Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus (died c. 1570) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland.
Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus (died c. 1570) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland.
He was the son of William Sutherland, 7th of Duffus (died 1543) and his wife Elizabeth Stewart. [1] He was still a minor when his father died and when he succeeded to the estates of Duffus. He was still a minor in December 1554, when he was infeft under dispensation from John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland as overlord of the lands of Skelbo and Invershin. However, he may have reached majority by 2 May 1555, when he received sasine for the lands of Duffus and others near Elgin, Moray. [2]
He was a member of the Parliament which ratified the first Confession of Faith in August 1560. The lands of Skelbo, Invershin, Proncy, Torboll and all of the other lands that belonged to Sutherland of Duffus in Sutherland, were erected into a barony by the Earl of Sutherland on 7 November 1562, that was called the barony of Skelbo, to be held by Sutherland of Duffus and his heirs. In June 1563, as the Earl of Sutherland had been forfeited, Alexander Sutherland of Duffus received a grant directly from the Crown for the lands of Skelbo, for which he paid 1000 merks. [2]
He held extensive properties in Morayshire and Sutherland and this drew the attention of George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness who entered into an alliance with Sutherland of Duffus on 20 July 1559. At the time Alexander Sutherland of Duffus' son, also called Alexander, was only about five years old. It was agreed that Sutherland of Duffus' eldest son or his brothers' eldest son in succession should marry Elizabeth Sinclair, daughter of George, 4th Earl of Caithness. Alexander Sutherland of Duffus subsequently supported the Earl of Caithness in political matters and became mixed up in his disputes with his neighbors. Sutherland's brothers seized Berriedale Castle on 23 December 1565, and held it against Laurence Oliphant, 3rd Lord Oliphant who was the rightful owner. He also supported Caithness in his attack on the town of Dornoch in 1567, and again in 1570 at the Battle of Torran-Roy where Dornoch Cathedral was subsequently burnt. Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet describes Sutherland of Duffus during this event as the 'son-in-law' of Caithness but James Balfour Paul stated that this appears to be a mistake and which really applies to Alexander Sutherland's son. According to Sir Robert Gordon, it was Sutherland of Duffus who put to death the hostages who had been surrendered as surety to the Earl of Caithness by the people of Dornoch, and that Sutherland of Duffus was so overcome with remorse that he fell ill and died soon after. He was alive in March 1569-70 but there is no reference to him after that date. [2]
Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus married by a contract dated 26 January 1552–53, while he was still under age, to Janet, third daughter of James Grant of Freuchie. Their children were: [2]
William Sinclair (1410–1480), 1st Earl of Caithness (1455–1476), last Earl (Jarl) of Orkney, 2nd Lord Sinclair and 11th Baron of Roslin was a Norwegian and Scottish nobleman and the builder of Rosslyn Chapel, in Midlothian.
Clan Sutherland also known as House of Sutherland is a Highland Scottish clan whose traditional territory is the shire of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. The chief of the clan was also the powerful Earl of Sutherland; however, in the early 16th century, this title passed through marriage to a younger son of the chief of Clan Gordon. The current chief is Alistair Sutherland, who holds the title Earl of Sutherland.
John Sinclair was a Scottish nobleman, 3rd Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Huistean Du Mackay, 13th of Strathnaver, was the thirteenth chief of Clan Mackay, a Highland Scottish clan.
John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland (1525–1567) was a Scottish magnate. John Gordon supported the chief of his family, his cousin the Earl of Huntly against the Earl of Moray. After Huntly's defeat at Corrichie, he went into exile, and shortly after his return to Scotland he was murdered by a kinswoman.
Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland (c.1505-1530), Scottish magnate, made Earl of Sutherland in 1527.
The Murrays of Aberscross were a minor noble Scottish family who were seated at Aberscross Castle, in the county of Sutherland, Scotland. The Murrays in Sutherland are recorded specifically as a clan in two acts of the Scottish Parliament of the 16th century.
Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, was the eleventh chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
The Battle of Torran-Roy was a Scottish clan battle that took place in the year 1570 in the county of Sutherland, Scotland. It was fought between the forces of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland and the forces of George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness. The Earl of Sutherland's force consisted primarily of the Murrays of Aberscross who despite their name were not part of the Clan Murray in Atholl, but who were a sept of the Clan Sutherland, and who as the principal vassals of the Earl of Sutherland, were charged with the defense of the shire. The Earl of Caithness's forces consisted primarily of followers of Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus who was a descendant of the old Sutherland Earls of Sutherland who had been ousted and replaced by the Gordons as earls in the early 16th-century.
Richard de Moravia or Richard de Moray of Culbin or of Cubyn, was a Scottish nobleman famed for his victory over the Vikings at the Battle of Embo which took place in Sutherland, Scotland in 1245.
George Sinclair was a Scottish nobleman, the 4th Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
John Sinclair, Master of Caithness was a Scottish nobleman.
George Sinclair was a Scottish nobleman, the 5th Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan based in northern Scotland.
Elizabeth Sutherland, was the 10th Countess of Sutherland having succeeded to the Earldom of Sutherland after her brother John Sutherland, 9th Earl of Sutherland died in 1514.
Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland was a Scottish landowner.
William Sutherland, 5th of Duffus was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland.
William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland.
William Sutherland, 7th of Duffus was a Scottish member of the nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland.
William Sutherland, 9th of Duffus was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland.
William Sutherland, 10th of Duffus was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland.