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  tions, under the title Ruvenorum Conjuratio, 1601); Vindication of the Earl of Gowrie, published in 1600, but immediately suppressed; Earl of Cromarty's Historical Account of the Conspiracy of Gowrie and Robert Logan of Restalrig against James VI, 1713; Historical Dissertation on the Gowrie Conspiracy in Malcolm Laing's History of Scotland, vol. i.; Cant's Notes to Adamson's Muses Threnodie, 1774; Panton's Gowrie Conspiracy, 1812; Scott's History of the Life and Death of John, Earl of Gowrie, 1818; Barbé's Tragedy of Gowrie House, 1887; Histories of Scotland by Tytler and Burton. The ‘conspiracy’ forms the subject of G. P. R. James's romance ‘Gowrie, or the King's Plot’ (1851).] 

RUTHVEN, PATRICK, third (1520?–1566), eldest son of William, second lord Ruthven [q. v.], and Janet, eldest daughter of Patrick, lord Haliburton, was born about 1520, and educated at the university of St. Andrews. While master of Ruthven he, in July 1544, commanded the forces of the town of Perth against Lord Gray, when an attempt was made by Cardinal Beaton to intrude John Charteris of Kinfauns as provost of the town in opposition to Lord Ruthven (, Works, ii. 113). On 8 Aug. 1546 he received a grant under the great seal to him and his wife, Jean Douglas, of the lands of Humbie, and of Easter, Wester, and Over Newton (Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 1513–46, No. 3289). In 1548 the master delivered up St. Johnstoun [i.e. Perth] to the English (Cal. Scottish State Papers, p. 82); but, although for a time he pretended to be on the side of the English, he was latterly spoken of as a traitor (ib. p. 98). In 1552 he was appointed to the command of the footmen of the army sent to France (Reg. P. C. Scotl. i. 135). He succeeded his father before 15 Dec. of the same year, when the queen conceded to him and his wife, Janet Douglas, a third part of the lands of Dirleton, Haliburton, and Hassindean, Berwickshire (Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 1546–80, No. 735). From 1553 until his death he was annually elected provost of Perth, of which he was also hereditary sheriff.

When Ruthven in 1559 was requested by the queen regent to suppress the Reformation heresy among the inhabitants of Perth, he is reported to have answered ‘that he would make their bodies come to her grace, and to prostrate themselves before her,’ but that to ‘cause them do against their conscience he could not promise’ (, i. 316). He is also supposed to have lent his countenance to the destruction of the monasteries at Perth on 11 May of the same year (, Hist. of Scotland, Bannatyne ed. p. 272); but when the army of the queen regent approached Perth, Ruthven, although deemed by many ‘godly and stout in that action,’ left the town and went to his own country residence (, i. 337). The action of the queen regent, however, after her entrance into the town on 29 May, in deposing him and the bailies of the town from their offices (ib. p. 346) caused him immediately to join Argyll, Lord James, and other leaders of the congregation, who shortly afterwards held a council at St. Andrews, when it was resolved to begin the Reformation there by ‘removing all monuments of idolatry, which they did with expedition’ (ib. p. 350; Cal. State Papers, For. Ser. 1558–9, No. 862). In command of a number of horse he also joined the lords at Cupar-Muir, to oppose the progress of the queen regent eastwards (, p. 350); and he took part in the capture of Perth from the French troops on 24 June, firing the first volley on the west side (ib. p. 358; Cal. State Papers, For. Ser. 1558–9, No. 880). He was one of the commissioners sent to treat with the queen regent at Preston; and subsequently, as the representative of the lords, succeeded in negotiating an agreement for which he and the laird of Pitarrow entered themselves as pledges (, pp. 367–75, 378; Cal. State Papers, For. Ser. 1558–9, No. 1052). On 19 Sept. he signed the letter of the lords protesting against the siege of Leith by the French army (, i. 414). Shortly afterwards the queen regent endeavoured to detach him from the lords by promises conveyed to him through Sir John Bellenden, lord justice clerk, and his wife, who was the daughter of Ruthven's second wife by her former marriage to Lord Methven (ib. p. 418); but the negotiation was the reverse of successful. Ruthven acted as president at the convention of the nobility, barons, and burgesses held at Edinburgh on 21 Oct., and made a strong speech in favour of the suspension of the queen dowager from the office of regent, which was carried (Cal. State Papers, For. Ser. 1559–60, No. 234). Subsequently the lords came to entertain doubts of the faithfulness of Ruthven (Sadler to the Earl of Arran in State Papers, i. 628; Cal. State Papers, For. Ser. No. 781); but if their suspicions were not quite groundless, Ruthven nevertheless did not finally commit himself against them. In January 1559–1560 he came to their aid against the French, whom he defeated in a skirmish near Kinghorn in Fife (, ii. 6–7). Afterwards he was received into the full confidence of the lords, and he was appointed one of the com-