Robert Spittell or Spittall or Spittale (died 1558) was a Scottish tailor who served

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Marg ...

, queen consort of James IV of Scotland. Margaret Tudor - Daniel Mytens - 1620-38

Clothes for a queen

When Margaret Tudor first arrived in Scotland, she brought an English tailor with her. In March 1504 the English tailor altered two gowns for her, and mended two kirtles. A tailor called William Welsch seems to have been the maker of an important gown for Margaret Tudor in March 1507. The expensive fabrics included velvet and cloth of gold supplied by

Jerome Frescobaldi Jerome, Hieronimo, or Girolamo Frescobaldi (died 1517) was an Italian financier and textile merchant based in Bruges. He supplied luxury goods to the Scottish court and was described as a "very good friend to the King of Scots". The Frescobaldi fam ...

, an Italian merchant who imported textiles from

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

. The historian Michelle Beer argues that this gown was probably made for Margaret's "churching" after her first pregnancy, a ceremony which marked her return to full participation in court life.

Spittell and court fashion

Spittell was listed among the queen's male servants in December 1511 when he was given a yule-tide livery gown of brown "Rissillis", a russet cloth from Rijsel or

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

, with black velvet to edge his doublet. Male and female servants, including the African servant

Ellen More Ellen or Elen More () was an African servant at the Scottish royal court. There are records of clothing and gifts given to her, although her roles and status are unclear. Some recent scholarship suggests she was enslaved. She is associated with a ...

were given livery clothes made from these fabrics at this time. He was given lands at Easter Coldoch near

Doune Doune (; from Scottish Gaelic: ''An Dùn'', meaning 'the fort') is a burgh within Perthshire. The town is administered by Stirling Council. Doune is assigned Falkirk postcodes starting "FK". The village lies within the parish of Kilmadock and mai ...

in 1513. Spittell made clothes for Eleanor Musgrave, an English courtier who features in William Dunbar's poem, '' Of a Dance in the Quenis Chamber''. In 1511 he made her gowns, "shaffrons" or head dresses, a

French hood The French hood is a type of woman's headgear that was popular in Western Europe in the 16th century. The French hood is characterized by a rounded shape, contrasted with the angular "English" or gable hood. It is worn over a coif, and has a bl ...

, altered and mended her clothing, and supplied ribbons, cuffs, and collar bands. Spittell recycled or "translated" an old white satin gown into a kirtle with a new lining of "Scottish black" for Margaret Tudor in 1511. In May 1512 he lined a pair of sleeves for the queen with velvet for one of her gowns of cloth of gold. He made clothes in 1512 and 1513 for Prince James. After the

battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

another tailor, Andrew Edgar, made clothes for the infant king. In May 1514 Margaret Tudor was Governor or Regent of Scotland, and she granted Robert Spittell an income from the lands of Easter Leckie near

Gargunnock Gargunnock is a small village in the Stirling council area, west of Stirling, in Scotland. The census population was 912. It is situated on the south edge of the Carse of Stirling, at the foot of the Gargunnock Hills, part of the Campsie Fells ...

. After Margaret Tudor left Scotland, in 1516, Spittell delivered some of her belongings to the priest William Husband, including fur trimmings for gowns, cuffs, and sleeves. The treasurer's accounts mention that Spittell sewed fur on her

stomacher A stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman's gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a corset, or may cover the triangular front of a corset. If simply decorative, the stomacher lies ...

s. Records of the burgh of

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

call him a servant of the queen in 1521. He bought several houses in Stirling. During a property dispute in Stirling in 1527, over an encroachment on adjacent lands, he claimed that Gilbert Johnston had declared on his deathbed that Spittel was a good neighbour. Spittel paid for bridges built over the

Bannockburn Bannockburn (Scottish Gaelic ''Allt a' Bhonnaich'') is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing int ...

stream and the Teith at

, and founded an almshouse in Stirling in 1530, known as Spittel's Hospital. He died in 1558. The inscription on his bridge over Teith was, "In God is all my trust. Quod. The X day of September in the Yeir of God MVXXXV Yeirs, Fundit wes this Brig Be Robert Spittel, Tailyer to the Maist Noble Princes Margaret, Queen of James the Feird", with a coat of arms including an eagle and tailor's scissors. He is also said to have paid for a bridge at

Tullibody Tullibody ( gd, Tulach Bòide), is a town set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth near to the foot of the Ochil Hills within the Forth Valley. The town is south-west of Alva, north-west of Alloa and east-n ...

over the

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. During the Reformation Crisis, in January 1560,

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 co ...

demolished part of Tullibody bridge to delay French troops returning to

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 ...

. The French commander

Henri Cleutin Henri Cleutin, seigneur d'Oisel et de Villeparisis (1515 – 20 June 1566), was the representative of France in Scotland from 1546 to 1560, a Gentleman of the Chamber of the King of France, and a diplomat in Rome 1564-1566 during the French Wars o ...

took down the roof of the Tullibody Auld Kirk to repair the bridge.David Laing
''Works of John Knox'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1846), p. 14
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spittell, Robert 1558 deaths 16th-century Scottish businesspeople 16th-century fashion British tailors Court of James IV of Scotland Household of Margaret Tudor People from Stirling Material culture of royal courts