Alexander Oustean or Oustian or Austin (died 1604) was a Scottish tailor and member of Edinburgh burgh council. Portrait of James I of England and James VI of Scotland

Portrait of James I of England and James VI of Scotland

Career

He became a burgess of Edinburgh on 26 May 1560. He was Deacon of Crafts and Craft Councillor in 1582. Oustean undertook a variety of duties for the council, acting as a pricer of wines and timber in 1590, and was often sent as the town's representative or commissioner to the

Convention of Royal Burghs The Convention of Royal Burghs, more fully termed the Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland, was a representative assembly which protected the privileges and pursued the interests of Scotland’s principal trading towns, the royal burghs, from ...

. In October 1589 he was sent with the merchant Richard Doby to meet the builders of a new house or hospital for

lepers Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

at the Chapel of the Rood by Greenside, to design or set out the bounds of the site and building. Alexander Oustean sided with the vocal party of Edinburgh merchants who wished

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

to marry a Danish bride rather than

Catherine de Bourbon Catherine de Bourbon (7 February 1559 – 13 February 1604) was a Navarrese regent princess. She was the daughter of Queen Joan III and King Anthony of Navarre. She ruled the principality of Béarn in the name of her brother, King Henry III ...

, the sister of

Henry of Navarre Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

. Oustean was wealthy, and was a financial guarantor or "cautionar" of the expenses of

George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal (c. 1553–1623) was a Scottish nobleman and Earl Marischal. He succeeded as earl on 7 October 1581, upon the death of his grandfather, William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. Early life George Keith was the so ...

during the negotiations for the marriage of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

and James VI. He was involved as a burgh commissioner with John Arnot at the Convention of Burghs for raising a tax for the royal marriage. On 28 May 1589 Arnot and the baillies of Edinburgh and some of the burgesses came to

Holyrood House The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edi ...

and protested to the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, John Maitland of

Thirlestane Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wate ...

that the king should marry a Danish princess. An account of expenses relating to the marriage and the English subsidy, kept by

Jean Fleming Jean Fleming, Countess of Cassilis (1553/4–1609) was a Scottish noblewoman and courtier at the court of James VI of Scotland, and a survivor of domestic violence. Biography Jean Fleming was born in 1553/4, daughter of James Fleming, 4th Lord ...

, the "Lady Chancellor", includes a payment of £292-13s-4d Scots made to "Allexander Anstien taillour". In July 1590 Arnot and Oustean as commissioners for the burgh of Edinburgh contracted to borrow from the

Comptroller of Scotland The Comptroller of Scotland was a post in the pre-Union government of Scotland. The Treasurer of Scotland, Treasurer and Comptroller had originated in 1425 when the Chamberlain of Scotland, Chamberlain's financial functions were transferred to them ...

David Seton of Parbroath David Seton of Parbroath (died 1601) was a Scottish courtier and administrator. He was the son of Gilbert Seton of Parbroath and Helen Leslie, a daughter of the Earl of Rothes. Gilbert Seton was killed during the battle of Pinkie in 1547, making ...

, the sum of £100,000 Scots and pay the king £4000 yearly. In April 1594 they were required to repay the remainder of the loan to the comptroller in order to pay the expenses of resisting the rebel

Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural ...

. in 1597 the burgh council of Edinburgh recognised that "Alexander Owsteane" was looking after three poor children and employed a nurse to look after them. Oustean was therefore exempted from paying a monthly charge for the benefit of poor people in Edinburgh.

Family connections

Alexander Oustean was a close relation of Katherine Oustean, who married the goldsmith

George Heriot (died 1610) George Heriot (1539/40 – 1610) was a Scottish goldsmith and member of the Parliament of Scotland. He is perhaps best known as the father of the philanthropist George Heriot, his eldest son. Career He was the son of the goldsmith George Heriot ...

, and had two daughters Agnes and Marion Heriot, who married John Houston. Alexander Oustean's eldest son was also called "Alexander Oustean". After he died in 1604, his second son George Oustean was his executor. Gilbert, who became a tailor, David, and Andrew Oustean were the youngest sons. He had at least four daughters; Sara Ousteane married another Edinburgh tailor John Elder, Marion Ousteane married a lawyer William Wylie, another daughter married Roger Duikesone, and Elizabeth Oustean married George Fraser. A younger son, John Oustean, was involved in a riot in Edinburgh on 17 December 1596. The riot targeted the financial administration of the

Octavians The Octavians were a financial commission of eight in the government of Scotland first appointed by James VI on 9 January 1596. James VI's minister John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane had died on 3 October 1595, and his financial sit ...

. James VI was in the

Tolbooth A tolbooth or town house was the main municipal building of a Scottish burgh, from medieval times until the 19th century. The tolbooth usually provided a council meeting chamber, a court house and a jail. The tolbooth was one of three essen ...

of Edinburgh with most of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

and the Octavians. After a sermon given by

Walter Balcanquhall Walter Balcanquhall (1586? – 1645) was a Scottish clergyman who became a staunch royalist and supporter of the church policy of Charles I of England. He was chosen by James I as a delegate from the Church of Scotland to the Synod of Dort. ...

St Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...

, the congregation came out crying "the sword of

Gideon Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abiez ...

" and some called for arms. The royal guard escorted James VI back to

Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh ...

. Subsequently, Alexander Oustean was among a group of burgesses selected to make the town's peace and reconciliation with James VI in March 1597. The others were John Arnot, Littil, Moresoun, Edward Galbraith a

skinner Skinner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Skinner (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with that surname *Skinner (profession), a person who makes a living by working with animal skins or driving mules *Skinner, a ring ...

, and the

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

George Heriot. George Oustean (died 1616), who married Margaret Tod (died 1635), became a merchant burgess of Edinburgh. He supplied goods to John Campbell, Laird of

Cawdor Cawdor ( gd, Caladair) is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is south-southwest of Nairn and east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire. History The village is the location of ...

, in 1615, including a hat for the young laird, cloth for the costume of the family's harp player, and a

piccadill A piccadill or pickadill is a large broad collar of cut-work lace that became fashionable in the late 16th century and early 17th century. The term is also used for the stiffened supporter or supportasse used to hold such a collar in place. The ...

. In 1616 he supplied cloth for the clothes of the laird's son Duncan Campbell, and the gowns and sleeves of the laird's daughter, and provided a muff for her hands. The surname is also found as "Austin" or "Oistiane", "Ousteane", or "Owsteane". Margaret Asteane, the midwife of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

in 1566 may have been a relation.''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1916), p. 512.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oustean, Alexander 1604 deaths 16th-century Scottish businesspeople British tailors