William Ross, 10th

Lord Ross The title of Lord Ross was a Lordship of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1499 for Sir John Ross, of Halkhead. The second Lord died at the Battle of Flodden. The 12th Lord was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Renfrew in 17 ...

of Halkhead (died 1656), was a Scottish nobleman.

Origins

Ross was the second son of

James Ross, 4th Lord Ross James Ross, 4th Lord Ross of Halkhead (died 2 April 1581) was a Scottish nobleman and an adherent to the cause of Mary, Queen of Scots. Origins Ross was the second, but oldest surviving son of Ninian Ross, 3rd Lord Ross, who died in February 1 ...

, who died on 2 April 1581, by Jean, daughter of Robert, 3rd Lord Sempill. He succeeded to the peerage following the death of his great-nephew

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 ...

in August 1648, to whom he was served heir on 20 March 1649. After his succession, he became embroiled in a legal dispute with the Countess of Eglinton (the widow of his nephew

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

) in relation to the charter-chest of the House of Ross, which she apparently declined to produce. The Rosses of Halkhead, or Hawkhead, in

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

, were a

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, not apparently related to the

Earls of Ross The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland, as well as chief of Clan Ross. Origins and transfers In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made ...

or the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

family of

Ross Ross may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ross (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan Places Antarctica * Ross Sea ...

Balnagown Balnagown Castle (also Balnagowan)(Ross Castle) is beside the village of Kildary in Easter Ross, part of the Highland area of Scotland. There has been a castle on the site since the 14th century, although the present building was remodelled in ...

.Sir James Balfour Paul, ''The Scots Peerage'', Volume VII

Career

Ross was knighted by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

on 12 July 1633. Prior to his succession to the peerage, he was known generally as William Ross of Torphin, or Sir William Ross of Muriston, or Newriston. In 1643 and 1644 he was on the Committee of War for

and was appointed Sheriff of Renfrewshire in 1646. He was on the Committee of War and Colonel for

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

and Renfrewshire in 1648 and 1649. In 1649 he was also a commissioner for the plantation of kirks (intended to provide for the regular and permanent endowment of the ministers of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

). In 1654, Ross was fined £3,000 under

Cromwell's 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 a ...

"Act of Grace", but the fine was subsequently reduced to £750.

Family

Ross married first Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Patrick Houston of Houston and widow of John Whitefoord. With her he received first a charter (11 June 1624) and then a sasine (25 June 1628) of Muriston. He married secondly Margaret, the eldest daughter of Sir James Forrester of Torwoodhead. By her he had at least one son,

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

, by whom he was succeeded on his death in 1656.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, William 1656 deaths Year of birth unknown Nobility from Renfrewshire Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1648–1651 10