Lords Lindsay of the Byres (1445)
1st Lord Lindsay, John Lindsay, b.b.1414, a.1445, d.1482
Sir William Lindsay of Abercorn and the Byres (b.?, d.C.1393) was a
younger brother of Sir Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk, father of David Lindsay, 1st
Earl of Crawford. He married Christian Mure,
daughter of Sir William Mure of Abercorn. Their son William Lindsay of the
Byres (b.b.1366, d.1414) married Christian Keith, daughter of Sir William
Keith, daughter of William Keith, Marischal of
Scotland, and their son John Lindsay was raised to the peerage as 1st
Lord Lindsay of the Byres. Held hostage for the ransom of King James I in 1424,
he later became a Privy Counsellor and served as a Commissioner to England. He
was Justiciar of Scotland North of the Forth from 1457 to 1466
2nd Lord Lindsay, David Lindsay, b.b.1482,
a.1482, d.1490
Son of the 1st Lord and Agnes Stewart (b.b.1430, d.?),
daughter of Sir Robert Stewart, 1st Lord Lorn. He fought at the
Battle of Sauchieburn on the side of James III, lending him the horse that
later threw his majesty, leading to the King’s death. He had no children.
3rd Lord Lindsay, John Lindsay, b.b.1482,
a.1490, d.a.1496
Younger brother of the 2nd Lord.
4th Lord Lindsay, Patrick Lindsay,
b.b.1482, a.c.1496, d.1526
Younger brother of the 2nd and 3rd Lords. He was a
practicing Advocate who successfully pleaded the case of his older brother
after the Battle of Sauchieburn, only to be punished for his skills by being
imprisoned for a year in Rothesay Castle by King James IV. He survived Flodden
and was appointed as one of the four advisors to Queen Margaret. He was made
Sheriff of Fife in 1525.
5th Lord Lindsay, John Lindsay, b.b.1525,
a.1526, d.1563
Grandson of the 4th Lord and Isabella Pitcairn, and son of
Sir John Lindsay, Master of Lindsay (b.b.1510, d.1525) and Elizabeth Lundie,
daughter of Sir Robert Lundie, High Treasurer of Scotland. He followed his
grandfather as Sheriff of Fife and was made an Extraordinary Lord of Session in
1532. He was appointed as a Guardian to the young Mary Queen of Scots in 1542.
He fought at the Battle of Ancram Muir in 1544 and was made a Privy Counsellor
in 1545. In 1559, he mediated between the French troops that had arrived in
support of Mary and the soldiers of the Congregation, and the following ear was
present at the Convention that abolished papal supremacy.
6th Lord Lindsay, Patrick Lindsay,
b.b.1557, a.1563, d.1589
Son of the 5th Lord and Lady Helen Stewart (b.?, d.1577),
daughter of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl.
While still young he pitted himself against the Catholic associations of the
young Queen. He fought at the Battle of Corrichie in 1563 and was made a Privy
Counsellor in 1565. As one of the foremost Reformers and a Lord of
Congregation, he was opposed to Queen Mary and was the leader of group, along
with James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, the
future Regent, who murdered her secretary Rizzio. He took to the field against
her at Carberry Hill and would have fought Bothwell in single combat but for
the Queen’s intervention. After her surrender he was placed in charge of her
detention at Lochleven Castle and was one of those who forced Mary to surrender
the Crown. He fought again at the Battle of Langside and was a scourge of the
Queen’s men in the weeks afterwards. He later turned away from Morton and was
instrumental in that man’s fall from grace. He was involved in the Raid of
Ruthven in 1582 and after the King’s escape, he fled to England. After his
return he was held in Tantallon Castle on suspicion of being involved in the
Gowrie Conspiracy, and on his release effectively retired from public affairs.
7th Lord Lindsay, James Lindsay, b.b.1573,
a.1589, d.1601
Son of the 6th Lord and Euphemia Douglas (b.b.1547, d.?),
sister of William Douglas, the 6th Earl of Morton.
He was invested as a Privy Counsellor in 1593/4. A staunch Protestant, he was
one of the chief supporters of the King’s suppression of the Catholic lords in
the north-east in 1593.
8th Lord Lindsay, John Lindsay, b.b.1589,
a.1601, d.1609
Son of the 7th Lord and Euphemia Leslie (b.b.1565, d.?),
daughter of Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes.
He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1605. His daughter Ann Lindsay married
Alexander Falconer, 1st Lord Falconer of Halkertoun. On his death,
the estate of the Byres was sold to Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington.
9th Lord Lindsay, Robert Lindsay, b.b.1581,
a.1609, d.1616
Brother of the 8th Lord. He was invested as a Privy
Counsellor in 1610.
10th Lord Lindsay, John Lindsay, b.c.1611,
a.1616, d.1678
Son of the 9th Lord and Lady Christian Hamilton (b.1588-1594,
d.1628), daughter of Sir Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington. In 1633 he was created 1st
Earl of Lindsay and 1st Lord Parbroath.
Earls of Lindsay (1633)
1st Earl of Lindsay, John Lindsay,
b.c.1611, a.1633, d.1678
He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1641 and held the office of High
Treasurer of Scotland. In 1644 he succeeded as 17th Earl of Crawford in an amended re-granting of that title,
presumably negotiated by King Charles I in order to maintain his support during
testing times. He took part in the Engagement for the rescue of King Charles I
and was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London and Windsor Castle until
the Restoration. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1663.
The earldoms of Crawford and Lindsay continued to be united until the
death of the 22nd Earl of Crawford and 6th of Lindsay in
1808, when the Crawford title became temporarily dormant. The Crawford title
was eventually claimed by the earls of Balcarres,
whereas the earldom of Lindsay passed to the Lindsays of Kirkforthar, a branch
created by David Lindsay, younger brother of the 5th Lord Lindsay.
This line also died out and the title transferred to the Lindsays of Wormiston,
a branch created by William Lindsay, a younger son of the 4th Lord.
2nd Earl of Lindsay, William Lindsay,
b.1644, a.1678, d.1698
Son of the 1st Earl and Lady Margaret Hamilton (b.?, d.1678),
daughter of Sir James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1690 and
was Lord President of the Council from 1689 to 1693.
3rd Earl of Lindsay, John Lindsay,
b.c.1672, a.1698, d.1713-1714
Son of the 2nd Earl and Lady Mary Johnstone (b.1652, d.?),
daughter of James Johnstone, 1st Earl of Annandale
and Hartfell. A Privy Counsellor from 1702, he advanced through the ranks of
the British Army, becoming Lieutenant-General in 1710, and was a Representative
Peer from 1707 to 1710.
4th Earl of Lindsay, John Lindsay, b.1702,
a.1713, d.1749
Son of the 3rd Earl and Emilia Stewart (b.?, d.1711),
daughter of James Stewart, Lord Doune (eldest son of Alexander Stewart, 5th
Earl of Moray). Educated at the University of Glasgow
and the Vaudeuil Military Academy in Paris, he was invested as a Fellow of the
Royal Society in 1732 and was a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the Prince of
Wales in 1733. He reached the rank of Captain in the Scots Guards in 1734 and
was Adjutant-General from 1739 to 1743. He was Colonel of the 43rd
Foot Regiment (Black Watch) from 1739 to 1740, of the 2nd Horse
Troop, Grenadier Guards, from 1740 to 1743 and of the 4th Horse
Troop, Grenadier Guards, from 1743 to 1746. He fought at the Battle of
Dettingen in 1743 and reached the rank of Brigadier-General in 1744. He fought
at the Battle of Fontenoy early in 1745 and reached the rank of Major-General
before returning to fight against the Jacobites during the Uprising. He was
Colonel of the 25th Foot Regiment from 1746 to 1747 and of the 2nd
Dragoons (Scots Greys) from 1747 to 1749, reaching the rank of
Lieutenant-General in 1747. He also served as a Representative Peer from 1732
until his death. He married Lady Jean Murray (b.?, d.1747), daughter of James
Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl, but they had no
children and his titles passed to a distant relative.
Viscounts Garnock (1703)
1st Viscount Garnock, John Lindsay, b.1669,
a.1703, d.1709
Son of Patrick Crawford (born Lindsay) (b.?, d.1680), younger brother of
the 2nd Earl of Lindsay, and Margaret Crawfurd (b.?, d.1680),
daughter of Sir John Crawfurd, 1st Baronet Crawfurd of Kilbirnie. He
was an MP for Ayrshire from 1693 to 1703, and was raised to the peerage as 1st
Viscount Garnock and 1st Lord Kilbirnie and Drumry, these titles
replacing slightly earlier ones of 1st Viscount of Mount Crawford
and 1st Lord Kilbirnie, Kingsburn and Drumry.
2nd Viscount Garnock, Patrick
Lindsay-Crawford, b.1697, a.1709, d.1735
Son of the 1st Viscount and Margaret Stuart (b.?, d.1738), daughter of Sir James Stuart,
1st Earl of Bute.
3rd Viscount Garnock, John Lindsay,
b.c.1722, a.1735, d.1738
Son of the 2nd Viscount and Margaret Home.
4th Viscount Garnock, George
Lindsay-Crawford, b.1729, a.1738, d.1781
Younger brother of the 3rd Viscount. In 1749 he succeeded as
21st Earl of Crawford and 5th Earl of Lindsay.
Earls of Lindsay (1633, continued)
5th Earl of Lindsay, George
Lindsay-Crawford, b.1729, a.1749, d.1781
He reached the rank of Lieutenant in the British Army and fought in
Holland.
6th Earl of Lindsay, George
Lindsay-Crawford, b.1758, a1781, d.1808
Son of the 5th Earl and Jean Hamilton (b.c.1735, d.1809). He
joined the Army in 1776 and was Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, 71st
Foot Regiment, from 1782 to 1783 and of the 63rd Foot Regiment from
1789 to 1808, reaching the rank of Major-General in 1805. He was
Lord-Lieutenant of Fife from 1794 to 1808. When he died the principal male line
of Lindsay became extinct. The Crawford titles became dormant and were
eventually obtained by the earls of Balcarres,
whereas the Lindsay titles passed to descendants of the 4th Lord
Lindsay of the Byres.
7th Earl of Lindsay, David Lindsay,
b.b.1766, a.1808, d.1809
The 7th Earl de jure, although he may well not have been made
aware of his elevation, descended in an unbroken line of 8 generations from
David Lindsay of Kirkforthar (b.b.1525, d.1592), a younger brother of the 5th
Lord Lindsay of the Byres. He married Helen Crichton. Their son John Lindsay
(b.b.1583, d.1599) married Marjory Pitcairn. Their son Patrick Lindsay
(b.b.1574, d.1638) married Helen Orme. Their son David Lindsay (b.b.1593, d.?)
married Elizabeth Bethune. Their son David Lindsay (b.b.1606, d.c.1672) married
Jean Pitcairn, daughter of Henry Pitcairn of that Ilk. Their son David Lindsay
(b.b.1654, d.c.1714) married Elizabeth Pearson. Their son John Lindsay
(b.b.1700, d.c.1740) married Catherine Seton. Their son John Lindsay (b.b.1750,
d.a.1766), wife unknown, was the father of David Lindsay, who inherited the
earldom and the subsidiary titles of 7th Lord Parbroath, 16th
Lord Lindsay of the Byres, 6th Viscount Garnock and 6th
Lord Kilbirny and Drumry, the last two being former titles of the earls of
Crawford. He died shortly after inheriting the title, with no direct heir.
8th Earl of Lindsay, Patrick Lindsay,
b.1778, a.1809, d.1839
The 8th Earl de jure, whose claim to the title was in process
when he died, descended from a branch of the previous earl’s family. Patrick
Lindsay (b.b.1574, d.1638), mentioned above, had a younger son James Lindsay
(b.b.1614, d.?). His son Patrick Lindsay (b.b.1630, d.a.1646) married Beatrice
Daes. Their son, the Reverend Patrick Lindsay (b.b.1686, d.?), married Janet
Lindsay. Their son Patrick Lindsay (b.b.1702, d.1753), Lord Provost of
Edinburgh, married Margaret Monteir. Their second son (their first son, Patrick
Lindsay of Eaglescairne (b.c.1719, d.1801) having only daughters)
Lieutenant-Colonel John Lindsay (b.b.1760, d.1780) married Margaret Maria
Craigie Halkett, and their son inherited the title. He reached the rank of
Major-General in 1837 and was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of
the Bath in 1838. Astonishingly, he also died without issue.
9th Earl of Lindsay, Henry Bethune, b.1787,
a.1839, d.1851
The title was again dormant until 1878, when the House of Lords
recognised John Trotter Bethune as the rightful heir and backdating the inheritance
to include his father Henry Bethune in the sequence of earls. The 9th
Earl de jure descended from William Lindsay of Pyotstone (b.b.1522, d.a.1539),
third son of Patrick Lindsay, 4th Lord Lindsay of the Byres
mentioned above. He married Isabel Logan (d.c.1562). Their son John Lindsay
(b.b.1539, d.c.1580) married Janet Williamson. Their son Patrick Lindsay of
Wolmerston (b.1571, d.1625) was twice-married, and sources disagree as to which
of the two wives provided heirs, either Margaret Lundie or Elizabeth Arnot. He
was father of John Lindsay (b.b.1625, d.1667), who married Elspeth Lentran.
Their son Patrick Lindsay (b.b.1642, d.?) married Catherine Bethune. Their son
John Lindsay (b.?, d.1715) married Margaret Haliburton. Their son George Lindsay
(b.b.1706, d.1764) married Margaret Bethune. Their son Henry Lindsay-Bethune
(b.1736, d.1819) married Margaret Eccles (b.?, d.1823). Their son Major Martin
Eccles Lindsay-Bethune (b.?, d.1813) married Margaret Augusta Tovey, and their
son inherited the Lindsay titles. He had previously been a soldier of fortune
and fought for the Shah of Persia. He was created 1st Baronet
Bethune of Kilconquhar in the baronetage of the United Kingdom in 1836.
10th Earl of Lindsay, John Trotter Lindsay,
b.1827, a.1851, d.1894
Son of the 9th Earl and Coutts Trotter (b.?, d.1877). He
reached the rank of Lieutenant in the 91st Highland Regiment and was
a Representative Peer from 1885 to 1894. On his death, the 9th Earl
had no other male descendents available to inherit and so the UK baronetcy
became extinct.
11th Earl of Lindsay, David Clarke
Ayton-Lindsay, b.1832, a.1894, d.1917
Henry Lindsay Bethune mentioned above, grandfather of the 9th
Earl, had a younger brother Patrick Lindsay of Coats (b.1745, d.1823). His son,
by wife unknown, David Lindsay (b.1798, d.1872) married Jane Emilia Ayton (b.?,
d.1872), and their son became the next earl. He changed his surname to Bethune
when he succeeded.
12th Earl of Lindsay, Reginald
Lindsay-Bethune, b.1867, a.1917, d.1939
Son of the 11th Earl and Emily Marian Crosse (b.?, d.1920).
He fought in the Boer War and First World War and reached the rank of Major. He
was a Representative Peer from 1917 to 1939. He married but had no children.
13th Earl of Lindsay, Archibald Lionel
Bethune, b.1872, a.1939, d.1943
Younger brother of the 12th Earl.
14th Earl of Lindsay, William Tucker
Lindsay-Bethune, b.1901, a.1943, d.1985
Son of the 13th Earl and Ethel Tucker (b.?, d.1942). He
reached the rank of Major in the Scots Guards and was wounded during the Second
World War. He was a Representative Peer from 1947 to 1959 and was admitted into
the Royal Company of Archers. He was also invested as a Knight of the Most
Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (K.St.J.).
15th Earl of Lindsay, David
Lindsay-Bethune, b.1926, a.1985, d.1989
Son of the 14th Earl and Marjory Cross. Educated at Eton and
Magdalen College Cambridge, he served in the Scots Guards, reaching the rank of
Major in 1951. He was Honorary Colonel of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry from
1957 to 1962. He was admitted to the Royal Company of Archers in 1960 and
invested as an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John
of Jerusalem (O.St.J.).
16th Earl of Lindsay, James Randolph
Lindsay-Bethune, b.1955, a.1989
Son of the 15th Earl and Mary-Clare Douglas-Scott-Montagu
(b.1928), daughter of John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd
Baron Montagu of Beaulieu. Educated at Eton, Edinburgh University and the
University of California at Davis, he was a Lord-in-Waiting in 1995 and
Under-Secretary in the Scottish Office from 1995 to 1997. He is currently an
Elected Representative in the House of Lords. As well as being 16th
Earl, he is also 25th Lord Lindsay of the Byres, 16th
Lord Parbroath, 15th Viscount of Garnock and 15th Lord
Kilbirny & Drumry.
The courtesy title for the heir is Viscount Garnock.
(Last updated: 19/08/2011)