John Mowbray of Barnbougle was a Scottish landowner and supporter 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 ...

Family background

John Mowbray's father was born Robert Barton, a son of

Robert Barton of Over Barnton Robert Barton of Over Barnton (died 1540) was a Scottish landowner, merchant, sailor and politician. He served as Comptroller, Master of the Mint and Lord High Treasurer to James V of Scotland. Sailor and shipowner Robert Barton was the son of ...

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 ...

. He married an heiress, Barbara Mowbray, daughter of John Mowbray of Barnbougle, and took the surname Mowbray. He died in 1538. John Mowbray was a son of his second wife, Elizabeth Crawford.

Career

John Mowbray's lands included

Barnbougle Castle Barnbougle Castle is a historic tower house on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, between Cramond and Queensferry, and within the parish of Dalmeny. It lies within the Earl of Rosebery's estate, just north-west of Dalmeny House. Although ...

close to

Cramond Island Cramond Island (Scottish Gaelic: ''Eilean Chathair Amain'') is one of several islands in the Firth of Forth in eastern Scotland, near Edinburgh. It lies off the foreshore at Cramond. It is long and covers .Wilson, Rev. John ''The Gazetteer o ...

near

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. The surname is also written as "Moubray". A French source calls him the ''Baron de Barnestrudgal''. Mowbray claimed a right to capture Portuguese ships according to old "Letters of Marque" granted to the Barton family and Andrew Barton. The rights were suppressed by 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 ...

in 1563. He was one of the jurors who acquitted the

Earl of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

of the

murder of Lord Darnley The murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, took place on 10 February 1567 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Darnley's lodgings were destroyed by gunpowder; his body and that of his servant were found nearby, appare ...

. After the "lang siege" of

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. ...

, at the end of the

Marian Civil War The Marian civil war in Scotland (1568–1573) was a period of conflict which followed the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her escape from Lochleven Castle in May 1568. Those who ruled in the name of her infant son James VI fought against ...

in August 1573, Mowbray presented a paper to

Regent 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 ...

with offers to save the life of his brother-in-law, William Kirkcaldy of Grange, including £20,000 worth of the

jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots The jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587), are mainly known through the evidence of inventories held by the National Records of Scotland. She was bought jewels during her childhood in France, adding to those she inherited. She gave gifts o ...

, remaining in her supporter's hands. Mowbray travelled to London and Paris and corresponded with

Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...

. Two of his daughters worked for Mary, Queen of Scots in England. According to

Adam Blackwood Adam Blackwood (1539–1613) was a Scottish author and apologist for Mary, Queen of Scots. Early life He was born in 1539 in Dunfermline, Scotland, to William Blackwood and Helen Reid. The great-nephew of Robert Reid, Bishop of Orkney (1541-1 ...

's ''Le Mort de Royne d'Escosse'', Mowbray went to London after the execution of

, to secure the release of her servants, including his daughters.

Marriages and children

His wife, Elizabeth or Elspeth Kirkcaldy, was a sister of

William Kirkcaldy of Grange Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation but ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the c ...

(died 1573). Their children included: * Robert Mowbray. During the

, in 1572, Robert attempted to capture

Dundas Castle Dundas Castle is a 15th-century castle, with substantial 19th-century additions by William Burn, in the Dalmeny parish of West Lothian, Scotland. The home of the Dundas family since the Middle Ages, it was sold in the late 19th century and is cur ...

. John Mowbray was imprisoned and Barnbougle was garrisoned by the King's party. Robert Mowbray sold Barnbougle to

Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington (1563 – 29 May 1637), designated before his peerage as 'of Drumcarny, Monkland, and Binning', was a Scottish administrator, Lord Advocate, judge, and Lord Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire. Family The son ...

in around 1614. *

Francis Mowbray Francis Mowbray or Moubray (died 1603) was a Scottish intriguer. Career Francis Mowbray was a son of John Mowbray, Laird of Barnbougle Castle and Elspeth or Elizabeth Kirkcaldy, daughter of James Kirkcaldy. His sisters, or half-sisters, Barbar ...

(died 1593), an intriguer who offered to serve Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1580, and carried letters. * Agnes Mowbray, who married Robert Crichton of Eliock * Elizabeth Mowbray, who married Archibald Napier of Merchiston and Edinbellie. They built

Lauriston Castle Lauriston Castle is a 16th-century tower house with 19th-century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies on Cramond Road South, between Cramond, Davidson's Mains, and Silverknowes. The substantial grounds, La ...

. * Marion Mowbray * Barbara Mowbray (1556-1616), who married Gilbert Curle, a secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots. She died in Antwerp. * Gillis Mowbray, who served Mary, Queen of Scots, and is said to have been the owner of the Penicuik Jewels.Walter Warren Seton, ''The Penicuik Jewels of Mary Queen of Scots'' (Philip Allan, 1923).

External links

Will of Agnes Mowbray (d. 1575), a sister of Barbara Mowbray, National Records of Scotland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mowbray, John 16th-century Scottish people Court of Mary, Queen of Scots