William Sutherland, 10th of Duffus (died 1626) was a member of the Scottish

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

of the

Clan Sutherland Clan Sutherland also known as House of Sutherland is a Highland Scottish clan whose traditional territory is the shire of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. The chief of the clan was also the powerful Earl of Sutherland; however, in the ear ...

Early life

He was the son of William Sutherland, 9th of Duffus who had married firstly, Margaret, daughter of

George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness George Sinclair (died 1582) was a Scottish nobleman, the 4th Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life He was the son of John Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Caithness and Elizabeth, daughter ...

. It is not known when she died, but he married secondly, Margaret, daughter of

William Mackintosh, 15th of Mackintosh William Mackintosh, 15th of Mackintosh (died 1550) was the chief of the Clan Mackintosh, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. He was also chief of the confederation of clans that was known as the Clan Chattan. Early life William Mackintosh, ...

Laird of Duffus

William Sutherland, 10th of Duffus was served heir to his father, the deceased William Sutherland, 9th of Duffus, in the lands and

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Skelbo, within the earldom of Sutherland which was then accounted within the sheriffdom of Inverness, on 30 April 1616. From that date onward he was embroiled with his neighbors, beginning with differences with

Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun (14 May 1580 – 1656) was a Scottish politician and courtier, known as the historian of the noble house of Sutherland. Early life Born at Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Sutherland, on 14 May 1580, he was the fourt ...

who was then the

Tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

of the Earl of Sutherland. He also took up an aggressive position in regard to the

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s of the lands of Proncy, not only by legal means to stop them going to the young Earl of Sutherland, but also by carrying off the

Teind In Scotland a teind () was a tithe derived from the produce of the land for the maintenance of the clergy. It is also an old lowland term for a tribute due to be paid by the fairies to the devil every seven years. Found in the story of Tam Lin as ...

- Sheaves to his own barns. However, he was compelled by the Sheriff of Sutherland to give these up. The matter was brought before the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

which decided against him on the issue of the tithes, but he submitted other questions in dispute to

arbitration Arbitration is a formal method of dispute resolution involving a third party neutral who makes a binding decision. The third party neutral (the 'arbitrator', 'arbiter' or 'arbitral tribunal') renders the decision in the form of an 'arbitrati ...

which was arranged to take place at

Elgin, Moray Elgin ( ; ; ) is a historic town (former cathedral city) and formerly a royal burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above th ...

in October 1617. In 1621, he became involved in another serious dispute, this time with John Gordon, younger of

Embo Embo or EMBO may refer to: *Embo, Taguig, a grouping of barangays in Taguig, Philippines * Embo (''Star Wars''), a ''Star Wars'' fictional character *Embo S.p.A., an Italian automotive manufacturer *Embo, Sutherland, a village in Highland, Scotland ...

. The Sutherland Laird of Duffus was the first to use violence, assaulting Gordon and slightly wounding him. This led to a feud between the two families which peaked in 1625. Both sides appeared in the law-courts but refused all attempts at reconciliation. Then the Sutherland Laird of Duffus died suddenly in October 1626, and the two families were re-concealed.

Family

He married Jean, daughter of John Grant of Freuchie by contract on 19 September 1612. She survived him and married secondly, Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden. William Sutherland, 10th of Duffus and Jean Grant's children were: #

Alexander Sutherland, 1st Lord Duffus Alexander Sutherland (died 1674) was the 1st Lord Duffus, a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet branch, cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Early life He was the eldest son of William Sutherland, 10th of Duffus and his wife Jean, daughter of ...

, heir and successor. #William Sutherland, named in the testament of his brother the Lord Duffus in 1674. He left a son, James Sutherland, who left a son, another James Sutherland, whose son was Lieutenant Hugh Sutherland. #John Sutherland, named on the Commission of Supply for the county of Elgin in 1649 as brother of the Laird of Duffus. He married Isabella, eldest daughter of David Ross of Balnagowan, but died without issue. His brother William was named as his heir in his lands of Kinminitie and others. #Anna Sutherland, married Patrick Grant, brother of James Grant of Freuchie.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, William 1626 deaths Year of birth unknown Nobility from Moray Clan Sutherland 16th-century Scottish nobility 17th-century Scottish nobility

Early life

Laird of Duffus

Family

See also

References