William Kerr, first Earl of Lothian of a new creation (1605–1675) 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 ...

nobleman.

Career

Kerr signed the

national covenant The National Covenant () was an agreement signed by many people of Scotland during 1638, opposing the proposed Laudian reforms of the Church of Scotland (also known as '' the Kirk'') by King Charles I. The king's efforts to impose changes on th ...

in 1638 and marched with the Scots into England in 1640, being present when the English were routed at the

Battle of Newburn The Battle of Newburn, also known as the Battle of Newburn Ford, took place on 28 August 1640, during the Second Bishops' War. It was fought at Newburn, just outside Newcastle, where a ford crossed the River Tyne. A Scottish Covenanter ar ...

. Afterwards, he became Governor of

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. He was appointed one of the four commissioners of the treasury in 1642, was

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

of the Scots Army in Ireland, and was appointed privy councillor in the same year. He entered

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in 1644 and joined Lord Argyll in an expedition against Lord Montrose during the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...

in 1644. He was one of the commissioners sent to treat with the king at Holmby House in 1647. He was appointed secretary of state in 1649 and was one of the commissioners sent by the Scottish Parliament to protest against proceeding to extremes against the king, visiting Charles II in exile at

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

. He was a general of the Scottish forces in 1650. In 1662 he refused to take the abjuration oath.

Personal life

The eldest son of Sir Robert Kerr, later 1st

Earl of Ancram Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

, he was born within St James's Palace in

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and was educated at

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and at

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. He accompanied

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...

to the

Isle of Rhé An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

in 1627 and served in the expedition against

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in 1631. He married Anne Kerr, Countess of Lothian in 1630 and was created Lord Kerr of Newbattle and Earl of Lothian in his own right in 1631. Children of William Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian and Lady Anne Kerr: * Lady Mary Kerr (died Mar 1708), who married James Brodie, 16th Chieftain of Clan Brodie * Lady Margaret Kerr * Lady Anne Kerr (26 November 163130 August 1658) * Lady Elizabeth Kerr (born 6 September 1633), who married Sir Francis Scott of Thirlestane, and was mother of Sir William Scott of Thirlestane. *

Robert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian Robert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian (8 March 1636 – 15 February 1703), known as the 4th Earl of Lothian from 1675 to 1701, was a Scottish nobleman. He was styled Lord Kerr until 1661 and Lord Newbattle from 1661 to 1675. The eldest son of Wi ...

(8 March 163615 February 1703) * Sir William Kerr (born 22 December 1638) * Charles Kerr (born 17 July 1642) * Lady Vere Kerr (24 April 164917 April 1674) * Lady Henrietta Kerr (2 February 165330 June 1741)

References

1600s births 1675 deaths Nobility from the Scottish Borders Scottish politicians Earls of Lothian

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

Members of the Privy Council of Scotland 17th-century Scottish people Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1639–1641 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1648–1651 Peers of Scotland created by Charles I {{Scotland-earl-stub