John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl

JOHN STEWART, EARL OF ATHOLL

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

                   1

20 December 1533: Precept of clare constat by Grizel Rattray of that ilk, wife of John, earl of Athol, in favour of Silvester Rattray as heir of deceased John Rattray, his brother, of lands of Bredwellis, Ottirburn and others in barony of Rattray, sheriffdom of Perth, 20 Dec. 1533. HMC 4th report p.536. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Rattray Family of Craighall, Perthshire, reference GD385/225

                   2

26 February 1553: Precept by John, earl of Athole, lord of Balwany, for sasine in favour of David Rattray as heir of deceased Silvester Rattray of Kynballo, of lands of Bredwellis and others in barony of Rattray, sheriffdom of Perth, 26 Feb. 1553/4. Signed by granter. Seal entire on tag. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Rattray Family of Craighall, Perthshire, reference GD385/226

Genealogy

Stirnet: Stewart 19

JOHN Stewart, son of JOHN Stewart of Balveny Earl of Atholl & his second wife Eleanor Sinclair (-1521). Earl of Atholl.

m JANET Campbell, daughter of ARCHIBALD Campbell Earl of Argyll & his wife Elizabeth Stewart of the Earls of Lennox (-[2 Feb 1546]).

Earl John & his wife had six children:

1. HELEN (-1577). m firstly JOHN Lord Lindsay , son of --- (-1562). m secondly THOMAS Morieux, son of ---.
2. JEAN . m (1507) JAMES Arbuthnott of Arbuthnott, son of --- (-before 1521).
3. ELIZABETH . m (1538) KENNETH Mackenzie of Kinkall, son of --- (-1568).
4. JOHN (6 Oct 1507-[Nov] 1542). Earl of Atholl. m firstly (1521) GRIZEL Rattray, daughter of JOHN Rattray of that Ilk & his wife --- (-after 1533). m secondly (1541) as her first husband, JEAN, daughter of JOHN Lord Forbes & his third wife Elizabeth Lady Elphinstone née Barlow. She married secondly (after 17 Nov 1545) Alexander Hay of Dalgety, and thirdly (before 17 Jan 1550) as his first wife, William Leslie of Balquhar.
Earl John & his first wife had eight children:

a) BARBARA . m (1536) JAMES Menzies, son of ---.
b) ISABEL . m (1552) WILLIAM Stuart of Grandtully, son of ---.
c) MARGARET (-1540). m (1539) JOHN Grant Lord of Freuchie, son of ---.
d) HELEN . m JOHN Macfarlane, son of ---.
e) JOHN (-Stirling 24 Apr 1579, bur Edinburgh St Giles’s Church). Earl of Atholl. m firstly (before 26 May 1547) ELIZABETH Gordon, daughter of GEORGE Gordon Earl of Huntly & his wife Elizabeth Keith. m secondly (contract 1 Apr 1557) as her third husband, MARGARET, widow firstly of ROBERT Graham Lord Graham and secondly of THOMAS Erskine Master of Erskine, daughter of MALCOLM Lord Fleming & his wife Joan Stewart [of Scotland] (-after 15 Aug 1584).
Earl John & his first wife had one child:

i) ELIZABETH (-1595). m firstly (1567) HUGH Fraser Lord Lovat (-1577). m secondly (1578, divorced 1581) ROBERT Stuart Earl of Lennox [Bishop of Caithness]. m thirdly (1581) JAMES Stuart Earl of Arran, son of ANDREW Stewart Lord Ochiltree & his wife Agnes Cuningham (-1595).

Earl John & his second wife had five children:

ii) MARGARET . m (before 1578) GEORGE Abernethy Lord Saltoun, son of ---.
iii) JEAN (-1593). m (1573) DUNCAN Campbell of Glenorchy, son of --- (-1631).
iv) JOHN (Dunkeld 22 May 1563-Perth 25 Aug 1595). Earl of Atholl. m (Perth 24 Jan 1580) as her first husband, MARY Ruthven, daughter of WILLIAM Ruthven Earl Gowrie & his wife Dorothea Stewart of Methven. She married secondly (contract 31 Mar 1596) as his second wife, John Stewart Earl of Atholl. Earl John & his wife had five children:

(a) MARGARET (-young).
(b) DOROTHEA . m (1604) WILLIAM Murray Earl of Tullibardine, son of ---.
(c) MARY Stewart . m firstly (1603) JAMES Stewart Earl of Atholl, son of JOHN Stewart Lord Innermeath, Earl of Atholl & his first wife Margaret Lindsay of Crawford (1583-1625). m secondly (1626) Captain PETER Rollock, son of ---.
(d) JEAN Stewart (-1623). m firstly (1603) HENRY Stuart Lord St Colme, son of JAMES Stuart Lord Doune & his wife Margaret Campbell of Argyll (-1612). m secondly NICOL Bellenden of Standenflat, son of ---.
(e) ANNE (-1635). m (1604) ANDREW Stewart Master of Ochiltree, son of --- (-1639).

v) GRIZEL . m (1581) DAVID Lindsay Earl of Crawford, son of --- (-1607).
vi) MARY (-[1588]). m (1587) FRANCIS Hay Earl of Erroll, son of ---.

f) JEAN . m firstly JOHN Otterburn, son of --- (-1595). m secondly GEORGE Crawford, son of ---.
g) daughter . m --- Lord of Balfour, son of ---.
h) daughter . m WALTER Wood of Balbegno, son of ---.

5. ISABEL . m JAMES Herring of Lethendy, son of ---.
6. JANET . m firstly (1520) ALEXANDER Gordon Master of Sutherland, son of --- (1501-1530). m secondly (1532, divorced) HUGH Kennedy of Girvanmaily, son of --- (-after 1568). m thirdly (1546) as his third wife, HENRY Stewart Lord Methven, son of ANDREW Stewart Lord Avondale & his wife Lady Margaret Kennedy ([1495/1500]-soon after 10 Oct 1551). m fourthly (1557) as his second wife, PATRICK Baron Ruthven, son of ---.

https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY.htm#JohnBalven...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stewart,_3rd_Earl_of_Atholl

After the decease of Sir John, a calamitous and almost ruinous contest arose between his younger sons and their brother-in-law, the Earl of Athol. Tradition affirms that the Earl, having married Sir John's only daughter, deemed himself entitled to a portion, at least, of the Rattray estate, and being a person of great power and authority, came, with a considerable body of men, took possession of the castle of Rattray, and carried off the family writs; while Patrick Rattray, the second son, totally unable to resist so potent a nobleman, retired to the castle of Craighall, winch he gallantly defended, and succeeded in holding, together with the lands of Craighall and Klnballoch; the Athol family continuing to possess the greater part of the lands of Rattray. until they were evicted from them by an appraising, at the instance of Sir Robert Crichton, of Clunie, about the beginning of the seventeenth century.

Source: Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry, Volume 2, By John Burke, p. 1100

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Sir John Rattray was Knighted by King James IV in 1488. Appointed Bailie of Regality at Scone 1506. Killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

John Rattray *1479 Married Margaret Abercrombie. Died soldiering in Holland, leaving 2 daughters who were forcibly surrendered to the Earl of Atholl for upbringing and marriage into his family.
Grizel Rattray married John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl, who murdered Patrick for the Rattray lands.
Patrick Rattray, 12th Laird of Kinballoch. Driven from Rattray Castle, he settled at KInballoch and began building Craighall. In 1553 he was murdered in his own chapel by his brother-in-law , the 3rd Earl of Atholl, who coveted Rattrau lands.
Sylvester Rattray of Craighall. In spite of hindrances from the Atholls, he eventually was served heir to his father and brither to the barony of Craighall and Kinballocxh. Married Marjorie d/o 3rd Lord Gray. Died 1554.

• Dawn Stapylton-Adkins. James Rattray & His Descendants in South Africa 1822-1992, self-published, Cape Town, 1992

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https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Blairgowrie/l2Y...

https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun01pauluoft/page/468/mod...
p443-444 STEWART, EARL OF ATHOLL

II. JOHN, second Earl of Atholl, succeeded his father. He is usually stated to have fallen at Flodden, but in reality he died after 1520, and before 1522. On 3 May 1522 his son was infeft as heir by a precept from chancery dated 4 January 1521-22. l He married Janet, daughter of Archibald Campbell, second Earl of Argyll, who survived him,2 and died about Candlemas 1545-46.3 Had issue :—

1. JOHN, third Earl.

2. Janet, married, first, about 1520, to Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland, eldest son of Adam Earl of Sutherland;4 secondly, before 1532, to Sir Hugh Kennedy of Girvanmains; thirdly, before 1544, to Henry Stewart, Lord Methven ; fourthly, in 1557, to Patrick, Lord Ruthven.

3. Helen, married to John, fifth Lord Lindsay of the Byres.She was married, secondly, to Thomas Moncur, a dependant, and died May 1577. Her son Patrick, Lord Lindsay, attempted to stop this marriage in January 1564.5

4. Jean, married, August 1507, to James Arbuthnott of that Ilk.6

5. Elizabeth, stated to have been married to Colin Mackenzie of Kintail.

6. Isabel, stated to have been married to James Hering of Lethendy.

III. JOHN, third Earl of Atholl, born 6 October 1507,7 succeeded his father. He was famous for his great hospitality and his magnificent way of living, more like a sovereign prince than a subject.8 He died about November 1542, of sickness contracted while with the King's army, before the battle of Solway.9 He married, first, Grizel, (laughter of Sir John Rattray of that Ilk ; 10 secondly, Jean or Janet, daughter of John, sixth Lord Forbes.11 She was married to him less than six months before his death, and on that ground her service of terce was refused.12 She married, secondly, Alexander Hay of Dalgety ; and, thirdly,

1 Sutherland Book. 2 Ibid., i. 96 n. 3 Acts and Decreets, xi. 67. 4 Fraser's Sutherland Book, i. 96. 5 St. Andrews Kirk Session Register, i. 230. 6 Arbuthnott Inventory, v. supra, p. 288. 7 Exch. Rolls, xv. 677. 8 Pitscottie, i. 337. 9 Acts and Decreets, i. ff. 361, 364 ; Seventh Report Hist. MSS. Com., App. 713. 10 Complete Peerage; Reg. Mag. Sig., 17 March 1537-38. » Macfarlane's Gen. Coll., ii. 214. 12 Acts and Decreets, i. ff. 508, 525

.as his first wife, William Leslie of Balquhain.1 He left issue : —

1. JOHN, fourth Earl.2

2. Barbara, married, contract 20 May 1536, to James Menzies of that Ilk.3

3. Isabel, married, before 25 March 1552, to William Stewart of Grandtully.4

4. Margaret, married, before 19 February 1539, to John Grant, fourth of Freuchie. She died in 1555.5

5. Helen, stated to have been married to Sir John Mac-farlane of that Ilk.6

6. Jean, stated to have been the Joneta Stewart, relict in 1595 of John Otterburn of Redhall.7

7. Daughter stated to have been married to the Laird of Balfour.

8. Daughter stated to have been married to the Laird of Balbednach8 or Wood of Balbegno.9

1 Hist. Rec. of Family of Leslie, iii. 46. 2 Douglas inserts as second son Sir James Stewart of Balvany, but no evidence of him has been found. 3 Beg. of Deeds, ii. 353 ; Reg. Mag. Sig. 4 Fraser's Stewarts of Grandtully, Ixxv. 6 Fraser's Chiefs of Grant, i. 152. 6 Scot. Antiquary, xi. 9. 7 Reg. Mag. Sig. 8 Camden MS. 9 Douglas.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Blairgowrie/l2Y...