John
Erskine Sixth Earl of Mar
KT
[uncertain]
formerly Erskine
Born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
Ancestors 
Brother of
George Erskine, Charles Erskine, George Erskine, James Erskine, Jean Erskine, Henry Erskine, Charles Erskine and Francis Erskine
Husband of
Margaret (Hay) Erskine
— married
6 Apr 1703 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Husband of
Frances (Pierrepont) Erskine
— married
20 Jul 1714 in Acton, Middlesex, England
Descendants 
Died
at age 57
in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Profile last modified
| Created 22 Oct 2012
This page has been accessed 5,373 times.
Preceded by
Charles Erskine
Charles Erskine
6th Earl of Mar (S, 1565)
1689 - 1715
1689 - 1715
Succeeded by
attainted
attainted
- restored 17 Jun 1824 John Francis Erskine
Biography
John Erskine was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.
John (Erskine) Erskine Sixth Earl of Mar KT is Notable.
John (Erskine) Erskine Sixth Earl of Mar KT is a member of Clan Erskine.
John Erskine was the son of Charles Erskine, 5th Earl of Mar, and his wife Mary Maule, daughter to George Maule, Earl of Panmure.[1] He was Christened at Alloa in Clackmannshire on 21 Jan 1675.[2]
He succeeded his father in May 1689 as 23rd Earl of Mar in the first creation of the earldom, and the 6th Earl in the seventh creation of 1565, as so deemed by the House of Lords in 1875. He was to play a prominent part in Jacobite Rebellion of 1715.
He was present in the Parliaments after 1696 and received a Crown charter to the lands of the Earldom in 1699.
He supported William and then Anne during their Regencies although he was not a vocal Parliamentarian. He supported the Treaty of the Union of the Crowns during the early passage in Parliament and, in 1705, facilitated passage in the Scottish Parliament. For his aid he was appointed, Sep 1705, Secretary of State for Scotland, in place of the Marquess of Annandale.
He was made a Knight of the Order of the Thistle on 10 August 1705.
The Earl was one of the sixteen Representative Peers chosen for Scotland by the Parliament of 1707, and he was constantly re-elected during Queen Anne's reign. He was continued in his office of Secretary of State, and he was made a member of the Privy Council.
However on the accession of King George I., Mar was summarily dismissed from office, the King refusing to see him, and deprived him of his office of Governor of Stirling Castle. These, and other grievances, pushed the Earl to the Jacobite cause. This involvement led to him being attainted and his estates forfeit. He fled to France with James and remained in service to him and represented James in Rome. In 1721 he left Rome and accepted a position as Jacobite minister at the French Court in Paris but was discharged from this duty in 1724.
In 1725 he attempted to seek a pardon and be allowed to return to Scotland but was refused. In 1729 he went to Aix-la-Chapelle, then France, but now Aachen, near Koln in Germany, for his health (it is a noted spa town), where he died in May 1732.[3]
This Earl of Mar is particularly noted for his work in the reformation of architecture and gardening. He is generally held as the person that introduced the wilderness way of planting, and the gardens at Alloa were laid out by him. He is also credited with drawings and proposing plans for the improvement of Scottish architecture, among others one for reconstructing Edinburgh, containing various suggestions which have since been carried out. He further proposed a canal between Forth and Clyde, a project also realised.
He married firstly, at Twickenham, 6 April 1703, Margaret, eldest daughter of Thomas Hay, Earl of Kinnoull. She died 25 April 1707, aged 21. He married secondly, at Acton, Middlesex, 20 July 1714, Frances (Pierrepont), third daughter of the first Duke of Kingston. She was declared mentally incapacitated in March 1730 but lived until 4 Mar 1761 when she died at Marylebone, London, aged over 80.[4]
By his first wife, Margaret, he had:
- Thomas Erskine, Lord Erskine, born about 1705 but died in 1766 without heir.
- John Erskine, born about 1706, but who died aged 3 months.
By his second wife, Frances, he had:
- Frances Erskine, born about 1715, who would inherit the estates from her brother, Thomas.
Other Children and False Genealogies
John Erskine was not a man noted for high morals. Certainly King George I questioned his loyalty and integrity when he removed him from office. There is consistent conjecture, as yet unproven, that he had a number of illegitimate children. It can be noted that the use of the surname of the estate was common for illegitimate children of the landholders and the name of Erskine, at the time after the Rebellion, was attainted. A number of these offspring migrated to the British Colonies in North America around the time of the clearances arising from the First Jacobite revolt, when John Erskine was indicted for treason, and are subject to ongoing research. Of these:
- John Marr; stated in some research[5] to have been born in 1694 at Hillston Park in Monmouthshire thus placing the birth prior to his first marriage, to Margaret, and during his days of his "tour", the liaison seemingly occurring just after he had taken title to the estates but prior to his grant. He would have been about 20 at the time. John is understood to have migrated to the colonies and have been a mariner. He was wrecked off Cape Cod in 1750. However, a John Marr, with the same history, is also stated as a son of Edward Erskine, believed to be a scion of the Erskines of Alva.
- William Marrs; stated in some research[6] to have been born at Balmoral castle in 1710. If so it would suggest an affair after the death of Margaret, his first wife, but prior to his second marriage, to Frances. It is highly unlikely the birth occurred at Balmoral as this property was in the hands of the Farquarson family at the time; it is more likely that the birth occurred at Braemar castle. Braemar, less than 10 Km from Balmoral, was in the hands of the Earl of Mar. While the castle had been destroyed during the Highland Rebellion of 1688 the estate would have been used as a hunting estate.
- Yves Drolet, University of Montreal, states in 2015 research:
- "Henrietta’s mother, Mary Parker Marr, belonged to a family which claimed that their forebear John Marr, who came to America in 1717, was the son of John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1675 - 1732), a descendant of the Stuart kings of Scotland who fled to France after leading the failed Jacobite [20] uprising of 1715 against the House of Hanover that had just acceded to the British throne . From 1833 onward, the family spent a fortune trying to press their claims on the Mar estates in Scotland; unsurprisingly, they ultimately lost their case which was only based on a similarity of surnames [21]. The two sons of Frederick and Henrietta, christened Frederick Gilman and Thomas Scott, thus grew up being told they had royal and Jacobite ancestry , which gave them a sense of belonging to an aristocracy. There was a strong French flavour to that ancestry, as the Stuart dynasty originated from Brittany , and the Jacobites were sheltered and supported by the Bourbon kings between the English Revolution of 1688 and the French Revolution of 1789. The Jewett family too claimed French, and more precisely Norman origin. [22] (page 9)
- "From 1878 until his death in 1925, [ Frederick Gilman Forsaith alias Frédéric Forsyth de Fronsac, alias "F.G. Forsyth", alias "Forsyth de Fronsac" ] published more than 30 books and articles in which he speaks at length about the Aryan Order and the College of Arms... Studies reveal that [he] advocated a monarchist, antidemocratic and racist-tinged ideology that underlied all his actions, both in the United States and Canada... The same blend of wild imagination and absolute disregard for consistency pervades the whole works of Forsyth de Fronsac, whether he revisits his life, the story of his family, or the history of North America..." (page 8) [7]
Sources
- ↑ Paul, James Balfour. "The Scots Peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1908, Vol. V, Archive.org, p. 627
- ↑ "Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," index, FamilySearch, Charles Earl Mar Erskine in entry for John Erskine, 21 Jan 1675; citing ALLOA,CLACKMANNAN,SCOTLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 1,040,205.
- ↑ Paul, James Balfour. "The Scots Peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1908, Vol. V, Archive.org, p. 631
- ↑ Paul, James Balfour. "The Scots Peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1908, Vol. V, Archive.org, p. 632
- ↑ Rootsweb: Erskine
- ↑ Rootsweb: Erskine/Marrs connections
- ↑ The Aryan Order of America and the College of Arms of Canada 1880-1937, by Yves Drolet; Montreal, Canada; 2015, pp. 5, 8, 9, 11, 25, 45, 73.
See also:
- Wikipedia: John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1675–1732)
- Wikidata: Item Q936913, en:Wikipedia
- Complete Peerage 2nd ed. v8 pp. 426-429
- Mar, Earl of (S, 1114) Cracroft's Peerage
- Montagu, Mary Wortley. The Works of the Right Honourable Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (London, 1803)
- Vol. 2, Page 1: "...John Ereskine earl of Mar, who was secretary of state for Scotland, in 1705, joined the Pretender in 1715, was attainted in 1716, and died at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1732. George I. confirmed to lady Mar the jointure on lord Mar's forfeited estate to which she was entitled by her marriage settlement, with remainder to her daughter lady Frances Ereskine."
- The Boston News-Letter (Boston, Massachusetts, October 11, 1714)
- "London, July 22. On Tuesday Night last, The Right Honourable the Earl of Mar, one of Her Majesty's Proincipal Secretaries of State, was Married to the Honourable the Lady Francis Pierpont, Daughter to the Marquis of Dorchester."
Is John your ancestor? Please don't go away!
Login to collaborate or comment, or
contact
the profile manager, or
ask our community of genealogists a question.
Login to collaborate or comment, or contact
the profile manager, or ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com
DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with John:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with John:
-
~0.39%
Lindia Parkins
:
AncestryDNA, GEDmatch A040349 [compare], Ancestry member lindiamiller
-
~0.39%
Jim Fergus :
AncestryDNA, Ancestry member sandrafergus11
Images: 1
Rejected matches › John (Erskine) Erskine of Alva 3rd Bt (1675-1739)
This week's featured connections are Twins: John is 21 degrees from Robin Gibb, 14 degrees from Wilfred Baddeley, 18 degrees from Betty Cuthbert, 19 degrees from Yvonne Dionne, 12 degrees from Joseph Fiennes, 19 degrees from Linda Hamilton, 14 degrees from Randolph Hearst, 21 degrees from Jill Hennessy, 24 degrees from Millie McCoy, 20 degrees from Alanis Morissette, 16 degrees from Freelan Stanley and 18 degrees from Kiefer Sutherland on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
E > Erskine | E > Erskine Sixth Earl of Mar > John (Erskine) Erskine Sixth Earl of Mar KT
Categories: Scotland, Notables | Jacobites | Forsyth de Fronsac Fraud | Earls of Mar | Notables | Clan Erskine
Children of Samuel Marrs and Francina Bradshaw: Henry Marrs+ b. 6 Jul 1762, d. 1830 (MY LINE) Phyllis Marrs+ b. 20 Sep 1763, d. 12 Jan 1855 Elizabeth Marrs+ b. 20 Dec 1764, d. 17 Mar 1836 Christopher Marrs+ b. 14 Feb 1766, d. 1853 Ruth Marrs+ b. 13 Oct 1767, d. 12 Jul 1839 Samuel W Marrs Jr.+ b. 31 Mar 1769, d. 12 Jun 1831 William Marrs+ b. 13 Oct 1770, d. 12 Mar 1844 John Marrs+ b. 10 Apr 1772, d. 1801 James Marrs+ b. 14 May 1774, d. 3 Feb 1834 Children of Samuel Marrs and Elizabeth (?): Josiah Marrs b. 16 Feb 1781 Abigail Marrs b. 24 Feb 1785 Citations 1. [S108] Mabel Marrs, Marrs, #8, p15. 2. [S86] Gene Pool Individual Records, online www.ancestry.com. 3. [S194] Marriage Index VA to 1800, online www. ancestry.com. 4. [S108] Mabel Marrs, Marrs, p18-19. 5. [S140] Will, proved Jan. Court 1818, page 375 of Will book. 6. [S108] Mabel Marrs, Marrs. 7. [S81] Betty Jean Albertson Marrs, "BJ Albertson, Marrs Research", Book 1, pg2. 8. [S77] Jean Leeper, Erskine/Marrs, Taxable Property within the District of Wm. Gaines Com. The Great Grandchildren of Samuel Wayne Marrs are on the 1896 Dawes Application listed as CHOCTAW.
I also give and bequeath unto my son Christopher Marrs, one dollar in addition to what he has received of me theretofore. I also give and bequeath unto the Children of Ruth Alderson, Formally Ruth Marrs, forty dollars to be divided share and share alike. I also give and bequeath unto my son, Samuel Marrs, one dollar in addition to what he has received of me heretofore. I also give and bequeath unto my son William Marrs thirty-four dollars in addition to what he has received of me heretofore. I also give and bequeath unto the children of my son, John Marrs eight dollars to be divided share and share alike. I also give and bequeath unto Samuel Marrs, son of John Marrs, one horse to be the value of fifty dollars. I also give and bequeath unto Leticia Marrs, daughter of my son John Marrs, nine dollars. I also give and bequeath unto my two younger sons, James and Josiah Marrs, all the remainder and residue of my estate of whatsoever nature and kind it may be both real and personal to be equally divided between them both share and share alike.
And lastly I appoint my trust friends, John Keller, Peter Poindexter with my sons, James and Josiah Marrs, my executors of this my Last will and Testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made, in witness, whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal the 5th day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ten. Samuel Marrs There are numerous documents and stories recording Samuel's life: Catnip Hill Rd. Farm was a small farm of 100 acres more or less bought of a Mr. Hampton for 105 pounds English money. He lived there until his death in 1817, 77 years of age. Samuel helped build the Fort at Hillsville, VA with Thomas Whitten, John Greenup, John Markman. They stationed a John Marrs and others at their homes to give protection for their families while they built the fort. [1773] Samuel Marrs built his family a small log cabin on Thomas Whitten land that he owned, this log cabin set on the North side of the Clinch River in the mouth of a little hollar just up from the Pisgah church (there in 1962, a white house sits on this spot, called the Cecil place). They lived here in their log home 13-20 years (Tazewell, VA). Samuel had son James 1774 the year after they settled near Tazewell, VA in Thompson Valley. He had by this time Henry, Phyllis, Elizabeth, Samuel Jr., Christopher, Ruth, William, John and James, making 12 children. [1785] He bought 105 acres of land from a surveyor (Patton). Land lay in Ella Perry hollar at the end of the hard surface road and Samuel built a large cabin near where Harry Peery's house stands now (1962). [1790] They lived here 4-5 years, then sold to Allen and bought land from the Cecil’s that lay along Clinch River through North Tazewell, VA, west across Huble Hill and into Baptist Valley. Francina died here; buried on the south hill behind log cabin. In 1962 this graveyard lies on the back of Henry Christians lot, 10-11 graves there. Samuel later moved from River Jack and his oldest son Henry married (1785, Elizabeth Maxwell). [Marrs History, Betty Jean Albertson Marrs]
"I have heard my mother say he was a small active old man and that she had seen him, and his two brothers ride to Lexington on horseback, it being 15 miles away. They were all 3 over 70 years of age at the time. He married first about 1760 in PA, he married second before 1781 and married third wife in VA. [Portions of letter written by John Marrs of Lexington, KY 1869, grandson of Samuel]
A few years after his marriage it is believed he removed to Rockbridge Co, VA, but remained there but a short time, when he moved to what is now Tazewell County, VA. Samuel Marrs settled in Thompson's Valley, Tazewell Co. VA in 1773 (Bickley's History of Tazewell Co. VA, p344) and his wife Francina Bradshaw died there about 1775. She had brothers, James, John and Christopher Bradshaw. In 1793 he removed to Jessamine Co. KY and settled on the Catnip Hill Road on a small farm of 100 acres more or less bought of a Mr. Hampton for 105 pounds. Samuel lived on this farm until his death at age 77. About 1773 Samuel and Francina bought land in Thompson Valley in the area of Tazewell, VA. The log cabin set on the north side of the Clinch River. Here is where Francina is buried. She was buried on the south hill behind the log cabin. There are 10 or 11 graves there. The Gaines Tax List 1795 has Samuel in Mercer Co. KY, a Samuel Marrs in Barron Co. in 1800 and a Samuel Mars in Granklin Co. 8/10/1801. It was believed he was a small active man. He and his last wife are buried in the graveyard at the old place. [Marrs/Erskine by J. Leeper]
He and Francina Bradshaw were married in PA and lived there for possibly 7 or 8 years, during which time their first 5 children were born. About 1768, they migrated southward and settled for a time in Augusta county, (became Rockbridge 1778). Here 3 sons Samuel W., William and John were born. Very shortly after the birth of John, the family migrated to Thompson’s Valley where James was born 1774. The next year Francina died (1775). A few years later, Samuel married the Widow Fowler. [Letter: George West Diehl, genealogist of the Rockbridge Historical Society, Dundee Plantation, R3 Lexington, VA 24450] Note: Elizabeth Fowler was made administrator of the estate of Samuel Fowler deceased, 3/17/1778 in the Washington Co. Court. Then, on 3/21/1780, James Dyshart was designated as the guardian for Mary and Samuel Fowler (orphans of Samuel Fowler). Perhaps, this is the family of "Widow Fowler, and this Mary was the girl Christopher Marrs married 2/10/1787.
Various branches of this family and published prose have very similar patterns to the story of William's parentage and immigration. Here are just a few.
"William Erskine Marr of Scotland (youngest son of one of the Earls of Mar) came to the Colonies, sailing from the Port of Bristol, England to escape punishment. Spelled the name Marrs. While in Scotland, he lived in the Royal Castle of Balmoral, located in the Mar District of Scotland." [Genealogical History of Washington D.C. #3007 printed on p14, "Marrs" by Mabel Marrs]
"Traditions says he married an Indian Maiden by the name of Pulsoholo Munday Folsom in PA. Records say he had 3 sons born in PA, Samuel, Henry Munday, and Barnabus. The year 1720, a William Erskine Marr, Nobleman of Scotland leaving a vast estate in Scotland which none of rights belong to his American descendants, emigrated to America in order to avoid being put to death of severe torture as a religious Heretic. The dominate religionist had passed his sentence, which was that he be tied to the tail of a wild colt, and it be turned loose in the streets of Edinburgh. To avoid this fearful fate, he fled his country and left friends and property behind. Originally the name was spelled Marr, but to avoid detection added an S since which time it has been written Marrs. Upon his arrival in the land of religious freedom, he located near the town of Little York, PA. He previously lived in the Royal Castle of Balmoral in the Mar District of Scotland. “History Book in 1883 by Beers, Sidney, Ohio. [Marrs & Allied Families, published 1965, Four sisters in Texas, Louis E. Marrs, Sidney Ohio, Aug. 6, 1930 (From Book 1, Betty Jean [Albertson] Marrs, 12/1/1975)]
"To start William Erskine was the youngest son of the Earl of Mar. Our information is that the leading religionist of the area had sentenced to death by being dragged, tied to a wild pony's tail, through the streets of Edinburgh. He bribed a prison guard with a gold coin he had hidden in his shoe and was taken to Bristol Harbor in England where he hired on as a deck hand. When he arrived in America, he jumped ship, added an "S" to his name and settled in Little York Penn. in 1720." [K. Ray Marrs, grandson of Greenup "Doc" Marrs, Family story passed down, received as email 3/8/98]
From my accounts, I would guess this: In 1715, when the Earl of Mar declared war on England and lost, his sons were also banished from the political situation of the times. Young William was 15 when his father fled to France. When William was ~20, he left the British Isles through Bristol by ship to the colonies. I would guess that the ship came to port in Philadelphia, but I have no evidence of this. By some means, William moved out to what is now the southeast area of York Country, Pennsylvania, an area called Chanceford. We know that he married someone named Pulsoholo Munday Folsom, Munday is the middle name of the second son. His Son Samuel married Francina Bradshaw who was also from Chanceford. [Anthony Marrs, nephew of Clara Leib, http://www.madridnm.com/marrs/marrs.html]. Children of William Erskine Marrs & Pulsoholo Munday Folsom (Choctaw) Samuel Marrs+ b. 1 Dec 1740, d. 27 Dec 1817 Henry Munday Marrs+ b. c 1745, d. b Feb 1821 Barnabas Marrs+ b. c 1746, d. a 1813 Citations 1. [S108] Mabel Marrs, Marrs, #1, p14. 2. [S108] Mabel Marrs, Marrs, 14. 3. [S247] Electronic Web Site, online From "Electric Scotland" accessed at http://www.burkes-peerage.net/sites/scotland/esnews/es0302.asp. 4. [S178] Lochcarron Products Ltd., Clan Histories. 5. [S247] Electronic Web Site, online http://members.home.net/jacobites/index.htm.
Samuel Marrs (Baker Line) b. 1 December 1740, d. 27 December 1817, #675 Pedigree Relationship=4th great-grandfather of Julie Liane Marrs. Appears on charts: Pedigree for Charles Clifton Marrs Descendant Chart for William Erskine Marrs Samuel Marrs was born on 1 December 1740 at York Co., Pennsylvania. He was the son of William Erskine Marrs. Samuel Marrs married Francina Bradshaw, daughter of Christopher Bradshaw and Phyliss (?), before 1762. Samuel Marrs married second Elizabeth (?) before 1778. Samuel Marrs married third Letitia Laird on 5 August 1788 at Washington Co., Virginia. They did not have any children.3 Samuel Marrs has also been reported to have been married Letitia Laird in August 1778. Samuel Marrs died on 27 December 1817 at Nicholasville, Jessamine Co., Kentucky, at age 77.4 His estate was probated in January 1818 at Nicholasville, Jessamine Co., Kentucky.5 He settled in at Tazewell Co., Virginia, in 1773.6,7 Samuel Marrs is listed as having 0 Negroes, 3 Horses, and 6 Cattle. In 1795 at Mercer Co., Kentucky.8 He left a will 5 April 1810 Nicholasville, Jessamine Co., Kentucky. In the name of God, Amen: I Saml. Marrs of Jessamine County and State of Kentucky considering the uncertainty of this Mortal life and beings of sound and perfect mind and memory, Blessed be the Almightily God for the same, do make and publish this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following. This is to say. First: I give and bequest unto my eldest son, Henry Marrs, one Dollar in addition to what he has received of me heretofore.
I also give and bequeath unto my daughter Phillis Wynne formally Phyliss Marrs on hundred Dollars. I also give and bequeath unto Elizabeth Owen, formally Elizabeth Marrs one dollar.
It is further my will that forty dollars of my estate be deposited in the hands of my son, James Marrs, to be paid to my daughter Elizabeth Owens at any time when said James thinks her need requires, if said sum or no part thereof be paid to her by me, James Marrs, after the date of these presents but in case by daughter Elizabeth Owens should die before the above sum of forty dollars in so much thereof is not paid to her, be paid to her children share and share alike. I also give and bequeath unto my son Christopher Marrs, one dollar in addition to what he has received of me theretofore. I also give and bequeath unto the Children of Ruth Alderson, Formally Ruth Marrs, forty dollars to be divided share and share alike. I also give and bequeath unto my son, Samuel Marrs, one dollar in addition to what he has received of me heretofore. I also give and bequeath unto my son William Marrs thirty-four dollars in addition to what he has received of me heretofore. I also give and bequeath unto the children of my son, John Marrs eight dollars to be divided share and share alike. I also give and bequeath unto Samuel Marrs, son of John Marrs, one horse to be the value of fifty dollars. I also give and bequeath unto Leticia Marrs, daughter of my son John Marrs, nine dollars. I also give and bequeath unto my two younger sons, James and Josiah Marrs, all the remainder and residue of my estate of whatsoever nature and kind it may be both real and personal to be equally divided between them both share and share alike.
edited by Bridgitte (Baker) Pascale