| He took at first the opposite side of politics from his father, commanding the Stirlingshire Regiment at the siege of Newcastle in 1644, but after his succession to the title he changed his opinions, and took part in the Duke of Hamilton's unfortunate expedition to rescue King Charles from the hands of his enemies. He was accordingly among those who were prohibited by the Scottish Parliament from holding any public office, but was allowed to take his seat in Parliament on 5 December 1650, a few months after his marriage, and was afterwards intrusted with a command in the Scottish army raised to resist Cromwell. He was appointed colonel of horse for the county of Perth,1 but the defeat of the royal forces at Worcester terminated his employment in this capacity. In 1654-55 he represented the sheriffdom of Perth in the English Parliament. At the Restoration he was appointed, 23 November 1660, to the colonelship of the Scots Foot Guards, and early in the following year he was admitted a member of the Scottish Privy Council. In the conflict between the Government and the Covenanters in 1677, Lord Linlithgow was appointed major-general and commander-in-chief in the place of Sir George Munro, and was actively engaged in putting down conventicles. After the defeat of Claverhouse at Drumclog, Linlithgow marched to Kilsyth to meet the victorious rebels, but found it necessary to retire to Stirling, and then to Edinburgh, on account of the strength of the enemy. He again marched westward on 16 July, and on the arrival of the Duke of Monmouth handed over the command to him a few days before the battle of Bothwell Bridge, at which his son, Lord Livingston, led the Scots Guards. Lord Linlithgow retained the colonelcy of this regiment till July 1684, when it was given to Colonel James Douglas, the Earl receiving in exchange the office of Lord Justice-General and a pension of 500 per annum. This office, however, he lost at the Revolution, after which event he became involved in the conspiracy of Sir James Montgomery for the restoration of King James, whose envoy he received into his house near Edinburgh. Between the Restoration and the Revolution Lord Linlithgow was granted the following charters, viz.: Lands of Tortrevan, etc., 8 July 1670; lands of Morton, 11 July 1671; lands of Balvormie (? Bedlormie), 12 April 1682; lands of Waterstoun, 25 November 1682 all in the county of Linlithgow.12 |