Draft:Earl of Wigtoun (baronage title)
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 3 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 1,556 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
Earl of Wigtoun is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland.
Wigtoun
[edit]The coastal town of Wigtoun is situated atop a hill overlooking Wigtoun Bay on Scotland's west coast. The town has historically served as a trading port,[1] taking advantage of its location along this strategic sea passage.
The name Wigtoun derives from Old English roots, with "wic" suggesting either a village or inlet, and "ton" denoting a settlement or elevated land.[2] From its hillside perch some 200 feet above sea level, sweeping views of the surrounding landscape are afforded for miles in all directions. Traces in the area date back to prehistory, as evidenced by the substantial stone circle of Standing Stones at Torhouse. A Christian church was established in Wigtoun as early as the 6th century AD, and the town is believed to have received royal burgh status under King David II.[3]
The town is perhaps best known for the tragic execution by drowning of two nonconforming women, now known as the Wigtoun Martyrs, in the 17th century. A castle previously stood between the town and harbor, its existence documented in the Wars of Scottish Independence when held by King Edward I's forces.[4] The castle was later captured by William Wallace in 1297,[5] and also served briefly as a residence of John Balliol.
History of the earldom
[edit]The baronage earldom of Wigtoun was first granted in the 14th century to Malcolm Fleming. However, his son Thomas Fleming later sold the earldom to the influential Douglas family.[6] William Douglas was granted back the earldom after he resigned it to the Crown.[7] Shortly after, the Douglases fell out of favour with the Crown, resulting in the forfeiture of their lands and noble titles.[8]
_arms.png)
In the early 17th century, King James VI elevated John Fleming to the peerage, bestowing upon him the Earl of Wigtoun title.[9] John's son, the second Earl of Wigtoun, served King Charles I as a Privy Councillor and Commissioner during the mid-century civil wars. A staunch royalist, he supported the Crown. The second Earl's son, the third Earl of Wigtoun, likewise fought for the king at the Battle of Philiphaugh in 1645.[10]
William Fleming, 5th Earl of Wigtoun, studied at the University of Glasgow before inheriting his brother's lands and positions.[11] He then pursued a military career as Commander of Dumbarton Castle, Sheriff of Dumbarton, and Privy Councillor.
John Fleming, 6th Earl of Wigtoun, continued the family's tradition of backing the House of Stuart. He accompanied the exiled King James VII to France in 1689. Upon returning to Scotland, the sixth Earl opposed the Treaty of Union. At the outbreak of the 1715 Jacobite Rising, he was imprisoned as a suspected Jacobite in Edinburgh Castle.[12]
With the end of the male Earl of Wigtoun line, the family estates passed through marriage to the Elphinstones. Lady Clementina Fleming, daughter of the sixth Earl, had married Charles, 10th Lord Elphinstone.[13] Their descendants subsequently inherited the Wigtoun lands, holding them until 1876 when the baronage earldom was reassigned to John William Burns of Kilmahew.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "In pictures: Wigtown's trading history celebrated". BBC News. 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Wigtown". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Wigtown Burgh". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Wigtown Castle | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Wigtown Castle (SM11055)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Charter: ratification of a charter of Thomas Fleming to Sir Archibald Douglas. Sale of Earldom of Wigtown 1372". www.rps.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "William earl of Douglas paying one red ruby(!) for the said earldom and the lands at Wigtown 1451". www.rps.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ Paul, James Balfour (1904). The Scots peerage; founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Edinburgh : D. Douglas.
- ^ Cokayne, George Edward (1887). Complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Harvard University. London, G. Bell & sons.
- ^ Douglas, Robert (1764). The peerage of Scotland: containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom, ... collected from the public records, and ancient chartularies of this nation, ... Illustrated with copper-plates. By Robert Douglas, Esq;.
- ^ Grayling, A. C.; Pyle, Andrew; Goulder, Naomi (2006). The Continuum Encyclopedia of British Philosophy. Thoemmes Continuum. ISBN 978-1-84371-141-4.
- ^ "Fleming - Clan Finder". ClanCentral. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ Burke, Bernard (1855). A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. Hurst and Blackett.
- ^ Irving, Joseph (1879). The Book of Dumbartonshire: a History of the County, Burghs, Parishes, and Lands, Memoirs of Families, and Notices of Industries Carried on in the Lennox District. Edinburgh and London.