Alexander Sutherland, 1st Lord Duffus facts for kids
Alexander Sutherland (who passed away in 1674) was the first Lord Duffus. He was an important member of the Scottish nobility and came from a branch of the famous Clan Sutherland family.
Contents
Life as Lord Duffus
Becoming a Knight and Politician
In 1641, after the Scottish army had entered England, Alexander Sutherland joined the Earl of Sutherland for a visit. He then went to the Parliament in Edinburgh in July 1641. He was also in Edinburgh in August 1641 to welcome Charles I of England to Scotland. It seems the King made him a knight because by 1643, he was called Sir Alexander. He served on several important committees in Parliament and was a Commissioner for Sutherland in 1646.
Supporting the National Covenant
Alexander Sutherland supported the National Covenant, which was an agreement to protect the Scottish church. Because of this, his lands, likely in Morayshire, were attacked by the Royalists, who supported the King. In 1647, he asked Parliament for money to make up for the damage. He requested £10,000 Scots for himself and £2000 Scots for his uncle, James Sutherland.
Travels and New Title
His wife passed away in 1648. After this, Alexander traveled through France and Holland. He returned to Scotland with Charles II of England on June 24, 1650. When he attended Parliament in Perth in 1651, he was given the important title of Lord Duffus, becoming a Peer.
Defending Perth
Lord Duffus was not part of the Scottish army that marched into England. Instead, he was sent from Stirling to Perth to defend it from an attack by Oliver Cromwell. However, he had only been in the town for twelve hours with just 600 men when he was forced to surrender it.
Political Challenges
After Charles II became King again, Lord Duffus went to London. There, he received letters from Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll. One of these letters was found by John Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton, who was a powerful official. Lord Duffus admitted that the Lord of Lorne had written the letter. This led to serious political trouble for the Lord of Lorne.
Alexander Sutherland, the 1st Lord Duffus, passed away on August 31, 1674.
His Family
Alexander Sutherland married four times during his life.
- His first wife was Jean Mackenzie. She was the daughter of Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth. She passed away on March 31, 1648. They had four sons together.
- His second wife was Jean Innes, whom he married on January 13, 1653. She passed away shortly after, on March 10 of the same year.
- His third wife was Margaret Stuart. She was the daughter of James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray. She passed away in January 1667.
- His fourth wife was Margaret Forbes, the eldest daughter of William, 11th Lord Forbes. She lived longer than him and later married Sir Robert Gordon, 3rd Baronet.
Lord Duffus had four sons with his first wife. His recorded children are:
- James Sutherland, 2nd Lord Duffus, who took over his title.
- Margaret Sutherland, mentioned in her father's will.
- Henrietta Sutherland, also mentioned in her father's will. She later married George Livingstone, 4th Earl of Linlithgow, but they did not have children.
