John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair (died 27 March 1659) was a Scottish statesman who was created Baron Stewart of Traquair in 1628 and Earl of Traquair in 1633.

Life

He was the son of John Stewart, the Younger, of Traquair in Peeblesshire, of a branch, originally illegitimate, of the house of Buchan. His mother was Margaret Stewart, a daughter of Andrew, Master of Ochiltree, and Margaret Stewart. She was a lady-in-waiting in the household of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

. He was appointed

Treasurer-depute of Scotland The Treasurer-depute was a senior post in the pre-Act of Union 1707, Union government of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland. It was the equivalent of the English post of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Originally a deputy to the Treasurer of Scotland, ...

and an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 1630. In February 1633 Traquair visited building and repair works at

Linlithgow Palace The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland in the 15th and 16th ce ...

, Dunfermline Palace, and

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

. In 1633 Charles I was crowned in Edinburgh, and Traquair was involved in repairing the Scottish crown jewels and the royal wardrobe. Traquair is said to have given the casting vote against John Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Balmerino at his trial in 1634, but afterwards obtained his pardon. From 1636 to 1641 he held the office of Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, and aided Charles I in introducing the

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

. He endeavoured to prevent a conflict by impressing on the king the necessity of caution and the danger of extreme measures against the rioters. He was, however, compelled to publish Charles's proclamation enforcing the use of the liturgy and forbidding hostile demonstrations on pain of treason (1638). This was followed by military measures in which Traquair assisted by secretly conveying munitions of war to Dalkeith Palace. He was, however, obliged to surrender the place with the regalia to the

Covenanters Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...

(March 1639). After the Treaty of Berwick he was appointed the

king's commissioner A King's commissioner (, ''CvdK'') is the head of government and legislature in a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands. When the List of monarchs of the Netherlands, reigning monarch is a woman, the title is Queen's commission ...

to the assembly at

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 ...

(August 1639), and he assented in writing to the act abolishing episcopacy, but prevented its ratification by adjourning the opening of parliament. His apparent double-dealing made him suspected by both parties, and in 1641 the Scottish parliament issued a warrant for his arrest. In his absence he was sentenced to death, but, although the king secured the remission of this penalty, he was dismissed from his office of treasurer, and in 1644, for repairing to the court and opposing the covenant, he was declared an enemy to religion and fined 40,000 marks. Stewart was accused of being a freemason. His son, Lord Linton, whom he had sent to Montrose with a troop of horse, withdrew on the eve of the Battle of Philiphaugh (September 1645) and it has been supposed that Traquair betrayed Montrose's plans to David Leslie. He was readmitted to parliament in 1646, raised cavalry for the "engagement" between the king and the Covenanters, and was captured at Preston (1648). He was released by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

in 1654, and died on 27 March 1659. He was succeeded by his only son John (c. 1622–1666), whose descendants held the title until 1861, when on the death of Charles, the 8th earl, it became dormant or extinct.

Family

He married Lady Catherine Carnegie, daughter of David Carnegie, 1st Earl of Southesk and had three children: * John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Traquair (c. 1622–1666). * Margaret Stewart, married James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Queensberry. Parents of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry. * Elizabeth Stewart, married Patrick Murray, 2nd Lord Elibank.

Notes

References

* That article references: ** Spalding, ''Memorialls'' ( Spalding Club) ** Sir James Balfour, ''Annals'' (ed. Haig, 1824) ** '' Dict. Nat. Biog.'', vol. liv. {{DEFAULTSORT:Traquair, John Stewart, 1st Earl of Year of birth unknown 1659 deaths Nobility from the Scottish Borders Lord high treasurers of Scotland Earls in the Peerage of Scotland Peers of Scotland created by Charles I Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Extraordinary Lords of Session Members of the Privy Council of Scotland 17th-century Scottish politicians 17th-century Scottish peers Lords High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1621 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1625 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1639–1641 Treasurers-depute

Life

Family

See also

Notes

References