Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton (1553 – 22 March 1603) was one of the
Scottish peers who supported
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 S ...
.
Early years
![George Seton and His Family](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/George_Seton_and_His_Family.jpg)
The son of
George Seton, 7th Lord Seton
George Seton V, 7th Lord Seton (1531–1586), was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland, Master of the Household of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Provost of Edinburgh. He was the eldest son of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton, and Elizabeth Hay, a daughter ...
, Robert Seton grew up active in the affairs of his father and of the State. He was educated early in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and accompanied his father during his ambassadorships to France during the reign of
Queen Mary. As a youth, he grew up a close childhood friend of the Queen's son, the future King
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
.
Langside
Like his father, he was strongly attached to the Queen and to the Royal
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...
, and was part of his father's rescue party for Queen Mary from
Loch Leven Castle
Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–13 ...
. He was also present at the
battle of Langside
The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...
in 1568. He was later one of the party who rescued King
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
from the hands of the Douglases, and supported his monarch during the
Gowrie
Gowrie ( gd, Gobharaidh) is a region in central Scotland and one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It covered the eastern part of what became Perthshire. It was located to the immediate east of Atholl, and originally included t ...
and other conspiracies of the time.
Estates
Upon the death of his father, in 1586, Robert succeeded as 6th
Lord Seton
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...
. Although his father left the estates heavily encumbered by reason of the great expense of several embassies and of his losses suffered by adhering to the Queen's party, yet by prudence and ability he was soon able to put his affairs in good condition and provide both sons and daughters with respectable fortunes. He was very hospitable at
Seton Palace, where the king and queen, and ambassadors and strangers of quality were nobly entertained."
In August 1594 he was Grand Master of the King's Household at the
baptism of Prince Henry at
Stirling Castle. This state role was usually held by the
Earl of Argyll
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...
, but he was out of favour. When James VI planned to visit the west and the islands of Scotland in August 1598, Lord Seton was made convenor of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
.
He improved his property, especially by working on the old harbour of
Cockenzie
Cockenzie and Port Seton ( sco, Cockennie ; gd, Cùil Choinnich, meaning "cove of Kenneth") is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created ...
, a fishing village of great antiquity on the
Firth of Forth, to accommodate vessels of a larger size. In January 1599 the king granted him a charter under the
Great Seal of Scotland
The Great Seal of Scotland ( gd, Seala Mòr na h-Alba) is a principal national symbol of Scotland that allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix ...
concerning Cockenzie, which had previously been erected into a free port and burgh of barony. He was a great favorite of
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
, and was created
Earl of Winton
The title Earl of Winton was once created in the Peerage of Scotland, and again the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is now held by the Earl of Eglinton.
The title was first bestowed on Robert Seton, 8th Lord Seton. His descendants held it unt ...
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 ...
on 16 November 1600.
Religion
A strict
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, the Earl and his family suffered indignities from the
Presbytery of
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington ( sco, Haidintoun, gd, Baile Adainn) is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is ...
, as may be seen by the Records.
One entry reads thus:
"1597. Setoun Kirk. The Presbitery asked Lord Setoun if he will suffer them to sit in the Kirk of Setoun for the space of two or three days, because they are to 'gang about' all the churches within their bounds; but this his Lordship altogether refused."
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
worship has never been held in Seton Church, as after the family conformed they attended the
Tranent
Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the paris ...
parish church, leaving their own church deserted, as it has remained ever since.
Marriage and children
In 1582, Lord Seton married Lady Margaret Montgomerie, eldest daughter of
Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Eglinton
Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Eglinton (c. 15311585) was a Scottish aristocrat who was a strong supporter of Mary Queen of Scots. He was an important participant in a tumultuous period of Scottish history.
Early Years
Born in 1531, Montgomerie ...
, by whom he had five sons and a daughter:
#
Robert Seton, 2nd Earl of Winton
Robert Seton, 2nd Earl of Winton and 9th Lord Seton (c. 1585 – January 1634) was a Scottish Peer.
He succeeded his father Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton in March, 1603. A devoted Catholic and supporter of the Stuarts all of his life, he began ...
#
George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton
George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton (December 1584 – 17 December 1650) was a notable Royalist and Cavalier, the second son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton and 6th Lord Seton, by his spouse Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Egl ...
#
Sir Alexander Seton of Foulstruther, who succeeded as 6th
Earl of Eglinton.
# Sir Thomas Seton of Olivestob
# Sir John Seton of St. Germains, who married Margaret Kellie
# Lady Isabel Seton, who married (1)
James Drummond, 1st Earl of Perth, (2) Francis, eldest son of
Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell
Francis may refer to:
People
*Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
*Rural Mu ...
.
Death and burial
In his Latter-Will, dated 28 February 1603, the Earl wrote, "My body to be buried whole in most humble, quiet, modest, and Christian manner without all extraordinary pomp or unlawful ceremony, within my College Church of Seton among my progenitors of worthy memory." By the words unlawful ceremony, the staunch old Catholic nobleman may have meant that he didn't want any Protestant interference or Kirk rites at his funeral. He was buried on Tuesday 5 April, on the same day that King
James VI of Scotland set out from
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 ...
for
London
London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to become King
James I of England
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...
. The king's company waited at the orchard of Seton Palace until the funeral was over, so that mourners did not leave to follow the king.
The 19th-century historian
Patrick Fraser Tytler
Patrick Fraser Tytler FRSE FSA(Scot) (30 August 179124 December 1849) was a Scottish advocate and historian. He was described as the "Episcopalian historian of a Presbyterian country".
Life
The son of Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhous ...
imagined the scene:
"As the monarch passed the house of Seton, near Musselburgh, he was met by the funeral of Lord Seton, a nobleman of high rank; which, with its solemn movement and sable trappings, occupied the road, and contrasted strangely and gloomily with the brilliant pageantry of the royal cavalcade. The Seton’s were one of the oldest and proudest families of Scotland; and that lord, whose mortal remains now passed by, had been a faithful adherent of the kings mother: whose banner he had never deserted, and in whose cause he had suffered exile and proscription. The meeting was thought ominous by the people. It appeared, to their excited imaginations, as if the moment had arrived when the aristocracy of Scotland was about to merge in that of Great Britain; as if the Scottish nobles had finished their career of national glory, and this last representative of their race had been arrested on his road to the grave, to bid farewell to the last of Scotland’s kings. As the mourners moved slowly onward, the monarch himself, participating in these melancholy feelings, sat down by the way-side, on a stone still pointed out to the historical pilgrim; nor did he resume his progress till the gloomy procession had completely disappeared."[Patrick Fraser Tytler, ''The History of Scotland'', vol. 9 (Edinburgh, 1866), pp. 363-4.]
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winton, Robert Seton, 1st Earl of
1553 births
1603 deaths
People from East Lothian
Earls of Winton
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...