John (Erskine) Erskine Fourth Earl of Mar (1605 - 1668)

Born 3 Mar 1605 in Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Scott — married 1641 (to 1647) in Scotland

Husband of Jean (Mackenzie) Mackenzie Countess of Mar — married 8 Oct 1647 in Scotland

Descendants

Died Sep 1668 at age 63 in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland

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John (Erskine) Erskine Fourth Earl of Mar was a prominent member of a Scottish Clan. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

John (Erskine) Erskine Fourth Earl of Mar is a member of Clan Erskine.

Sir John Erskine was a member of the aristocracy in Scotland.

In 1638 John received his father's lands. In Nov. 1638 he was at the Glasgow Assembly where he stated his grief at being held aloof from their meetings and wished to be admitted to their covenant.(1)

Sir John had the command of the Stirlingshire regiment in the Scots army which in 1640 marched to England. In 1641 with his father he acceded to the Cumbernauld Association to support the royal cause. In 1645 the Irish in Montrose's army plundered Alloa and the next town which belonged to the Earl of Mar. Notwithstanding this outrage the Earl and John gave the Royalist leader and his officers an elegant banquet and for doing so the marquis of Argyle threatened to burn his castle at Alloa. After the battle of Kilsyth 15 Aug. 1645 Sir John joined Montrose and was at the battle of Philiphaugh on 13 Sept., but escaped and was sent by Montrose into the district of Mar to raise additional forces for his army. He was fined by the Estates 24,000 marks (2) and his houses of Erskine and Alloa were plundered by their order. In Jan. 1651 he was ordered by Charles II to assemble a regiment of horse from Stirling, Clackmannan and Dumbarton. On succeeding his father in 1654 all his estates were taken and until the Restoration he lived in a small cottage at the gate of Alloa house. His estates were restored to him when King Charles returned to the throne in 1660 and at the first Parliament he carried the sword at the opening ceremony.(3) He was restored as Governor of Stirling Castle and was a member of Parliament in 1663 at the close of which he carried the crown.(4) He was also made Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Supply 23 Jan. 1667.(5)

Sources

• (1) Letters & Journals- Baillie- I, 144
• (2) Mar & Kellie Papers- 203
• (3) Lamont's Diary- 130
• (4) Acta Parl. Scot.- VII, 107; Lamont's Diary- 163
• (5) Acta Parl. Scot.- VII, 508
• The Scottish Nation- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880
• The Scots Peerage- Sir James Balfour Paul, Ed., Douglas & Co., Edinburgh, 1904- Vol. 5, pp.625-6
• Complete Peerage 2nd ed. v8 pp. 425-429
• Mar, Earl of (S, 1114) Cracroft's Peerage