![JohnErskine2ndEarlofMar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/JohnErskine2ndEarlofMar.jpg)
John Erskine, Earl of Mar (c. 155814 December 1634)
[''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online (ODNB)'', "John Erskine, eighteenth or second earl of Mar," by Julian Goodare.] was a
Scottish politician, the only son of another
John Erskine and
Annabella Murray. He is regarded as both the 19th earl (in the
1st creation) and the 2nd earl (in the
7th
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...
).
History
John Erskine was born in 1558, though the precise date is unknown.
Together with King
James VI of Scotland he was educated by
George Buchanan
George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...
. He succeeded to the
earldom of Mar
There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...
on the death of his father in 1572. After attaining his majority he was nominally the guardian of the young king, who was about seven years his junior, and who lived with him at
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 ...
; but he was in reality something of a puppet in the hands of the regent,
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had b ...
; and he lost power and position when Morton was imprisoned.
He married his first wife, Anne Drummond (15551587) in October 1580. Anne was the daughter of Lord David Drummond (d. 1571) and
Lilias Ruthven (d. 1579). Their marriage was cut short by Anne's early death in 1587, but the marriage did produce John's son and heir,
John Erskine.
![Coat of arms Sir John Erskine, Earl of Mar, KG (1558–1634)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Coat_of_arms_Sir_John_Erskine%2C_Earl_of_Mar%2C_KG_%281558%E2%80%931634%29.png)
He was concerned in the seizure of James VI in 1582 (a plot known as the
raid of Ruthven
The Raid of Ruthven was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 22 August 1582. It was composed of several Presbyterian nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who abducted King James VI of Scotland. The nobles intende ...
); but when James escaped from his new custodians the earl fled into the west of Scotland. Then leaving his hiding-place the Earl of Mar seized
Stirling Castle, whereupon James marched against him, and he took refuge in England. Queen
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
interceded for him, but in vain.
In October 1584 James VI gave a gift of Mar's clothes to Thomas Stewart, a brother of
Alexander Stewart of Garlies. The clothes included cloaks, doublets, breeches, and other items in cloth-of-silver, figured velvet, satin and other rich fabrics. They had been seized from a ship than ran aground near
Whithorn
Whithorn ( ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christia ...
. Mar made an unusual arrangement with his Edinburgh tailor John Murdo and his wife Mause Balgaskry, giving them an income in teinds of cereal crops in exchange for making his clothes with further payment.
After some futile communications between the governments of England and Scotland in 1585 the Earl of Mar and his friends gathered an army, entered the presence of the king at Stirling, and were soon in supreme authority. The Earl of Mar was restored to his lands and titles. Henceforward he stood high in the royal favour, becoming governor of
Edinburgh Castle and then tutor to James's son,
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 ...
.
His great achievement was the recovery of the Mar estates, alienated by the Crown during the long period that his family had been out of possession, including
Kildrummy
Kildrummy ( gd, Cionn Droma) is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland near the River Don, west of Alford. The hamlet's primary school closed in 2003.
Its church was built in 1805. Nearby Kildrummy Castle has a long history dating back to at lea ...
, the seat of the earldom.
In May 1592 he met James VI at
Fenton Tower Fenton may refer to:
Places Canada
* Fenton, Saskatchewan
United Kingdom
* Fenton, Cambridgeshire, with neighbouring Pidley, part of the parish of Pidley cum Fenton
* Fenton, Cumbria
* Fenton, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire
* Fenton, West ...
in
East Lothian, the new home of the Captain of the Guard
Sir John Carmichael
Sir John Carmichael (died 16 June 1600) was a Scottish soldier, the Keeper of Liddesdale, a diplomat, and owner of Fenton Tower at Kingston, East Lothian.
Career
He was the son of John Carmichael and Elizabeth Somerville, a daughter of Hugh Some ...
, to discuss the keepership of Edinburgh Castle following the death of Sir James Home. The office had also been offered to 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 ...
but Home had requested it go to Mar.
![Marie-stewart-countess-of-mar-d-1644-second-wife-o](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Marie-stewart-countess-of-mar-d-1644-second-wife-o.jpg)
In December 1592 he married his second wife
Marie Stewart, daughter of
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny, (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry, France, was a Roman Catholic French nobleman of Scottish ancestry ...
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 ...
. The marriage was intended to be held at
Dalkeith Palace
Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 on the site of th ...
but was delayed by Mar's illness, the match was opposed by many because Mary was a Catholic. Their daughter, Lady Mary Erskine, married William Keith, 5th
Earl 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 ...
.
On 21 February 1594 Mar was appointed Keeper and Governor of
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who was to stay at
Stirling Castle. Mar performed in the
tournament at the baptism of Prince Henry dressed as a "Christian Knight" in a team with the king and
Sir Thomas Erskine. His keeping of the Prince at Stirling led to disagreement with
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 from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...
. James VI wrote a note to Mar in June 1595 instructing him, in the event his death, not to deliver Henry to Anne of Denmark or the
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...
until he was 18 and gave the order himself. Over several days at
Linlithgow Palace in June 1595, James VI and Anne had discussions about the keeping of their son Prince Henry by Mar, but Anne refused to talk to Mar when he came to Linlithgow. In September 1595 the queen would not look at Mar when he was in the same room with her at
Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. Today it is under the stewardship of ...
.
Diplomacy with England
Mar kept up a correspondence with the
Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...
and in December 1595 mentioned to Essex he had heard a rumour that
David Foulis carried a message "to his disgrace", damaging to Mar's reputation. In 1596 Queen Elizabeth, via the Earl of Essex and his secretary
Anthony Bacon, sent her miniature portrait by
Nicholas Hilliard
Nicholas Hilliard () was an English goldsmith and limner best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. He mostly painted small oval miniatures, but also some larger cabinet miniatures, ...
to Prince Henry, and this was received by Mar at Stirling.
In 1601, the earl was sent as envoy to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
; here
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
assured him that James should be her successor, and his mission was conducted with tact and prudence. After the embassy the sum paid as a
subsidy to James VI was increased, by the persuasion of
Sir Robert Cecil
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612), was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the ...
. Elizabeth gave him a silver basin and laver set with mother-of-pearl and rubies.
Mar was 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 ...
", an initiative to help
put James on the throne of England. Mar and other members of a select group kept up a dialogue with English diplomats.
Union of the Crowns
In 1603 Elizabeth I died and James VI became king of England, the event known as the
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...
which Mar had hoped for. James travelled to England. Mar remained at Stirling Castle with Prince Henry. While Mar was away from Stirling on business connected with death of his mother, on 7 May 1603 Anne of Denmark came to take away Prince Henry. The Countess, his wife Marie Stewart, and his son Lord Erskine refused to allow this. Anne of Denmark had a miscarriage at the castle. According to the lawyer
Thomas Hamilton, she told
Lady Paisley and her physician
Martin Schöner
Dr Martin Schöner or Schönerus (died 1611), physician to James VI and I and Anne of Denmark.
Schöner was born in Głogów in Lower Silesia, then a part of the Habsburg Empire, but was considered to be from Thuringia. He is said to have been a ...
that she had taken "balm water". There were suggestions that this miscarriage or abortion was self-induced, perhaps by use of the "balm water".
While Anne of Denmark was recovering, Mar returned to Stirling and made his apology for the events to members of the Scottish
Privy Council who had assembled at the castle. He told them he had heard of a plot to take Prince Henry away from the castle during his absence. 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 ...
, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, made efforts to calm the controversy and help set Anne of Denmark on her way to England in June. One difficulty was a previous command of James that Mar should convey the Prince to England in the Queen's company. Anne refused to travel with Mar. He returned to the king at London before Anne started her journey.
Mar had also alleged that he had heard of a plot to take Prince Henry from Stirling while he was absent in May. In a letter to Anne of Denmark, King James emphasised that Mar had not made counter-accusations against her suggesting the events at Stirling were part of a wider plot, a supposed "Spanish course". James wrote that Anne should share his confidence in Mar, and obey his instructions "whether ye were a king's or a cook's daughter". Mar apologised to Anne of Denmark on 5 July at
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original c ...
.
Mar joined the English
privy council. He was granted several manors in England, including
Hundon and
Chipley in Suffolk, for which he was given £15,000 in 1611 when they were sold to
William, Lord Cavendish.
In November 1603 the Spanish ambassador, the
Count of Villamediana, invited 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 the Earl of Mar to dinner, and according to
Arbella Stuart
Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marri ...
asked them "to bring the Scottish ladies, for he was desirous to see some natural beauties." These included
Jean Drummond and
Anne Hay, with
Elizabeth Carey.
The Earl of Mar was created Lord
Cardross
Cardross (Scottish Gaelic: ''Càrdainn Ros'') is a large village with a population of 2,194 (2011) in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton and Helensburgh. Cardross is in the historic geographical ...
in 1610; he was a member of the
Court of High Commission
The Court of High Commission was the supreme ecclesiastical court in England. Some of its powers was to take action against conspiracies, plays, tales, contempts, false rumors, books. It was instituted by the Crown in 1559 to enforce the Act of U ...
and was
Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre- Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland.
Lord Treasurer
The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation'', ...
from 1615 to 1630.
In January 1608,
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton
Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, KG (25 February 154015 June 1614), was an important English aristocrat and courtier. He was suspect as a crypto-Catholic throughout his life, and went through periods of royal disfavour, in which his reputati ...
, formerly one of the "secret correspondents", wrote to Mar asking for the recipe that would restore his favour with Anne of Denmark. In April 1608 Mar was summoned to court in London. He made a will making Marie Countess of Mar his executor, leaving her a jewel bought from
William Herrick, and reserving to his eldest son by his first wife important items including the silver basin set with mother-of-pearl which had been a gift from Queen Elizabeth, and a jewel given to him by the King of France.
In September 1612 Mar asked King James if the Laird of
Findlater could be made a Baron. The King wrote that there were too many Scottish noblemen already, which caused discontent in England, and was prejudicial to the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
.
King James came to Scotland in 1617 and during his return journey he wrote to Mar on 16 August from
Hoghton Tower
Hoghton Tower is a fortified manor house east of the village of Hoghton, Lancashire, England, and standing on a hilltop site on the highest point in the area. It takes its name from the de Hoghton family, its historical owners since at l ...
asking him to send a couple of terriers or earth dogs for fox hunting. In 1620 Mar, as treasurer, was to pay the expenses of the king's falconer travelling to Orkney and Shetland for hawks. In 1621 King James requested fir tree seeds for the
Marquis of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham. ...
to plant at
Burley on the Hill.
The depute-treasurer
Gideon Murray
Gideon Murray of Elibank (died 1621), Scottish courtier and landowner.
Family
Gideon Murray was the third son of Sir Andrew Murray of Black Barony, Peebleshire, and Grisel Beaton, a daughter of Sir John Beaton of Creich, Fife. Regent Arran paid ...
died in 1621, and Mar wrote to King James in July assuring him that Murray's good management would continue, and that he himself had visited
Linlithgow Palace to see the new north range being built.
Mar died at Stirling on 14 December 1634.
A portrait of Mar by
Adam de Colone of 1626 gives his age as 64 years. The painter used a fine but old linen tablecloth as a support rather than canvas.
Mar and the King's Jewels
From time to time James would lodge jewels with Mar for safety and as pledges for loans. In December 1601 Mar returned several pieces including a cross set seven diamonds and two rubies, a hat string with 89 diamonds, a "feather" jewel to wear in a hat in the shape of a capital letter "A" for Anne of Denmark made with 110 diamonds, and other pieces.
Gardens of Stirling Castle
King Charles sent a warrant in June 1625 for Mar and Archibald Napier, treasurer-depute, to appoint a "skillfull and well experimented gardener in England" to reside at Stirling Castle and repair the orchards. William Watts was appointed. In 1629 fruit trees for the gardens at Stirling were shipped from London in the ''Unicorn of Kirkcaldy'' to Alloa and delivered to Mar's gardener there, David Erskine.
Marriages and family
John Erskine and Anne Drummond had a son:
*
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
(c. 1585–1654), who succeeded to his earldom.
John Erskine and his second wife, Marie Stewart, had five sons, including:
*
James Erskine James Erskine may refer to:
*James Erskine, 6th Earl of Buchan (died 1640)
*James Erskine, 7th Earl of Buchan (died 1664), Earl of Buchan
*Sir James Erskine, 2nd Baronet (c. 1670–1693), of the Erskine baronets
*James Erskine (Aberdeen MP) (born 1 ...
(died 1640)
*
Henry Erskine, Master of Cardross and Commendator of
Dryburgh (died 1628), whose son
David Erskine succeeded to the barony of Cardross
* Charles Erskine, ancestor of the
earls of Rosslyn
* Alexander Erskine, in 1626 his father wrote to
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
Elizabeth Stuart (19 August 159613 February 1662) was Electress of the Palatinate and briefly Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Frederick V of the Palatinate. Since her husband's reign in Bohemia lasted for just one winter, she is called the Win ...
declining a plan for his marriage.
One of Mar's sons was baptised at Stirling on 20 July 1595 with James VI as a godparent.
In November 1614 Viscount Fenton discussed the marriage of Mar's second daughter Anna Erskine to a son of the
Earl of Rothes, later
John Leslie, 6th Earl of Rothes
John Leslie, 6th Earl of Rothes (1600 – 23 August 1641) was a Scottish nobleman, one of the main leaders of the Covenanters.
Life
Born in Leslie, Fife, he was the only son of James Leslie, Master of Rothes (died 1607) and Katherine Drummond, ...
. Although Rothes was an ancient and noble house, Fenton would not have advised that Mar's eldest son's should marry a daughter of Katherine Drummond, the "last Lady Rothes that was".
[''HMC Mar & Kellie'', vol. 2 (London, 1930), p. 57.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mar, John Erskine, Earl of
1550s births
1634 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Lord High Treasurers of Scotland
Erskine, John
Knights of the Garter
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
Ambassadors of Scotland to England
Court of James VI and I
Members of the Privy Council of England
Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1612
Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1617
Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1617
Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1621
Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1621
Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1625
Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630
16th-century Scottish peers
17th-century Scottish peers
Lords Erskine