Barons of Kilravock: the 12th & 14th Barons of Kilravock
Documents dating 1611-1687 including Covenanting interest
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Auction: 18 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
Documents concerning the 12th Baron, 1611-1643: a quantity of documents, mainly legal and financial, also including two signed copies of a letter from the leaders of the Covenanting party (one addressed to “The richt worfull the Laird of Perk, Theis” and the other “To the richt worshipfull the Laird of Kilraak, Theis", asking the recipients to “repair to Edinburgh with all convenient speede, that you micht be truelie informed of the estait of our effaires, and give your concurrence and advyce how these innovationes of the Service Booke, His Comission, Canons, and other abusis, so much threatning the overthrow of religioun and law, micht be removed…”, dated 26th March 1638, each 23 lines on paper, signed by Montrose, Boyd, Home, Loudon and others, each 20 x 31cm [Rose, Shaw & Innes p.320];
letters including a letter from the Privy Council, dated August 1632, asking for the Laird's assistance in a dispute, the summons of a valuation of the lands of Hugh Rose of Kilravock, dated 5th November 1635, one from the Bishop of Ross dated the 5th March 1636 discussing the refusal of a divorce case, a settlement of marches between Kilravock and Redcastle dated 30th October 1639, and a large number of others;
Document concerning the 13th Baron, 1643-1649: only one document present from the tenure of the 13th Baron, dated 11th June 1644, from the Earl of Moray, writing “I…desyr you will stryue to continou the puting out of anni hors out of my deuision…”;
Documents concerning the 13th Baron, 1649-1687: a large quantity of documents, mainly legal and financial
Footnote
A fascinating and extensive collection of documents leading from the reign of James VI and I to that of Mary II, encompassing the Scottish Covenanting movement, civil war and the Stuart restoration. The 12th and 13th Barons of Kilravock had both inclined towards the Covenanting interest, with the 12th Baron receiving an invitation by the leaders of the movement to meet in Edinburgh in 1638, and ultimately signing the National Covenant. Very little is included from the brief tenure of the 13th Baron, who died aged just 29 in 1649. It is known that he led his clan against James Graham, the 1st Marquis of Montrose, at the Battle of Auldearn in 1645 and supported the government-led Covenanting army at this point. However, his loyalties later changed and he led a regiment of dragoons which planned to rescue King Charles I from his imprisonment by Parliament.
About the 14th Baron, Cosmo Innes et al. write:
“Bearing in mind the cautious maxims with which he set out, Mr. Hew Rose gives us little information of the public affairs of his own time, in which the Chief must have taken some part. It was the most momentous periods of British history; but we are not surprised that Master Hew - writing in the years 1683 and 1684 - wishing above all things for peace in his days, chose not to commit to paper his own opinions, nor to blazon the actions and principles of his kinsman and Chief…” [p.344].
These collections of documents were compiled by the Rose family and largely fit into groupings of the 12th and 14th Barons. A few later 18th century documents are also included.