William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie

William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, 4th Lord of Ruthven (c. 1541 – May 1584) was a Scottish peer known for devising the Raid of Ruthven.

Life and career

William Ruthven was born in 1541 in Ruthven Castle, Perthshire, Scotland, the son of Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven.[1] On 23 August 1581, he was named Earl of Gowrie by James VI of Scotland.[2]

In 1582 Ruthven devised and undertook the Raid of Ruthven - a plot to seize the fifteen-year-old James VI during the king's visit to his home at Hunting-tower Castle. Ruthven was the last-known custodian of the silver casket that contained the Casket Letters; letters said to have been written by Mary, Queen of Scots, implicating her in the murder of her husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.[3]

In May 1584 Ruthven was detained, tried, and beheaded at Stirling Castle because of his leading involvement in the Raid of Ruthven and all of his honors were forfeited. Following his execution, his lands were divided among the king's favourites.[1] A letter produced in the posthumous trial of Robert Logan of Restalrig in 1609 referred to William as Greysteil, a character in a popular poem of his time noted for his strength and sinister powers.[4]

Marriage and children

William Ruthven was married to Dorothea Stewart, the oldest daughter of Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven and Janet Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl. William and Dorothea had at least 14 children, ten daughters and four sons including:[5]

Jean Ruthven, wife of James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Airlie
Barbara Ruthven, lady in waiting to Anne of Denmark
Beatrix Ruthven, lady in waiting to Anne of Denmark, wife of John Home of Cowdenknowes.
Lilias (or Sophie) Ruthven (d. 1591), first wife of Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox
Margaret Ruthven, married to John Graham, 4th Earl of Montrose, mother of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
Elizabeth "Isabel" Ruthven, wife of Sir Robert Gordon, mother of John Gordon, 1st Viscount of Kenmure
Elizabeth Ruthven (d. 1617), second wife of Sir Hugh Campbell of Loudon (d. 1622).[6]
James Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie (d. 1588)
John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (c. 1577 – 5 August 1600)
Alexander Ruthven (12 January 1580 - 5 August 1600)
William Ruthven, died in France prior to 1622[7][8]
Patrick Ruthven, imprisoned for 19 years in the Tower of London

John and Alexander were killed on 5 August 1600 as the main characters in The Gowrie Conspiracy, a failed attempt to kidnap or murder James VI.

References

"William Ruthven (c.1541 - 1584)". geni.com. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1385082/Ruthven-family
Bowes Correspondence(Surtees Society, 1842), pp. 236–7, Robert Bowes to Francis Cunningham, 8 November 1582.
Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. iv, p. 422.
Paul, James Balfour (1904). The Scots peerage; founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom. Edinburgh : D. Douglas.
James Paterson, History of the counties of Ayr and Wigton: Cunninghame, vol. 3 part 2 (Edinburgh, 1866), pp. 548-9.
Davies, J.D. (2010). Blood of Kings. England: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 76. ISBN 9780711035263.
Scotland, National Archives of. "NAS Catalogue - catalogue record". catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2018.

Notes

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: McNeill, Ronald John (1911). "Gowrie, John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 301–302.

External links

Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1897). "Ruthven, William (1541?–1584)" . Dictionary of National Biography. 50. pp. 25–29.

Peerage of Scotland
New creation	Earl of Gowrie 1581–1584	Succeeded by James Ruthven
Preceded by Patrick Ruthven	Lord Ruthven 1566–1584	Succeeded by James Ruthven

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[geni-1] "William Ruthven (c.1541 - 1584)". geni.com. Retrieved 15 February 2014.

[be-2] ttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1385082/Ruthven-family

[3] Bowes Correspondence(Surtees Society, 1842), pp. 236–7, Robert Bowes to Francis Cunningham, 8 November 1582.

[4] Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. iv, p. 422.

[5] Paul, James Balfour (1904). The Scots peerage; founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom. Edinburgh : D. Douglas.

[6] James Paterson, History of the counties of Ayr and Wigton: Cunninghame, vol. 3 part 2 (Edinburgh, 1866), pp. 548-9.

[7] Davies, J.D. (2010). Blood of Kings. England: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 76. ISBN 9780711035263.

[8] Scotland, National Archives of. "NAS Catalogue - catalogue record". catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2018.