History of the life and death of John, Earl of Gowrie

52 FA3IILY STATEMENTS.
and assignees whatsoever, the whole lands and ba-
rony of Methven and Balquhidder. * And Dun-
can Stewart, in his History of the Families of the
surname of Stewart, says, that the King granted
a royal patent, dated September 5th, 1528, to the
foresaid Henry Stewart, raising him to the dignity
of the peerage by the title of Lord Methven. t
I would have found it very acceptable in my pre-
sent inquiry, if Mr. Crawfurd and Mr. Stewart had
given full copies of these two charters.
The Queen and her husband had afterwards
their usual residence in the Castle of Methven,
near Perth, which was near also to the Castle of
Ruthven, the original family seat of the lords of
Ruthven. Lord Strathallan informs us, that the
name of this seat of the lords of Ruthven was ju-
dicially changed to that of Huntingtower, when
the Gowrie estates were forfeited, and given away
to the King's favourites in the year 1600. t A
friendly intimacy long subsisted between the no-
ble and neighbouring families of Methven and
* Crawford's Lives, p. 66.
t History of the Stewarts, p. 122.
X MS. History of the Drumraonds, p. 65.