Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll (30 April 156416 July 1631) was a
Scottish nobleman. A convert to Catholicism, he openly conspired with the king of Spain to try to unseat the Protestant
Queen Elizabeth.
Biography
He was the son of
Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll
Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll ( – 8 October 1585) was a Scottish nobleman and politician.
Biography
He was the son of George Hay by his first wife, Margaret Robertson. His father inherited the earldom after the death of his uncle, William ...
by his first wife, Lady Jean Hay, daughter of
William Hay, 6th Earl of Erroll
William Hay, 6th Earl of Erroll (1521 – 11 April 1541), styled as Lord Hay until age 1, was a Scottish peer.
Biography
William Hay was the son of the William Hay, 5th Earl of Erroll. He had double royal lineage, descended from Kings Robert ...
. He was the second eldest son, but his older brother Alexander, who was a
deaf-mute
Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...
, was declared "insane" and skipped in the succession. Francis succeeded to the earldom upon the death of his father in 1585.
In 1587 he married Mary Stewart, sister of the
Earl of Atholl
The Mormaer or Earl of Atholl was the title of the holder of a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl (''Ath Fodhla''), now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is repor ...
. She died soon after, and it was alleged he was cruel to her. Her family withheld his dowry money, and her brother took revenge in 1589 when Erroll was declared a rebel.
Early in his life he converted to
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, and as the associate of
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns.
Biography
The son o ...
joined in the Spanish conspiracies against the throne of
Queen Elizabeth. In 1589, he began engaging in treasonous correspondence with King
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, who was also briefly King of England by his marriage to
Queen Mary.
A letter he wrote to King Philip declaring his allegiance to Spain was intercepted and sent by Elizabeth to
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
. In February 1589, he was ordered to appear in front 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 ...
. Failing to appear, he was denounced as a rebel.
He engaged with Huntly and Crawford in a rebellion in the north of Scotland, but their forces surrendered at
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
on the arrival of the king in April; and in July, Erroll gave himself up to James, who leniently refrained from exacting any penalty. Erroll submitted himself to the king's mercy at
Edzell Castle
Edzell Castle is a ruined 16th-century castle, with an early-17th-century walled garden. It is located close to Edzell, and is around north of Brechin, in Angus, Scotland. Edzell Castle was begun around 1520 by David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawfo ...
on 5 August 1589. In September of the same year he entered into a personal bond with Huntly for mutual assistance; and in 1590 displeased the king by marrying, in spite of his prohibition, Lady
Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of the
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton (c. 1540 – 1606) was the son of Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland.
Career
Connections
Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the k ...
. The marriage was arranged at the initiative of the
Master of Glamis, to form a political faction. On 21 April 1590 the
Earl of Montrose Montrose may refer to:
Places Scotland
* Montrose, Angus (the original after which all others ultimately named or derived)
** Montrose Academy, the secondary school in Montrose
Australia
*Montrose, Queensland (Southern Downs Region), a locality i ...
and others at
Megginch Castle
Megginch Castle is a 15th-century castle in Perth and Kinross, in central Scotland. It was the family home of Cherry, 16th Baroness Strange. It is now lived in by Lady Strange's daughter, Catherine Drummond-Herdman, her husband and four childre ...
tried to persuade him not to marry her, but Erroll argued he could change his wife's friends' alliances.
He was involved in a quarrel with the
Earl of Atholl
The Mormaer or Earl of Atholl was the title of the holder of a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl (''Ath Fodhla''), now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is repor ...
at Perth on 29 June 1591, when
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 ...
made a ceremonial entry to the town. Atholl was Provost of Perth and Errol was Constable and they argued over their precedence.
Erroll was imprisoned on suspicion of complicity in the attempt made by
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 ...
and
Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray
Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray (died 1612), known most of his life as Patrick, Master of Gray, was a Scottish nobleman and politician during the reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland.
Early life
Patrick Gray, the son of Patrick Gr ...
to surprise the king at
Falkland in June 1592; and though he obtained his release, he was again proclaimed a rebel on account of the discovery of his signature to two of the ''
Spanish Blanks
The Spanish blanks plot was an alleged pro-Spanish Catholic conspiracy in Scotland, discovered in late 1592. A number of letters to Spain were discovered, which included blank sheets signed by prominent nobles.
Background
The Spanish Armada had f ...
'', unwritten sheets subscribed with the names of the chief conspirators in a plot for a Spanish invasion of Scotland, to be filled up later with the terms of the projected treaty. After a failure to apprehend him in March 1593, Erroll and his companions were sentenced to abjure Roman Catholicism or leave the kingdom; and on their non-compliance were in 1594 declared traitors.
At Midsummer 1594 the earl hosted his allies the earls of Angus and Huntly at Towie, and there were bonfires and drinking and dancing. On 3 October they defeated at
Glenlivet
Glenlivet (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Lìobhait) is the glen in the Scottish Highlands through which the River Livet flows.
The river rises high in the Ladder Hills, flows through the village of Tomnavoulin and onto the Bridgend of Glenlivet, ...
a force sent against them under the Earl of Argyll. His men carried a banner showing a cross and the beheading 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 ...
. Erroll himself was severely wounded by a bullet in the arm and an arrow in the thigh. It was falsely rumoured that he came south to
Callendar House
Callendar House is a mansion set within the grounds of Callendar Park in Falkirk, central Scotland. During the 19th century, it was redesigned and extended in the style of a French Renaissance château fused with elements of Scottish baronial ...
, the home of his sister
Helenor Hay, Countess of Linlithgow
Helenor Hay, Countess of Linlithgow (–1627) was a Scottish courtier and writer.
Early life
Born , she was the eldest daughter of Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll by his first wife, and cousin, Lady Jean Hay, only child of William Hay, 6th Earl o ...
, and died.
Old Slains Castle
Slains Castle (otherwise known as Old Slains Castle) is a ruined castle near Collieston in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is not to be confused with New Slains Castle, a separate building located five miles to the north-east. Built in the13th century ...
, his seat, was razed to the ground. The rebel lords left Scotland in 1595, and Erroll, on report of his further conspiracies abroad, was arrested by the states of
Zeeland
, nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge")
, anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem")
, image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg
, map_alt =
, m ...
, but was afterwards allowed to escape. He returned to Scotland secretly in 1596. In March 1597 he was lodged in the Canongate of Edinburgh, and was in the especial favour 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 ...
. On 20 June 1597 he abjured Roman Catholicism and made his peace with the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
. He enjoyed the favour of the king, and in 1602 was appointed a commissioner to negotiate the union with England.
A letter from the Privy Council about a pension paid to the Earl of Erroll in January mentions that one of his daughters served Anne of Denmark.
[''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 17 (London, 1938), p. 42.]
His relations with the Kirk, however, were not so amicable. The reality of his conversion was disputed, and on 21 May 1608 he was confined to the city of
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
for the better resolution of his doubts, being subsequently declared an obstinate "
papist
The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...
",
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
, deprived of his estate, and imprisoned at
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
; and after some further vacillation was finally released in May 1611.
The dispute which began in his lifetime concerning the hereditary office of
Lord High Constable between the families of Erroll and of the
Earls Marischal
The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland.
History
The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held b ...
was settled finally in favour of the former; thus establishing the
precedence enjoyed by the earls of Erroll next after the royal family over all other subjects in Scotland.
Marriage and issue
He married:
#Mary, daughter of
John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl (died 25 April 1579), called the Fair, was a Scottish nobleman and courtier. He was favoured by Mary, Queen of Scots, but later turned against her.
Biography
Stewart was the son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Athol ...
and
Margaret Fleming, in 1587.
#Margaret, daughter of
James Stewart, Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his ...
#
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
, daughter of
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton (c. 1540 – 1606) was the son of Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland.
Career
Connections
Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the k ...
By his third wife
Elizabeth Douglas he had five sons and eight daughters:
#
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, 10th earl
#George
#Francis
#Thomas
#Lewis
#
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
, married
George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton
George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton (December 1584 – 17 December 1650) was a notable Royalist and Cavalier, the second son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton and 6th Lord Seton, by his spouse Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Egl ...
#Jean, married
John Erskine, Earl of Mar
#Mary, married
Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch, 2nd Baron Scott of Buccleuch (before 1606 – 20 November 1633) was a Scottish nobleman.
He was born the son of Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Lord Scott of ...
#Elizabeth, married
Hugh Sempill, 5th Lord Sempill; secondly;
James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington
Sir James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington (died 11 February 1656) was the second son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus by his spouse Elizabeth, daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant. He was created, by King Charles I, a Lord of Parli ...
#
Sophia Hay, who married John, Viscount Melgum, son of
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns.
Biography
The son o ...
#Margaret, married John Seton, son of
Sir John Seton of Barns
#Isabel, died unmarried
#Helen (died 1625, aged 10)
The earl died on 16 July 1631, and was buried in the church of
Slains
Slains Castle may refer to one of two ruined castles in Aberdeenshire, Scotland:
*Old Slains Castle, a 13th-century castle was originally the property of the Comyn Earls of Buchan, near Collieston
* New Slains Castle, a 16th-century tower house, b ...
. The poet
Arthur Johnston composed a poem in Latin for his funeral.
Descendants of note
*
Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), American-Canadian rodeo champion, inventor, "father of modern rodeo", hall of fame inductee, Hollywood actor, cowboy artist and sculptor
*
Wilford Brimley
Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the l ...
(born 1934), American actor in Hollywood film and television, rancher
See also
*
Alexander Burnett of Leys (died 1619)
*
Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well-preserved Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers of ...
References
Further reading
*''The Erroll Papers'' (Spalding Club Miscellany, vol. ii. 211);
*
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University ...
, ''History of Scotland'', vol. ii.;
*''Hist. MSS. Comm. MSS. of Earl of Mar and Kellie'';
*
David Calderwood
David Calderwood (157529 October 1650) was a Church of Scotland minister and historian. Calderwood was banished for his nonconformity. He found a home in the Low Countries, where he wrote his great work, the Altare Damascenum. It was a serious ...
, ''History of the Church of Scotland'';
*John Spalding, ''Memorials'' (Spalding Club, 1850);
*''Collected Essays of T. G. Law'', ed. by
Peter Hume Brown
Peter Hume Brown, FBA (17 December 1849 – 1 December 1918) was a Scottish historian and professor who played an important part in establishing Scottish history as a significant academic discipline. As well as teaching and writing, he spent 16 ...
(1904);
*M. A. S. Hume, ''Treason and Plot'' (1901).
Attribution:
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Francis 9th Earl of Erroll
Converts to Roman Catholicism
1564 births
1631 deaths
09
16th-century Scottish people
17th-century Scottish people
Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1617
Francis, 09