George-seton-8th-lord-seton-and-3rd-earl-of-winton

George Seton, Lord Seton, Master of Winton (15 May 1613 – 4 June 1648) was a Scottish landowner. He was the eldest surviving son of

George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton (December 1584 – 17 December 1650) was a notable Cavalier, Royalist and Cavalier, the second son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton and 6th Lord Seton, by his spouse Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd E ...

and Anna Hay. He continued the family's long-standing

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

traditions. Through his father's influence, in 1639 he married Lady Henrietta Gordon, daughter of the

Marquess of Huntly Marquess of Huntly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles; only the English ma ...

, with whom he made a great match and by whom he had four sons, of whom

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

succeeded his grandfather as fourth

Earl of Winton The title Earl of Winton was created in the Peerage of Scotland and later in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is currently held by the Earl of Eglinton. The title was first bestowed upon Robert Seton, 8th Lord Seton. His descendants held it ...

, and the others died young or without issue. Seton showed great military abilities and was firmly attached to the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

cause. The family estates flourished under his

stewardship Stewardship is a practice committed to ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, places, property, information ...

, his father providing many opportunities to learn and excel at managing the family affairs, during the many troubles of the 17th century. Seton suffered great hardships at the hands of the rebels during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, and his father had to sell long-held family estates in

Linlithgowshire West Lothian, also known as Linlithgowshire (its official name until 1925), is a counties of Scotland, historic county in the east central Lowlands of Scotland. until 1925. It is bounded geographically by the River Avon, Falkirk, Avon to the wes ...

, that of

Niddry Castle Niddry Castle is a sixteenth-century tower house near Winchburgh, West Lothian, Scotland. It is situated near the Union Canal (Scotland), Union Canal, and between two large oil shale bings, or waste heaps. Historically it was known as Niddry Se ...

and one at

Winchburgh Winchburgh is a village in the Subdivisions of Scotland, council area of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately west of the city centre of Edinburgh, east of Linlithgow and northeast of Broxburn, West Lothian, Broxburn. Demograp ...

, to rescue him from imprisonment. He died at

Seton Palace Seton Palace was situated in East Lothian, a few miles south-east of Edinburgh near the town of Prestonpans. Often regarded as the most desirable Scottish residence of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the palace was erected in the 15th c ...

on 4 June 1648, prematurely and unexpectedly of an illness probably caused by his imprisonment, predeceasing his father. Seton's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

appears in a large memorial window to the great

Marquess of Montrose A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow ...

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, as Seton was a prominent companion of that illustrious Royalist commander.

References

* 1613 births 1648 deaths Nobility from East Lothian Heirs apparent who never acceded Scottish courtesy barons and lords of Parliament

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