Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Huntly, who adopted the family name of Gordon from about 1457, was a powerful 15th-century Scottish magnate. He was knighted in 1439/1440 and was Lord of Badenoch, Gordon, Strathbogie and Cluny.
Life
He was the son of Alexander Seton, Lord Gordon , by his spouse Elizabeth Gordon, daughter and heiress of Sir Adam Gordon of that Ilk. In 1435 he accompanied the princess Margaret to France to marry the 9th Dauphin of France. In a charter dated 23 February 1439–40, he is styled Sir Alexander Seton of Tullibody, heir of Elizabeth Gordon. The charter confirmed an earlier exchange of lands between Sir William Keith and Margaret Fraser and William Lindsay, Lord of Byres exchanging lands for that of Dunottar. He succeeded his father as Lord Gordon before April 1441. Alexander then resigned his lands to the king on 3 April 1441 and in return was granted a charter to himself and his wife Elizabeth of the lordships of Gordon, county Berwick; Strathbogie, Aboyne, Glentanner and Glenmuick, in Aberdeenshire; and Panbride in county Forfar; to be held in liferent and by their son George Gordon in fee as well as his lawful male heirs. In 1449, Alexander was raised to the peerage and created the first Earl of Huntly by King James II of Scotland, sometime before 3 July of that year when he witnessed a charter to James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton under that title. Later in the year he was present at the gates of Arbroath Abbey when the Ogilvies and Lindsays were disputing their claims to the office of :wikt:justiciary|justiciary of that abbey; where the Ogilvies were defeated and Earl Alexander, there in support of that family, had to flee the field himself. He was embroiled in struggles against the Douglases, against the Lords of the Isles, and against the Lindsay earls of Crawford while being closely aligned with William Crichton, the Chancellor. On 28 April 1451 he received a charter from the king of the lordship of Badenoch and the castle of Ruthven. Gordon fought on the King's side against the Douglases during The Douglas Rebellion and soundly defeated the Crawfords at the Battle of Brechin 18 May 1452. Huntly adopted the family name of Gordon about 1457. He died on 15 July 1470 at Huntly Castle and was buried in Elgin Cathedral.
Family
Alexander Gordon married first, Egidia Hay, daughter and heir of John Hay of Tullibody. Together they had a son:
Alexander Seton, ancestor of the Setons of Touch, and Abercorn; succeeded to his mother's lands.
He obtained an annulment to this marriage in 1438 in order to marry Elizabeth Crichton, daughter of William Crichton, the Chancellor of Scotland. Alexander and Elizabeth had the following children:
Margaret Gordon, before 9 November 1457 contracted to marry Nicholas Hay, 2nd Earl of Erroll but for some reason did not and he married her sister Elizabeth.
Alexander Gordon had two additional children by a daughter of Cumming of Altyre, identified by her :wikt:byname|byname 'the Fair Maid of Moray'. Some have claimed there is no record of a marriage between them, but it has been recorded elsewhere that a copy of their contract of marriage was among the later Marquess of Huntly's charters. Alexander's two additional children by the Fair Maid of Moray were:
