William Gordon of Earlston
William Gordon of Earlston (1614–1679) | |
---|---|
Bothwell Bridge | |
Denomination | Church of Scotland |
Spouse | Mary Hope 2nd daughter of Lord Craighall |
Children | 13 including Alexander Gordon of Earlston |
William Gordon was a 17th-century landowner and
Life before the Restoration
William Gordon of
Gordon was a man of eminent piety. His tenants were bound by their leases to observe family worship and other duties of religion. He went at their head to church every Sabbath day. His skill in solving cases of conscience is remarked by Wodrow in his Analecta.[4][3]
After the Restoration
Along with his presbyterian brethren Gordon hailed with delight the
For this "seditious carriage" he was called before the privy council, but they do not appear to have found that his conduct amounted to a punishable crime, and therefore, on the 24 November 1663, he was summoned upon the more comprehensive accusation of keeping conventicles and private meetings in his house; and, a little more than three months later on 1 March of 1663/4 — until the year
Bothwell Bridge
Gordon fully approved the rising which ended in the battle of Bothwell Bridge on 22 June 1679. He was hindered from being present at the fight, but, coming up after it was over, fell into the hands of a detachment of dragoons, who demanded his surrender. He hesitated for a moment, and was immediately shot dead. His body was secured, and buried by his sister-in-law, the wife of Sir John Harper of Cambusnethan, in Glassford churchyard, Lanarkshire, where a plain pillar was erected to mark the spot of interment. This monument has since been restored with an inscription. He was some time after death cited before the privy council, and sentence of forfeiture and death was passed upon him.[3]
Family
Gordon was survived by his widow, Mary Hope, second daughter of Sir John Hope, lord Craighall, who with great difficulty succeeded in retaining her life-rent right in the estates. They were married on 26 October 1648, and had issue thirteen children, most of whom died young, only three sons and one daughter reaching maturity. The sons were:
- (1) Alexander Gordon of Earlston;
- (2) Sir William Gordon of Afton, who was a lieutenant-colonel under the Duke of Marlborough, and for his services at the revolution was created a baronet of Nova Scotia on 9 July 1706
- (3) John, a surgeon in the army.
Their daughter, Margaret, married James Holborn of Menstrie, Clackmannanshire in 1682.[3]
Fiction
S.R. Crockett's Men of the Moss Hags tells the story of the Gordons of Earlstoun. Published in 12 serial instalments in Good Words Magazine, it was subsequently published by Isbister in 1895.[11] William's namesake, William Gordon, is the hero of the story. A sequel, Lochinvar was serialised in The Christian World Magazine and published by Methuen in 1897. Both novels were international bestsellers.[12]
Bibliography
- McKerlie's Hist. of the Lands and their Owners in Galloway, iii. 415–18
- Wodrow's Church History, ed. Burns, i. 369–412, ii. passim, iii. 108
- Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vols. vi. and vii.[3]
References
- Citations
- ^ father's DNB.
- ^ Johnston 1911, p304fn.
- ^ a b c d e f Paton 1890.
- ^ Chambers 1870.
- ^ SCMA.
- ^ Wodrow 1835a.
- ^ Aikman.
- ^ Wells 2004.
- ^ Scott 1917, pg296 (typo pg407).
- ^ Wodrow 1835b.
- ^ Crockett 1895.
- ^ Donaldson 2016.
- Sources
- Aikman, James. Annals of the persecution in Scotland, from the restoration to the revolution. Vol. 1 (2nd American ed.). Philadelphia: Pres. Bd. of Pub. pp. 150-151. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Anderson, William (1877). "Gordon, of Earlston". The Scottish nation: or, The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland. Vol. 2. A. Fullarton & co. p. 325. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Chambers, Robert (1870). Thomson, Thomas (ed.). A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen. Vol. 2. London: Blackie and son. pp. 135-136.
- Crockett, S. R. (1895). The men of the moss-hags : being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway and told over again. London: Isbister & Co.
- "Dalry Covenanter Sculpture". Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- Donaldson, Islay Murray (2016). Life and Work of S.R. Crockett. Ayton Publishing (2nd edition). ISBN 9781910601143.
- Howie, John (1870). "William Gordon". In Carslaw, W. H. (ed.). The Scots worthies. Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson, & Ferrier. pp. 403-409. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Johnston, John C. (1887). Treasury of the Scottish covenant. Andrew Elliot. p. 355.
- Johnston, Archibald, Lord Warriston (1896). Paul, George Morison (ed.). Fragment of the Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston. (May 21-June 25 1639), The preservation of the honours of Scotland, 1651-52, Lord Mar's Legacies, 1722-27, Letters concerning Highland affairs in the 18th century. Vol. 26. Edinburgh: Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Johnston, Archibald, Lord Warriston (1911). Paul, George Morison (ed.). Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston (Volume 1: 1632-1639). 1. Vol. 61. Edinburgh: Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Johnston, Archibald, Lord Warriston (1919). Fleming, David Hay (ed.). Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston (Volume 2: 1650-1654). 2. Vol. 18. Edinburgh: Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Johnston, Archibald, Lord Warriston; Ogilvie, James D. (1940). Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston (Volume 3: 1655-1660). 3. Vol. 34. Edinburgh: Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - M'Crie, Thomas (1847). The Bass rock: Its civil and ecclesiastic history. Edinburgh: J. Greig & Son. p. 369. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Morton, Alexander S. (1914). Galloway and the Covenanters; or, The struggle for religious liberty in the south-west of Scotland. Paisley : A. Gardner. pp. 344, 93. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Paton, Henry (1890). "Gordon, William (1614-1679)". In Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 22. London: Smith, Elder & Co. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Paton, Henry (1890). "Gordon, Alexander (1587-1654)". In Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 22. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
The father of William Gordon
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - Scott, Hew (1917). Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.
- Thomson, J. H. (1903). Hutchison, Matthew (ed.). The martyr graves of Scotland. Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier. pp. 253, 391.
- Wells, Vaughan T. (2004). "Gordon, William, of Earlston". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11086. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Whyte, Alexander (1894). Samuel Rutherford and some of his correspondents; lectures delivered in St. George's Free Church Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier. pp. 95-103.
- Wodrow, Robert (1835a). Burns, Robert (ed.). The history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland from the restoration to the revolution, with an original memoir of the author, extracts from his correspondence, and preliminary dissertation. Vol. 1. Glasgow: Blackie, Fullarton & co., and Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & co. pp. 278, 369–412.
- Wodrow, Robert (1835b). Burns, Robert (ed.). The history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland from the restoration to the revolution, with an original memoir of the author, extracts from his correspondence, and preliminary dissertation. Vol. 2. Glasgow: Blackie, Fullarton & co., and Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & co. pp. 64, passim.
- Wodrow, Robert (1828). Burns, Robert (ed.). The history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland from the restoration to the revolution, with an original memoir of the author, extracts from his correspondence, and preliminary dissertation. Vol. 3. Glasgow: Blackie, Fullarton & co., and Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & co. p. 108. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.