming (1567–1619), Scottish aristocrat and diplomat. John was the son of John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming and Elizabeth Ross. His main residence was Boghall Castle at Biggar, home of the Fleming family. He was t ...

and Lilias Graham. Livingstone married secondly Margaret Houston, their children included

James Livingstone, 1st Viscount Kilsyth James Livingstone, 1st Viscount Kilsyth (25 June 1616 – 7 September 1661), was a devoted Scottish Royalist who was raised to the peerage of Scotland as Viscount Kilsyth and Lord Campsie in 1661. Lee, Sidney (1903), Dictionary of National Biog ...

.''Scots Peerage'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1908), p. 180.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Livingstone, William 17th-century Scottish people 1627 deaths Scottish courtiers Scottish landowners