John Gordon, 14th Earl of Sutherland facts for kids
John Gordon (born 1609, died 1679) was an important Scottish nobleman. He was the 14th Earl of Sutherland.
John was the son of John Gordon, 13th Earl of Sutherland and Agnes Elphinstone. His mother's father, Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone, was the Lord Treasurer of Scotland.
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Fighting in the Civil War
John Gordon was a strong supporter of the Covenanters. These were people in Scotland who wanted to protect their Presbyterian church from changes by the King. His friends called him "the good Earl John." He fought against the King's supporter, Marquess of Montrose, at the Battle of Auldearn in 1645. After this, he later helped King Charles II.
Keeper of the King's Seal
In 1649, the Parliament of Scotland chose John Gordon for an important job. He became the Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland. This person was in charge of the King's private seal, which was used to make official documents valid. He held this job until 1660. He is the only Keeper of the Privy Seal ever chosen by the Scottish Parliament itself.
Managing the Sutherland Lands
In 1631, a man named Alexander Murray of Aberscross passed away. He left behind a son and two daughters. Half of his land went directly to the Earl of Sutherland. The other half also went to the Earl because the last owner of Duffus, who was in charge of that part of the land, had also died.
According to Sir Robert Gordon, the 14th Earl, John Gordon, treated Alexander Murray's family very fairly. This was because the Murray family had served the Sutherlands faithfully for a long time. He gave parts of the land to Alexander's mother and his wife. He also gave some land to Alexander's children to help them. Another part was kept by the Earl to show he was the main owner of the land. The Aberscross estate had many debts, so it was hard for the original family to get it back.
His Family
John Gordon, the 14th Earl of Sutherland, married Lady Jean Drummond. She was the daughter of James Drummond, the 1st Earl of Perth. They had four children:
- John Gordon, Lord Strathnaver, born in 1632. He sadly died in 1637 from Smallpox at Dunrobin Castle.
- George Gordon, 15th Earl of Sutherland, who became the next Earl after his father.
- Robert Gordon, born in 1635 at Dunrobin. He was chosen to represent Sutherland in the Parliament of 1661. He married Jean, the oldest daughter of John Mackay, 2nd Lord Reay.
- Lady Jean Gordon, born in 1634. She married Captain Robert Stewart of Ethay in 1657.
Later, John Gordon married Anna Fraser. She was the daughter of Hugh Fraser, 7th Lord Lovat.
