William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland
William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland, previously named William Gordon, 17th Earl of Sutherland,[1] (1708–1750), was a Scottish nobleman and chief of the Clan Sutherland, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Jacobite rising of 1745
During the Jacobite rising of 1745 William, 17th Earl of Sutherland supported the British-Hanoverian Government. During the rising the Jacobites stormed the Earl's home at Dunrobin Castle, but he narrowly escaped them through a back door and sailed to join the army of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.[1] One day before the Battle of Culloden where the Jacobites were defeated, an Independent Highland Company of soldiers that were raised from the Clan Sutherland by the Earl of Sutherland, took part in the Battle of Littleferry in support of the Government where the Jacobites were also defeated.[2][3] Despite of this some people in the Government were unhappy with the Earl's strength of support and he struggled to prove to the parliament in London that he had not had Jacobite sympathies.[4][2]
Family
William Sutherland (previously Gordon), 17th Earl of Sutherland married Elizabeth Wemyss, daughter of David Wemyss and they had the following children:[1]
- William Sutherland, 18th Earl of Sutherland (1735 - 1766)
- Elizabeth Gordon (d.1803)
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- ^ a b c William Gordon (later Sutherland) clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
- ^ a b Sutherland, Malcolm. (1996). A Fighting Clan, Sutherland Officers: 1250 – 1850. p. 32. Avon Books. ISBN 1-897960-47-6.
- ^ Simpson, Peter. (1996). The Independent Highland Companies, 1603 - 1760. pp. 135 - 136. ISBN 0-85976-432-X.
- ^ Clan Sutherland History clansutherland.org. Retrieved 4 May 2013.