GORDON, George 6th Earl, then 1st Marquis of Huntly ^{2 3}

   User ID: A887.

  General Notes:

"474- George, 1st Marquis of Huntly. 1592, Feb. 7, attacked the Earl of Moray at Donibristle; later in the year, fought the Mackintoshes and the Camerons. 1593, Sep., defeated the Mackintoshes in the Cabrach. 1594, Apr. 30, again raided the Mackintoshes; Oct. 3, fought at the battle of Glenlivet. Eldest son of George, 5th Earl, 473, and father of George, 2nd Marquis"

from Gordons Under Arms




"VI. George (Gordon), sixth Earl of Huntly, was a minor at the time of his father's death. He was educated in France, and was still ' furth of the realm ' in April 1580, when the great feud between the Gordons and the Forbeses was settled by the Privy Council. He came home shortly after, and acted with the King in his successful endeavour to free himself from the power of the Ruthven Raiders in 1583 ; he was then confirmed with Arran in council during his second lease of power." (page 541)

"He was warded in Stirling in October, but was permitted to retire to Strathbogie and twenty-four miles round, on 15 November 1610. Two years later he was allowed to visit the King in London, and was absolved from his excommunication by the Archbishop of Canterbury, being at the same time received into the Church of England. The absolution was ultimately, in August 1616, confirmed by the General Assembly at Aberdeen. He was re-admitted to the Privy Council 27 February 1617. He did not after this take much part in public affairs, but was accused of complicity in the burning of Frendraught and the depredations on the Crichton lands. He was outlawed for failing to appear before the Council, but his sentence was before long rescinded. Again, in 1635, he was summoned and warded for a time in Edinburgh Castle. Afterwards he had leave to live in his own house in the Canongate (still standing, opposite the Tolbooth) with permission to walk in the gardens at Holyrood. From there he was in 1636 carried 'in a wand bed within his chariot ' towards Strathbogie, where he wished to die, but he expired at Dundee on 13 June. He was buried at Elgin ' with much mourning and lamentation according to the rites of the Romish Church" (pages 543 and 544)

from Scots Peerage (vol 4) ⁴

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Granted: Commendatorship, 26 May 1587, of Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. ⁴

2. Bore: the sword of state, 13 July 1587, at opening of Parliament. ⁴

3. Signed: Confession of Faith, 27 February 1587(1588). ⁴

4. Found: guilty of treason, 24 May 1588, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. ⁴

5. Warded: for plotting, 27 February 1588(1589), in Edinburgh Castle. ⁴

6. Set free: on occasion of the king's marriage, September 1589. ⁴

7. Summond: to appear, 5 February 1591(1592), before the Council. ⁴

8. Commissioned: to apprehend the Earl of Moray, February 1591(1592), Donibristle, Fife, Scotland. ⁴

9. Warded: nominally, 10 March 1591(1592), in Blackness. ⁴

10. Forfeited, 21 July 1593. ⁴

11. Excommunicated: by the Provincial Synod, September 1594, of Fife. ⁴

12. Gained advantage: over Royal forces, 3 October 1594, at Battle of Glenlivet, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ⁴

13. Demolition: of his house, After 3 October 1594, at Strathbogie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ⁴

14. Received: by King James VI, 13 August 1596, Falkland Palce, Fife, Scotland. ⁴

15. Sworn in: as Privy Councillor, February 1598(1599). ⁴

16. Created: Marquis of Huntly, 17 April 1599, Holyrood, Edinburgh, Scotland. ⁴

17. Excommunicated: for second time, July 1608, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland. ⁴

18. Warded, October 1608, in Stirling Castle, Scotland. ⁴

19. Permitted: to retire, 15 November 1610, to Strathbogie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland and 24 miles round. ⁴

George married Henrietta STEWART, daughter of Esmé STEWART 1st Duke of Lennox, Earl of Darnley, Lord D'Aubigny and Katherine DE BALSAC, on 21 July 1588 in Holyrood, Edinburgh, Scotland.^{1 2} (Henrietta STEWART was born in 1573 in France,¹ died on 2 September 1642 in Lyons, France ^{1 2} and was buried in 1642 in Lyons, France ².)

  Marriage Notes:

"..... on 21st July (Huntly) was married to Lady Henrietta Stewart in the chapel of Holyrood with great triumph, mirth, and pastime. The king took the greatest interest in the marriage, and on 11th July wrote to the Laird of Abercairny announcing his intention to have it answerable 'in all solemnities to our honour and the parties awin estates.' Therefore, as many necessary things could not be had in any common market, he desired the laird to help with venison, wild fowl, fed capons and such others as he could procure in time. The marriage was celebrated by Adamson, Archbishop of St. Andrews, in defiance of a resolution of the Presbytery of Edinburgh, who required the Earl to give satisfactory proof of his steadiness to the reformed religion." (page 506)

"The Marquis of Huntly married Lady Henrietta Stewart, who survived him, and in 1641, owing to renewed persecution by the Kirk, she was forced to go to France. 'A strange thing,' says Spalding, 'to see a worthy lady near seventy years of age put to such trouble and travail . . . her children and grandchildren dispersed and spread, and albeit nobly born yet left helpless and comfortless, and so put at by the Kirk that she behoved to go or else bide excommunication, thereby losing her estate and living. It is said she had three hundred thousand merks in gold and jewels with her.' She died in September 1642, and was buried in her mother's grave at Lyons." (page 526)

from Records of Aboyne




"The Marquess married Henrietta Stewart, daughter of Esme, Duke of Lennox. On 23 September 1586 he got from the King 5000 merks for his expenses in bringing her home from France. They were married at Holyrood 21 July 1588 by Adamson, the Archbishop of St. Andrews, in defiance of a resolution of the Presbytery of Edinburgh requiring proof of his attachment to the Reformed Faith. In view of the marriage between him and Henrietta Stewart, ' beloved by the King as a daughter,' he had a charter of the Commendatorship of Dunfermline 26 May 1587. The Marchioness survived him, but in 1641, owing to continued persecution by the Kirk, she was forced to go to France, where she died 2 September of the following year, being buried in her mother's grave at Lyons. By her the Marquess left issue"

from Scots Peerage (vol 4) ^{2 4}