William (Ruthven) Ruthven IInd Lord Ruthven (1500 - 1552)

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Biography

William (Ruthven) Ruthven IInd Lord Ruthven is Notable.

William (Ruthven) Ruthven IInd Lord Ruthven is a member of Clan Ruthven.

William was the son of William Ruthven, Master of Ruthven, and Jean Hepburn, of Riccarton.^[1][2] Sir William was elected provost of Perth on 10 Sept. 1528 and was made custodian of the royal manors and hospitals within the burgh^[3]

On 2 Feb. and 26 Feb. 1532 Sir William, Lord Oliphant, the Lairds of Ardoch, Moncrieffe, Tullibardine and other barons were fined for not coming forward to be on the jury for the trial of Lady Glammis at Forfar for poisoning her husband.^[4]

"What was called the King's Garden at Perth was, in the reign of James V, in the possession of the Blackfriars, and by them kept in repair. In July 1535... a number of men broke down the fences, and entering the Gilten Arbor hastily built at each end of it a butt or bowmark. Next morning the friars made a great outcry and complained to the King. A letter was thereupon addressed by the King to William, Lord Ruthven, Sheriff of the County, ruquesting him 'to do justice to the Blackfriars in opposition to the Magistrates and Council, who had taken illegal possession of certain crofts and pieces of land near the Blackfriars Monastery; and thrown down and destroyed part of the enclosures, and erected butts and bowmarks in the lands of the Gilten Arbor; had taken possession thereof, nor paid them the damage and skaith they had sustained, unless now complelled to do so.' The prior and friars pretested that they had been refused a copy of the King's letter to Lord Ruthven. The King eventually reversed the order he had given to his lordship, and appointed Patrick Ogilvie of Inchmartine and Edmond Hay, Chamberlain of Errol, to be judges in the dispute, and ordered them to exercise the office of Sheriff. The King afterwards ordered the Corporation to pay the damage and to cease troubling the friars in all time coming."(^[5]

William was appointed an extraordinary Lord of Session 16 Feb. 1539 and Keeper of the Privy Seal 8 Aug. 1546.^[6]

William's lands were made into a free forest 28 Aug. 1536.^[7] On 24 Jan. 1536 there is a charter to William, Lord Ruthven, Janet Halliburton, his wife, and James, their son of half the lands of Forteviot. There is another charter to James, second son of William, Lord Ruthven, of the barony of Legge Kingston, dated 5 Feb. 1551.^[2]

William was one of the early supporters of the Reformation in Scotland and in Parliament 13 Mar. 1543 he supported the laity reading the Scriptures in English and was called by Knox "a stout and discreet man in the cause of God". On 20 Mar 1543, he was appointed one of eight guardians of Mary, Queen of Scots, during her childhood.^[8]y.^[9]

Between the Kinfauns family and the Ruthvens a rivalry and feud existed which on several occasions led to fatal results. On 7 Oct. 1544 Sir William was again elected Provost of Perth and the next Jan. Cardinal Bethune while on a persecuting visit with the Regent Arran instigated the Regent to dismiss Sir William from his post and replace John Charteris of Kinfauns, a leading Catholic, in that office. The citizens of Perth, however, refused to acknowledge Charteris for their Provost and would not let him enter town. John Charteris, Lord Gray, Norman Leslie and others with their forces attacked the town. Sir William aided by the Laird of Moncrieff and the citizens resolved to defend the city. Lord Gray was to enter Perth from the bridge while Leslie was to bring in ammunition and men by water, but the tide was against him and he did not arrive in time. On 22 July 1544 Lord Gray finding the bridge undefended marched into town and met Sir William's army who routed them and killed about 60 of Lord Gray's men. In 1552 John Charteris of Kinclaven was killed by the Master of Ruthven on High St., Edinburgh "upon occasion of old feud and for staying of a decret of ane proces which the said John pursued against him before the Lords of Session". This led to an act of Parliament that whosoever should slay a man for pursuing an action against him should forfeit the right of judgment in his action in addition to his liability to the laws for the crime.^[9]

Sir William had a grant of the King's House in Perth where he was the keeper 13 Sept. 1546.^[9]

William, second Lord Ruthven, succeeded his grandfather. As Provost of Perth, he was made custodier of the royal manors and hospitals within the burgh, 10 September 1528, and his lands of Glenshee were erected into a free forest, 28 August 1536. He was appointed an extraordinary Lord of Session 16 February 1539, and Keeper of the Privy Seal 8 August 1546, and died between 3 and 16 December 1552. He married, and by so doing greatly added to his estates, Janet, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Patrick, Lord Haliburton of Dirleton,^[1] and had issue:

1. Patrick, succeeded his father.
2. James of Forteviot, to whom his elder brother was retoured heir 9 Jan 1553.
3. Henry, mentioned with his younger brothers in … a charter … 10 june 1540
4. William, mentioned in above charter, bu probably dead before 8 may 1543
5. Alexander of Freeland, youngest son.
6. Lilias, married to David, Lord Drummond.
7. Catherine, married … to Colin campbell of Glenorchy.
8. Cecelia, married in 1556 … to David Wemyss of Wemyss
9. Barbara, married … to Patrick, Lord Gray
10. Janet or Jean, married, first … to John Crichton
11. Margaret, married … to James Johnston of Elphinstone.
12. Christian, married to William Lundin of that Ilk.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Paul, James Balfour. "The Scots Peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1907, Vol. IV, Archive.org, pp. 259-61
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Cowan, Samuel, "The Ruthven Family Papers: The Ruthven Version of the Conspiracy and Assassination at Gowrie House Perth, 5th Aug 1600", London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd, 1912, Archive.org, pp32-3
3. ↑ Reg. Mag. Sig., "Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum : The register of the Great seal of Scotland, A.D. 1513-1546 published by the authority of the Lords commissioners of H.M. Treasury.", Edinburgh: General Register House, 1883, Vol. 3, Archive.org, p. 159, no. 683, 10 Sep 1528
4. ↑ The Scottish Nation- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880 quoting Pitcairn's Criminal Trials- Vol. I, p. 158
5. ↑ Cowan, Samuel, "The Ruthven Family Papers: The Ruthven Version of the Conspiracy and Assassination at Gowrie House Perth, 5th Aug 1600", London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd, 1912, Archive.org, pp. 44-5
6. ↑ Reg. Mag. Sig., "Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum : The register of the Great seal of Scotland, A.D. 1513-1546 published by the authority of the Lords commissioners of H.M. Treasury.", Edinburgh: General Register House, 1883, Vol. 3, Archive.org, p. 159, no. 683, 10 Sep 1528
7. ↑ Reg. Mag. Sig., "Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum : The register of the Great seal of Scotland, A.D. 1513-1546 published by the authority of the Lords commissioners of H.M. Treasury.", Edinburgh: General Register House, 1883, Vol. 3, Archive.org, p. 360, no. 1617, 29 Aug 1536
8. ↑ Acts of Parliament, Peerage of Scotland: A Genealogical and Historical Account of all the Peers of that Ancient Kingdom; their Descents, collateral Branches, Births, Marriages, and Issue., London: J Almon, 1767, Vol. II, Hathitrust, pp. 414-15. Transciption at RPS; The regent, James Hamilton, with the advice of Parliament appointed William Keith, William Graham, John Erskine, William Ruthven, Alexander Livingston, John Lindsay, George Seton, and John Campbell as "keepers of the Queen's grace."
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} The Scottish Nation; Historie of the Kirk of Scotland- Calderwood, Vol. I, p.158

See also:

• Wikipedia: William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven

• Wikidata: Item Q8017874, en:Wikipedia

• The Peerage: William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven

• Clan MacFarlane: William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven, Hereditary Sheriff of Perthshire

• WeRelate: William RUghtven, 2nd Lord Ruthven

• Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage- Charles Mosley, Ed., Burke's Peerage Ltd.- 107th edition, 2003- Vol. I, pp. 690-1