William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton

William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton (died 1454) was an important political figure in the late medieval Kingdom of Scotland.

Life

The son of Sir John Crichton of Crichton, William Crichton is first attested to as one of the Scots noblemen and gentry who were given safe passage into England to meet James I of Scotland, following the latter's release from captivity.

Crichton was one of eighteen gentlemen to receive the honour of knighthood at the coronation of King James on 21 May 1424, and was made a Gentleman of the Bedchamber.

In 1426, Crichton, described as a knight of the royal chamber, along with William Fowlis, the royal almoner, and Thomas de Cranston, King's squire were sent as envoys to the court of Eric III of Norway, to negotiate a continuation of the peace between their respective countries. Upon his return he was appointed governor of Edinburgh Castle, Master of the Royal Household and by 1435 Sheriff of Edinburgh.

In 1437 Crichton, as Keeper of Edinburgh, had control of the six-year-old James II and by 1439 had himself proclaimed Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

William Crichton (Jesuit)

William Crichton or Creighton (c. 1535–1617) was a Scottish Jesuit.

Early life and background

He was the son of Patrick Crighton of Camnay, Perthshire; Robert Crichton, 8th Lord Crichton of Sanquhar was a relation. He matriculated in 1552 at the University of St Andrews, and in 1561 at the University of Leuven.

The Goudanus mission

Crichton entered the Society of Jesus in 1561, at the same time as Edmund Hay, a cousin. He returned to Scotland to put his affairs in order.

Nicholas de Gouda, the pope's legate, was engaged in a secret embassy to Scotland in 1561–62. Crichton and Hay conducted him around Scotland, and attended the interview he had with Robert Crichton, the bishop of Dunkeld. All the ports were watched and guarded. Crichton worked with John Hay, brother of Edmund, to see to his successful escape. Crichton accompanied him to Antwerp.

Crichton spent much of the following two decades in Aquitaine, Lyon and Avignon.

Second mission to Scotland (1582)

Crichton returned to Scotland at the beginning of February 1582, having stopped in Normandy in January for a briefing from Robert Persons. He was accompanied by Ralph Emerson. Crichton was received into the house of George Seton, 7th Lord Seton, the only Catholic member of the royal council. He also corresponded with Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, cousin and guardian of James VI of Scotland, who was still a minor. To obtain an interview with Lennox, he had to be introduced into the king's palace at night, and to hide for three days in a secret chamber. The Duke promised that he would have the young king instructed in the Catholic religion, or else moved abroad. Crichton made some concessions on his side, drew up articles of agreement, and the Duke signed them.

William Crichton (engineer)

William Crichton (29 November 1827 – 10 April 1889) was a Scottish engineer and shipbuilder who made most of his career in Turku, Grand Duchy of Finland.

Crichton moved to Turku at age of 23 to lead a steam engine construction project at local engineering company Cowie and Eriksson. After two years he moved to Helsinki to work for Fiskars, but due to the Crimean War, he was soon arrested because of his nationality and transferred to Saint Petersburg. He was soon released by help of family connections and stayed working for Izhorsk Works for eight successful years.

In 1862 Crichton returned to Turku, when he got an offer to buy a half of Cowie & Eriksson company. The company was renamed W:m Crichton & C:o and under Crichton's leadership it was developed the largest company of Turku. The most important products were ships and steam engines and the main customer was the Imperial Russian Navy.

Crichton led the company until his death in 1889. He was survived by 12 children who soon sold the company ownership to investors. Crichton's name remained in company name until 1965.