George Seton, 1st Lord Seton

George Seton, 1st Lord Seton, of Seton, East Lothian, (c. 1415 – 1478) was a Lord of Parliament, Lord Auditor, and a Scottish ambassador.

Family

George was the son and heir of Sir William Seton of that Ilk who was killed at the battle of Verneuil, August 17, 1424. Sir William dying before his father, Sir John Seton of that Ilk, George succeeded his grandfather, when a minor, before 1434, and reached his majority before November 2, 1437.

Career

He was knighted before September 18, 1439, and had a Safe-conduct to pass through England dated April 23, 1448, when he accompanied Lord Chancellor Crichton's Embassy to Flanders, France, and Burgundy. He served on a jury in a perambulation by Thomas de Cranstoun, Justiciar, on March 22, 1451, where he is styled "Sir George de Seton of that Ilk".

Shortly after that date he was created a Lord of Parliament as Lord Seton ('George domini Setoun') and sat in the Scottish Parliament as such on June 14, 1452.

He was a Privy Councillor by July 11, 1458, and made a Lord Auditor in 1469/70. He again had a Safe-conduct to travel to England as Ambassador on March 16, 1472 (1471/2), and once more on April 21, 1473.

Marriage & death

He married twice: (1), before January 8, 1436/7, Margaret, only child of John Stewart, Earl of Buchan and Chamberlain of Scotland, by his spouse Elizabeth, only daughter of Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas; (2), before January 8, 1460/1. Christian, née Murray, said to have been of the house of Tullibardine.

The 1st Lord Seton died shortly after July 15, 1478, at the Black Friars, Edinburgh, and was buried there.

His only son and heir by his first wife, John, Master of Seton, died before July 19, 1476, before his father, and was buried at Seton. His son, a grandson of George, 1st Lord Seton, became the successor:

* George Seton, 2nd Lord Seton (d. 1507/8).

References

* Anderson, William, "The Scottish Nation", Edinburgh, 1867, vol.viii, p437.
* Cockayne, G.E., & White, Geoffrey H., F.S.A., editors, "The Complete Peerage", London, 1949, vol.ii, p.633-4.