George Elphinstone of Blythswood (died 1634) was a Scottish landowner, courtier, and Provost of Glasgow.

Life

George Elphinstone was the son of George Elphinstone of Blythswood (died 2 April 1585), a leading Glasgow merchant and shipowner, and Marion Scott. He was knighted during the celebrations at the baptism of

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

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 ...

on 30 August 1594. He was made a gentleman of the king's bedchamber in 1596. In this role he controlled the access to

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 ...

allowed to the English diplomatic agent, George Nicholson, occasionally bringing him secretly into the king's cabinet at

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 ...

. He was a member of a "knot of friendship" at the Scottish court that included the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

, Sir George Home, Sir Robert Kerr, the younger Sir Robert Melville, and Sir David Murray. These chamber servants paid for the baptism of

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in April 1599, because they had displaced the treasurer

Walter Stewart of Blantyre Walter Stewart, 1st Lord Blantyre (died 8 March 1617) was a Scottish politician, administrator, and judge. Life He was the son of Sir John Stewart of Minto and Margaret Stewart sister of James Stewart of Cardonald Educated with James VI under ...

. Elphinstone's popularity with the king helped the career of his sister Egidia's husband,

James Sempill Sir James Sempill (1566–1626) was a Scottish courtier and diplomat. Early life James Sempill was the eldest son of John Sempill of Beltrees, and Mary Livingston, one of the "Four Marys", companions of Mary, Queen of Scots. Sempill was brought ...

of Beltrees, a young diplomat and administrator who became involved in the

Secret correspondence of James VI King James VI of Scotland communicated in secret with the administrators of Queen Elizabeth I of England between May 1601 and her death in March 1603. In this period it was settled that James would succeed Elizabeth, his distant relative, but thi ...

that would help put James on the throne of England. George Elphinstone had connections with the

Western Isles The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coas ...

and Ireland and was involved in negotiations between the West and the court. In October 1598, his mistress was mentioned as a recipient of diplomatic gifts from

Sorley Boy MacDonnell Sorley Boy MacDonnell (Scottish Gaelic: ''Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill''), also spelt as MacDonald (c. 1505 – 1590), Scoto-Irish chief, was the son of Alexander Carragh MacDonnell, 5th of Dunnyveg, of Dunyvaig Castle, lord of Islay and ...

, along with himself, the king,

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, and Beatrix Ruthven. In November 1599 George Elphinstone looked after a group of English comedians in Edinburgh. He was given money to buy timber to set up their stage, and in December gave them the king's reward of £333-6s-8d Scots. The actors included Lawrence Fletcher and Martin Slater. Edinburgh's kirk session attempted to prevent the performances, despite a royal warrant. Martin Slater later gained the patronage of Anne of Denmark's brother, Ulrik, Duke of Holstein and set up the

Red Bull Theatre The Red Bull was an inn-yard conversion erected in Clerkenwell, London operating in the 17th century. For more than four decades, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the City and its suburbs, developing a reputation over the years for r ...

in London. Elphinstone married Agnes Boyd, daughter of Thomas Boyd, Lord Kilmarnock, and Marion Campbell in August 1600. As a wedding gift James VI gave her a gold chain necklace and a gold belt set with pearls, and a pair of matching gold "garnishings" set with pearl to wear in her hair, worth £580 Scots. After spending a weekend in Glasgow with the newly weds at the end of August, James VI gave Elphinstone land in the New Park of Partick to build a better house to entertain him in the next time. Elphinstone was a servant of the

Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lenno ...

, and in September 1600 Lennox and the king nominated him

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. His achievements as Provost include the 1605 Letter of Guildry, which established a merchant's guild with its Dean of Guild, a Deacon Convenor of the Crafts, and a Visitor of the Maltmen. He gained the enmity of the town council in 1608 when he claimed customs income from the town's market and bridge. One of the Elphinstone residences was on the site of 87–89 Main Street,

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. In the nineteenth century the remaining buildings consisted of a small tower and an adjacent lodging with seventeenth-century decorative plasterwork on the ceiling of the upper storey.

William Elphinstone

George Elphinstone's younger brother Sir William Elphinstone was the secretary of

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. In 1613 he argued with

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over cost-cutting measures in Elizabeth's household and resigned his post as secretary. In 1626 he was a promoter of the colonial schemes of William Vaughan in

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. He was cup-bearer to

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, Lord Justice General in Scotland (1635-1641), and knighted at Whitehall in February 1637. He and the

Bishop of Galloway The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th ...

were targeted by protesters against the new prayer book on 18 October 1637. He was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

in December 1645. He left his estate to the architect and courtier,

David Cunningham of Auchenharvie David Cunningham of Auchenharvie (died 1659) was the absentee owner of Auchenharvie Castle and a courtier in London. He was an administrator of royal rents to Charles I of England. A large number of his letters are preserved in the National Records ...

.Joseph Lemuel Chester, ''The Marriage, Baptismal, and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church or Abbey of St Peter Westminster'' (London, 1876), p. 140
'William Elphinstone, Lawyer', Westminster Abbey

Family

The children of George Elphinstone and Agnes Boyd included; * James Elphinstone

References

External links

The Glasgow Story: A postcard of Elphinstone Tower in the Gorbals

The Glasgow Story: Watercolour of ''Main Street, Gorbals'' by William Simpson (1823-1899), showing Elphinstone Tower
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elphinstone, George Lord Provosts of Glasgow Lords Justice Clerk Court of James VI and I 1634 deaths 16th-century Scottish people Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630