John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell

John Maxwell, 1st Earl of Morton, 8th Lord Maxwell (* April 24, 1553; † December 6, 1593 at Lockerbie ), was a Scottish nobleman.

Life

His father was Robert Maxwell, 6th Lord Maxwell; his mother Beatrix, a daughter of James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton, took him about seven months after the death of his father to the shaft. After his brother's death in the following year he took the title of 8th Lord Maxwell.

On June 2, 1581, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, was executed. The former Regent of the minor King James VI. was an uncle of John, and as the 3rd Earl of Morton had only daughters, given the title Earl of Morton and Lord of Carlyle and Eskdaill was posted on October 29, 1581 awarded. On June 5, the lands of the Morton family the title of Earl to him and his heirs with a certificate transferred to a free county and transferred. Parliament this paper confirms November 29 to 1581.

However, a repeal of these overrides from the April 9, 1585 did not apply because of an error the title of Earl, which was visible in the appointment of "john maxwell, erllis of mortoun " to the " Warden of the Marches " on July 28, 1592. As a result, he was repeatedly entrusted with this task, he was also a member of the Privy Privy Council.

In 1620 the king had against the son Robert to admit that it was not validly established the county in 1581 by the formal errors from 1585 and thus lands and titles retroactively Roberts brother, the Earl of Angus, fell.

By his marriage, closed between 13 and February 17, 1571 (or 1572) with Elizabeth Douglas, a daughter of David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus, whom he had three sons; John (later Lord 9 ), Robert ( later 10th Lord and first Earl of Nithsdale ) and James, and three daughters; Elizabeth, Margaret and Jean.