Sir Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston (13 March 1620 – 21 October 1691), a Cavalier

Cavalier

Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

, was the first dignity Charles II

Charles II of England

Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

 conferred as King.

Family

Alexander was the son of George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton

George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton

George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton was a notable Royalist and Cavalier, the second son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton and 6th Lord Seton, by his spouse Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Eglinton....

 (1584 - 1650) by Anne, daughter to Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scottish nobleman, was the son of Andrew, 8th earl, and of Lady Jean Hay, daughter of William, 6th earl...

 (d.1631).

Child Knight

At the early age of twelve, he received King Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

 on a visit to Seton Palace, delivering himself of a Latin oration at the iron gates of the palace in the presence of His Majesty. There and then the King conferred upon him the honour of knighthood, remarking as he did so: "Now, Sir Alexander, see that this does not spoil your school; by the appearance you will be a scholar."

Excommunication

After extensive travels in foreign lands Sir Alexander came home in 1640. But, refusing to sign the Covenant in 1643, he was excommunicated in Tranent

Tranent

Tranent is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the A1 road and approximately east of Edinburgh. It is one of the oldest towns in East Lothian, and built on a gentle slope, about 300 feet above sea level.Population of the town is 9,917....

 Church, and had to flee to France.

Cavalier

Cavalier

Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

Upon returning he was entrusted with important State business by King Charles II, who created him Viscount of Kingston on 14 February 1651 with limitation to the heirs male of his body. His title was taken from a village of that name in Dirleton

Dirleton

Dirleton is a village and parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains . Dirleton lies between North Berwick , Gullane , Fenton Barns and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, Archerfield Estate and the Firth of Forth...

 parish, about two miles south-west of North Berwick

North Berwick

The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...

. On the day of his creation, Sir Alexander was, with a gallant little garrison, defending Tantallon Castle

Tantallon Castle

Tantallon Castle is a mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth...

 against Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

 who had laid siege to it. Following twelve days and a "battering with grate canon" the defenders were compelled to surrender, but only after quarter had been granted to them in recognition of their bravery.

In 1668 Lord Kingston was appointed, by the King, commander of the Haddingtonshire Militia.

Marriages

He married four times, of which: (1) February 1650, to Jean (d.August 1651) only daughter of Sir George Fletcher, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber in Ordinary to King Charles I, and brother of Sir Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, a senator of the College of Justice

College of Justice

The College of Justice is a term used to describe the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and its associated bodies.The constituent bodies of the supreme courts of Scotland are the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, and the Accountant of Court's Office...

; (2) 22 July 1652, Elizabeth (30 May 1632, Stoneypath Tower

Stoneypath Tower

Stoneypath Tower, is an L-plan tower house dating from the late sixteenth, about south of East Linton, and east of the Whittinghame Water in East Lothian, Scotland.-History:...

, near Garvald

Garvald

Garvald can refer to:* Garvald, East Lothian* Garvald, Scottish Borders* Garvald, South Lanarkshire...

, - Wednesday 21 October 1668, Whittingehame) sister and heir of Archibald Douglas of Whittingehame. (No issue to the 3rd & 4th marriages).

By his first wife Lord Kingston had one daughter, Ann, born at Seton House on 24 April 1651, who married James Douglas, 3rd Lord Mordington

James Douglas, 3rd Lord Mordington

James Douglas, 3rd Lord Mordington , succeeded his father William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington,It is recorded in The Great Seal of Scotland confirmed at Edinburgh on 2 August 1662, that James Douglas, Master of Mordington, eldest son of William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington, acquired the estates of...

 (b.1651).
By his second wife Lord Kingston had ten children, 7 boys and 3 girls. He was succeeded in his honours and estates by his eldest surviving son Archibald Seton, 2nd Viscount of Kingston (1661 - 1714), who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother James Seton, 3rd Viscount Kingston, who was disgraced and, says Chambers, forfeited. He too died issueless.

Burial

Lord Kingston was buried on 25 October 1691, within the parish church of Whittingehame

Whittingehame

Whittingehame is a parish with a small village in East Lothian, Scotland, about halfway between Haddington and Dunbar, and near East Linton. The area is on the slopes of the Lammermuir Hills...

, Haddingtonshire.

Works

Kingston wrote a continuation of his family history which was begun a century earlier by Sir Richard Maitland

Richard Maitland

Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington and Thirlstane was a Senator of the College of Justice, an Ordinary Lord of Session from 1561 until 1584, and notable Scottish poet. He was served heir to his father, Sir William Maitland of Lethington, Haddingtonshire, and Thirlestane, Berwickshire, on 15...

;

• Maitland, Richard, and Seton, Alexander, The History of the House of Seytoun to 1559 by Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington continued by Alexnder Viscount Kingston, Maitland Club (1829)