Lords Spynie (1590)
1st Lord Spynie, Alexander Lindsay,
b.?, a.1590, d.1607
Alexander Lindsay was a younger brother of David Lindsay, 11th
Earl of Crawford and Henry Lindsay, 13th Earl
of Crawford. He was made a Privy Counsellor and served as Vice-Chamberlain to
King James VI and given the lands of Spynie and
others in Moray. In 1592 he was accused of intriguing with Francis Stewart, 1st
Earl of Bothwell but his accuser failed to appear at
Court and he was acquitted, though his relationship with the King was compromised.
His death was as a result of the inter-Lindsay feuds that began with the 8th
Earl of Crawford, who had arranged for the disinheritance of his own sons for
what he called an attempted patricide by obtaining a re-grant of the earldom to
the Lindsays of Edzell, who
were descended from a younger son of the 3rd Earl of Crawford. The 9th
Earl, however, re-instated the 8th Lord’s grandson as his own heir
to the title, though he maintained his position as Chief of the Name of Lindsay.
The 9th Earl had three prominent sons, David Lindsay (b.c.1550,
d.1610), who became a Law Lord using the title Lord Edzell,
John Lindsay of Balcarres (b.1552, d.1598), who became
a Law Lord using the title Lord Menmuir, and Walter
Lindsay of Balgavie (b.?,
d.1605). The Lindsay’s were Roman Catholic throughout the Reformation, so were
used to intrigues and switching sides, and the family was often split by
disputes. They were also traditionally a volatile lot. All three brothers conformed
to this expectation by being wild in their youth. However, unlike the other
two, who eventually settled down and took respected places in society, Walter
remained wild and had to live abroad for a while. When he returned in 1598, his
actions continued to cause a problem for the Lindsays
and he was eventually killed by the 12th Earl of Crawford, another
disreputable character. In retaliation, David’s son, also David Lindsay (b.?,
d.1646) and a group of supporters attacked Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord
Spynie, who was the 12th Earl’s uncle, while
he was out walking in Edinburgh’s High Street with his friend James Tweedie. Lord Spynie was killed
and Tweedie shot in the ribs and arms, though he
survived. David the younger’s actions in general
resulted in Lord Edzell becoming heavily in debt
towards the end of his life. The line of Lindsay of Edzell
died out in 1744 and the Chieftaincy of the Clan was assumed by the Lindsay
earls of Balcarres as
heirs-male, and in 1848 they also succeeded to the Crawford earldom in
accordance with the rules laid down by the 9th Earl.
2nd Lord Spynie, Alexander Lindsay,
b.?, a.1607, d.1646
Son of the 1st Lord and Jean Lyon (b.?,
d.c.1610), daughter of John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis
(for whom see the earls of Kinghorne).
He fought in the Thirty Years War for King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and acquitted himself well at the Battle
of Stralsund. He joined the Marquess
of Montrose at Perth in 1644 but was later taken prisoner
by the Earl of Argyll.
3rd Lord Spynie, George Lindsay, b.?, a.1646, d.c.1672
Son of the 2nd Lord and Lady Margaret Hay (b.?, d.c.1650), daughter of George Hay, 1st Earl of
Kinnoull. He remained a
Royalist and opposed Charles I being handed over to the English in 1647. He
joined the Engagement the following year, which resulted in him receiving
serious fines. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and
held at the Tower of London, which meant he was exempt from the Act of Grace. As
heir-male to the 16th Earl of Crawford, he was briefly head of the
principal branch of the Lindsay family, though he died unmarried and his title
became extinct.
The courtesy title for the heir was Master of Spynie.
(Last updated: 29/09/2010)