Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont (13 January 16412 August 1724), known as Sir Patrick Hume, 2nd Baronet from 1648 to 1690 and as Lord Polwarth from 1690 to 1697, was a Scottish statesman. His grandfather was the poet and courtier Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Redbraes who died in 1609.

Life

Born at Polwarth, Berwickshire, he was raised as a strict

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

, and after a term of law study at

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

he became a member of the

Scottish parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyr ...

in 1665 as shire commissioner for

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

, where he at once took a foremost place as defender of the

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from '' Covena ...

s. He went so far as to bring imprisonment upon himself, and on being freed was suspected of complication in the

Rye House Plot The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the ...

, so that he was forced to remain in hiding until he could escape in disguise to the

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. There, he joined

Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (26 February 1629 – 30 June 1685) was a Scottish peer and soldier. The hereditary chief of Clan Campbell, and a prominent figure in Scottish politics, he was a Royalist supporter during the latter stage ...

and embarked with him on the unsuccessful 1685 expedition to Scotland. Hume became a

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

with a price set upon his head; but he once more escaped abroad and lived at

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

under the name "Dr. Wallace," professing to be a Scottish surgeon. He returned with William of Orange at the Revolution of 1688, and once again joined the Scottish parliament as the commissioner for Berwickshire until becoming Lord Polwarth in 1690. With his estates restored and now a Scottish peer, he was made Lord Chancellor in 1696 and Earl of Marchmont in 1697, although when Anne came to the throne in 1702 he lost his chancellorship. He strenuously opposed in Parliament the claims of the

Old Pretender James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales from ...

to the crown and voted for the union of Scotland with England, though he was not above the suspicion of having received a reward for so doing. Too

dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...

tic to be popular, he did not hold office in

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until the reign of George I, when he was given some minor charges, but shortly afterwards retired. Hume was an active

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, he belonged to St Mary's Lodge, Edinburgh since 1667.

Family

At least six of his children died in infancy and were buried in the Foulis tomb in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

. His son, Sir Andrew Hume, later Lord Kimmerghame, served as a commissioner in parliament for Kirkcudbright.David Wilkinson
HUME, Hon. Sir Andrew (1676-1730), of Kimmerghame, Berwick.
in ''

The History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

: the House of Commons 1690-1715'' (2002). He was great-nephew to both

Patrick Hume of Polwarth Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Redbraes (c.1550– June 1609) was a Scottish courtier and makar (court poet). Family background He was the eldest son of Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth & Redbrayes (d. May 1599) and his spouse Agnes, daughter of ...

and Rev

Alexander Hume Alexander Hume (1558 – 4 December 1609) was a Scottish poet who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in the early 17th century. Life He was born in 1558 the son of Patrick Hume (d.1599). The brother of Patri ...

. His eldest daughter, Grisell Hume (later Lady Grisell Baillie) wrote the popular 17th century song "Werna my Heart Licht I Wad Dee" (Were not My Heart Light I would Die). Another daughter, Julian, married Charles Billingham, an English soldier.Helen & Keith Kelsall, ''Scottish Lifestyle 300 Years Ago'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 1986), pp. 68-72: Lesley Abernethy, ''Lady Grisell Baillie: Mistress of Mellerstain'' (Matador, 2020), p. 61.

Arms

References

Sources

* * * Lord chancellors of Scotland Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Earls of Marchmont Peers of Scotland created by William II Scottish Presbyterians 1641 births 1724 deaths Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland People of the Rye House Plot People from Berwickshire Burials at the Canongate Kirkyard 17th-century Scottish politicians 18th-century British politicians University of Paris alumni Covenanters Scottish Jacobites Scottish Freemasons Lords High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1665 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1667 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1669–1674 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1689–1702 Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland Senators of the College of Justice Extraordinary Lords of Session {{Scotland-pre1707-MP-stub