John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl (1507–1542) was the son of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl and Lady Janet Campbell, a daughter of

Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll Gillespie Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll ( – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman and politician who was killed at the Battle of Flodden. Biography Archibald was the eldest son of Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll and Isabel Ste ...

and Elizabeth Stewart. The Scottish chronicle writer Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie recorded that John Stewart built a lavish temporary palace near

Pitlochry Pitlochry (; gd, Baile Chloichridh or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotlan ...

to entertain

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and du ...

and his mother

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Ma ...

while hunting (circa 1532). The Palace was made of tree branches, but moated and hung with tapestry and silk inside with glass windows and the lavish food for three days cost £1000. When the royal party left, the Earl's Highland men burnt the lodging to the astonishment of the Italian Papal envoy present who was told that this was local custom. The king's bed was carried to Atholl for seven days in August and September 1532. The trip may also have been in part to adjudicate on local issues. In July 1536, James V granted the Earl a free barony of the lands of Glenlochy in

Perthshire Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the nort ...

. The Earl was involved in promoting royal rule in Perthshire. He became involved in the Campbell family struggle with the

MacGregors Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor, () is a Highland Scottish clan that claims an origin in the early 9th century. The clan's most famous member is Rob Roy MacGregor of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Clan is also known to hav ...

, and in October 1530 expelled the MacGregors from the house of the Isle of

Loch Rannoch Loch Rannoch (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Raineach'') is a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is over long in a west–east direction with an average width of about , and is deepest at its eastern end, reaching a depth of .Tom Weir. ...

. The Earl was also a rival of the

Menzies Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

family who held lands in the same region. John Stewart died in 1542, possibly from a fever caught during the military campaign on the English border that lead to the

Battle of Solway Moss The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish border in November 1542 between English and Scottish forces. The Scottish King James V had refused to break from the Catholic Ch ...

Marriages and children

He married Grizzel Rattray and was succeeded as Earl by their son

John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl (died 25 April 1579), called the Fair, was a Scottish nobleman and courtier. He was favoured by Mary, Queen of Scots, but later turned against her. Biography Stewart was the son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atho ...

. In 1542 he married Jean Forbes, a daughter of

John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes (died 1547) was a Scottish landowner. He was the son of William Forbes, 3rd Lord Forbes and Christian Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly. He became Lord Forbes after the death of his brother Arth ...

and Elizabeth Berlay. Their daughter Barbara Stewart married James Menzies of Weem. Another daughter, Margaret Stewart, married John Grant of Freuchie.William Fraser, ''The chiefs of Grant: Memoirs'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1883). p. 152.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atholl, John Stewart, 3rd Earl Of 1507 births 1542 deaths

Atholl Atholl or Athole ( gd, Athall; Old Gaelic ''Athfhotla'') is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands, bordering (in anti-clockwise order, from Northeast) Marr, Badenoch, Lochaber, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth, and Gowrie. H ...

Earls of Atholl Court of James V of Scotland