Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of Cassilis, PC (c. 1541–14 December 1576) was a Scottish peer, the son of

Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis ( ) (12 May 1515 – 15 November 1558) was Scottish landowner, soldier, politician, and judge. He served as Treasurer of Scotland. Biography The son of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis, he succeeded ...

and

Margaret Kennedy Margaret Moore Kennedy (23 April 1896 – 31 July 1967) was an English novelist and playwright. Her most successful work, as a novel and as a play, was '' The Constant Nymph''. She was a productive writer and several of her works were filmed. T ...

. He succeeded to the titles of 6th Lord Kennedy and 4th Earl of Cassillis on 28 November 1558. He fought in the

Battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

on 13 May 1568, for the side of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

. He married

Margaret Lyon Margaret Lyon (died 1625) was a Scottish aristocrat and landowner. She was the daughter of John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis and Janet Keith, daughter of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal, and sister of William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. Families She m ...

, daughter of

John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis (1558) was a Scottish nobleman. Life He was born about 1521, the son of John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis, by Janet Douglas, second daughter of George, master of Angus. His father died in 1528. Along with his mother, who ha ...

; and became a Protestant after his marriage. They had two legitimate children. * John Kennedy, 5th Earl of Cassilis (1575–1615) *Hew Kennedy, Master of Cassilis (1576/77-1607) Cassilis was known as the "King of Carrick" for the feudal influence he possessed in that region. Cassilis died in 1576 after falling from his horse.

Reputation

According to

Robert Pitcairn Robert Pitcairn (May 6, 1836 – July 25, 1909) was a Scottish-American railroad executive who headed the Pittsburgh Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 19th century. He was the brother of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (now P ...

, an early historian of

Clan Kennedy Clan Kennedy is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Publishe ...

, Earl Gilbert was a "werry greidy manne and cairitt nocht how he gatt land sa that he culd cum be the samin." During the era of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

, Earl Gilbert desired the Abbey of Glenluce and entered into transactions with the abbot in an effort to hold the abbey by feudal tenure. However, before the transaction could be completed, the abbot died. Undeterred, Gilbert turned to a monk in the abbey, requesting him to "counterfeit" the abbot's handwriting to draw up a deed and to forge the signatures of all the members of the convent. This ruse succeeded, but, fearing the monk would reveal this deceit, he solicited a peasant "to stik him". That done, he began to fear that the peasant would reveal the crime and arranged with his uncle, Hugh of Bargany, to accuse the peasant of theft and have him hanged. "And sa the landis of Glenluse wes conqueist."

Roasting of the Commendator

In 1565, he seized Allan Stewart, the Commendator of Crossraguel, and imprisoned him at

Dunure Castle Dunure Castle is located on the west coast of Scotland, in South Ayrshire, about south of Ayr and close to the village of Dunure. Today the castle stands in ruins on a rocky promontory on the Carrick coast, overlooking the small harbour of Dunur ...

, seeking to obtain from him certain of the rights over the lands of

Crossraguel Abbey The Abbey of Saint Mary of Crossraguel is a ruin of a former abbey near the town of Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Although it is a ruin, visitors can still see the original monks’ church, their cloister and their dovecot (pigeon towe ...

. For two days he was left to consider his fate; when Stewart proved recalcitrant, Cassilis had him dragged to the Black Vault of Dunure, and roasted him alive over a fire until he was willing to subscribe to the charters the Earl had drawn up. Stewart was finally rescued by his brother-in-law, the Laird of Bargany, who captured Dunure and procured his deliverance. The rescue, however, occasioned a feud between the subsequent Earls of Cassilis and Lairds of Bargany.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassilis, Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of 1540s births 1576 deaths 16th-century Scottish people Deaths by horse-riding accident in Scotland Earls of Cassilis

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

Year of birth unknown