Biography

Alexander Erskine inherited the title after the death of his brother Thomas in 1643.

The earl was a staunch Royalist

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...

, fighting as Colonel of Foot for Fife and Kinross and in 1648 was involved in an attempt to rescue the King. He was then sent to the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 to fight for Charles II and was eventually captured at the Battle of Worcester

Battle of Worcester

The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...

 in 1651, after which he spent many years of imprisonment. His estates were confiscated by the Commonwealth under the provisions of Cromwell's Act of Grace

Cromwell's Act of Grace

Cromwell's Act of Grace or more formally the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, was proclaimed at the mercat cross in Edinburgh on 5 May 1654...

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After the restoration

Restoration (Scotland)

The Restoration of the monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the government of occupation that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...

 of the monarchy in 1660 he was appointed governor of the fort and town of Ayr, lieutenant-colonel of the guards and in 1661 he became a member of the Privy Council

Privy Council of Scotland

The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...

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Family

Alexander Erskine was the son of Alexander Erskine (died 1633) and Anne Seton. He inherited the title after the death of his brother Thomas in 1643. He married twice ; firstly in 1661 in Holland to Anna Kilpatrick, daughter of Lt.Gen. Kilpatrick, Governor of the Bush and secondly in 1665 to Mary Dalzeil, daughter of Sir John Dalzeil. By his first wife he had a daughter Ann and by the second two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary and a son Alexander who succeeded him as the 4th Earl of Kellie