Biography
John Walkinshaw Craufurd of Craufurdland was born in 1720/21 at Craufurdland Castle, near Kilmarnock, Scotland. He entered the army at an early age and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel over the course of his career, distinguishing himself at the battles of Dettingen in 1743 and Fontenoy in 1745. In 1761 he was appointed falconer to the King and in 1762 he received the freedom of the city of Perth. He occasionally appears in Boswell's Journals, often as a dinner companion.
Craufurd died, unmarried, on February 19, 1793 in Edinburgh, leaving Craufurdland Estate to his friend Thomas Coutts, an eminent banker. The will was contested by his aunt, Elizabeth Craufurd, and her daughter, also Elizabeth. The elder Elizabeth died in 1802, but the legal battle waged on until 1806 when the matter was decided in favor of her daughter, Elizabeth Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead. The younger Elizabeth was married to Reverend James Moody, who assumed the name James Houison Moody Craufurd. He appears in this collection as the primary correspondent regarding this matter.
From the guide to the John Walkinshaw Craufurd Papers, 1746-1831, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. William Andrews Clark Memorial Library)
