John Maitland K.G. (1616 - 1682)

Born 24 May 1616 in Lethington, nr.Haddington, Haddingtonshire, Scotland.

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 24 Aug 1682 at age 66 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.

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John MAITLAND, 1st Duke of Lauderdale

Sir John Maitland was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Biography

As Master of Lauderdale he had a grant of some of the lands of the old Abbey of Haddington. He was served heir to his father on the 5th September 1649.

John was 2nd Earl of Lauderdale until 26th May, 1672, when he was created Duke of Lauderdale and Marquess of March. He was created a Knight of the Garter on 3 June.

In the previous years, he had become Captain of the Bass, the old Lauder stronghold which they had lost about 1649. He joined King Charles II in Holland and accompanied him to Scotland in 1650. The following year he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Worcester and detained for nine years in the Tower of London, being excepted from Cromwell's 'Act of Grace' in 1654.

He had a confirmation charter on 25th May 1661 to John Maitland, Earl of Lauderdale and Secretary for the Kingdom of Scotland of "the lands of Rodgerlaw, Blacksides, Newbigging, with their pertinents, the half of the mill of Lauder, the lands of Burngrayns [Burngrange] and Whitelaw, with houses etc., and all pertinents whatsoever, lying in the bailliary of Lauderdale in Berwickshire, resigned by Richard Lauder of Haltoun."^[1]By this charter the Lauders parted with lands near the Royal Burgh of Lauder which they had possessed for centuries. (i.e., George Lauder of Haltoun [d.1433] gave a feu charter of the lands of Burngrange and Whitelaws to his nephew John Lauder [d.c1470].)

On 25 June 1674 John Maitland was created Earl of Guildford & Baron Petersham, Surrey (in the English Peerage).

His body was transported from England and interred in the Lauderdale crypt in St. Mary's, Haddington, East Lothian.

He left no male heir, consequently his Dukedom and Marquessate and his English titles became extinct, but he was succeeded in the earldom by his brother Charles Maitland, 3rd Earl of Lauderdale who had married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Lauder of Haltoun.

Marriages

Lauderdale's first marriage was to Lady Anne Home, daughter of Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home, by whom he had one daughter. Prior to her death it is strongly suspected that Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale, daughter of William Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart and now widow of Sir Lionel Tollemache, became his mistress, and they subsequently married in 1672 upon Lady Anne's death.

Wife: Isabel Seton

Marriage: BEF 18 JUN 1610

Child: John Maitland

Child: Sopia Lauderdale

Child: John Lauderdale

Child: Robert Lauderdale

Marriage: 18 JUN 1610 Lauder, Scotland^[2]

Notes

Note N30John Maitland, 2nd Earl of Lauderdale, was one of the most important and controversial Scottish figures of the late 17th century. As a leading royalist, he was a confidant of King Charles II and spent nine years in the Tower of London under sentence of death. After the Restoration, he was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland. As such, he was virtually the uncrowned King of Scotland, and wielded unrivalled power and influence.

On his second marriage to the Countess of Dysart, he was created Duke of Lauderdale and began transforming Thirlestane Castle into a fitting palace from which to direct the affairs of Scotland. He employed Sir William Bruce to undertake the remodelling of the Castle. Bringing Renaissance influences to the Scottish Baronial style, he introduced the two front towers and the grand staircase and oversaw the transformation of the interior, the most remarkable feature of which is the rich plasterwork of the State Rooms

The Duke's unscrupulous use of power eventually caused his downfall. Forced by the King to resign, he lost all his offices and was even deprived of his pension. On his death in 1682, leaving no heir, the Dukedom conferred upon him became extinct, while Thirlestane passed to his brother, Charles, 3rd Earl of Lauderdale.

Record ID Number: MH:N324

PRIN MH:I395

Sources

• The Complete Peerage by G.E.Cockayne & Hon. Vicary Gibbs, edited by H.A.Doubleday & Lord Howard de Walden, London, 1929, vol.vii, p.488.
• Marshall, Rosalind K. (2004). Murray , Elizabeth, Duchess of Lauderdale and suo jure countess of Dysart (bap. 1626, d. 1698)".

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press

• The Peerage.com - http://www.thepeerage.com/p2607.htm

• http://www.maximiliangenealogy.co.uk/burke1/Burkeindex.htm

• http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/mm4fz/murray12.php

1. ↑ The Great Seal of Scotland no.51.
2. ↑ Source: #S1 Record ID Number: MH:SC11668 Data: Text: Date of Import: Apr 18, 2004