(d. 1751) of Houston, Renf., o. s. of Sir John Houston; suc. fa. 1722 as 4th Bt.; m. 1744 Hon. Eleanora Cathcart, dau. of 8th Ld. Cathcart [S].
1744 - 6 [dep. Edinburgh Feb. 1744] Genoa (22 Jul. 1744), Pisa, (Jul. - Aug.), Calci (c.Sep. - Nov.), Leghorn (winter 1744 - 5), Naples ( - Feb. 1746) [Toulouse, Bordeaux, May 1746]
Sir John and Lady Houston went abroad a few months after their marriage, in the forlorn hope that foreign air might cure his syphilis. Their marriage did not survive their travels. Lady Houston's sister, Mary Anne Cathcart, travelled with her as a companion. They were first in Portugal, and reached Genoa from Lisbon in July 1744.1 They were then in Pisa for two weeks and Calci for about three months (in July 1744 Alexander Drummond said he had met them at Leghorn and Pisa2). The winter of 1744 - 5 was spent in Leghorn. The strained relations between husband and wife deteriorated rapidly, and Lady Houston returned alone in March 1745 to Scotland where she remained until September. She was summoned back to Italy and arrived at Naples in February 1746 with a Mrs Anne Stevenson (sent to accompany Miss Cathcart home). They met Sir John at Portici in February 1746. In May they were all in France; Sir John went on to Lisbon, Miss Cathcart and Mrs Stevenson returned to Scotland, while Lady Houston was settled in a convent in Toulouse. On their return a notorious separation case ensued, heard in Edinburgh in March 1748, which terminated in Lady Houston's favour.3
1. See Sir J. Houstoune, Answers for Dame Eleanora, and Defence for Dame Eleanora against Sir John Houstoune (Scotland, Ct. of Sessions), [1748]. 2. Drummond, Travels, 39. 3. Notes & Queries, 3rd ser., 10[1866]:81 - 3.