Sir John Colquhoun of Luss, Baronet

SIR JOHN COLQUHOUN OF LUSS Baronet

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

1605: Contract between Thomas, Lord Boyd, on the one part, and Helen Buchanan, spouse to Alexander Colquhoun of Luss, on the other part anent the fulfilment of a contract, between the said Lord and the said Alexander, as administrator to John Colquhoun of Luss, his son, anent the £10 land of Dynnarbuk, Auchentuerly and Spittal. National Records of Scotland, Boyd Papers, Burgh of Kilmarnock, reference GD8/504

Biographical Summary

"John Colquhoun, of Luss and Tilliquhoun, co Dumbarton, son and heir of Alexander Colquhoun, of the same, by Helen, daughter of Sir George Buchanan of Buchanan, succeeded his father, 23 May 1617, was M.P. [S] for Dumbartonshire, 1621, and was created a Baronet [S], 30 August 1625, sealed 20 October following, with rem. to heirs male whatsoever, and with a grant of, apparently, 16,000 acres in Nova Scotia, afterwards called Tilliquhoun, of which seizen was made in the said month of October. He was 'fugitated and excommunicated', and deprived of the life rent of his estates, as he result of a criminal suit in 1632 for his seduction of his wife's sister, Lady Katherine Graham. He married (contract 30 June and 6 July 1620) Lilias, 1st daughter of John (Graham), 4th Earl of Montrose [S], by Margaret, daughter of William (Ruthven), 1st Earl of Gowrin [S]."

SOURCE: Complete baronetage; Cokayne, George E. (George Edward); 1900; Vol. II; page 293-294

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From his English Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_John_Colquhoun,_1st_Baronet

Sir John Colquhoun, 1st Baronet

• Born c. 1596
• Nationality Scotland
• Known for Baronet

Sir John Colquhoun (c.1596 – aft. 8 November 1647),[1] Sixteenth Lord Colquhoun and the Eighteenth of Luss,[2] was the first Colquhoun baronet of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Baronetage of the Colquhoun clan of Nova Scotia was established on 30 August 1625.[3]

Colquhoun was born in Scotland, probably in 1596, as his parents were married in 1595.[2] He was the eldest son of Sir Alexander Colquhoun and Lady Helen Buchanan.[4]

In 1620, he married Lady Lilias Graham, eldest daughter of John Graham, Fourth Earl of Montrose, and elder sister of the Great Montrose,[5] which was what her younger brother, James Graham, 5th Earl of Montrose, came to be known, in addition to being the Marquis of Montrose. In 1632 Sir John was accused of absconding his wife's sister, Lady Catherine Graham. It was alleged that he had used witchcraft and sorcery to accomplish this. As a fugitive he was excommunicated and his estates forfeited. [6]

When and where John died is unknown. He was alive on 8 November 1647.[7]

Footnotes

• 1. Fraser, William (1869). The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country. Edinburgh: Printed by T. and A. Constable. pp. 232–254. OL 13502864M.
• 2. Fraser, William (1869). The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country. Edinburgh: Printed by T. and A. Constable. p. 239. OL 13502864M.
• 3. Fraser, William (1869). The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country. Edinburgh: Printed by T. and A. Constable. p. 245. OL 13502864M.
• 4. Fraser, William (1869). The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country. Edinburgh: Printed by T. and A. Constable. p. 232. OL 13502864M.
• 5. Fraser, William (1869). The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country. Edinburgh: Printed by T. and A. Constable. p. 242. OL 13502864M.
• 6. Scottish Clan & Family History Encyclopedia. HarperCollins. 1994. p. 109. ISBN 0004705475.
• 7. Fraser, William (1869). The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country. Edinburgh: Printed by T. and A. Constable. p. 250. OL 13502864M.

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Comment: Evidence to support as father of William Cahoon is lacking. See discussion: https://www.geni.com/discussions/201668?msg=1328098

http://www.stephenokeson.com/genealogy/Calhoun_11.html

John Colquhoun of the Clan Colquhoun was born in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1596, the eldest son of Sir Alexander Colquhoun. His father, for reasons not apparent, gave him properties and their rents beginning as early as January 3rd, 1602, at which time he would have been only 6 years old. King James granted him a charter of the lands of Auchintorly and Dunnerbuck only a month later.

Soon after the death of his father in 1617, John began traveling abroad. Letters place him in France toward the end of 1617 and in Heidelberg in June 1619. He returned to Scotland prior to the next summer to marry Lilias Graham, the eldest daughter of the Great Montrose, which occurred on July 6th, 1620. She bore him 3 sons and 3 daughters between 1621 and 1630.

John was a member of the Scottish Parliament that opened June 1st, 1621, which is noted for ratifying the Five Articles of the General Assembly of the Church and on August 30th, 1625, John Colquhoun was made the 1st Baronet of Nova Scotia by the King.

John became infatuated with Katherine Graham, his wife's pretty sister, sometime prior to 1632 because it was in September of that year that they suddenly eloped. Humiliated by the abandonment of one sister (Lilias) and the 'abduction' of another (Katherine), the Laird Montrose uses his favor with the king have John Colquhoun charged with Incest and Malfeasance (Sorcery). Intimate relations with the brother or sister of your spouce was considered Incest under Scotish law and the charge of Sorcery implied that the Lady Katherine would never have run off unless she had been enchanted, thus keeping the dignity and honor of the Graham family intact. Both Incest and Sorcery were capital offenses punishable by death.

When John fails to appear by January 11th, 1633, he was declared a fugitive. He was excommunicated from the church and by order of the crown forfeited his title, estate and rents; which were assigned to Sir Robert Spot, the first and last Viscount of Belhaven. John Colquhoun's brother Humphrey was able to re-purchase these properties (on November 20th, 1633) before Sir Robert was able to exercise control of them. John and Katherine were in London during this time.

There are three plausible reasons why Sir John and the Lady Katherine would have decided to elope in 1632. They could have been so infatuated with each other that John was willing to give up his land, titles, reputation and family (and she hers). Other accounts suggest that one of their romantic indescressions may have been observed and they believed they were about to be publically exposed. Or finally, the Lady Katherine may have become pregnant with John's child.

William Colquhoun (1633-1675) claimed in his later years that he was the son of Sir John Colquhoun. While there are no official records to prove this relationship, William's birth occurs not long after John and Katherine's elopement and Sir John would have had motive to keep the existance of any child he had with Katherine a secret since such offspring could have been used as proof of his 'incest' with Katherine. It should be noted that William is not a name used by the Colquhouns, but is common within the Graham family.

In April of 1647, John's brothers ask the Scottish Presbytery of Dumbarton to rescind the excommunication suffered by John. By this time the church and state had become one and the enemies of Laird Montrose had risen to power. John's confession, which occured on May 11th, contained many tears and much regret but he declined to confess any specific wrongdoing with the Lady Katherine until the conditions of his estate had been settled. While there are conflicting reports of whether John was allowed to rejoin the church, it does not appear that the church nor the state had any appetite for persecuting him further. The following year, John sees his titles, estates and rents, which had been held by his brother Humphrey during his absence, passed on to his eldest son John (also known as the Black Cock of the West) who then becomes the next Laird of Colquhoun and Luss. John never makes his promised confessions regarding his conduct with the Lady Katherine or the lost years, choosing instead to remain mute on the subject.

Sir John Colquhoun dies sometime between February 1649 and May 1650. His burial place is not known.

WIVES of John COLQUHOUN

• 1. Lilias GRAHAM 1596-1650
• 2. Katherine GRAHAM

PARENTS of John COLQUHOUN:

• Sir Alexander COLQUHOUN 1573-1617
• Margaret Helen BUCHANAN 1576-

CHILDREN of John COLQUHOUN and Lilias GRAHAM:

• 1. Jean COLQUHOUN 1622-
• 2. John COLQUHOUN 1622-167
• 3. Lilias COLQUHOUN 1624-
• 4. James COLQUHOUN 1625-1688
• 5. Katherine COLQUHOUN 1628-
• 6. Alexander COLQUHOUN 1630-

CHILDREN of John COLQUHOUN and Katherine GRAHAM: [DISPUTED]

• ?. William COLQUHOUN 1633-1675 ___________________________________

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_John_Colquhoun,_1st_Baronet

In 1620, he married Lady Lilias Graham, eldest daughter of John Graham, Fourth Earl of Montrose, and elder sister of the Great Montrose,[5] which was what her younger brother, James Graham, 5th Earl of Montrose, came to be known, in addition to being the Marquis of Montrose. In 1632 Sir John was accused of absconding his wife's sister, Lady Catherine Graham. It was alleged that he had used witchcraft and sorcery to accomplish this. As a fugitive he was excommunicated and his estates forfeited.[6] _____________________________________________________

http://www.thepeerage.com/p24572.htm#i245712

He was created 1st Baronet Colquhoun, of Luss [Nova Scotia] on 30 August 1625, with a special remainder to heirs male whatsoever.1 In 1632 a warrant was issued for his arrest on charge of abducting his sister-in-law, Katherine, the life-rents of his estates being made over to Sir Robert Douglas of Spott, 1st and last Viscount Belhaven, but Sir John's brother Humphrey recovered the estates.1 ___________________________________________________

Additional references

• Chiefs of Colquhoun and their country. Volume 1 ... Fraser, William, Sir, 1816- 1898 [Author] Calhoun family. Page xxv - xxvi link
• The Clan Colquhoun Journal, Vol. 2, Nbr. 2 *Sir John Colquhoun of Luss - Necromancer?", byJames Pearson
• The Clan Colquhoun Journal, Volume 5, Number 3, Autumn 2002, “Who Was William Cahoon?” (The United Kingdom Society) by Gary D. Calder.
• Y DNA testing: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/calhoun?iframe=yresults William b 1632 in Hap'group R1b1a2 - Family A. John of Luss b 1698 in Hap'group E1b1b1 - Regrouping is coming. Retrieved 11 Sept 2019

References

1. Crosley, Charles (1904). Descent and Alliances of Croslegh, or Crossle, or Crossley of Scaitcliffe: and Coddington of Oldbridge; and Evans of Eyton Hall, London: Priv. print., The De La More press. Page 189-190. < Hathitrust >
2. Fraser, Sir William. Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country (T. & A. Constable, Edinburgh, 1869) Vol. 1, Page xxv link

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The Scots Peerage VIII: 26