Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill Captain Thomas Crawford ( 1530 – 1603 ) of Jordanhill ( an estate in the West End of Glasgow , part of which is now a college and hospital near Victoria Park ) was a trusted confidant of Henry Stuart , Lord Darnley , husband of Mary , Queen of Scots and a retainer of the Matthew Stewart , 4th Earl of Lennox ( Darnley ' s father ) . He famously planned the assault and led a small force of 150 men in 1571 that scaled the cliffs and embattlements to expel the castle garrison loyal to Catholic Queen Mary from Dumbarton Castle . Six years later , he became Provost of Glasgow , establishing a bursary for a student at the university and saving the cathedral from destruction . Early career . Thomas Crawford was born about 1530 , a son of Lawrence Crawford of Kilbirnie . As youngest of six sons , his career options were open , and he became a professional soldier . In 1547 , he was at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh , but had the misfortune of being taken prisoner , and was detained till ransomed . In 1550 , he went to France and entered the service of King Henry II as one of the " Gens d ’ Armes " , under the command of the Earl of Arran . Thomas Crawford acquired the land and title of Jordanhill from Bartholemew Montgomerie ( the chaplain of Drumry ) following his return to Scotland from France with Mary , Queen of Scots in either 1560 or 1562 . To secure this position , Crawford became a retainer of the 4th Earl of Lennox , grandfather of the future James VI . Ultimately , he became the Earl ' s deputy , second only to the Earl ' s Chamberlain , John Cunningham of Drumquhassle . He notability increased in 1569 following the murder of Queen Mary ' s husband , Lord Darnley , by suspected agents of the Queen . William Maitland of Lethington ( and Sir James Balfour ) were publicly accused of Darnley ' s murder by Crawford ; Balfour escaped , but Lethington was imprisoned and was released by William Kirkcaldy of Grange , commander in Edinburgh Castle , which subsequently became the fortress of Mary ' s cause during the Lang Siege in the ensuing civil war . Assault on Dumbarton Castle . Crawford planned the assault and led a force of 150 men in the early hours of 2 April 1571 that scaled the cliffs and embattlements to expel the castle garrison loyal to Catholic Queen Mary from Dumbarton Castle . In this task he was assisted by John Cunningham of Drumquhassle , Matthew Douglas of Mains ( both also retainers of the Earl of Lennox ) and a traitor from the castle garrison called Robertson . He was once warden of the castle , knew the topography of the rock well and in particular , knew how it could be scaled . It seems that while in the service of the Governor , his wife was accused of theft and publicly flogged . This episode appears to have provoked Robertson to leave Queen ' s supporters in the castle and offer his services to the King ' s supporters , initially to Robert Douglas , who introduced him to Drumquassle . A truce between supporters of the King and supporters of the Queen expired on 1 April 1571 . That evening , Crawford set out from Glasgow with Robertson and a company of men . He had sent a small advance group of horsemen ahead of him to stop all wayfarers ( who might betray the mission ) , and he made his way to an agreed meeting place within a mile of the castle , ( Dumbuck ) where he was joined by Drumquhassle and Captain Hume . Here he equipped the soldiers with ropes and scaling ladders . The night was foggy and the escalade relied upon stealth , because the number of ladders that could be employed was limited . On the first attempt , the ladders slipped while the soldiers were on them ; if the watch of the garrison had been more aware of the danger , the noise could have given warning of the attack and the castle might have been successfully defended . However , no alarm was raised . On the second attempt , the ladders were fixed more securely , and , their ' craws ' or steel hooks being lodged firmly into the crevices of the rock . The leaders of the party then took hold of a small intermediate ledge where an ash tree was growing . They attached their ropes to the tree and pulled up the remainder of their company . However , they were still only halfway to the base of the curtain wall . They positioned their ladders again and began scaling the next stage . At this point , one of the soldiers climbing a ladder was seized with a fit . In his convulsion , he gripped the ladder so firmly and in such a way that no others could pass by him or remove him . Crawford ' s solution to this problem was to tie the unfortunate soldier to the ladder and turn it round ( with the man suspended beneath it ) , so the passage was clear again . All - but - one of the party thus reached the bottom of the garrison wall , a precarious and narrow ledge . Crawford ' s ensign and two other soldiers scaled the wall and then came under attack by three guards until they were joined by the rest of the party . The wall ( which was in poor repair ) collapsed , opening a breach through which Crawford ' s men were able to rush in , shouting , " " A Darnley , a Darnley ! " " ( Crawford ' s watchword ) . It is uncertain whether the wall was breached on the north or west side of the castle . In any event , the western peak of the rock was quickly gained , and the cannon there was captured and turned on the garrison , who attempted no resistance , possibly due to excessive consumption the night before . The castle governor ( Fleming ) managed to escape through the postern gate which opened onto the River Clyde and reached Argyllshire . Key supporters of Queen Mary found within the castle included de Verac , the French ambassador , who was allowed to go free , but was subsequently caught aiding the Queen ' s supporters in Edinburgh Castle . John Hamilton , Archbishop of St Andrews was also found in the castle wearing items of armour ( a mail shirt and helmet ) . The wife of the governor ( Lady Fleming ) was also detained , but was permitted to go free with her possessions . Hamilton was hanged within a matter of days at Stirling Castle . As important as the arrest of key people was the capture of documents , including some implicating Queen Mary with Thomas Howard , 4th Duke of Norfolk and the Ridolfi plot . An Act of Parliament was passed on 28 August 1571 in favour of " Johnne Cuningham of Drumquhassel , Matho Dowglas of Manys , Captain Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill , and others takeris of the Castell of Dumbartane , " discharging them of any criminal or civil liabilities incurred in the recapture of the castle . Subsequent life . Two years later , he advised on operations to end the siege of Edinburgh Castle . This eliminated the final barrier to a reunification of Scotland under Queen Mary ' s son , Protestant King James , in 1573 . His lineage became known as Crawford of Jordanhill , his estate in the present - day suburbs of Glasgow , of which he was made provost in 1577 . He was also the first person to provide a bursary out of his own wealth at Glasgow University , ( 16 bolls of oatmeal from the mill at Partick ) - an amount large enough to completely support one student . It was while Crawford held the office of Provost that Glasgow Cathedral was threatened with destruction ( as part of the religious unrest during the Reformation ) . According to one story , it was Crawford who saved the medieval building . He is reported to have said to those who were eager for its demolition , and pressing him to give permission for their action : - Crawford retired to Kilbirnie , where he died on 3 January 1603 and is entombed at Kilbirnie Auld Kirk . The family sold the estate in 1750 .