William Moncrieff, of that Ilk

William Moncrieff of that Ilk, who, between the years 1573 and 1607, got charters of several lands, including Wester Rhynd, Carnbee,Craigie, and Moncrieff. He appears to have held the office of Sheriff of Perth in 1592, and on the 18th of May 1605 he acquired the lands of Frierton, with the fishings, etc., from James Drummond of Leichill, Sheriff- Clerk of Perth. He married in 1589, Anne, daughter of Robert Moray of Abercairney, by whom he had six sons and six daughters.

The house of Moncrieff, p 32. https://ia800904.us.archive.org/28/items/houseofmoncrieff00seto/hou...

William Moncrieff was a Scottish cavalry captain in Swedish service. He had raised a cavalry contingent of around 300 men for King Johan III of Sweden in 1573 and served alongside the army of his kinsman, Archibald Ruthven during the war in Estonia. He appears to have survived the debacle at Rakvere (Wesenberg) and served as a burgess of Marstrand in 1588 and 1599.

He entered Swedish military service around 1568 to William Cahun´s standard. He was a captain of horse in his own standard in 1573, when he and his men were paid off. Having received his new commission on the 1st of June 1573, he was named as one of Ruthven´s guarantors to the Privy Council.

He and David Kerr fulfilled their commission and had 300 men under their command by August 1573. End of October 1573 they sailed to Tallinn. Scottish troops ca 4000 men arrived in Tallinn from AUG-NOV 1573.

Swedish-Scottish troops ca 9000 men moved to the Rakvere 1st of January 1574. Two attempts to storm the Rakvere in January 1574 failed. The third attempt to storm the Rakvere was undertaken 2-3 MAR 1574, which lost more than 1000 men.

Fighting broke out between the Scots and Baltic-German mercenaries, on 17 March 1574, ca 500 Scots left alive and moved abroad. Moncrieff´s Cavalry was the only Scottish horse who had come to their countrymen's assistance.

.After the collapse in Rakvere, Ruthven, Moncrieff, and Gilbert Balfour were sent in irons to Stockholm in July 1574 There they were accused of having played a leading role in Charles de Mornay’s conspiracy to replace Eric XIV on the throne. For six years Eric XIV had been kept imprisoned by his brother and successor, and the risk of his being liberated by his followers had been a continual and predominant problem for John III.

Ruthven wrote many petitions and expostulations. Then he was out of money. He died imprisoned as a poor person in Vasteras Castle, in February 1578. On his death, his brother James Ruthven, begged the king to redeem the clothes.

Some of the Scots remained in Sweden. In DEC 1574 there were 54 former Ruthven soldiers. Finally, in June 1576 there were still Scottish soldiers in Stockholm. After that, a few become residents in towns.

William Moncrieff moves back to Scotland, with which he was invested in 1575, and held the office of Sheriff of Perth in 1592.

Since his grandfather´s death in 1579, he was heir to the land and titles. He married in 1589, Anne, daughter of Robert Moray ofAbercairney, by whom he had six sons and six daughters.

Moncrieff´s aunt Elizabeth married Archibald Rutven´s uncle Alexander Ruthven of Freeland.

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/ssne/item.php?id=776