George Livingston, 3rd Earl of Linlithgow

George Livingston (1616–1690) was a military officer and third Earl of Linlithgow.

Life

The eldest son of Alexander, second earl, by Lady Elizabeth Gordon, second daughter of George Gordon, first marquis of Huntly, was born in July 1616. He was appointed constable and keeper of the palace of Linlithgow on his father's resignation on 15 Dec 1642 [Date is not confirmed by documentation. Charter in favour of George dated 17 June 1640, registered 20 December 1642 (Scottish Records Society, The Binns Papers, 205)]. The date of the father's death, and the son's consequent succession to the earldom, is uncertain, but it was not so late as 1653, as supposed by Wood, and occurred previous to 4 Dec. 1650, when George, earl of Linlithgow, was admitted to the house of parliament, and his incapability by his accession to the 'Engagement' for the rescue of Charles taken off (Sir James Balfour, Annals, iv. 198). On 20 Dec. he was nominated colonel of one of the Perth regiments of horse (ib. p. 210). He was member for the sheriffdom of Perthshire in Cromwell's parliament, 1654-5 (Foster, Members of Parliament, Scotland).

At the Restoration he was appointed colonel of the Scots Regiment of Foot Guards,^[1] and sworn a privy councillor. On 18 Dec. 1677 he obtained a commission to succeed Sir George Munro, 1st of Newmore as major-general of the forces in Scotland, his principal duty being the suppression of covenanting conventicles. After the defeat of Claverhouse [see John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee] at Drumclog on 1 June 1679, Linlithgow acted very irresolutely. The forces of Claverhouse were directed to return to the main body under him at Stirling, and without daring to risk an engagement, he finally fell back on Edinburgh until assistance could be obtained from England. On the arrival of the English reinforcements the supreme command was transferred to Monmouth. After the battle of Bothwell Bridge Linlithgow, on 25 July, was sent by the council along with Claverhouse to London to advocate the adoption of more severe measures against those who had been in arms. On 10 July 1684 he was appointed justice-general in room of the Earl of Perth (Fountainhall, Hist. Notices, p. 542), but he was deprived of his office at the Revolution. Linlithgow had some connection with the Montgomery plot, but died on 1 Feb. 1690, before its betrayal.

By his wife Elizabeth Maule, second daughter of Patrick, first earl of Panmure, and dowager of John, second earl of Kinghorn, he had two sons—George, fourth earl of Linlithgow, and Alexander, third earl of Callendar—and one daughter, Henriet, married to Robert, second viscount Oxford.^[2]

References

1. see Dalton's "The Scots Army 1661-1688" at intro, p xvi
2.  Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1893). "Livingstone, George (1616-1690)". In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography 33. London: Smith, Elder & Co. [Sir James Balfour's Annals; Lauder of Fountainhall's Hist. Notices; Burnet's Own Time; Balcarres's Memoirs; Wodrow's Sufferings of the Kirk of Scotland; Napier's Graham of Claverhouse; Douglas's Scottish Peerage (Wood), ii. 128.]

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Livingstone, George (1616-1690)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.