From
TSP1:
first achieved distinction as one of the combatants in the tournament held on 25 February 1448-49, in the presence of James II., between two knights and an esquire of Scotland and the same of Burgundy,
the other two Scots representatives being James Douglas, brother of the Earl of Douglas and James Douglas, brother of Lochleven. He had a charter, 'Johanni le Rosse de Haukhede militi,' of the lands of Tarbert in Ayrshire and
Auchinbak in Renfrewshire, on the resignation of Robert Rosse of the monastery of Holyrood on 17 January 1450-51. He had a safe-conduct on 12 May 1451 to John Ross, knight, to pass through England with William, Earl of Douglas, another to John de Rose (sic), Lord of Halkhed, 27 May 1459. He had charters of Starlaw and Denys in the barony of Bathgate and of Lochtillow in the same barony.
He was made Sheriff of Linlithgow in succession to Archibald Dundas of that Ilk; and his account as Sheriff rendered in June 1471 seems to show that he was superseded in that office by Henry Livingston in 1468, and restored to it again on 3 August 1469. He was reappointed Sheriff on 9 March 1472-73/ From 1463 to 1468 inclusive he had an annuity from the customs of Linlithgow or Edinburgh as keeper of Blackness Oastle. His pension does not occur in the accounts of 1469 and immediately succeeding years; but in 1474 his salary as keeper of Blackness again begins to be regularly paid from the farms of Bennington and Blackness. Between 1471-73 he was appointed bailie of the barony of Melville by his daughter-in-law Agnes Melville, heiress of Thomas Melville.
He was one of the ambassadors to England to whom a safe-conduct was granted 24 August 1473. On 8 November 1482 he joined with Andrew Stewart, Bishop-elect of Moray, John [Stewart], Earl of Atholl, and others, in a bond of relief for 6000 ducats to the Provost and community of Edinburgh in the event of the Bishop being promoted to the Archbishopric of St. Andrews. On the 21 September 1484 he was conservator for a truce between England and Scotland till 29 September 1487. He occurs among the barons in the Parliament 3 February 1489-90. He had a charter, to John Ross of Halkhead, knight, of part of Auchinbothy Wallace 17 February 1490-91. He is found under a similar designation in a charter of 19 February 1492-93. He was created LORD ROSS of Halkhead some time before 31 May 1499, when, as such, he granted a charter of Walterstoun, Linlithgow, to John Ross de Malevyn, knight, his heir-apparent
Footnotes
[1] The Scots Peerage, by Sir James Balfour Paul, Volume 7, Edinburgh (1910); Ross, Lord Ross (pages 247-263)
Abt 1420 - 1501 (~ 80 years)