GARNOCK, Viscount,
one of the titles of the earl of Crawford, and one of the peerages which
appear on the union roll; conferred in 1703 on John Crawford of Kilbirny,
eldest son of the Hon. Patrick Lindsay, second son of the seventeenth
earl of Crawford and first earl of Lindsay. Mr. Lindsay, who died in
1680, married Margaret, second daughter of Sir John Crawford of Kilbirny,
Ayrshire, and her father having, by special entail, settled his estate
upon her and her descendants, their son, John Crawford of Kilbirny above
mentioned, succeeded to the estate, and took the name of Crawford. He
was born 12th May 1669, and was elected M.P. for Ayrshire in
the Scots parliament if 1693, and again in 1703, and sworn a privy
councillor. On 10th April of the latter year he was raised to
the peerage by the title of Viscount Mount Crawford, which was changed
to Garnock on 26th November following. His 2d title was baron
Kilbirny and Drumry. He died at Edinburgh, 24th December
1708, in his 40th year.
His eldest
son, Patrick, 2d viscount, died 29th May 1735, and his eldest
son, John, 3d viscount, having died unmarried, 22d September 1738, in
his 17th year, his next brother, George, became 4th
Viscount Garnock. The latter in 1747 was a lieutenant in Lord
Drumlanrig’s regiment in the service of the States of Holland, and in
1749 he succeeded as 21st earl of Crawford, and 5th
earl of Lindsay, on the death of the celebrated general, John, 20th
earl of Crawford. See CRAWFORD.
GARNOCK, ROBERT,
one of the martyrs of the covenant, was a native of Stirling; and after
the Restoration was a constant attender of the field-preachers. His
father was a blacksmith, and having learnt the same trade, he followed
his occupation for some time at Glasgow. He subsequently returned to his
native town, where he was apprehended and confined for a short period in
the castle. In the beginning of 1678, when the Highland host was
commanded westward, and all the inhabitants of Stirling were required to
take arms in behalf of the government, he refused, and went out of the
town with a few others to hold a meeting for prayer. Orders were
forthwith issued for his apprehension, but he escaped. He now wandered
about from one place to another, until the morning of May 9, 1679, when
he was taken prisoner by two soldiers on Stirling Castlehill, in
consequence of being present at a skirmish the previous day at a bill
above Fintry, between some troopers from Stirling, and a party of
Covenanters who had met there at a field-preaching. Being removed to
Edinburgh, he remained in prison for nearly two years and a half,
continually refusing to subscribe the bond of conformity against
offensive arms, tendered by government, and testifying against the
indulgence, &c. On October 1, 1681, he was brought before the council,
and, having disowned the king’s authority, and refused them as his
judges, he was, on the 7th, indicted before the high court of
justiciary, and condemned, with five others, to be executed at the
Gallow-lee betwixt Edinburgh and Leith, their heads and hands to be cut
off, and to be fixed upon the Pleasance Port, Edinburgh. On the 10th,
the sentence was carried into effect, upon Garnock and four others, one
of the prisoners having been reprieved.
