William Sutherland 4th of Duffus Coat of Arms

William Sutherland, 4th of Duffus (died 1513) 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 (died 1474) and the grandson of

Alexander Sutherland, 3rd of Duffus Alexander Sutherland, 3rd of Duffus (died 1482) was a Scottish member of the nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Laird of Duffus He was the son of Henry Sutherland of Torboll and Margaret Mureff or Moray. His uncle was John Sutherland, ...

. He also had an elder brother named Alexander Sutherland who died before 8 October 1478, and so William succeeded to the estate of

Duffus Duffus () is a village and parish in Moray, Scotland. The local shop and Post Office and Duffus Village Hall provide a focal point for the community. Nearby are the remains of Duffus CastleSt. Peters' Kirk and Spynie Palace. Name The name of ...

Dispute to title

William Sutherland, 4th of Duffus had a niece, Christina Sutherland, who was the daughter of his brother Alexander. After she married William Oliphant she disputed the right to the title of Duffus. She had powerful friends and the issue was long debated in the

ecclesiastical court In organized Christianity, an ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain non-adversarial courts conducted by church-approved officials having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. Histo ...

s in both

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The matter was finally settled in about 1507 in a contract which favoured William Sutherland and in which Christina's son, George Oliphant, signed over his rights to the estates to William Sutherland who subsequently received a Crown

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

for the lands of Duffus.

Death

According to George Harvey Johnstone writing in 1910, William Sutherland, 4th of Duffus died before February 1513–14. According to

James Balfour Paul Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926. Life James Balfour Paul was educated at Royal High School, Edinbur ...

's 1906 ''

The Scots Peerage ''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Rober ...

'', he may have been killed fighting at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton or Brainston Moor was fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and resulted in an English victory ...

which took place on 8 September 1513.

Family

According to James Balfour Paul's ''The Scots Peerage'', William Sutherland's wife may have been a Janet Innes ''Lady Greeship'', said to be the daughter of the family of Innes, who as a widow remarried before 1517 to Hugh Rose of Kilravock. William Sutherland, 4th of Duffus is known to have left one son,

William Sutherland, 5th of Duffus William Sutherland, 5th of Duffus (died 1529) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Early life He was the son of William Sutherland, 4th of Duffus who died in 1513 and his mother may have been Janet Innes La ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, William 1513 deaths Year of birth unknown Nobility from Moray Clan Sutherland 15th-century Scottish nobility 16th-century Scottish nobility

Early life

Dispute to title

Death

Family

See also

References