William Graham, 1st Earl of Montrose
Encyclopedia
William Graham, 1st Earl of Montrose (1464 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish Lord of Parliament
, who was raised to an earldom by James IV of Scotland
and who died with his monarch at the Battle of Flodden.
. The Grahams
were a long-established family of Norman
origin, who first rose to prominence in the reign of David I
.
of James III
in 1479, 1481, 1482 and 1487. He supported James III in his struggle with his son
and was present at the Battle of Sauchieburn
on 11 June 1488. He was then received into the favour of James IV
, as was the case for many of James III's supporters, and sat in his first two Parliaments of 6 October 1488 and 6 February 1492. In 1503, Graham was created 1st Earl of Montrose (from his ancestral estate at Old Montrose) and he sat, in that capacity, in the Parliament of 3 February 1506.
He accompanied James IV on his invasion of England in 1513 and was killed at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513, together with his brother, George Graham of Callendar, and his brother-in-law, Sir William Edmonstone of Duntreath
.
. Shortly after the creation of the earldom, on 3 March 1505, his ancestral lands of Old Montrose were erected into the free barony and earldom of Montrose and were re-granted to him on his surrender of them to the King. On the same day, he had three other charters to three other new baronies: Kincardine, Aberuthven and Kynnaber, in Forfarshire.
, secondly Janet Edmonstone, daughter of Sir Archibald Edmonstone of Duntreath and thirdly Christian Wawane of Seggie, in Fifeshire, the widow of Patrick Haliburton, 5th Lord Haliburton.
By his first wife, Graham had:
By his third wife, Graham had a further son, Patrick Graham of Inchbraikie (to which lands Patrick received a charter from his father on 20 June 1513).
Graham also had three daughters:
Other reputed (but doubtful) progeny include Andrew Graham, who was consecrated Bishop of Dunblane
in 1575, and Jean Graham, who was said to have had a daughter by William Chisholm
, who was consecrated Bishop of Dunblane in 1526.
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ranking below a viscount...
, who was raised to an earldom by James IV of Scotland
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
and who died with his monarch at the Battle of Flodden.
Origins
Graham was the eldest son and heir of William Graham, 2nd Lord Graham by Eleanor, or Elene, the daughter of William Douglas, 2nd Earl of AngusWilliam Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus
William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. The son of George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus and Princess Mary of Scotland, he was a grandson of King Robert III....
. The Grahams
Clan Graham
Clan Graham is a Scottish clan who had territories in both the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands.-Origins:Legend has it that the first Graham was one Gramus who forced a breach in the Roman Antonine wall known as Graeme's Dyke in 420 A.D...
were a long-established family of Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
origin, who first rose to prominence in the reign of David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
.
Career
He succeeded to the peerage as the 3rd Lord Graham, as a minor, on the death of his father in about 1471 and sat in the ParliamentsParliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
of James III
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
in 1479, 1481, 1482 and 1487. He supported James III in his struggle with his son
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
and was present at the Battle of Sauchieburn
Battle of Sauchieburn
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on June 11, 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about two miles south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles...
on 11 June 1488. He was then received into the favour of James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
, as was the case for many of James III's supporters, and sat in his first two Parliaments of 6 October 1488 and 6 February 1492. In 1503, Graham was created 1st Earl of Montrose (from his ancestral estate at Old Montrose) and he sat, in that capacity, in the Parliament of 3 February 1506.
He accompanied James IV on his invasion of England in 1513 and was killed at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513, together with his brother, George Graham of Callendar, and his brother-in-law, Sir William Edmonstone of Duntreath
Edmonstone Baronets
The Edmonstone Baronetcy, of Duntreath in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created 20 May 1774 for Archibald Edmonstone, 11th of Duntreath, Member of Parliament for Dumbartonshire and Ayr Burghs. He was succeeded by his third but eldest surviving son,...
.
Estates
Not long before his elevation to an earldom, Graham acquired the estates of Aberuthven and Inchbrakie in PerthshirePerthshire
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...
. Shortly after the creation of the earldom, on 3 March 1505, his ancestral lands of Old Montrose were erected into the free barony and earldom of Montrose and were re-granted to him on his surrender of them to the King. On the same day, he had three other charters to three other new baronies: Kincardine, Aberuthven and Kynnaber, in Forfarshire.
Family
Graham married first (on 25 November 1479) Annabel Drummond, one of the five daughters of John Drummond, 1st Lord DrummondJohn Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond
John Drummond, first Lord Drummond , was a Scottish statesman.Drummond, ninth successive knight of his family, was the eldest son of Sir Malcolm Drummond of Cargill and Stobhall, Perthshire, by his marriage with Mariota, eldest daughter of Sir David Murray of Tullibardine in the same county. He sat...
, secondly Janet Edmonstone, daughter of Sir Archibald Edmonstone of Duntreath and thirdly Christian Wawane of Seggie, in Fifeshire, the widow of Patrick Haliburton, 5th Lord Haliburton.
By his first wife, Graham had:
- William Graham, 2nd Earl of MontroseWilliam Graham, 2nd Earl of MontroseWilliam Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and statesman, who successfully steered a moderate course through the treacherous waters of mid-16th century Scottish politics.-Origins:...
- Walter Graham, of Little Cairnie.
By his third wife, Graham had a further son, Patrick Graham of Inchbraikie (to which lands Patrick received a charter from his father on 20 June 1513).
Graham also had three daughters:
- Helen Graham, who married (dispensationDispensation (Catholic Church)In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
13 July 1509) Humphrey Colquhoun, Younger of Luss - Nicolas Graham (a daughter of Graham's second marriage), who married (11 February 1504) John Moray, 6th of Abercairney
- Elizabeth Graham (a daughter of Graham's second marriage), who married (February 1514) Walter Drummond, Master of Drummond, the grandson of John Drummond, 1st Lord DrummondJohn Drummond, 1st Lord DrummondJohn Drummond, first Lord Drummond , was a Scottish statesman.Drummond, ninth successive knight of his family, was the eldest son of Sir Malcolm Drummond of Cargill and Stobhall, Perthshire, by his marriage with Mariota, eldest daughter of Sir David Murray of Tullibardine in the same county. He sat...
- Margaret Graham (a daughter of Graham's second marriage), who married (contract 10 July 1510) Sir John Somerville of CambusnethanCambusnethanCambusnethan is a large suburb on the eastern edge of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire in Scotland. It is approximately 1.5 miles long, straddling both sides of the A722 on a hill overlooking Wishaw.-Transport:...
- Jean Graham, who married David Graham, 3rd of FintryFintryFintry is a small village in central Scotland, nestled in the strath of the Endrick Water between the Campsie Fells and the Fintry Hills, some 19 miles north of Glasgow. It is within the local government council area of Stirling...
.
Other reputed (but doubtful) progeny include Andrew Graham, who was consecrated Bishop of Dunblane
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
in 1575, and Jean Graham, who was said to have had a daughter by William Chisholm
William Chisholm (d. 1564)
William Chisholm , bishop of Dunblane, was the second son of Edmund Chisholm of Cromlix, near Dunblane, a son of Chisholm of that ilk in Roxburghshire, and half-brother of James Chisholm, who was bishop of Dunblane from 1486 to 1527, when he resigned his see, with the consent of Pope Clement VII...
, who was consecrated Bishop of Dunblane in 1526.