JAMES

james, the 7th earl (d. c. 1622), took part in the seizure of james vi., called the raid of ruthven in 1582. william, the 9th earl (c. 1610-1664), a somewhat lukewarm royalist during the civil war, was a party to the "engagement" between the king and the scots in 1647; for this proceeding the scottish parliament deprived him of his office as lord justice-general, and nominally of his earldom. in march 1653 charles ii. commissioned the earl to command the royalist forces in scotland, pending the arrival of general john middleton, and the insurrection of this year is generally known as glencairn's rising. after its failure he was betrayed and imprisoned, but although excepted from pardon he was not executed; and when charles ii. was restored he became lord chancellor of scotland. after a dispute with his former friend, james sharp, archbishop of st andrews, he died at belton in haddingtonshire on the 30th of may 1664. this earl's son john (d. 1703), who followed his brother alexander as 11th earl in 1670, was a supporter of the revolution of 1688. his descendant, james, the 14th earl (1749-1791), is known as the friend and patron of robert burns. he performed several useful services for the poet; and when he died on the 30th of january 1791 burns wrote a _lament_ beginning, "the wind blew hollow frae the hills," and ending with the lines, "but i'll remember thee, glencairn, and a' that thou hast done for me." the 14th earl was never married, and when his brother and successor, john, died childless in september 1796 the earldom became extinct, although it was claimed by sir adam fergusson, bart., a descendant of the 10th earl.