William Cranstoun, 3rd Lord Cranstoun (born before 1620, died after July 1664) was a Scottish

Lord of Parliament A Lord of Parliament () was the holder of the lowest form of peerage, entitled as of right to take part in sessions of the pre- Union Parliament of Scotland. Since that Union in 1707, it has been the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ran ...

and a renowned

Cavalier The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...

Origins

William Cranstoun was the only son and heir to his father, James, Master of Cranstoun (the second son of William Cranstoun, 1st Lord Cranstoun), by his spouse Elizabeth, daughter of Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell. He succeeded to the peerage on the death without issue of his uncle, John Cranstoun, 2nd Lord Cranstoun. The Cranstouns were a prominent

Lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

family, whose estates had since at least the 14th century been centred on Cranston (or "Cranstoun"), in

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

, and

Denholm Denholm is a small village located between Jedburgh and Hawick in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, UK. The estimated population of Denholm is 600. There is a village green in the centre. It lies in the valley of the River Teviot. Denho ...

, in the Borders.Sir John Balfour Paul, ''The Scots Peerage'', volume II (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1905), at pages 585ff.

Royalist

In 1648 he was one of the "Engagers" for King Charles I. He accompanied King Charles II into England in 1651 and was taken prisoner at the

battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1642 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...

, and remained in confinement for several years in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. His estate was sequestrated, lands of £200 a year value being settled on his wife and children, and he was excepted from

Cromwell's Act of Grace Cromwell's Act of Grace, or more formally the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, was an Act of the Parliament of England that declared that the people of Scotland (with certain exceptions) were pardoned for any crimes they migh ...

in April 1654.

Swedish service

In 1656 he was allowed to levy 1000 men for the service of king

Charles X Gustav of Sweden Charles X Gustav, also Carl X Gustav (; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's ...

, and, probably at his instance, was formally pardoned by Parliament in 1657.

Duel

On 15 January 1661/2 he, being then 'of the parish of St. Margaret's, Westminster', was found guilty of slaying Alexander Skringer, Esq., with a rapier in self-defence.

Marriage

Cranstoun married by contract on 10 July 1643, Mary, fifth and youngest daughter of

Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (4 April 1661) was a Scottish army officer. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of field marshal in Swedish Army, and in Scotland became Lord General in comma ...

, by whom he had: * James Cranstoun, 4th Lord Cranstoun *Alexander Cranstoun *Agnes Cranstoun *Helen Cranstoun, who married the

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

mason John Adam; their son was the architect William Adam.Gifford, John (1989) ''William Adam, 1689–1748'', Mainstream / RIAS, p. 68 *Margaret Cranstoun *Christian Cranstoun *Elizabeth Cranstoun *Mary Cranstoun *Barbara Cranstoun The 3rd Lord Cranstoun was still alive on 29 July 1664, when his son had a charter of lands where he was designated "James, Master of Cranstoun".

References

*''The Royal Families of England Scotland and Wales, with their descendants'' etc., by John and John Bernard Burke, London, 1848, volume 1, pedigree CXXXIX. *''Index to Genealogies, Birthbriefs, and Funeral Escutcheons'', recorded in the Lyon office, by Francis J. Grant, W.S., Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records, Edinburgh, 1908, p. 12. *''The Complete Peerage'', by G. E. Cokayne, under 'Cranstoun'. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cranstoun, William 3rd Lord 17th-century births Year of death unknown Nobility from Midlothian Cavaliers Lords of Parliament (pre-1707)