Please read Part One of the Trotter story here before reading further.
[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ow that we have a better idea of the atmosphere between the Scottish Monarch and the Ruthven family of Gowrie was can piece together what happened next. This will help us get to the Trotter family. We do know that King James went to Ruthven Castle. We do not know what happened at the start of the visit. What we do know King James rode away from the visit unharmed, most Ruthvens were dead, the survivors fled and that what was Ruthven Castle and was renamed. Huntingtower is supposedly haunted due to the families many scandals.
So What Happened?
There are many possible scenarios of what happened at Ruthven Castle:
- Gowrie and his brother Alexander lured the King to castle to kidnap and sway him.
- They lured the King to kill him.
- King James arrived with the intent of killing the Ruthvens.
- It was a fiasco involving one, or more, of the first three scenarios.
- Neither side had planned anything ill, a fight broke out, Ruthvens died.
There are other possible motives and other possible scenarios.
The end results are the same. The Ruthvens were murdered, captured or fled. England was a seemingly safe haven for them. This is the Gowrie Conspiracy.
Alexander assumed his wife’s surname and lived in Durham, England. The son of Alexander Ruthven that we need to track is James (Ruthven) Trotter who married Anne Hylton. They had a son, John, married to Jane Wilson. John killed his brother Alexander and followed the family pattern of fleeing. This took the family to Ireland. John and Jane (Wilson) Trotter had Samuel Trotter who married Catherine Abbott. It is during the Generation of James Trotter, son of Samuel and Catherine that the family had made their way to the United States.
James married Mary Beard and had William Trotter of Virginia. William married Margaret Nancy Keller. This is the generation that moved to Sevier County, Tennessee. William and Margaret are the parents of John Sevier Trotter.
My 4th G Grandfather was John Sevier Trotter. I looking to hire a geologist to research this line. Any recommendations? Thank you.
I have been researching my husbands family in Sevier, Blount and surrounding counties for over twenty years. I am also going to become a Board Certified Genealogist and do take on clients at this time. I would be happy to talk to you about acquiring my services. Linda if you could send me an email at kelliesappking@thekingealogy.com I would be happy to talk to you about your genealogical needs. I am glad you found the site and look forward to hearing from about the Trotters and possibly any photo restoration you would like to talk about!
I am part Ruthven. Related by my Grandmother born Margie Ruthven in Scotland. I grew up hearing about my nobility ties. I find this all fascinating. I even had a boss by the name of James Trotter. Who knew we could even be related.
George, thank you so much for leaving a comment. I have been intrigued by the Ruthven story for a few decades. I knew this was one I just had to share!
My mother is a Trotter and we are all brought up learning about our family. Ruthven ties are a huge part of our history. We are the Trotters from NE Arkansas.