Sir Richard Rutherford, 7th of that Ilk

Extract from The Rutherfurds of that Ilk, and their cadets. by Thomas H. Cockburn-Hood (Edinburgh 1884) pages vii (http://archive.org/details/rutherfurdsoftha00ruth)

Sir Richard Rutherfoord, of that ilk, who was in possession of all the estates and dignities of the family. He made a great figure in the reign of Robert III., with whom he was a mighty favourite. In a confirmation by that prince of a charter of William Turnbull of Minto, Willielmo Stewart nepoti suo, Ricardus de Rutherfoord dominus ejusd. is a witness, anno 1390. This Sir Richard, being a man of parts, was appointed one of the Ambassadors Extraordinary to the Court of England, anno 1398, and managed his negotiation with dexterity and prudence. Soon thereafter he and his sons were made Wardens of the Marches, anno 1400, and did their country signal service in repelling the insurrections on the borders. He married Jane Douglas, by whom he had three sons.

Extract from The Scots Peerage (Volume VII) by Sir James Balfour Paul (Edinburgh 1910) page 366 (http://archive.org/details/cu31924092516248)

Sir Richard Rutherfurde of that Ilk witnessed a charter by John Turnbull of Minto to Sir William Stewart of Jedworth, dated 8 December 1390, and on 26 October 1398 was a pledge for the Earl of Douglas's bounds on the Middle March. He was ambassador to England in 1398, was taken prisoner in 1399 with his five sons and Sir John Turnbull, 'out with the sword,' by the English, and on 30 October 1399 Henry IV. gave orders to Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, that they should not be ransomed or set free. He was Warden of the Marches in 1400, and died in defence of the realm before 1455, when his son James was allowed the ward of Maxtoun and Edgarstoun. He married Jean Douglas, and had issue five sons. 1) James 2) Robert 3) William 4) Sir John 5) Nichol

Family

http://www.hunthill.mysite.com/rich_text_2.html

The key to Sir Richard's important position on the Border evidently lay not only in his strategically placed lands but in a marriage alliance with the Douglases. There is no reason to doubt Douglas' Peerage's statement that his wife was Jean Douglas; beside his witnessing a deed of the second earl and being a surety for the third earl's part of the Marches, it is much more telling that his release was sought by the latter's royal son-in-law. tIis relationship to the earls may have been close, but no Jean Douglas of the right generation among daughters of the first or third earls - happens to be known; the second earl, son of the first, was succeeded by a collateral. Our knowledge is incomplete, and the lady may have been a daughter, legitimate or not, of either earl.

Until 1424 no more is heard of Sir Richard. On June 27 that year he and Nicholas de Rutherford were jurors at an inquest held at Hawick concerning lands belonging to the Lauder family in the barony of Hownam and Swinside; his heir had married a Lauder not long before (MS 12, AppVIII, 78,120). Very soon Sir Richard, who must have been about eighty and outlived his eldest son, died, for by 16 November 1425 James Rutherford I was in possession of his estate.

Previous writers credited Sir Richard with five sons although only three appear in record. To disentangle errors in earlier stories these five men are listed in the order given in SP:

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  10. James Rutherford I of that Ilk as shown below was not a son but evidently a grandson who directly succeeded.

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  10. Robert Rutherford, founder of the Chatto-Hunthill branches

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  10. William Rutherford of Eckford, sometimes called Gilbert, slain by Walter Scott of Kirkurd in 1436. In fact two distinct individuals were confused …

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  10. John Rutherford whose release from the Tower was approved in March 1400/1. Hood said Sir John fought at Beauge against the English in 1421 and was killed at the battle of Crevant in France in 1423 (IlkH lx; IlkM 6).

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  10. Nicholas Rutherford, a fellow juror with Sir Richard in 1424, ancestor of the Hundalee branch which however descended in the male line not from his son John but from another John who married Nicholas' daughter. Dates show that Nicholas would be a grandson, not a son, of Sir Richard. In addition to the reputed five sons we must notice:

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  10. Alan Rutherford, ignored by previous writers, a son who was taken prisoner with the knight and freed with John. His name is not further recorded.

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References

• The Scots Peerage, Vol. Vll, page 366-368. <Archive.Org>
• < ClanMacFarlaneGenealogy> cites
  • Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Rutherford1
• http://www.hunthill.mysite.com/rich_text_2.html cites Workpapers drawn from:
  • "The Rutherfords in Britain: a history and guide" by Kenneth Rutherford Davis Alan Sutton Publishing Gloucester 1987 and
  • "The Rutherfords of Roxburghshire" Ora Z. Rutherford and Gary Rutherford Harding privately published 1918 - 2002
• https://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/qr/rutherford1.php