Life

The eldest son of Alexander, second earl, by Lady Elizabeth Gordon, second daughter of George Gordon, first marquis of Huntly, was born in July 1616. He was appointed constable and keeper of the palace of Linlithgow

Linlithgow

Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....

 on his father's resignation on 15 Dec 1642. The date of the fathers death, and the son's consequent succession to the earldom, is uncertain, but it was not so late as 1653, as supposed by Wood, and occurred previous to 4 Dec. 1650, when George, earl of Linlithgow, was admitted to the house of parliament, and his incapability by his accession to the 'Engagement' for the rescue of Charles taken off (Sir James Balfour, Annals, iv. 198). On 20 Dec. he was nominated colonel of one of the Perth regiments of horse (ib. p. 210). He was member for the sheriffdom of Perthshire

Perthshire

Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...

 in Cromwell's parliament, 1654-5 (Foster, Members of Parliament, Scotland).

At the Restoration he was appointed colonel of the royal regiment of horse guards, and sworn a privy councillor. On 18 Dec. 1677 he obtained a commission to succeed Sir George Monro

George Monro

George Monro was a businessman and political figure in Canada West.He was born in Scotland in 1801 and came to Niagara in Upper Canada with his parents. In 1814, he moved to York and entered the grocery business with his brother; he later struck out on his own, becoming an importer and wholesaler...

 as major-general of the forces in Scotland, his principal duty being the suppression of covenanting conventicles. After the defeat of Claverhouse [see John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee] at Drumelog on 1 June 1679, Linlithgow acted very irresolutely. The forces of Claverhouse were directed to return to the main body under him 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...

, and without daring to risk an engagement, he finally fell back on Edinburgh until assistance could be obtained from England. On the arrival of the English reinforcements the supreme command was transferred to Monmouth

Monmouth

Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....

. After the battle of Bothwell Bridge

Battle of Bothwell Bridge

The Battle of Bothwell Bridge, or Bothwell Brig, took place on 22 June 1679. It was fought between government troops and militant Presbyterian Covenanters, and signalled the end of their brief rebellion...

 Linlithgow, on 25 July, was sent by the council along with Claverhouse to London to advocate the adoption of more severe measures against those who had been in arms. On 10 July 1684 he was appointed justice-general in room of the Earl of Perth

Earl of Perth

The title Earl of Perth was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1605 for James Drummond, 4th Lord Drummond.The Drummond family claim descent from Maurice, son of George, a younger son of King Andrew I of Hungary...

 (Fountainhall, Hist. Notices, p. 542), but he was deprived of his office at the Restoration. Linlithgow had some connection with the Montgomery plot, but died on 1 Feb. 1690, before its betrayal.

By his wife Elizabeth Maule, second daughter of Patrick, first earl of Panmure, and dowager of John, second earl of Kinghorn, he had two sons—George, fourth earl of Linlithgow, and Alexander, third earl of Callendar

Earl of Callendar

The title Earl of Callendar was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1641 for James Livingston, 1st Lord Livingston of Almond, a younger son of the 1st Earl of Linlithgow, along with the subsidiary title Lord Livingston and Almond. from his uncle, with which title the Earldom of Callendar was...

—and one daughter, Henriet, married to Robert, second viscount Oxford.