John Erskine and his step-mother Marie Stewart, Countess of Mar denied the queen's request to take Henry away.
[1] According to the Earl of Mar, King James forgave his family for this, thinking that his "young son and honest poor friends have done nothing but served him faithfully".
[2][3] John Erskine went to Venice in May 1605 and the ambassador Henry Wotton introduced him to the Doge, Marino Grimani, who complimented him on his noble good looks.
The laird of Glenkindie also helped to keep the castle, fearing the depredations that a garrison of "stranger" soldiers would make on his lands.
Their children included: The Earl of Erroll wrote to Lord Erskine on 14 October 1613 to congratulate him on the birth of a son, and requesting his wife return to him, as he was ill himself.