| He styles himself Lord of Ardrossan in his charters. He succeeded between May 1400 and 4 July 1401, when he received a charter from Archibald, fourth Earl of Douglas, of the lands of Dunlop in Ayrshire. He was present at the battle of Homildon on 14 September 1402, and was one of those taken captive. He was sent a prisoner to the Tower, and at Christmastide of 1402 was transferred to Windsor, whence, in September 1403, he was returned to the Tower. He is said, but not on good authority, to have been released in the following year, 1404, and according to Wyntoun was the means of introducing the falsa Richard II to the notice of the Scottish Court, but such introduction, if made, must have taken place not long before the death of King Robert III in April 1406. He certainly was in Scotland before August 1405, when he received a permit for a ship of his to trade in foreign parts for a year. A month later he went to England as one of the hostages exacted for the temporary release of the Earl of Douglas, who had been taken at Shrewsbury, and he was a hostage at intervals until June 1408, when he appears to have been finally liberated. He had a ship La Wynyne, larger than the former, trading with England, in December 1407, at a date when he was residing at his own house of Polnoon. He granted on 24 November 1413 a precept for infefting Stephen Ker, Laird of Trearne in the lands of Overtown of Giffen, in the lordship of Giffen. The granter styles himself Lord of Ardrossan and of Giffen, but whether the latter was a recent acquisition does not appear. A little later he gave the whole lordship of Giffen to his second son Robert, with other lands. Sir John also held the office of Bailie of the barony of Kilbride. In 1424, he was one of those who had a safe-conduct to meet King James I at Durham, on his way to Scotland. He was on the jury who condemned Murdac, Duke of Albany, to death in May 1425, and two months later he had a safe-conduct to England as a surety for the King in exchange for a hostage returning to Scotland. He remained in England, apparently without relief, and was still there in February 1426-27, when he was sent or transferred to Pontefract Castle. It is not improbable he died in England, as his son succeeded him before 22 November 1429.11 |