Sir Walter Kerr of Cessford, Kt.

Walter Ker of Cessford

Sir Walter Ker of Cessford (fl. 16th century) was Scottish warden of the Middle March on the Anglo-Scottish border.[1]

The eldest son of Sir Andrew Ker of Cessford, by his wife Agnes, daughter of Robert, second lord Crichton of Sanquhar, he was served heir to his father 12 May 1528. He had charters of various lands on 23 April and 21 September 1542, and in 1543 he received the lands and barony of Cessford, with its castle.[2]

In October 1552 Sir Walter Scott of Branxholme and Buccleuch was killed in the High Street of Edinburgh in a nocturnal encounter with the Kers, headed by Walter Ker of Cessfurd. On 8 December they petitioned the privy council, offering to submit to anything to save their lives and heritages. It was decided that they should be banished to France; but on 16 May 1553 they received a full pardon. On 9 August of this year Cessfurd, with John Ker of Ferniehirst and Andrew Ker of Hirsell, signed a bond to John Hamilton, the archbishop of St. Andrews, and James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran.[2]

On 28 August 1559 Cessfurd was appointed one of the commissioners to treat for the ransoming of prisoners taken by the English. As a Catholic sympathised with the queen-regent, but in April 1560 he went with Lord Home to the camp of the lords of the congregation. On the return of the young Queen Mary to Scotland Cessfurd was reappointed to his old office of warden of the middle march.[2]

When the chiefs of the border clans were ordered in 1567 to enter Edinburgh Castle on the pretext that they might hinder the success of Bothwell's expedition into Liddesdale, Cessfurd was the only one except Ker of Ferniehirst who obeyed. He was one of the chief leaders against the queen at the battle of Carberry Hill, and also at the battle of Langside, where he fought side by side with Lord Home. On 3 April 1569 he signed the bond of Teviotdale, promising obedience to the regent and he served under Morton at the siege of Edinburgh. When Ker of Ferniehirst and others of the queen's party advanced to plunder Jedburgh in 1571, the inhabitants sent to Cessfurd for assistance, and by his aid and that of Lord Ruthven the attackers were routed.[2]

Cessfurd was one of those who, under Atholl and Argyll, took up arms against Morton in 1578. In 1582 he signed the bond which resulted in the raid of Ruthven. He died in 1584 or 1585.[2]

By his wife Isabel, daughter of Andrew Ker of Ferniehirst, he had two sons: Andrew, who predeceased him, and William, warden of the middle marches; and two daughters: Agnes, married to John Edmonstoune of Edmonstoune, and Margaret, to Alexander Home, 6th Earl Home.[2]

He was played by Ian Cuthbertson in the TV series The Borderers.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Ker_of_Cessford

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• Sir Walter Ker1
• M, #66733, d. before 1583
• Father Sir Andrew Ker2 d. 18 Jul 1526
• Mother Agnes Crichton1
• Sir Walter Ker was born at of Cessford, Scotland.1 He married Isabel Ker, daughter of Sir Andrew Ker and Janet Home, before 27 September 1543.1 Sir Walter Ker died before 1583.1
• Family Isabel Ker d. 1 May 1585
• Children
  • William Ker+3 d. Feb 1600
  • Margaret Ker+1 d. b 1565
• Citations
• [S147] Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, 1938 ed., by Sir Bernard Burke, p., 2135.
• [S147] Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, 1938 ed., by Sir Bernard Burke, p., 2134-2135.
• [S11586] The Scots Peerage, Vol. VII, edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, p. 339-341.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p2221.htm#... _________________
• Sir Walter Kerr of Cessford1
• M, #21297, d. before 1583
• Last Edited=16 Sep 2014
• Sir Walter Kerr of Cessford was the son of Sir Andrew Kerr of Cessford and Agnes Crichton.1 He married Isabel Kerr, daughter of Sir Andrew Kerr of Ferniehirst and Janet Home, before 27 September 1543.2 He died before 1583.2
• He lived at Cessford, Scotland.1
• Children of Sir Walter Kerr of Cessford and Isabel Kerr
  • Sir William Ker of Cessford+1 d. Feb 1599/0
  • Margaret Ker+2
• Citations
• [S37] BP2003 volume 2, page 2400. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
• [S37] BP2003. [S37]
• From: http://www.thepeerage.com/p2130.htm#i21297 _____________
• Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 31
• Ker, Walter by Thomas Finlayson Henderson
• KER, Sir WALTER (d. 1584?), of Cessfurd, eldest son of Sir Andrew Ker of Cessfurd [q. v.], by his wife Agnes, daughter of Robert, second lord Crichton of Sanquhar, was served heir to his father 12 May 1528. He had charters of various lands on 23 April and 21 Sept. 1542, and in 1543 he received the lands and barony of Cessfurd, with the castle of the same and their annexes (Reg. Mag. Sig. 1513–46, entry 2785). In October 1552 Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch was killed in the High Street of Edinburgh in a nocturnal encounter with the Kers, headed by Sir Walter of Cessfurd. On 8 Dec. they petitioned the privy council regarding the ‘unhappy chance,’ offering to submit to anything to save their lives and heritages (Reg. P. C. Scotl. i. 133). It was decided that they should be banished to France, but on 16 May 1553 they received a full pardon (ib. p. 141). On 9 Aug. of this year Cessfurd, with John Ker of Ferniehirst and Andrew Ker of Hirsell, signed a bond to be ‘leill and trew men’ to John Hamilton, archbishop of St. Andrews, and James, earl of Arran, &c. (Hamilton MSS., Hist. MSS. Comm. 11th Rep. App. pt. vi. p. 39). On 28 Aug. 1559 he was appointed one of the commissioners to treat for the ransoming of prisoners taken by the English in the late war (Cal. State Papers, For. Ser. 1558–9, entry 1266). Cessfurd as a catholic sympathised with the queen-regent, but in April 1560 he came with Lord Home to the camp of the lords of the congregation (ib. Scott. Ser. p. 140). On the return of the young Queen Mary to Scotland Cessfurd was reappointed to his old office of warden of the middle marches (Reg. P. C. Scotl. i. 169). When the chiefs of the border clans were ordered in 1567 to enter the castle of Edinburgh on the pretext that they might hinder the success of Bothwell's expedition into Liddesdale, Cessfurd, ‘a weill-meaning man, suspecting nothing,’ was the only one except Ker of Ferniehirst who obeyed (Calderwood, ii. 360). He was one of the chief leaders against the queen at Carberry Hill (ib. p. 363), and also at Langside, where he fought side by side with Lord Home (Sir James Melville, Memoirs, p. 201). On 3 April 1569 he signed the bond of Teviotdale, promising obedience to the regent (Reg. P. C. i. 653), and he served under Morton at the siege of Edinburgh. When Ker of Ferniehirst and others of the queen's party advanced to plunder Jedburgh in 1571, the inhabitants sent to Cessfurd for assistance, and by his aid and that of Lord Ruthven they were completely routed (Calderwood, iii. 155). Cessfurd was one of those who, under Atholl and Argyll, took up arms against Morton in 1578. In 1582 he signed the bond which resulted in the raid of Ruthven. He died in 1584 or 1585. By his wife Isabel, daughter of Andrew Ker of Ferniehirst [q. v.], he had two sons: Andrew, who predeceased him, and William, warden of the middle marches; and two daughters: Agnes, married to John Edmonstoune of Edmonstoune, and Margaret, to Alexander, fourth earl of Home.
• [Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. vol. i.; Reg. P. C. Scotl. vols. i. and ii.; Cal. State Papers, For. Ser., reign of Elizabeth; Calderwood's History of the Church of Scotland; MSS. of the Earl of Home (Hist. MSS. Comm. 12th Rep. App. viii.); Sir James Melville's Memoirs; Douglas's Scottish Peerage (Wood), ii. 445–6.]
• From: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ker,_Walter_(DNB00) ______________
• The Universal magazine, Volume 60 Pg. 264
• http://books.google.com/books?id=bS42AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA265&lpg=PA265&dq...
• Pg.264
• .... According to the learned antiquary, Sir George McKenzie, the firft of this family, who fettled in the fouthern parts of Scotland, was Robert de Ker, who flourifhed in the beginning of the 14th century, and in the reigns of King Robert and David Bruce. His fon John became proprietor of the whole barony of Auldtownburn, in the fhire of Roxburgh; and had a fon, who feems to have been a man of confiderable note; for he obtained letters of fafe conduct from King Edward III, for himfelf and twelve Knights in his retinue, to pafs through England in 1363.

  His grandfon, Andrew Ker, was armour-bearer to Archibald Duke of Turenne, Earl of Douglas, from whom he obtained a charter of the lands and barony of Prymfide, wherein he is ftyled 'Nobilis vir, Andreas Ker dominus the Auldtownburn.' He died about the year 1450, in the reign of James II; and was fucceeded by his eldeft fon, Andrew Ker, who was a man of parts, highly efteemed by the King juft mentioned, and concerned in moft of the public trafactions of the time. In 1459, he was appointed one of the Ambaffadores extraordinary to the count England. He died about the year 1486, leaving iffue four fons, of whom Walter, the eldeft, was named one of the Scotch Commiffioners to treat with the Englifh, in 1484; and in 1491, and 1494, one of the Ambaffadors extraordinary to the court of England. he died in 1502, having had

*Pg.265

• iffue a daughter, Elifabeth, and a fon, Sir Robert Ker, who married Chriftain Rutherford, daughter of Philip Rutherford, and died in the beginning of the year 1500, leaving a fon, Sir Andrew Ker, who fucceeded his grandfather, and, being a man of great parts, was often employed in negociations of importance, which he managed with dexterity and fuccefs. By his wife, daughter of William, third Lord Creichton, of Sanquhar, he had five fons and two daughters. The Former was Sir Walter, his fucceffor; Marc, Commendator of Newbottle, father of marc, firft Earl of Lothian, anceftor to the prefent Marquis of Lothian, by his wife, Helen, daughter of George Lefley, Earl of Rothes; Andrew Kerr; Thomas, Abbot of Kelfo; and Ralph.
• He died in 1527, and was fucceeded by his eldest fon, Sir Walter Ker, who got a charter, dated at St. Andrew's, in 1542, erecting all his lands into one free barony, to be called the barony of Lefsford, to and in favour of him and his heirs. He was a great promoter of the reformation, and fat in the parliament in which it was eftablifhed, in 1560. He married Ifabel, daughter of Sir Andrew Ker, of Fernyherft, and by her he had iffue two fons, one of whom died before his father, but the other (sir Walter) lived to a great age, namely, to the year 1585, when he was fucceeded by his only furviving fon, Sir William Ker, who married Jane, daughter of Sir James Douglafs, .... etc.

.... etc. _______________

*Burke's landed gentry of Great Britain: together with members of the titled ... By Peter Beauclerk Dewar Pg.770

• http://books.google.com/books?id=wEFuRPsYHwwC&pg=PA770&lpg=PA770&dq... ________________________