Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland

Burke's Peerage extract

ALEXANDER GORDON, 12th Earl of Sutherland; born c late June 1552; made over the Earldom to his eldest son 18 March 1580/1, obtaining a regrant of the dignity from the Crown 23 March 1580/1; swapped 1583 his Aboyne estate with the Earl of Huntly for that of Strathnaver, as Lords of which succeeding eldest sons of the Earls of Sutherland were henceforth called by courtesy; Hereditary Sheriff Inverness within Sutherland 1589; married 1st c 1567 (divorce 30 June 1572 for her adultery with Iye Mackay of Farr; see REAY, L) Lady Barbara Sinclair (married 2nd after 10 Sept 1574 Alexander Innes, 16th of that Ilk (see ROXBURGHE, D), and died 1573), daughter of 4th Earl of Caithness (qv), his guardian during his minority (having purchased the post), the instigator of his parents' murder and author of at least one attempt on his (the 12th Earl‘s) life; married 2nd 13 Dec 1573 Jean (married 3rd Alexander Ogilvie of Boyne and died 14 May 1629), divorced wife of 4th and last Earl of Bothwell (see BUCHAN-HEPBURN OF SMEATON-HEPBURN, Bt), and daughter of 4th Earl of Huntly (see HUNTLY, M), and by her had, with two sons (died in infancy):

• 1a John, 13th Earl
• 2a Sir ROBERT GORDON OF LETTERFOURIE, Sutherland, 1st Bt, so created 28 May 1625 (the first such ever in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia), also of Gordonstoun, Morayshire; born 14 May 1580; author: The History of the Earldom of Sutherland; married 16 Feb 1613 Louisa (died Sept 1680), daughter and heiress of John Gordon of Glenluce, and died March 1654, having had issue (see 1902 edn)
• 3a Alexander (Sir); born 5 March 1585; married Margaret McLeod of Assynt and had issue
• 1a Jane; born 1 Nov 1574; married Dec 1589, as his 2nd wife, Huistean/Hugh Mackay of Farr (seeREAY, L) and had issue
• 2a Mary; born 14 Aug 1582; married (contract 21 Feb 1597/8) David Ross of Balnagown (qv) butdied without issue 1605

The 12th EARL died 6 Dec 1594;

http://thepeerage.com/p1012.htm#i10115

Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland was born circa 1552, the son of John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland and Lady Elizabeth Stuart.

He gained the title of 12th Earl of Sutherland when he was 15 years old.[1]

He narrowly avoided his parents' fate in 1567, they had been poisoned, being under age when he succeeded to the earldom, the ward of this young nobleman was granted to his eldest sister, Lady Margaret Gordon, who committed it to the care of John, Earl of Atholl, but his wardship was bought by George, Earl of Caithness, who had probably been behind his parents' murder. Having by treachery got possession of the castle of Skibo, in which the young Earl resided, he seized his person and carried him off to Caithness, where he forced him to marry his daughter, Lady Barbara Sinclair, a profligate woman of double his own age. When he attained his majority he divorced her on 30 June 1572 on the grounds of her adultery, she died in 1573, she was 1st daughter of Alexanders guardian George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness, by his wife Lady Elizabeth Graham, 2nd daughter of William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose.[2]

He escaped from the Earl of Caithness in 1569, he had signed the Hamilton bond in 1568 but submitted to the Regent, the Earl of Moray, in 1569. He was present at the Parliament held at Stirling in 1571, when he and other nobles were seized by the Earl of Huntly in his raid on the town and the new Regent, the Duke of Lennox, slain.

He resigned the Earldom of Sutherland to his son and heir apparent, with reservation of the life rent to himself in 1581, after this he took little part in public life, being generally at feud with the Earl of Caithness; Hereditary Sheriff of Inverness with Sutherland.

He married his third cousin Lady Jean Gordon, former wife of James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell later 1st Duke of Orkney, on 13 December 1573 at Strathbogie, Scotland. She was the daughter of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly and Elizabeth Keith.[3] They had issue: