John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell (24 April 1553 – 7 December 1593) was a Scottish Catholic nobleman. In 1581 he was created

Earl of Morton The title Earl of Morton was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the courtesy title for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton. ...

, and in 1587 he travelled to Spain where he took part in the planning of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

Biography

The noble House of

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...

had held the castle of Caerlaverock near

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

since the 13th century, and by the mid-16th century were the most powerful family in south-west Scotland. John Maxwell was the second son of Robert Maxwell, 6th Lord Maxwell (died 13 September 1552) and his wife Beatrix Douglas, daughter of

James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton (died 1548) was a Scottish aristocrat. Earl of Morton He was a son of John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton and a grandson of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Joan of Scotland, a daughter of James I of Scotla ...

. He was born seven months after his father's death, and succeeded as 8th Lord Maxwell at the age of two, following the death of his brother Robert at the age of four. In 1581,

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort murder of Lord Darnley, Henry Darnley. He was the last of th ...

, was convicted of the murder of

Lord Darnley Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Scot ...

in 1567 and executed, and his titles

forfeit Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke * "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from '' Wonder What's Next'' * '' Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers ...

. On 29 October 1581, James Maxwell was created

, with the subsidiary title Lord Carlyle and Eskdale, and he received the lands of Morton in a charter the same year. In 1585, his rights to the lands were revoked, although he apparently retained the right to use the title. He was styled Earl of Morton until his death, despite

Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton (15554 August 1588) was a Scottish aristocrat. Family background He was the son of David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus, David, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates i ...

(1555–1588), being confirmed as 5th Earl of Morton in 1586. Maxwell served on the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

, and as Warden of the West Marches between 1571 and 1577. After the

Raid of Ruthven The Raid of Ruthven, the kidnapping of King James VI of Scotland, was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 23 August 1582."Ruthven, William", by T. F. Henderson, in ''Dictionary of National Biography'', Volume 50 (Smith, Elder, ...

, in September 1583 Maxwell went to

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, who took refuge there from political and religious turmoil of her times. Today it is under th ...

towards James VI. He wrote to his kinsman John Maxwell of Pollok to join him at Perth where there would be a convention. In 1585 Maxwell returned to the Roman Catholic faith and had masses sung and said at Lincluden at Christmas, and for this was imprisoned in

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

and then placed under house arrest in Edinburgh. In 1587, he was given leave to go overseas, travelling to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

where he took part in the planning of the

of 1588. Maxwell returned to Scotland in May 1588 at Dundee and passed into the country in disguise with "a plaid about him, like a wayfaring man". James VI ordered him to surrender his castles of

Lochmaben Lochmaben () is a small town and civil parish in Scotland, and site of a castle. It lies west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway. By the 12th century the Bruce family had become the local landowners and, in the 14th century, Edward I of Engl ...

Langholm Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Langholm lies between four hills in the valley of the River Esk in the Southern Uplands. Location and geography Langholm sits n ...

, Threave and Caerlaverock. Lochmaben was besieged, and Maxwell was arrested as a traitor. He was placed in the custody of William Stewart of Monkton, then imprisoned in Edinburgh

Tolbooth A tolbooth or town house was the main municipal building of a Scotland, Scottish burgh, from medieval times until the 19th century. The tolbooth usually provided a council meeting chamber, a court house and a jail. The tolbooth was one of th ...

, and later in

Blackness Castle Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Falkirk, Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness ...

. He was freed in 1589 on a bond of £100,000. In 1592 he was reappointed as Warden of the West Marches. On 7 December 1593, an ongoing feud with the Johnstones of Annandale led to a fight at Dryfe Sands near

Lockerbie Lockerbie (, ) is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, located in south-western Scotland. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town had an estimated population of in . The town came to international attention in December 1988 when ...

at which Lord Maxwell was killed. His son

John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell ( – 21 May 1613) was a Scottish Catholic nobleman. He escaped from Edinburgh Castle in 1607, and in 1608 shot the Laird of Johnstone. For these crimes, he was executed and his titles were forfeit. Biography The ...

, continued the feud and was executed in 1613 for the revenge killing of Sir James Johnstone.

Marriage and children

Lord Maxwell married Elizabeth Douglas (d.1637), daughter of the 7th Earl of Angus. They married during the Marian Civil War in 1571.

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scot ...

planned a banquet for their

handfasting Handfasting is a traditional practice that, depending on the term's usage, may define an unofficiated wedding (in which a couple marries without an officiant, usually with the intent of later undergoing a second wedding with an officiant), a ...

at Dalkeith Castle but Marian forces ambushed those carrying food, wine, and silverware. They had seven children: *

(1583–1613), forfeited the Lordship in 1609 *

Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Nithsdale Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Nithsdale (after 1586 – May 1646), was a Scottish nobleman. He succeeded his brother as 10th Lord Maxwell in 1613, and was created Earl of Nithsdale in 1620. General of Scots in Danish-Norwegian service during the ...

(after 1586–1646), restored to the Lordship in 1617 and created

Earl of Nithsdale Earl of Nithsdale was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1620 for Robert Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell, with remainder to heirs male. He was made Lord Maxwell, Eskdale and Carlyle at the same time. The title of Lord Maxwell had be ...

in 1620 * James * Elizabeth, married John Maxwell, 6th Lord Herries * Margaret (1580–1630), married John Wallace * Jean * Agnes In June 1593 he wrote to a prospective husband for his daughter Elizabeth, John Maxwell of Pollok, "that it is a great disgrace for a gentlewoman to woo and then be disappointed".Rosalind K. Marshall, ''Virgins and Viragos: A History of Women in Scotland'' (Collins, 1983), p. 69: William Fraser
''Memoirs of the Maxwells of Pollok'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1863), p. 168
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, John, 8th Lord Maxwell 1553 births 1593 deaths Nobility from Dumfries and Galloway Scottish Roman Catholics Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) 16th-century Scottish people 16th-century Scottish politicians Expatriates from the Kingdom of Scotland Expatriates in Spain John, Lord 8 Members of the Privy Council of Scotland