Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassillis ( ; 12 May 1515 – 15 November 1558) was a Scottish landowner, soldier, politician, and judge. He served as

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Biography

He was the son of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassillis, and succeeded to the titles of 5th Lord Kennedy and 3rd Earl of Cassillis in August 1527. On 6 February 1540/41 he had a charter of the

Fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of Cassillis. As a young man, Kennedy studied at the University of St. Andrews and in

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under the Scottish

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George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

for five years. In November 1542, Kennedy, in his late twenties at the time, was taken prisoner at 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 Chu ...

, and after a short stint in the

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, was placed under the care of

Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a theologian, leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He is honoured as a Oxford Martyrs, martyr ...

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. Scottish historian

Gilbert Burnet Gilbert Burnet (18 September 1643 – 17 March 1715) was a Scottish people, Scottish philosopher and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch language, Dutch, French language, French, Latin language, Latin, Greek language, Gree ...

(1643-1715) believed that it was this relationship with Cranmer that led Kennedy toward

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, as certainly he was one of the first of the Scottish nobility to adopt

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views. However, since his time with Cranmer lasted only one month, it is likely that his earlier contact with Buchanan had been a stronger influence in this regard. Sir Thomas Wharton, Warden of the English West March, wrote to the Privy Council of King Henry VIII, on the tenth of December 1542, regarding ransoms for prisoners taken at the battle, including the Earl of Cassillis, who was taken by Batill Routlege. Credit was also given to John Musgrave who "claimeth a part for the loan of his horse to the said Routlege". Cassillis held the office of

in 1554, of Extraordinary Lord of Session between 1546 and 1558. During the war with England known as the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...

, Cassillis fought in the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk, Lothian, River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the U ...

on 10 September 1547. Two years later, during the siege of Haddington he organised the demolition of East Linton Bridge to hinder English troops. Cassillis borrowed money from Timothy Cagnioli, an Italian financier, for his expenses as a diplomat in France in 1558. The sum of £6,720 Scots was not repaid in 1586, and Cagnioli claimed it from his grandson, John Kennedy, 5th Earl of Cassillis. In 1558 he was present, as one of the eight Commissioners appointed by the

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, at the marriage of

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, to the

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, to whom the Scottish deputies unanimously refused the

Crown matrimonial In Scots law, the Crown Matrimonial was the right of a queen regnant's male consort to reign equally with his wife, as king consort. The Crown Matrimonial of Scotland was sought by King Francis II of France, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, by th ...

. The Court of France appeared deeply mortified by this disappointment, and the Earl of Cassillis, with two others of the Commissioners, dying in one night, on 28 November 1558, at

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, a report was raised that they had been poisoned, which was further countenanced by the death of a fourth Commissioner, Lord Fleming, at

, on 16 December 1558. However, according to the

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, this report was untrue, as the actual dates of death of these persons were not the same, with Cassillis dying in November.

Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...

had appointed Gilbert as Gentleman in Ordinary of his Chamber on 4 May 1558, and this honour was transferred to his heir, Gilbert, 4th Earl of Cassillis on 10 February 1559.

Family

In 1540 the Earl married Margaret Kennedy (d. 1580), a daughter of Thomas Kennedy of Bargany and widow of Hugh Wallace of Craigie, and they had five children. * Lady Katherine Kennedy, who married Sir Patrick Vans of Barnbarroch * Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of Cassillis (c. 1541–1576) * Sir Thomas Kennedy of Culzean, Tutor of Cassillis (b. c. 1549, d. 1602). He joined the court of James VI as a gentleman of the bedchamber in October 1580.William Boyd, ''Calendar of State Papers Scotland: 1574-1581'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 531. * Lady Jean Kennedy (bef. 1558 – c.1598); married Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney. * Lady Isobel Kennedy (24 July 1542 – 12 January 1598); married Sir Patrick Mc Elwain of Thomaston Castle and had descendants.

References

----------- * Edmund Lodge ''The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage'', 1859
at Googe Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassilis, Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of 1515 births 1558 deaths Nobility from South Ayrshire 2 Gilbert Treasurers of Scotland Extraordinary Lords of Session Converts to Protestantism from Roman Catholicism Scottish soldiers Scottish murder victims Scottish diplomats