William Ross, 12th Lord Ross (c.1656 – 15 March 1738), was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician.

Origins

Ross was born in about 1656. He was the son and heir of

George Ross, 11th Lord Ross George Ross, 11th Lord Ross of Halkhead (died April 1682), was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. Origins Ross was the son and heir of William Ross, 10th Lord Ross, who died in 1656, by Margaret, daughter of Sir James Forrester of Torwoodhead. The ...

, who died in 1682, by Grizel, daughter of William Cochrane, 1st

Earl of Dundonald Earl of Dundonald is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1669 for the Scottish soldier and politician William Cochrane, 1st Lord Cochrane of Dundonald, along with the subsidiary title of Lord Cochrane of Paisley and Ochiltre ...

. The Rosses of Halkhead, or Hawkhead, in

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

, were a

Lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

family, not apparently related to the

Earls of Ross The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland. Origins and transfers In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12 ...

or the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

family of Ross of Balnagown.Sir James Balfour Paul, ''

The Scots Peerage ''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Rober ...

'', Volume VII

Military career

Ross had commissions as lieutenant (27 September 1678) and captain (4 September 1680) in Lord Home's troop of horse, and as captain (26 December 1682) and major (4 August 1686) in Claverhouse's regiment of horse, the last of which, however, he shortly afterwards resigned. In 1685, he was wounded in an action during the pursuit of the

Earl of Argyll 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", particula ...

. He appears to have been a personal friend of Claverhouse, having been a witness at his wedding in 1684, and later excused himself from joining the army raised against his old friend and commander by pleading the pressure of his Parliamentary duties.

Political career

In 1689 Ross was present at the first

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

of King William and was chosen by the Convention of Estates to go to London to give the King an account of their proceedings. He was also appointed as a commissioner to consider the question of union with England. On 18 May 1689, he was appointed a member of the Privy Council. Disaffected perhaps by the lack of reward for his services, Ross became closely involved with the

Earl of Annandale 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", particula ...

in the dissident "Club" of Sir James Montgomerie of Skelmorlie. However, he recanted and, although sent to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

in July 1690, was eventually released without prosecution. The disparaging comment of Ross's contemporary, George Lockhart of Carnwath, was that:

Lord Ross was a great persecutor of the Whigs; then he joined them at the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
; then plotted to restore King James; then did turn tail, and did accuse all he knew of that partyCharles Fraser-Mackintosh, ''Antiquarian Notes: a Series of Papers regarding Families and Places in the Highlands'' (Inverness, 1865), at page 67

On 29 February 1704 Ross was appointed

Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Scottish monarch's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the Kirk), reflecting the Church's role as the national church of ...

. A later attempt in about 1707 to secure for himself the ancient Earldom of Ross aroused the genealogical indignation of the

Earl of Cromartie Earl of Cromartie () is a title that has been created twice, both for members of the Mackenzie family. It was first created as Earl of Cromarty in the Peerage of Scotland in 1703 for Sir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet, but his titles were forfe ...

, who memorably wrote that Ross had no more relation to the old Earls of Ross "than the miller of

Carstairs Carstairs (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Tarrais'') is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Carstairs is located east of the county town of Lanark and the West Coast Main Line runs through the village. The village is served by Carstairs r ...

has to the Prince of

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

". Ross died at Edinburgh on 15 March 1738.

Family

Ross married no fewer than four times: *Firstly (on 7 February 1679) to Agnes, daughter and heiress of Sir John Wilkie of Fouldean *Secondly to Margaret, daughter of

Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton (18 April 1613 – 4 February 1696) was an English soldier, politician and diplomat. He was a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War. Wharton was the son of Sir Thomas Wharton of Aske Hall and his wife ...

, widow of Major Dunch and Sir Thomas Sulyarde *Thirdly to Lady Anne, daughter of

John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale PC (1645 – 20 April 1713) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life Hay was the eldest son of John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale and his wife, Lady Jean Scott, daughter of Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch. H ...

*Fourthly (contract 16 June 1731) to Henrietta (d. 16 January 1750), daughter of Sir Francis Scott of Thirlestane By his first wife, Lord Ross had: * George Ross, 13th Lord Ross (8 April 1681 – 17 June 1754) *John Ross (b. 13 July 1687), died young *Euphame Ross (10 November 1684 – 1729), who married firstly

William Boyd, 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock William Boyd, 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock (died 1717) was a Scottish nobleman. He fought for the British Government during the Jacobite rising of 1715. References

1717 deaths Earls of Kilmarnock People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 Year ...

and secondly (after 1717) John Murray *Mary Ross (b. 18 July 1687), who married (contract 26 June 1710)

John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, KT, PC (24 February 166014 November 1724) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, and soldier. He served in numerous positions during his life, and fought in the Glorious Revolution for William III and Mary II ...

*Grizel Ross (d. November 1749), who married (in or before 1715) Sir James Lockhart of Carstairs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, William Ross, 12th Lord People from Renfrewshire 1738 deaths Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Scottish representative peers Year of birth uncertain Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland