William Gordon of Earlston (1614–1679) | |
|---|---|
 Headstone in Glassford Graveyard | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1614 |
| Died | 1679 Bothwell Bridge |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Spouse | Mary Hope 2nd daughter of Lord Craighall |
| Children | 13 including Alexander Gordon of Earlston |
William Gordon was a 17th-century landowner and Covenanter. He is remembered as being a correspondent in Samuel Rutherford's Letters and being one of the biographies in John Howie's Scots Worthies. He was regarded as a man of strong religious convictions and piety. In 1664 he was banished for listening to ministers who lacked a government licence, both at his mother's house and in the woods. He arrived at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge after the fighting was over and, hesitating to surrender, was shot.