Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 1 Vol 1.djvu/145

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ARGYLL. 123 jewels (of which his countess had become possessed when wife of the Regeut Moray), combined with other sources of irritation, led hi in, in coalition with John, Earl of Athole [S.], to obtain possession of the young King, who was made to assume the sceptre in his own hands, affecting thereby Morton's retirement from thj regency. Morton, however, recovering the power though not the name of Regent, .ill accommo- dation was effected, and on 10 Aug. 11679, Argyle was made Chancellor [S.], which office he retained till hi.s death. He m. firstly, about 1551, Johanna, da. of Henry (Stewart), 1st Loud Methven [S.], by Ids second wife Janet, Dowager Countess OF Sutherland [S.], da. of John (Stewaiit), 2nd Eahl ok Athole [S.] She rf. s.p. He m. secondly. Agnes, widow of James, Earl of Moray [S.] (the well known Reob.vt assassinated 1570', da. of William (Keith), 1th Earl Marischall [S.], by Margaret, da. and coheir of Sir William KElTn. She d. July 1583. Fun. entry at Lyon office. He d. Oct. 1581. VII. 1584 7. Archibald (Campbell), Earl of Argyll, &c. [S.], s. and b. by second wife. At the age of IS, in 1591, he was sent, as the King's Lieut., against Huntly and Erroll, the Catholic Lords, whom he defeated at Glenlivat or Halrinues. In the decreet of ranking," 5 March 1606, he was placed (not according to the precedence of the creation of his Earldom, but) in the exalted rank of second Earl [S.}(*) In 1610 he bad, on his resignation, a charter to himself in life rent and to his s. and h. ap. Archibald in fee of his Earldom aud hereditary offices. Having expelled the Macdonalds of Kintyre, he obtained a grant of the whole of that Lordship, including the island of Jura, in 1617. In 1618, having become a Roman Catholic after his second marriage with a Lady of that faith, he served, under PhiHp III of Spain, against Holland He m. firstly, before Oct. 1594, Agnes, 5th da. of William (Douglas), 8th Earl of Morton [8.], by Agnes, da. of George (Leslie), 4th Earl of Rothes [S.] He hi. secondly 30 Nov. 1610, at St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, London, Anne, da. and coheir of Sir William Q(BtBtW.US of Urome. co. Suffolk, by Lucy, da. aud coheir of John (XeVILLe), Lord Latimer. She wits distinguished tt an Authoress of .some note. She d. at the Earl's house in DrurJ lane, Midx., 12 Jan. 1631-5, and was bur. the 13 at St. Martins iu (*) The Precedency of the Earls ok Anocs, Argyll, Crawford, Erroll AND MaRISCHAL Over the other Earls [S.] of more ancient creation. As in England, by the ranking of Henry VIII, several of the King's Officers of State were placed (during their tenure of ojKce) at the top of that chiss of the nobility of which they happen to be members, so in Scotland (on a somewhat similar principle) certain Earls who held high office (though, in some casus, hereditary office) were ranked above other Earls of more ancient creation. The precedency of Angus, above all other Earls (which apparently was originally one more by privikye than ofice) had been confirmed by James VI [S.J, under charter of the (Jreat Seal fS ] in 1 602,* and, consequently, was ratified four years later at the "Decreet of Ranking" in 1606. Iu this decreet the first place was allotted to Angus, the next to Argyll, aud the 3rd, Ith and 5th places, to Crawford, Erroll and Marischal respectively. This was according to " the old established Precedences from Office or Privilege, a matter about which much evidence may be gleaned from the Scottish Records. PririU/e or ojHce, and not prioriti/ of creation was the cause why Angus, Ai'gyle, Crawford', Erroll aud Marischal, preceded all the other Earls. Next came the two oldest Earls [according to priority of creation, viz.] Sutherland and Mar, the former producing title deeds dating from 1347, the latter from 1395 and 1401. Then followed Rothes, &c Till the middle of the sixteenth century there seems to have been no recognition of precedency in virtue of priority of creation. In the fifteenth century the idea of the great Earls of Douglas or Crawford yielding the pas to an Earl M older date (c. ; /. RoSS or Sutherland) would have been unintelligible. The right of Angus (who came in the place of Douglas) to bear the Crown aud precede all Earls (if

  • ^'"' M H fuller account of the precedency of Angus as premier Earl [S.] see p. 100