John Kennedy, 5th Earl of Cassilis
John Kennedy, 5th Earl of Cassilis (1575 – 14 November 1615) was a Scottish peer, the son of Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of Cassilis.
He succeeded to the titles of 7th Lord Kennedy and 5th Earl of Cassillis on 14 December 1576.
He was one of the central figures in The Historie Of The Kennedyis, an anonymous eyewitness account of the feud between the Cassilis and Bargany Kennedy families republished in 1830 by Robert Pitcairn. This feud climaxed in a pitched battle in December 1601, in which the Earl's men fatally wounded the Laird of Bargany who was returning home from Ayr. According to the Historie, the Earl also summarily hung a young man named Dalrymple, to whom he was related, for being a closer relation of Bargany's. In most these deeds he was heavily influenced by his Tutor Laird Thomas Kennedy of Culzean, which led to the murder of Culzean, by Bargany's younger brother, Thomas Kennedy of Drummurchie at Greenan Castle on 12 May 1602.
He held the office of Treasurer of Scotland on 22 March 1598/99.
Family
He married Jean Fleming, (widow of John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane), on 4 November 1597.[1] On 1 November 1604 he was warded in Blackness Castle for assaulting his wife.[2]
References
Sources
- Pitcairn, R., A Historical and Genealogical Account of the Principal Families of the Name of Kennedy, (Edinburgh, 1830)
- Paterson, J., History of The Counties Of Ayr and Wigton: Volume 2, Carrick, (Originally published 1863 then 1871 by James Stillie, Edinburgh. Republished by Grimsay Press, Glasgow, 2003)
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gilbert Kennedy |
Earl of Cassilis 1576–1615 |
Succeeded by John Kennedy |