Sir John Wemyss (1558–1621) was a Scottish landowner.

Biography

He was the son of David Wemyss (d. 1596) and Cecilia Ruthven, a daughter of William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven. His home was

Wemyss Castle Wemyss Castle (pronounced eems is situated in Wemyss on the sea cliffs between the villages of East Wemyss and West Wemyss in Fife, Scotland. Wemyss Castle is considered to be a multi-period building, and today's castle includes many elements ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

. The coastal location was sometimes called West Wemyss, and he was sometimes called the "Laird of West Wemyss". In May 1583 James, Lord Doune, his father-in-law, wrote to him about his feud with the Laird of Balmuto, which James VI intended to resolve. Sir Robert Melville had said that House of Raith were always friends to Wemyss. James VI had been playing a game in the Peel of Linlithgow with the Laird of

Dunipace Dunipace is a village in the west of the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is south of Stirling and north-west of Falkirk. The village is situated on the north bank of the River Carron and adjoins the town of Denny, to the south of ...

, and said he fought on Wemyss' side. John Wemyss went to

Loch Gelly Loch Gelly (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Gheallaidh'') is a small loch in Fife, Scotland lying approximately 1.5 km to the south east of the town of Lochgelly Lochgelly ( ; gd, Loch Gheallaidh, IPA: �ɫ̪ɔxˈʝaɫ̪ai is a town in Fife, ...

and built a fort and kept an armed boat to prevent the Boswells of Balmuto fishing on the loch. In 1592 he (and his father) provided a refuge at Wemyss castle for the

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 ...

's Danish lady-in-waiting Margaret Winstar whose partner

John Wemyss of Logie John Wemyss younger of Logie, (1569-1596), was a Scottish courtier, spy, and subject of the ballad "The Laird o Logie", beheaded for plotting to blow up a fortification at Veere in the Netherlands Life John Wemyss was a brother or son, the famil ...

had plotted with Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell against the king. The queen wrote to thank him for looking after her servant. James VI had ordered her to send Winstar home. In April 1594 Winstar's husband,

was lodged at Wemyss Castle. He seems to have been knighted at

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 ...

at the time of the baptism of Prince Henry in August 1594. The laird of Wemyss was obliged to lodge borderers who were pledges for good behaviour, including Jock Johnstone of Brummell in October 1597 and Willie Johnstone of Greenside in December 1598. He held Archie Armstrong of Whitehaugh from the

Scottish borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

for a time. John Wemyss and other lairds complained about this duty, and in April 1597 James VI wrote to him and asked him to bring Armstrong as a prisoner to be kept 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 ...

instead. In the summer of 1599 James VI wrote to him for a hackney riding horse to send to

for the use of the French ambassador, Philippe de Béthune, brother of the Duke of Sully. The ambassador went to Perth and then hunting with the king in the west of Scotland. In 1603 James VI and Anne of Denmark wrote to him requesting that he escort Anne of Denmark to London.

Marriage and family

He married Margaret Douglas, daughter of Sir William Douglas of Lochleven in 1574. He married, secondly, Mary Stewart, daughter of

James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune (1529-1590) was a Scottish landowner. Career James Stewart was the son of Sir James Stewart of Beith (d. 1547), Constable of Doune Castle, who was the third son of Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale, and Margaret Lind ...

and Margaret Campbell, in 1581. Their children included: *

John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss (1586–1649) was a Scottish politician. He was a son of Sir John Wemyss and Margaret Douglas, a daughter of Sir William Douglas of Lochleven. His home was Wemyss Castle in Fife. Around 1610 he acquired the esta ...

(1586–1649) *Isobel Wemyss (1588–1636), who married Hugh Fraser, 7th Lord Lovat in 1614 at Wemyss.William Mackay, ''Fraser Chronicles'' (Edinburgh, 1905), pp. 242, 258-9. *Cecilia Wemyss, who married

William Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine William Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine (c. 1574–1626) was a Scottish landowner and courtier. He was the son of John Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine and Catherine Drummond, daughter of David, 2nd Lord Drummond. He travelled abroad in 1594 ...

*Catherine Wemyss, who married Sir John Haldane of Gleneagles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wemyss, John 1558 births 1621 deaths Court of James VI and I Scottish landowners Clan Wemyss