Mark Kerr (or Ker), 1st Earl of Lothian (15538 April 1609) was a
Scottish nobleman and politician. He became the first
Earl of Lothian in 1606.
Family background
He was a member of the "famous border family" of Ker of Cessford.
He was the son of
Mark Kerr, abbot of
Newbattle Abbey,
Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
, and
Helen Leslie, sister of the
Earl of Rothes.
The House of Kerr was of Anglo-Norman and Norse lineage, and the Kerrs of Fernihirst settled in Scotland in the 13th century.
Kerr and his family lived in
Newbattle Abbey, a mansion occupying the site of a Cistercian abbey founded in 1140.
[Colin McWilliam, Christopher Wilson, ]
Career
Kerr was named
Vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...
of
Linton in 1567. He was appointed
Master of Requests in 1577, a role he held until 1606. He was a gentleman of the king's chamber in 1580. In 1581, he succeeded his father as Commendator of Newbottle.
Like his father, Mark Kerr was an
Extraordinary Lord of Session under king
beginning in 1584, with his lands at Newbattle made into a Barony.
On 28 October 1587, he was made a
Lord of Parliament as Lord Newbottle, or possibly 15 October 1591.
In 1587 he was made a baron and
Privy Counsellor.
In December 1593, Kerr was appointed to a committee to audit the account of money spent by the
Chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
,
John Maitland of Thirlestane, on the
royal voyages. The funds in question came from the
English subsidy and the dowry of
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
.
In 1604 he acted as interim Chancellor. He was created Earl of Lothian on 10 July 1606,
and resigned the office of Master of Requests in the same year.
An English list of the Scottish nobility states his residences were "Morphele" and
Prestongrange.
Marriage and family
He married Margaret Maxwell, a daughter of
John Maxwell, Lord Herries. Kerr and his wife were said to have 31 children.
Their children included:
*
Robert Kerr, 2nd Earl of Lothian
* Anne Kerr
* Margaret Kerr, who married
James Hay, 7th Lord Hay of Yester
* Janet Kerr, who married
William Cunningham, 8th Earl of Glencairn
* Jean Kerr, who married (1) Robert Boyd, Master of Boyd, (2)
David Lindsay, 12th Earl of Crawford, (3) Thomas Hamilton of Robertoun. In 1623 King James made steps to help the dowager Countess of Crawford and her children, because she had been a faithful servant to
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
.
Death
He died on 8 April 1609.
His wife Margaret Maxwell was accused of causing his death through witchcraft.
She died at
Prestongrange House on 8 January 1617.
He was succeeded by his son Robert, 2nd Earl of Lothian.
The second earl had no sons, and the title passed to his daughter
Anne Kerr, Countess of Lothian. In 1631 her husband was created
William Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian.
[David Laing, ''Correspondence of Sir Robert Kerr, first Earl of Ancram'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1875), pp. xlviii, li.]
See also
*
Marquess of Lothian
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lothian, Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of
1553 births
1609 deaths
Nobility from Midlothian
Earls of Lothian
Ordained peers
Peers of Scotland created by James VI