William Sutherland, 7th of Duffus (died 1543) was a Scottish member of the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

and a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

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 ...

Early life

He was the son of

William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus (killed in 1530) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Early life He was the son of William Sutherland, 5th of Duffus (died 1529) and his wife Janet, daughter of Alexander In ...

who had been killed in 1530, in

Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great ...

by the

Clan Gunn Clan Gunn ( gd, Na Guinnich) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with lands in northeastern Scotland, including Caithness, Sutherland and, arguably, the Orkney Isles. Clan Gunn is one of the oldest Scottish Clans, being descended from the No ...

who according to

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 ...

had been instigated to do so by Andrew Stewart who was the

Bishop of Caithness The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Ai ...

Laird of Duffus

William Sutherland, 7th of Duffus made strenuous effort's to avenge his father's death and he refused various offers of compensation that were made to him. He summoned the Bishop of Caithness who had killed his father to appear before him in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

but the Bishop ignored this. He then seized one of the Bishop's servants and as a result he and his uncle, the Dean of Caithness, were brought before the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of ...

. They were imprisoned and forced to come to terms with the Bishop without compensation before they were set free. In around 1534, Sutherland of Duffus granted a discharge to John Murray of Cambusavie for the balance of 500

merks The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...

due to his father. On 25 September 1335 he was declared to be his farther's heir in

Torboll Torboll is a former feudal barony and geographical area that includes Torboll Farm, Little Torboll, Torboll Fall, and the Torboll Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest, in the parish of Golspie, Highland, Scotland. It is within the histo ...

and other lands. He granted on mortgage the lands of Kinstearie and Brichtmony to John Campbell of Calder in February 1540. In 1542, William Sutherland of Duffus was declared by a lawful jury to be the lawful heir of his father in all of the lands and rents which his father had died

infeft In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...

within

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...

. Also in 1542, William Sutherland of Duffus and

Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver (died 1550), was the eleventh chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life Donald Mackay was the second eldest son of Iye Roy Mackay, 10th of Strathnaver, and his wife w ...

submitted to the

arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...

James Stewart, Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his ...

their claims to certain lands which had caused much blood-shed but in the end was decided in favour of Mackay which ended the feud.

Family

William Sutherland of Duffus died before the end of 1543. He married Elizabeth Stewart, who survived him and re-married to James Murray of Culbardie. William Sutherland's and Elizabeth Stewart's children were: #

Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus (died c. 1570) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Early life He was the son of William Sutherland, 7th of Duffus (died 1543) and his wife Elizabeth Stewart. He was still ...

, heir and successor of

Duffus Duffus ( gd, Dubhais) is a village and parish in Moray, Scotland. The Duffus Village Inn, the local shop, Post Office and Duffus Village Hall provide a focal point for the community. Nearby are the remains of Duffus Castle, St. Peters' Kirk, a ...

. #William Sutherland of

Evelix Evelix or Evelick ( gd, Èibhleag) is a village near Dornoch in south east Sutherland, Scotland. The River Evelix runs through it. Evelix is in the Scottish council area of Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a m ...

, who appears as a witness in

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 ...

s favoring his elder brother in 1562. He took part with his brothers in the taking and holding of

Berriedale Castle Berriedale Castle is a ruined castle located on a promontory on the south of the entrance to the Berriedale Water, Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenan ...

in 1566. In the aftermath of the Battle of Torran-Roy in 1570, where

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 ...

was burnt, he allegedly broke open the coffin of

Gilbert de Moravia Gilbert de Moravia (died 1245), later known as Saint Gilbert of Dornoch, or Gilbert of Caithness, was the most famous Bishop of Caithness and founder of Dornoch Cathedral. His name may suggest that he came from the semi-Gaelicized family of Fl ...

(died 1245) who was the Bishop of Caithness and "scattered the saint's dust to the wind". He soon after died of a disease, probably blood poisoning. #Nicholas Sutherland, who also witnessed the charters of 1562, was named in charters in 1562 and 1566, and was involved in the affair of Berriedale Castle. #Walter Sutherland, is named as a brother of Alexander Sutherland in 1562 but it is possible that William is the same person intended.

References

{{reflist Clan Sutherland Sutherland, William 1543 deaths Year of birth unknown

Early life

Laird of Duffus

Family

See also

References