Robert Sempill (the elder) (c. 1530–1595), in all probability a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

of illegitimate birth of the noble house of Sempill or Semple, was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

ballad-writer and satirist. Very little is known of Sempill's life. He was probably a soldier, and must have held some office at the Scottish court, as his name appears in the Lord Treasurer's books in February 1567 – 1568, and his writings show him to have had an intimate knowledge of court affairs. As a Protestant, he was a bitter opponent of Queen Mary and of the Catholic Church, authoring ballads supporting action against Queen Mary. Sempill was present at the siege of Leith (1559-1560) and at the 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. ...

, serving with the army of James Douglas, Earl of Morton. He was in Paris in 1572, but fled the country after the

massacre of St Bartholomew The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (french: Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy) in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French War ...

. Three of his poems appear in the Bannatyne Manuscript. His chief works are: *''The Ballat maid vpoun Margret Fleming callit the Flemyng bark'' *''The defence of Crissell Sande-landis'' *''The Claith Merchant or Ballat of Jonet Reid'', ''ane Violet'' and ''Ane Quhyt'', all three in the Bannatyne manuscript They are characterized by extreme coarseness, and are probably among his earlier works. His chief political poems are: *''The Regentis Tragedie'', a broadside of 1570 *''The Sege of the Castel of Edinburgh'' (1573), interesting from an historical point of view *''Ane Complaint vpon fortoun ...'' (1581) *''The Legend of the Bischop of St Androis Lyfe callit Mr Patrik Adamsone'' (1583) Some of his poems and ballads were intended to advance the cause of the King's side during the Marian civil war. He was a mid-ranking Kings Party supporter, prominently known despite being outside of party leadership. He assuredly authored twelve poems out of a collection of twenty-five broadsides arguing against Queen Mary as a part of the Kings Party's political campaign, which collectively are known as the "Sempill ballads". Anonymous printed ballads such as ''The tressoun of Dumbertane'', Robert Lekprevik, Edinburgh (1570), have been attributed to Sempill. The ''Tressoun'' describes Lord Fleming's failed ambush of the English commander William Drury at Dumbarton Castle.''Calendar of State Papers Scotland'', vol. 3, (1903), 177: ''The tressoun of Dumbarton, 15 May,'' Robert Lekprevik, Edinburgh, 1570
Cranstoun, James, ed., ''Satirical Poems of the Reformation'', vol. 1 (1892)
170-173, & notes vol. 2 (1893), 113-7 Se
''Chronicle of Scottish Poetry''
(ed. James Sibbald, Edinburgh, 1802); and ''Essays on the Poets of Renfrewshire'' by

William Motherwell William Motherwell (13 October 1797, Glasgow – 1 November 1835, Glasgow) was a Scottish poet, antiquary and journalist. Life Motherwell was born at Glasgow, the son of Willan and Jane Motherwell. His father was an ironmonger. He was se ...

, in ''The Harp of Renfrewshire'' (Paisley, 1819; reprinted 1872). Modern editions of Sempill are: ''Sege of the Castel of Edinburgh'', a facsimile reprint with introduction by David Constable (1813); ''The Sempill Ballates'' (T. G. Stevenson, Edinburgh, 1872) containing all the poems
''Satirical poems of the Reformation'' (ed. James Cranstoun, Scottish Text Soc., 2 vols, 1889-1893)
with a memoir of Sempill and a bibliography of his poems.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sempill, Robert 1530s births 1595 deaths Scottish male songwriters Scottish soldiers Scottish satirists 16th-century Scottish writers 16th-century male writers 16th-century Scottish poets Middle Scots poets