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 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 first son of John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell (died 1593) and his wife Elizabeth Douglas (d.1637), daughter of the 7th Earl of Angus. His father was killed in a fight with the Johnstones of Annandale. He continued the feud – killing several Johnstones at Dalfeble in 1602 – until 1605 when he made peace with the Laird of Johnstone. His father had also been created Earl of Morton in 1581, and continued to be so styled, despite Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus (1555–1588), being confirmed as 5th Earl of Morton in 1586. John Maxwell subsequently quarrelled with the 7th Earl of Morton, and he was barred by the Privy Council from attending

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in 1607. Despite this, he appeared in Parliament and challenged the Earl of Morton, for which he 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 ...

. He escaped in October and fled to Dumfriesshire, where he arranged to meet the Laird of Johnstone in April 1608. During the meeting, at which both parties had given their word of truce, Johnstone was shot in the back and killed by Maxwell. He fled to France, but was convicted in his absence of treason, as well as of other killings and the escape from Edinburgh Castle. He was sentenced to death and his titles forfeit. On his return to Scotland in 1612 he was arrested, and attempted to make peace with the Johnstones by proposing a marriage between the two families. This was unsuccessful and he was beheaded at Edinburgh on 21 May 1613. The traditional ballad "

Lord Maxwell's Last Goodnight Lord Maxwell’s Last Goodnight ( Roud 4015, Child 195) is an English-language folk ballad. It is based on the actions of John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell, who killed Sir James Johnstone in 1608 as the culmination of a family feud. He fled to France ...

" is based on his actions. In 1597 he married Margaret Hamilton, daughter of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton and Margaret Lyon. The couple quarrelled and had no surviving children. His brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

was restored as 10th Lord Maxwell in 1617, and was 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, John, 9th Lord Maxwell 1613 deaths Nobility from Dumfries and Galloway Scottish Roman Catholics Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) Year of birth uncertain People convicted of treason against Scotland Executed Scottish nobility Scottish people convicted of murder People executed by Scotland 17th-century Scottish people Scottish politicians convicted of crimes John, Lord 9 1580s births