George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton
Encyclopedia
George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton (c. 1678–1749) was a Scottish nobleman who took part in the 1715 Jacobite Rising
supporting "The Old Pretender" James Stuart
, was captured by the English, tried and sentenced to death, but who escaped and lived the rest of his in exile.
at a very early age, and provided for him well, so that he would be educated at the best schools in Europe. Unfortunately he was not disposed to entertaining, as the many generations of the family had been, nor did he express an interest in the political affairs of his country until later in his life which caused his father great distress and grief and for which created a rift in the family. With this, George left to travel Europe and into a life of somewhat obscurity. For a time, he worked as a blacksmith's apprentice in Flanders
, though he maintained contact with the doings of the family through a confidential servant in the Seton household back in Scotland
.
He was abroad on his travels when his parents died, and "no man knew where to find him, till accident led to the discovery." Macky's memoirs say that he "was at Rome when his father died.": and did not return to Scotland until several years after his succession to the earldom, much to the detriment of his house and estate, which were dilapidated by sundry kinsmen during this protracted absence. He seems, like all his family, to have been given study and researches of some kind, and to travel; and in 1708 Robert Calder, a minister of the Episcopal Church of Scotland
, dedicated to him his edition of the Genuine Epistles of the St. Ignatius.
, to restore the exiled family to the throne. "He took with him three hundred men to the standard of James Stuart
; but he appears to have carried with him a fiery and determined temper, the accompaniment, perhaps, of noble qualities, but a dangerous attribute in times of difficulty."
The Seton family, as we have seen, had always been noted for their loyalty and their attachment to the old Church
, and the last Earl, though he had renounced the Romish faith, held firmly to the political creed of his ancestors. He was living peaceably in his own mansion at Seton when the rebellion of 1715 broke out. His involvement in the rebellion was hastened by the treatment which he received from a body of the Lothian militia, who forcibly entered and rifled his mansion at Seton, as he alleged on his trial, 'through private pique and revenge.' 'The most sacred places,' he adds, 'did not escape their fury and resentment. They broke into his chapel, defaced the monuments of his ancestors, took up the stones of their sepulchres, thrust irons through their bodies, and treated them in a most barbarous, inhuman, and unchristian like manner.' After this event the Earl took up arms against the Government, assumed the command of a troop of horse mostly composed of gentlemen belonging to East Lothian
, and joined the Northumbrian insurgents under Mr. Forster
and the Earl of Derwentwater
. Their numbers were subsequently augmented by a body of Highlanders under Brigadier Macintosh
, who formed a junction with them at Kelso.
The English insurgents insisted on carrying the war into England, where they expected to be reinforced by the Jacobites
and Roman Catholics in the northern and western counties. The Scotsmen proposed that they should take possession of Dumfries
, Ayr
, Glasgow
, and other towns in the south and west of Scotland, and attack the Duke of Argyll
, who lay at Stirling
, in the flank and rear, while the Earl of Mar
assailed his army in front. The English portion of the insurgent forces, however, persisted in carrying out their scheme in spite of the strenuous opposition of the Scots, and especially of the Highlanders, who broke out in a mutiny against the English officers. The Earl of Winton disapproved so strongly of this plan that he left the army with a considerable part of his troop, and was marching northward when he was overtaken by a messenger from the insurgent council, who entreated him to return. He replied that 'It shall never be said to after generations that the Earl of Winton deserted King James's interests or his country's good.' Then, laying hold of his own ears, he added, 'You, or any man, shall have liberty to cut these out of my head if we do not all repent it.' But though this young nobleman (he was only twenty-five years of age) again joined the insurgent forces, he ceased henceforward to take any interest in their deliberations or debates. The Rev. Robert Patten, who officiated as chaplain to the insurgents, and afterwards wrote a history of the rebellion, indeed states that the Earl 'was never afterwards called to any council of war, and was slighted in various ways, having often no quarters provided for him, and at other times very bad ones, not fit for a nobleman of his family; yet, being in for it, he resolved to go forward, and diverted himself with any company, telling many pleasant stories of his travels, and his living unknown and obscurely with a blacksmith in France, whom he served some years as a bellows-blower and under-servant, till he was acquainted with the death of his father, and that his tutor had given out that he was dead, upon which he resolved to return home, and when there met with a cold reception.'
on Monday, 14 November 1715. The Earl fought with great gallantry at the barricades of Preston, but was at last obliged to surrender along with the other insurgents, and was carried a prisoner to London
, and confined in the Tower
. He was brought to trial before the House of Lords
, 15 March 1716, and defended himself with considerable ingenuity. The High Steward
, Lord Cooper
, having overruled his objections to the indictment with some harshness. Among the seventy-five "prisoners of quality" who surrendered there were, besides the head of the family, George Seton of Barnes, titular earl of Dunfermline, and Sir George and lodged in the Tower. He was tried apart from the other noblemen, having pleaded "not guilty" - only one to do so, as it would have been unworthy of a Seton to acknowledge himself (even constructively) as a traitor and throw himself on the mercy of the King George
. The other Scottish Lords were the Earl of Nithsdale
, Earl of Carnwath, Viscount Kenmur
, and Baron Nairn
. The young Earl of Derwentwater, an English Catholic involved in the same catastrophe, having pleaded "guilty" at his trial, (which, however, did not avail to save him) was induced by a priest who attended him on the scaffold, and hesitated giving him absolution, to retract the plea. This he did. To plead "guilty" was looked upon by strict theologians as a repudiation of one's lawful sovereign – James III. Lord Winton defended himself with spirit and ability; but, of course, was condemned to death. It was 19 March 1716.
His sentence was such a foregone conclusion that he laughed in the face of the Lord High Steward, who presided – Sir William, (afterward Earl) Cowper, telling him: "I hope you will do me justice, and do not make use of Coupar-law, as we used to say in our country. 'Hang a man first and then try him.'" He was punning on the name of Cowper, which was pronounced Cooper the same as Cupar
, the Fife
town, which was also sometimes written Cowper. To understand this joke, one must know the old cross of MacDuff
, in Fife, was a famous sanctuary and that those "claiming the privilege of the Law of Clan MacDuff were required to appear afterwards before judges assembled at Cowper in Fife."; but by a sort of anticipatory Lynch Law, the criminal or suspected criminal who had run to the Cross did not always (after leaving the sanctuary) live to reach Cupar and have a fair trial; he was hanged before he got there.
Lord Winton's character was very original, and he was calumniated by enemies and misunderstood by friends, as though his plea and defence, so peculiar to himself, were signs of an unbalanced mind. Sir Walter Scott
refutes these insinuations: "But, if we judge from his conduct in the rebellion, Lord Winton appears to have displayed more sense and prudence than most of those engaged in that unfortunate affair." While lying in the Tower under sentence, a trusty servant managed to furnish him with a file or other small instrument (some say it was only a watch-spring), with which he contrived to cut through the window bars in his cell and escaped. This was on Saturday, 4 August 1716, about 9 o'clock at night. The earl got safe to France, and ultimately made his way to Rome.
are the Minutes of a Lodge of Scottish Freemasons existing in Rome in the years 1735, 1736 and 1737, from which we find that the Earl of Winton was himself admitted a Mason
under the name (which he assumed on his attainder
) of George Seaton Winton at a meeting held at Joseppe's, in the Corso, Rome
, on 16 August 1735.
He is supposed to have died there, unmarried, on 19 December 1749, when over seventy years of age. One of the last accounts of him was as follows: "Walked two hours with Lord Dunbar
in the gardens, and afterwards went to the coffeehouse to which Lord Winton resorted and several of his stamp, and there fell a-singing old Scots songs, and were merry."
Male cadets
of this family, however, came by intermarriage to represent the great historic families of Huntly
and Eglinton
, besides the ducal house of Gordon
, now extinct, and the Earls of Sutherland
, whose heiress
married the Marquis of Stafford, afterwards created Duke of Sutherland
. The earldoms of Winton and Dunfermline
, the viscounty of Kingston
, and the other Seton titles were forfeited for the adherence of their possessors to the Stewart dynasty, and have never been restored; but the late Earl of Eglinton
was, in 1840, served heir-male general of the family, and, in 1859, was created Earl of Winton
in the peerage of the United Kingdom.
It is not well known where Lord Winton is buried, although several of his name and family have made search. In two oral traditions which converge substantially to the same conclusion it is related that he returned to Scotland in disguise, and died there unknown, except to very few; the other, that he died in the Catholic faith, in obscurity, at Ormiston
. Some writers have said empathetically that he died a Protestant.
"Thus terminated," says Sir Robert Douglas
, "one of the principal houses in Great Britain, after subsisting for upwards of 600 years in east Lothian, and from thence spreading into several flourishing branches in Scotland."
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
supporting "The Old Pretender" James Stuart
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
, was captured by the English, tried and sentenced to death, but who escaped and lived the rest of his in exile.
Early life
Seton was originally brought up to assume his rightful place as head and heir of line of the Seton Family. To this end, his father bestowed upon him the Barony and Lordship of SetonSeton
A seton or seton stitch is a medical term for a procedure used to aid the healing of fistulae.The procedure involves running a surgical-grade cord through the fistula tract so that the cord creates a loop that joins up outside the fistula...
at a very early age, and provided for him well, so that he would be educated at the best schools in Europe. Unfortunately he was not disposed to entertaining, as the many generations of the family had been, nor did he express an interest in the political affairs of his country until later in his life which caused his father great distress and grief and for which created a rift in the family. With this, George left to travel Europe and into a life of somewhat obscurity. For a time, he worked as a blacksmith's apprentice in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, though he maintained contact with the doings of the family through a confidential servant in the Seton household back in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
He was abroad on his travels when his parents died, and "no man knew where to find him, till accident led to the discovery." Macky's memoirs say that he "was at Rome when his father died.": and did not return to Scotland until several years after his succession to the earldom, much to the detriment of his house and estate, which were dilapidated by sundry kinsmen during this protracted absence. He seems, like all his family, to have been given study and researches of some kind, and to travel; and in 1708 Robert Calder, a minister of the Episcopal Church of Scotland
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
, dedicated to him his edition of the Genuine Epistles of the St. Ignatius.
1715 rebellion
He was one of the first Scottish noblemen who played an active part in the "Rising" of 1715Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
, to restore the exiled family to the throne. "He took with him three hundred men to the standard of James Stuart
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
; but he appears to have carried with him a fiery and determined temper, the accompaniment, perhaps, of noble qualities, but a dangerous attribute in times of difficulty."
The Seton family, as we have seen, had always been noted for their loyalty and their attachment to the old Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and the last Earl, though he had renounced the Romish faith, held firmly to the political creed of his ancestors. He was living peaceably in his own mansion at Seton when the rebellion of 1715 broke out. His involvement in the rebellion was hastened by the treatment which he received from a body of the Lothian militia, who forcibly entered and rifled his mansion at Seton, as he alleged on his trial, 'through private pique and revenge.' 'The most sacred places,' he adds, 'did not escape their fury and resentment. They broke into his chapel, defaced the monuments of his ancestors, took up the stones of their sepulchres, thrust irons through their bodies, and treated them in a most barbarous, inhuman, and unchristian like manner.' After this event the Earl took up arms against the Government, assumed the command of a troop of horse mostly composed of gentlemen belonging to East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, and joined the Northumbrian insurgents under Mr. Forster
Thomas Forster
Thomas Forster was a Northumbrian politician and landowner, who served as general of the Jacobite army in the 1715 Uprising.-Life:...
and the Earl of Derwentwater
James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater
James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater was an English Jacobite, executed for treason. His death is remembered in an English traditional ballad, "Lord Allenwater", collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1904 from the singing of Emily Stears.-Life:He was the son of Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of...
. Their numbers were subsequently augmented by a body of Highlanders under Brigadier Macintosh
Mackintosh of Borlum
Brigadier William Mackintosh, Laird of Borlum usually known as Mackintosh of Borlum was a leader of the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 and a member of the Clan Mackintosh....
, who formed a junction with them at Kelso.
The English insurgents insisted on carrying the war into England, where they expected to be reinforced by the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
and Roman Catholics in the northern and western counties. The Scotsmen proposed that they should take possession of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and other towns in the south and west of Scotland, and attack the Duke of Argyll
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich KG , known as Iain Ruaidh nan Cath or Red John of the Battles, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman.-Early Life:...
, who lay at Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, in the flank and rear, while the Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd and de jure 6th Earl of Mar, KT , Scottish Jacobite, was the eldest son of the 21st Earl of Mar , from whom he inherited estates that were heavily loaded with debt. By modern reckoning he was 22nd Earl of Mar of the first creation and de jure 6th Earl of Mar of the seventh...
assailed his army in front. The English portion of the insurgent forces, however, persisted in carrying out their scheme in spite of the strenuous opposition of the Scots, and especially of the Highlanders, who broke out in a mutiny against the English officers. The Earl of Winton disapproved so strongly of this plan that he left the army with a considerable part of his troop, and was marching northward when he was overtaken by a messenger from the insurgent council, who entreated him to return. He replied that 'It shall never be said to after generations that the Earl of Winton deserted King James's interests or his country's good.' Then, laying hold of his own ears, he added, 'You, or any man, shall have liberty to cut these out of my head if we do not all repent it.' But though this young nobleman (he was only twenty-five years of age) again joined the insurgent forces, he ceased henceforward to take any interest in their deliberations or debates. The Rev. Robert Patten, who officiated as chaplain to the insurgents, and afterwards wrote a history of the rebellion, indeed states that the Earl 'was never afterwards called to any council of war, and was slighted in various ways, having often no quarters provided for him, and at other times very bad ones, not fit for a nobleman of his family; yet, being in for it, he resolved to go forward, and diverted himself with any company, telling many pleasant stories of his travels, and his living unknown and obscurely with a blacksmith in France, whom he served some years as a bellows-blower and under-servant, till he was acquainted with the death of his father, and that his tutor had given out that he was dead, upon which he resolved to return home, and when there met with a cold reception.'
Capture and trial
The Scottish army, having advanced into England against Lord Winton's advice, capitulated at Preston, in Lancashire, after a fierce engagementBattle of Preston (1715)
The Battle of Preston , also referred to as the Preston Fight, was fought during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 ....
on Monday, 14 November 1715. The Earl fought with great gallantry at the barricades of Preston, but was at last obliged to surrender along with the other insurgents, and was carried a prisoner to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and confined in the Tower
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. He was brought to trial before the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, 15 March 1716, and defended himself with considerable ingenuity. The High Steward
Lord High Steward
The position of Lord High Steward of England is the first of the Great Officers of State. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, except at coronations and during the trials of peers in the House of Lords, when the Lord High Steward presides. In general, but not invariably, the Lord...
, Lord Cooper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper PC KC FRS was an English politician who became the first Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. Cowper was the son of Sir William Cowper, 2nd Baronet, of Ratling Court, Kent, a Whig member of parliament of some mark in the two last Stuart reigns...
, having overruled his objections to the indictment with some harshness. Among the seventy-five "prisoners of quality" who surrendered there were, besides the head of the family, George Seton of Barnes, titular earl of Dunfermline, and Sir George and lodged in the Tower. He was tried apart from the other noblemen, having pleaded "not guilty" - only one to do so, as it would have been unworthy of a Seton to acknowledge himself (even constructively) as a traitor and throw himself on the mercy of the King George
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
. The other Scottish Lords were the Earl of Nithsdale
William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale
William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale was a Catholic nobleman, who took part in the Jacobite Rising of 1715.He was the eldest son of Robert, fourth Earl of Nithsdale , and Lady Lucie Douglas , daughter of William, eleventh earl of Angus and first Marquess of Douglas. He was probably born at...
, Earl of Carnwath, Viscount Kenmur
William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure
William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure and Lord Lochinvar was a Scottish Jacobite.William Gordon was the only son of Alexander Gordon, 5th Viscount of Kenmure and succeeded his father on his death in 1698, but was not able to inherit his family's property until 1700, because of a protracted law...
, and Baron Nairn
William Murray Nairne
William Murray Nairne .He was descended from Sir Robert Nairne of Strathord and Margaret Graham. Robert was a supporter of Charles II, who was created Baron Nairne in 1681. After his death without issue the barony passed to his son-in-law, Lord William Murray William Murray Nairne (1657 -...
. The young Earl of Derwentwater, an English Catholic involved in the same catastrophe, having pleaded "guilty" at his trial, (which, however, did not avail to save him) was induced by a priest who attended him on the scaffold, and hesitated giving him absolution, to retract the plea. This he did. To plead "guilty" was looked upon by strict theologians as a repudiation of one's lawful sovereign – James III. Lord Winton defended himself with spirit and ability; but, of course, was condemned to death. It was 19 March 1716.
His sentence was such a foregone conclusion that he laughed in the face of the Lord High Steward, who presided – Sir William, (afterward Earl) Cowper, telling him: "I hope you will do me justice, and do not make use of Coupar-law, as we used to say in our country. 'Hang a man first and then try him.'" He was punning on the name of Cowper, which was pronounced Cooper the same as Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
, the Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
town, which was also sometimes written Cowper. To understand this joke, one must know the old cross of MacDuff
Newburgh, Fife
Newburgh is a royal burgh of Fife, Scotland having a population of 2040 . Newburgh has grown little since 1901 when the population was counted at 1904 persons....
, in Fife, was a famous sanctuary and that those "claiming the privilege of the Law of Clan MacDuff were required to appear afterwards before judges assembled at Cowper in Fife."; but by a sort of anticipatory Lynch Law, the criminal or suspected criminal who had run to the Cross did not always (after leaving the sanctuary) live to reach Cupar and have a fair trial; he was hanged before he got there.
Lord Winton's character was very original, and he was calumniated by enemies and misunderstood by friends, as though his plea and defence, so peculiar to himself, were signs of an unbalanced mind. Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
refutes these insinuations: "But, if we judge from his conduct in the rebellion, Lord Winton appears to have displayed more sense and prudence than most of those engaged in that unfortunate affair." While lying in the Tower under sentence, a trusty servant managed to furnish him with a file or other small instrument (some say it was only a watch-spring), with which he contrived to cut through the window bars in his cell and escaped. This was on Saturday, 4 August 1716, about 9 o'clock at night. The earl got safe to France, and ultimately made his way to Rome.
Exile and death
Among the manuscripts preserved in the archives of the Grand Lodge of ScotlandGrand Lodge of Scotland
The Grand Lodge of Antient, Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland was founded in 1736 – although only a third of all lodges were represented at the foundation meeting of the Grand Lodge....
are the Minutes of a Lodge of Scottish Freemasons existing in Rome in the years 1735, 1736 and 1737, from which we find that the Earl of Winton was himself admitted a Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
under the name (which he assumed on his attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
) of George Seaton Winton at a meeting held at Joseppe's, in the Corso, Rome
Via del Corso
The Via del Corso , commonly known as the Corso, is a main street in the historical centre of Rome. It is remarkable for being absolutely straight in an area characterized by narrow meandering alleys and small piazzas...
, on 16 August 1735.
He is supposed to have died there, unmarried, on 19 December 1749, when over seventy years of age. One of the last accounts of him was as follows: "Walked two hours with Lord Dunbar
James Murray (Jacobite)
James Murray, Earl of Dunbar was a Jacobite.-Family:He was the second child of David Murray, 5th Viscount of Stormont and Majory Scott. His brothers included David Murray, 6th Viscount of Stormont and the First Earl of Mansfield.-Life:...
in the gardens, and afterwards went to the coffeehouse to which Lord Winton resorted and several of his stamp, and there fell a-singing old Scots songs, and were merry."
Male cadets
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of this family, however, came by intermarriage to represent the great historic families of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles, only the English marquessate of Winchester being older...
and Eglinton
Earl of Eglinton
Earl of Eglinton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.Some authorities spell the title: Earl of Eglintoun In 1859 the thirteenth Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie, was also created Earl of Winton in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which gave him an automatic seat in the House of Lords,...
, besides the ducal house of Gordon
Duke of Gordon
The title Duke of Gordon has been created once in the Peerage of Scotland and again in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The Dukedom, named after the Clan Gordon, was first created for the 4th Marquess of Huntly, who on 3 November 1684 was created Duke of Gordon, Marquess of Huntly, Earl of Huntly...
, now extinct, and the Earls of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia. The Earl of Sutherland is also the Chief of Clan Sutherland...
, whose heiress
Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Elizabeth Sutherland Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland , also suo jure 19th Countess of Sutherland, was a Scottish peeress, best remembered for her involvement in the Highland Clearances....
married the Marquis of Stafford, afterwards created Duke of Sutherland
George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland
George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland KG, PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as The Marquess of Stafford from 1803 to 1833, was a British politician, diplomat, landowner and patron of the arts. He is estimated to have been the...
. The earldoms of Winton and Dunfermline
Earl of Dunfermline
Earl of Dunfermline was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1605 for Alexander Seton, 1st Lord Fyvie, fourth son of George Seton, 7th Lord Seton . Seton had already been created Lord Fyvie in the Peerage of Scotland, in 1598, with remainder to his elder brother, John Seton...
, the viscounty of Kingston
Viscount Kingston
The peerage title Viscount Kingston, has been created twice, once in Ireland and once in Scotland. The Scottish creation, which is actually rendered as Viscount of Kingston, was created in 1651 for Alexander Seton, and was forfeited in 1715 when the third viscount was attainted.The Irish title was...
, and the other Seton titles were forfeited for the adherence of their possessors to the Stewart dynasty, and have never been restored; but the late Earl of Eglinton
Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton
Sir Archibald William Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton KT, PC , known as Lord Montgomerie from 1814 to 1819, was a British Conservative politician...
was, in 1840, served heir-male general of the family, and, in 1859, was created Earl of Winton
Earl of Winton
The title Earl of Winton was once created in the Peerage of Scotland, and again the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is presently held by the Earl of Eglinton....
in the peerage of the United Kingdom.
It is not well known where Lord Winton is buried, although several of his name and family have made search. In two oral traditions which converge substantially to the same conclusion it is related that he returned to Scotland in disguise, and died there unknown, except to very few; the other, that he died in the Catholic faith, in obscurity, at Ormiston
Ormiston
Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, UK, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about 276 ft....
. Some writers have said empathetically that he died a Protestant.
"Thus terminated," says Sir Robert Douglas
Sir Robert Douglas, 6th Baronet
Sir Robert Douglas of Glenbervie, 6th Baronet was a notable genealogist responsible for one of the major works on Scottish families, The Baronage of Scotland.-Works:...
, "one of the principal houses in Great Britain, after subsisting for upwards of 600 years in east Lothian, and from thence spreading into several flourishing branches in Scotland."