John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair

Dalrymple, John, 1st earl of Stair [S] (1648-1707). Lawyer and statesman. Like his father, Dalrymple was in disfavour during the early 1680s and was twice imprisoned in Edinburgh castle. But in 1687 James VII appointed him king's advocate [S] and the following year lord justice clerk [S] and a lord of Session. Nevertheless he gave strong support to William of Orange and was reappointed king's advocate 1689-92. From 1690 he was also secretary of state in Scotland, but was obliged to resign his offices for authorizing the massacre of Glencoe. Anne promoted him to the earldom of Stair in 1703, and he took an active part in bringing about the Union.

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)

It has been suggested that Stair House be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

For other persons named John Dalrymple, see John Dalrymple (disambiguation).

The 1st Earl of Stair.

John Dalrymple (born 1648 – 8 January 1707) was a Scottish noble who played a crucial role in the 1707 Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, that created the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The son of James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, John Dalrymple was born at Stair House in the parish of Stair, in Kyle, Ayrshire. He served under King James VII, but as a dominant force in the Scots Parliament he helped bring about the 1688 accession of William II to the throne. In 1689 the king rewarded him with the position of Lord Advocate and in 1691 he was appointed Joint Secretary of State over Scotland with James Johnston.

Dalrymple is most remembered for his part in the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe out of which rose a government enquiry that traced the orders for the infamous massacre to him. The matter brought little more than a temporary suspension from his duties before he returned to government in 1700 as a member of the Privy Council of Scotland.

The Master of Stair, was created first Earl of Stair in 1703 by Queen Anne.

Legal offices
Preceded by George Mackenzie	Lord Advocate 1687 – 1688	Succeeded by George Mackenzie
Preceded by Lord Colinton	Lord Justice Clerk 1688 – 1690	Succeeded by Lord Cessnock
Preceded by George Mackenzie	Lord Advocate 1689 – 1692	Succeeded by William James Stewart
Political offices
Preceded by Earl of Melville	Secretary of State, Scotland 1691 – 1695	Succeeded by James Johnston
Peerage of Scotland
New creation	Earl of Stair 1703 – 1707	Succeeded by John Dalrymple
Preceded by James Dalrymple	Viscount of Stair 1695 – 1707

This Scottish law-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)