Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst (died 1585) was a Scottish landowner, Roman Catholic and supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots. He and Jean Scott ended the feud between the Scott family and the Kerrs. Thomas and Jean were both involved with supporting

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 Scot ...

Life

He was the son of Sir John Kerr of Ferniehirst and Katherine Kerr. His sister Margaret married

Lord Hay of Yester 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 ...

and was the mother of

William Hay, 6th Lord Hay of Yester William Hay, 6th Lord Hay of Yester (died 1591) was a Scottish nobleman and courtier. He was the son of William Hay, 5th Lord Hay of Yester and Margaret Kerr, daughter of John Kerr of Ferniehirst Castle, Ferniehirst by his wife Catherine Kerr, dau ...

. His homes were

Oxnam Oxnam ( sco, Owsenam) is a village near Jedburgh, in Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is a primarily residential village. The placename Oxnam is from Old English ''oxa'' (genitive ''oxan'') "oxen" and ''ham'' "village", ...

and

Ferniehirst Castle Ferniehirst Castle (sometimes spelled Ferniehurst) is an L-shaped construction on the east bank of the Jed Water, about a mile and a half south of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and in the former county of Roxburghshire. It ...

. In 1565 an agreement was made to end the vendetta between the Kerr family and the Scotts. It was agreed that there would be a number of marriages between the family members to end the feud. Everyone agreed to it, but not Thomas Kerr. Despite the families intentions none of the marriages took place, but this was an important basis for Thomas's second marriage. In 1569 he married Jean Scott who became Lady Ferniehirst. The marriage bridged the feud between the families. A dowry was agreed but at least £1,000 was not paid by 1575. However the arranged marriage was a happy one. A letter written by

Robert Constable Sir Robert Constable (c. 1478 – 6 July 1537) was a member of the English Tudor gentry. He helped Henry VII to defeat the Cornish rebels at the Battle of Blackheath in 1497. In 1536, when the rising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace broke out ...

in 1569 described how English and Scottish rebels drank ale played cards for "placks and hardheads" at Thomas Kerr's house in

Jedburgh Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...

. In July 1575 he wrote from Paris to

, describing the destruction of his houses with fire and gunpowder by English forces during the

Marian Civil War The Marian civil war in Scotland (1568–1573) was a period of conflict which followed the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her escape from Lochleven Castle in May 1568. Those who ruled in the name of her infant son James VI fought against ...

costing him at least 20,000 crowns, and the injuries sustained by his family and followers fighting for her cause in Scotland. He lost his jewels and the charters of his lands left in a coffer in

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. ...

which

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had b ...

confiscated. The

Earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

cut down his woodlands. Ferniehirst was allowed to return to Scotland and was said to have watched the execution of

, wearing an outfit with conspicuous and extravagant cuffs. In June 1581

James Stewart, Earl of Arran Captain James Stewart, Earl of Arran (died 1595) was created Earl of Arran by the young King James VI, who wrested the title from James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran. He rose to become Lord Chancellor of Scotland and was eventually murdered in ...

tried to block the restoration and rehabilitation of Ferniehirst, who was considerered guilty of taking "art and part" in the killing of the king's grandfather

Regent Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, E ...

. However,

Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny, (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry, France, was a Roman Catholic French nobleman of Scottish ancestry ...

supported his return to favour and Ferniehirst knelt before the king for forgiveness in the garden at

Dalkeith Palace Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 on the site of the ...

. The Scottish poet William Fowler reported to

Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...

that the Laird of Ferniehirst had arrived secretly in London in May 1583, and was expected to go to France again. His second wife, Janet/Jean Scott, was politically active. In October 1583 she wrote to Mary Queen of Scots from Ferniehirst with news from the Scottish court. She said she had been approached by the Countess of Arran in person and by letter hoping that Mary would not join with the Hamiltons against her husband

. She wanted Mary to advise her about this. She had forgotten to forward a letter from

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 ...

. Mary was a godparent to one of her sons. Kerr was made a warden of the Middle March of the Scottish border and keeper of

Liddesdale Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the Roxburghshire, County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, Dumfries and Galloway, River Esk, a distance of . The ...

. In November 1584 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 ...

allotted him 100 troops and the use of

Hermitage Castle Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric castles in ...

Marriage and children

He married firstly Janet Kirkcaldy, a daughter of

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 c ...

and Margaret Learmonth. The children of Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst and Janet Kirkcaldy included: * Andrew Kerr of Ferniehirst, called Lord Jedburgh. At the marriage of the "young laird Farnieherst", Andrew Kerr, to Anne Stewart, daughter of Andrew Master of Ochiltree and Margaret Stewart in January 1585 the king's bed caught fire.Boyd, William, ed., ''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 7 (Edinburgh, 1913), p. 533 no. 498. * Mary Kerr * Julian Kerr, who married (1)

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 ...

, (2)

Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington (1563 – 29 May 1637), designated before his peerage as 'of Drumcarny, Monkland, and Binning', was a Scottish administrator, Lord Advocate, judge, and Lord Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire. Family The son ...

* Margaret Kerr He married secondly, Janet Scott, sister of

Walter Scott, 4th Baron of Buccleuch Walter Scott, 4th Baron of Buccleuch (1549–1574) was head of the Border family of Scott and, despite his youth, played a prominent part in the turbulent politics of 16th century Scotland. Origin Scott was the eldest son of Sir William Scott of ...

. The children of Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst and Janet Scott included: * James Kerr * Thomas Kerr * Anne Kerr, who married

John Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Balmerino John Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Balmerino (died 28 February 1649) was a Scottish aristocrat, convicted in a celebrated trial of the 1630s which became a crux of the religious issue of the time. Early life He was the son of James, 1st Lord Balmerino, ...

Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset (c. 158717 July 1645), was a politician, and favourite of King James VI and I. Background Robert Kerr was born in Wrington, Somerset, England, the younger son of Sir Thomas Kerr (Carr) of Ferniehurst, Scot ...

, who married

Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset (31 May 1590 – 23 August 1632), born Frances Howard, was an English noblewoman who was the central figure in a famous scandal and murder during the reign of King James I. She was found guilty but spared execu ...

, their daughter was Anne Russell, Countess of Bedford

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Thomas 1585 deaths Court of Mary, Queen of Scots 16th-century Scottish people