William Gordon, 1st Baronet
Sir William Gordon, 1st Baronet (* 1654 - December 1718 ) was a Scottish nobleman and military.
He came from a branch of the Gordon Clan and was the youngest son of William Gordon (1614-1679), lord of Earlston in Berwickshire , from his marriage to Mary Hope († 1696), daughter of the Judge at the Court of Session John Hope, Lord Craighall (1605-1654).
He was a staunch Presbyterian and was thus in opposition to the Stuart kings Charles II and James II , who tried to expand the Anglican State Church to Scotland. He went abroad and in 1670 joined a regiment of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg as an officer. His father was killed in an unsuccessful rebellion by the Presbyterian Covenanters in 1679 at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge . In 1685 he took part in the unsuccessful rebellion of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth , against King James II.
In 1688 he took in the wake of Wilhelm III. in its landing in Torbay and the following Glorious Revolution . He bought the Afton estate in Kirkcudbrightshire and later his father's, Earlston estate, which had been taken from his older brother in 1681. In 1692 he fought under Wilhelm III. also in the battle of Steenkerke . He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and was appointed Governor of Fort William .
In 1692 he married Mary Campbell, daughter of Sir George Campbell of Cessnock. The marriage remained childless.
On July 9, 1706 he was given the hereditary title Baronet , of Earlston and Afton in the County of Kirkcudbright, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia . Since he had no children, the award was made with the special addition that, in the absence of male descendants of his own, the title could also be inherited by his older brother Alexander Gordon of Earlston and his male descendants. He finally inherited him when he died in December 1718.
Literature and web links
- Charles Mosley (Ed.): Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage . Volume 2, Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, Wilmington 2003, p. 1588.
- Sir William Gordon of Afton, 1st Bt. On thepeerage.com
| predecessor | title | successor |
|---|---|---|
| New title created | Baronet, of Earlston and Afton 1706-1718 |
Alexander Gordon |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gordon, William, 1st Baronet |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gordon of Afton, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish nobleman and military |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1654 |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 1718 |