LORDS OF GORDON AND BADENOCII, EARLS OF HUNTLY, MARQUISES OF HUNTLY, AND DUKES OF GOnnox.—Elizabeth of Gordon, the heiress of sir Adam, married before 1408 Alexander of Seton (the son William of Seton), who, before 1437, was cre ated lord of Gordon. Their son Alexander, who took the name of Gordon, was made earl of Huntly in 1445, and lord of Badenoch a few years afterwards. He acquired by marriage the baronies of Cluny, Aboyne, and Glenmuick in Aberdeenshire; and had grants from the crown of the Highland lordship of Badenoch, and of other lauds in the counties of Inverness and Moray. He died in 1470, and was succeeded by his second son George, the second earl, who married Annabella, daughter of king James I., and added to the territories of his house the lands of Schivas in Aberdeenshire, and the Boyne, the Enzie, and Netherdale in Banffshire. He was chancellor of Scotland from 1498 to 1502, and flying soon afterwardA, was succeeded by his son Alexander, the third earl, who enlarged the family domains by the acquisition of Strathaven (or Strathdoun) ih Banffshire, and of the Brae of Lochaber imInverness-shire. He commanded the left wing of the Scottish army at'Flodden; and, escaping the carnage of that disastrous survived till the year 1524. He was succeeded by his grandson George, the fourth earl, under whom the family reached, perhaps, its highest pitch of power. He added the earldom of Moray to its already vast possessions, and long held the great offices of lieutenant of the north and chancellor of the realm. He bad the repute of being the wisest, the wealthiest, and the most powerful subject in Scotland. The crown, it is said, was counseled to clip his wings, lest he should attempt, like the Donglases in the previous age, to awe or overshadow the throne. He was stripped of the earldom of Moray, and, rushing into revolt, was routed 'and slain at Corrichie in 1562. Sentence of forfeiture was pronounced upon his corpse, but it was rescinded in 1567, and his son George succeeded as fifth earl. He died in 1576. The family had stood aloof from the reformation, and his son and successor, George, the sixth earl, was conspicuous as the head of the Roman Catholic power in Scotland. He defeated a Protestant army sent against him under the earl of Argyle in 1594; hut submitting to the king, obtained an easy pardon, and was made marquis of Huntly in 1599. Ile died in 1636. leaving a character of which we have an instructive sketch by a 'neighbor and contemporary. "This mighty marquis," says the northern annalist, John Spalding, "was of a great spirit, for in time of troubles he was of invincible courage, and boldly bore down all his enemies triumphantly. He was never inclined to war nor trouble himself; but by the pride and insolence of his kin, was diverse times drawn in trouble, which he bore through valiantly. He loved not to be in the laws contending against any man, but loved rest and quietness with all his heart; and in time .of peace, he lived moderately
and temperately in his diet, and fully set to building and planting of all curious devices. A well set neighbor in his marches, disposed rather to give nor take a fdot of ground wrongously. He was heard to say he never drew sword in his own quarrel. In his youth, a prodigal spender; in his elder age, more wise and worldly, yet never counted for cost in matters of credit and honor; a great householder; a terror to his enemies, whom, with his prideftil kin, he ever held under great fear, subjection, and obedience. He was mightily envied by the kirk for his religion, and by others for his greatness, and had thereby much trouble." We mark a new social stage when we are told that he was the first head of his house who "bought" land. His son George, the second marquis, distinguished himself by the zeal with which he espoused the royal- cause in the great civil war of his time. " You may take my head from my shoulders," he said, Ill answer to tempting offers from the covenanters, "but not my heart from the king. ' Such was the state he kept, that when he took up house in Aberdeen in 1639, he was attended daily by 24 gentlemen, of whom three were of the rank 'of barons, while eight gentle men were charged with the watch of his mansion by night. He was beheaded at Edin burgh in 1049, and was succeeded by his son Lewis, the third marquis, who died ist 1653. The family possessions had been impaired by war and ftiiiiiture, but it appears that they still sufficed, in 1667, to yield .t24,771 Scots a year to his son George, the fourth marquis, who was made duke of Gordon in 1684. He held out the castle of Edinburgh for king James at the revolution; and dying in 1716, was succeeded by his son Alexander. the second duke, who died in 1728. He was the last Roman Catholic chief of his race, and, as we are told by Boswell, lived "in sequestered "magnificence, corresponding with the grand dukes of Tuscany," with whom he believed that he could count kindred. lie never traveled in the north without a train of his vassals on horse back. His son, Cosmo George, the third duke, died in 1752, liAsing three sons. The youngest, lord George Gordon, led the Protestant mob which sacked London in 1780; the eldest, Alexander, the fourth duke, died in 1827, being succeeded by his son George, the fifth duke, on whose death, without issue, in 1836, the title of duke of (being limited to the heirs-male of the body of•t,lte first duke) became extinct, the title of earl of Huntly fell into abeyance, and the title of marquis of Huntly was adjudged to the earl of Aboyne, as heir-male of the body of the first marquis.' The estates went to the duke's nephew, Charles, fifth duke of Richmond and Lennox, grandson of the fourth duke of Gordon, and his wife, the sprightly Jane Maxwell, daughter of sir Wil liam Maxwell of Monreith. The title of duke of Gordon was revived in 1876 in the person of the sixth duke of Richmond.