386 DIRLETOUN X. i<;88 lo. John (Ruthven), Earl OF GowRiE, Lord DiRLE- to TouN, &"€. [S.], next br. and h. He, being involved in 1600. the well-known " Gowrie conspiracy" against the King, was killed at Perth 5 Aug. 1600, and having been attainted, all his honours and estates were forfeited.i^') See fuller account under " Gowrie," Earldom [S.], cr. 1581; forfeited 1600. XI. 1604. I. Sir Thomas Erskine, of Gogar, having assisted in rescuing the King from the plot of the Earl of Gowrie (next abovenamed), and having himself slain, 5 Aug. 1600, Alexander Ruthven, yr. br. of that Earl, received, in reward, a third part of the Lord- ship of Dirletoun, co. Berwick (forfeited by the said Earl), and was cr., 8 July i6o4,() BARON ERSKINE OF DIRLETOWNE in Scotland, being as Lord Dirletoun placed in the decreet of Ranking (1606) next below Lord Loudoun cr. 30 June 1601], and next above Lord Kinloss and Lord Abercorn, which last was cr. 5 Apr. 1603. He was, as "Thomas Erskine, Lord Dirletoun," cr. 18 Mar. 1606, VISCOUNT OF FENTOUN [S.], and on I2 Mar. 161 9, was cr. EARL OF KELLIE [S.]. See that dignity. EARLDOM [S.] James Maxwell, s. of Robert M., of Kirkhouse, by Nicolas, sister of John, ist Earl of Annandale [S.], I. 1646 da. of Charles Murray, of Cockpool, by Margaret, da. to of Hugh (Somerville), Lord Somerville [S.], was of 1650 Innerwick; he was a Gent, of the King's Bedchamber. He was (according to Beatson's Index) cr. in 1638, LORD INNERWICK, co. Haddington [S.]. He was (certainly) in 1646, (^) These honours were the Earldom of Gowrie and the Barony of Ruthven, the former certainly, and the latter probably, descendible to heirs male., and the Barony of Dirletoun [S.], which was descendible (if rij^htly possessed by the Ruthven family) to heirs general. These heirs were successively William and Patrick (the two surviving yr. brothers of the Earl), of whom William d. abroad and unm., and Patrick (the younger) was living and styling himself "Lord Ruthven" in 1656. Mary, only da., and probably in her issue eventually h., of this Patrick, w., istly. Sir Anthony Vandyck, the famous painter, and 2ndly, as 2nd wife, Sir Robert Pryse, Bart., who d. about 1 65 I. By Vandyck she had an only da. and h., Justina, who m. Sir John Stepney, Bart. Their great-grandson and h.. Sir Thomas Stepney, Bart, (whose issue male failed in 1825), left 2 daughters, of whom the younger m. Andrew Cowell (being ancestress of the Cowell-Stepneys, Barts.), while the elder, Elizabeth Bridgetta (who d. 1779), w. Joseph Gulston, of Knutsford Hall, Northants (who d. 1786), and had Joseph Gulston, s. and h., d. 1790, leaving Joseph Gulston, his s. and h., d. 1 841, leaving Alan James Gulston of Derwydd and Knutsford Hall, his s. and h., "who, but for the Act of Attainder [1600] would be entitled to the dignity of Lord Dirle- ton, in case the evidence be sufficient to establish that the honour was granted to the first Peer and the heirs of his body." See Hewlett., p. 138. i^) See Creatiom., 1483-1646, in App., 47th Rep., D.K. Pub. Records, and post, p. 511, note " a."
