Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone (died 9 September 1513) was a Scottish peer. He was the son of Sir John Elphinstone of that ilk and of Pittendreich. He was first known as "Alexander Elphinstone of Innernochty". He was made Baillie of Stirlingshire in January 1508, in succession to

Andrew Aytoun Andrew Aytoun (died 1547), was a Scottish soldier and engineer, and captain of Stirling Castle. Aytoun worked for James IV of Scotland, whose reign lasted from 1488 until his death at the battle of Flodden in 1513. He was regarded as a member of ...

. He made a Lord of Parliament at the baptism of Prince Arthur, a son of

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

and

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Marg ...

in 1509. He was raised to the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, ...

Lord Elphinstone Lord Elphinstone is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created by King James IV in 1510. History The title of Lord Elphinstone was granted by King James IV in 1510 to Sir Alexander Elphinstone of Elphinstone, who was killed at the Battle of ...

, of Elphinstone in the County of

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, in 1510. This was a new creation. On the lands of the new barony of Elphinstone a new tower was erected called the tower of Elphinstone, which became the principal messuage of the new barony. It formed the chief residence of the

Lords Elphinstone Lords may refer to: * The plural of Lord Places *Lords Creek, a stream in New Hanover County, North Carolina * Lord's, English Cricket Ground and home of Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club People *Traci Lords (born 1 ...

for eight generations of the family down to, and including Charles the ninth Lord. Alexander Elphinstone played a " Squire of the Black Lady" at the royal tournament in Edinburgh in 1507. The role was to escort the "Black Lady" in her triumphal chair from

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

to the tournament ground. Elphinstone and his companion William Ogilvy were dressed in outfits of white damask. He married

Elizabeth Barlay Elizabeth Barlay or Barlow (died 1518) was an English lady in waiting to Margaret Tudor the wife of James IV of Scotland. Background Details of her English family are obscure. She may have been a daughter of John Barlow and Christian Berlay, or t ...

or Barlow, an English lady of the household of Margaret Tudor. The royal accounts for 1503 and 1506 include her fee of 50 English shillings for six months. She injured her arm in August 1505 and was attended by the royal

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

John Mossman John G. Mossman (London 1817–1890) was one of a number of English sculptors who dominated the production and teaching of sculpture in Glasgow for 50 years after his arrival with his father and brothers from his native London in 1828. His fa ...

. As a New Year's Day gift in 1507 she was given rosary beads. Her two maidens, her attendants, were given 5 French gold crowns each in January 1512, the same gift was given to an African servant of the queen,

Ellen More Ellen or Elen More () was an African servant at the Scottish royal court. There are records of clothing and gifts given to her, although her roles and status are unclear. Some recent scholarship suggests she was enslaved. She is associated with a ...

. Elphinstone and Elizabeth Barlay were made keepers of

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

in succession to Andrew Aytoun in January 1508. James IV also made them keepers of

Kildrummy Castle Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is ow ...

. In 1508 they transferred their rights over lands at the Wester town of

Tillicoultry Tillicoultry ( ; Scottish Gaelic: Tulach Cultraidh, perhaps from older Gaelic ''Tullich-cul-tir'', or "the mount/hill at the back of the country") is a town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Tillicoultry is usually referred to as Tilly by the loc ...

known as Colinstoun to James Schaw of

Sauchie Sauchie is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth and south of the Ochil Hills, within the council area of Clackmannanshire. Sauchie has a population of around 6000 and is located northeast of Alloa and ...

and his wife Alison Home. In 1513 Kildrummy was regranted to him and his wife and united with Innernochty into the Lordship of Elphinstone. In 1512 Elphinstone was able to help Robert Bruce of

Airth Airth is a Royal Burgh, village, former trading port and civil parish in Falkirk, Scotland. It is north of Falkirk town and sits on the banks of the River Forth. Airth lies on the A905 road between Grangemouth and Stirling and is overlooked by A ...

to recover his lands at the Pool of Airth, where James IV had built a dockyard. Lord Elphinstone was killed at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

in September 1513, along with many other Scottish noblemen, and was succeeded in the lordship by his son Alexander.

Marriage and children

The children of Lord Elphinstone and Elizabeth Barlay included: * Alexander Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Elphinstone * Euphemia Elphinstone, who was a mistress of King

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of James IV of Sco ...

and mother of the royal bastard

Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney and Lord of Zetland (Shetland) (spring of 1533 – 4 February 1593) was a recognised illegitimate son of James V, King of Scotland, and his mistress Eupheme Elphinstone. Robert Stewart was half-brother to M ...

. She married John Bruce of Cultmalindie and was the mother of

Laurence Bruce Laurence Bruce of Cultmalindie (20 January 1547 – August 1617) was the son of John Bruce of Cultmalindie and Eupheme Elphinstone. Easter Cultmalindie is a small hamlet or "fermtoun" in Tibbermore parish, Perthshire, Scotland. Laurence Bruce fe ...

, builder of

Muness Castle Muness Castle is located on Unst, which is one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The castle is east of the village of Uyeasound. Unst is Scotland's most northerly inhabited island, and Muness is the most northerly fortalice in the British Is ...

. Elizabeth Barlow, Lady Elphinstone, later married John Forbes, 6th

Lord Forbes Lord Forbes is the senior Lordship of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. The title was created sometime after 1436 for Alexander de Forbes, feudal baron of Forbes. The precise date of the creation is not known, but in a Precept dated July 1 ...

.''HMC 9th Report: Lord Elphinstone'' (London, 1884), pp. 190-1 no. 36.

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. *
www.thepeerage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elphinstone, Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord 1513 deaths Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) Deaths at the Battle of Flodden 16th-century Scottish people Year of birth unknown

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Peers created by James IV 1 Court of James IV of Scotland People of Stirling Castle