David Lindsay of Edzell, Lord Edzell

Sir David Lindsay of Edzell, Lord Edzell (1551?–1610) was a Scottish judge.

Early life

The eldest son of David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford, by his second wife, Catherine Campbell, daughter of Sir John Campbell of Lorn, he was born about 1551. On the death of his father in 1558 he succeeded only to barony and other estates of Edzell, the earldom of Crawford passing to David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford, son of the "wicked master". With his brother John Lindsay, Lord Menmuir, he was educated on the continent under the care of James Lawson. He was interested in agricultural improvement and the exploitation of minerals on his estate.

In March 1594 Lord Menmuir convinced a German mining expert Bernard Fechtenburg working for Thomas Foulis to work for Edzell. Fechtenburg said that Edzell's samples of ores were more promising than an assay made by Foulis' other experts suggested.

Edzell was one of those who on 3 May 1578 signed a band in favour of the Earl of Mar as guardian of the young king James VI of Scotland. On 14 June of the same year he appeared as procurator for the sureties of David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford. He was knighted at the creation of Esmé Stuart as Duke of Lennox in October 1581. On 27 August 1583 a remission was granted to Lindsay and others under the great seal for the murder of Campbell of Lundie.

Judge

On 2 May 1593 Lindsay was, under the title of Lord Edzell, admitted a lord of session. His name first appears as a member of the privy council on 16 November 1598. For conniving at a fray between his son and the young laird of Pitarrow in the High Street of Edinburgh, 17 June 1605, he was for a short time warded in Dumbarton Castle. In 1607, while seeking to revenge the murder of his relative, Sir Walter Lindsay of Balgavie, he was at least indirectly the cause of the death of Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie. On 10 August 1609 the privy council fixed 19 September for the trial of him and his son Alexander for the murder, but his prosecutor, David Lindsay, 12th Earl of Crawford, having failed to appear, no trial took place.

Edzell died on 18 December 1610.

Family

By his first wife, Lady Helen Lindsay, daughter of David, 10th Earl of Crawford, he had three sons—Sir David of Edzell, John, and Alexander of Canterland—and a daughter, Margaret, married to David Carnegie, 1st Earl of Southesk. By his second wife, Isobel Forbes, he left no issue.