Robert Seton, 2nd Earl of Winton and 9th Lord Seton (c. 1583 – January 1634) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

Peer. He succeeded his father

Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton (1553 – 22 March 1603) was one of the Scottish peers who supported Mary, Queen of Scots. Early years The son of George Seton, 7th Lord Seton, Robert Seton grew up active in the affairs of his father and of t ...

in March, 1603. A devoted Catholic and supporter of the

Stuarts The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been hel ...

all of his life, he began rebuilding the

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 ...

, which his brother the 3rd Earl continued and completed. Robert, 2nd Earl of Winton was, however, unbalanced, and went mad on his wedding night, emptying a

chamber pot A chamber pot is a portable toilet, meant for nocturnal use in the bedroom. It was common in many cultures before the advent of indoor plumbing and flushing toilets. Names and etymology "Chamber" is an older term for bedroom. The chamber pot ...

down his bride's cleavage, and was accordingly kept shut away at Seton, where he diligently worked away on his building project and the management of the family estates, until his death. His unfortunate thirteen year old bride was Anne Maitland, a daughter of John Maitland of

Thirlestane Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wat ...

and

Jean Fleming Jean Fleming, Countess of Cassilis (1553/4–1609) was a Scottish noblewoman and courtier at the court of James VI of Scotland, and a survivor of domestic violence. Biography Jean Fleming was born in 1553/4, daughter of James Fleming, 4th Lord ...

. She died in 1609. Because of his incapacity he was prevailed upon to resign the Earldom in favour of his younger brother

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 ...

on 26 June 1606, although this was not put into effect until 12 May 1607. It has been said that his brother George's motivation for restoring and rebuilding Winton House, was to ensure that his older brother Robert would be suitably and honorably cared for during the remainder of his life after presenting him with the family honours and estates at such an opportune age in life. Robert, however, continued to manage the family coalmines. During a period when the king and

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 ...

attempted to limit exports and prevent proprietors raising prices, on 12 June 1622

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...

wrote to Robert from Whitehall, allowing him to export his coal as he wished. Lord Winton married, on 1 February 1603, Anna (d. 6 July 1609), only daughter of

John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane John Maitland, 1st Earl of Lauderdale, Viscount of Lauderdale, Viscount Maitland, and Lord Thirlestane and Boltoun, (died January 1645) was President of the Parliament of Scotland as well as the Privy Council of Scotland, Privy Council, a lawyer an ...

and

. As part of the marriage contract Fleming paid for rebuilding work at

Winton Castle Winton Castle is a historic building set in a large estate between Pencaitland and Tranent in East Lothian, Scotland. The castle is situated off the B6355 road approximately north of Pencaitland at . The castle is still a private residence, an ...

.George Seton, ''History of the family of Seton during eight centuries'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1896) p. 897. Anna Maitland subsequently petitioned for divorce on the grounds of her husband's impotence.

References

*Mosley, Charles, ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'', 106th edition, Crans, Switzerland, 1999, p. 950, {{DEFAULTSORT:Seton, Robert 2nd Earl of Winton Winton, Robert 2nd Earl of Winton, Robert 2nd Earl of Winton, Robert, 2nd Earl of 16th-century Scottish peers 17th-century Scottish peers 2

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 ...

Lords Seton