Thomas McCalzean, Lord Cliftonhall (pronounced and sometimes spelled McCalyeane, Macalzean or Macallyean) (c. 1520 – 1581) was a 16th-century Scottish judge, rising to be a

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...

and a local politician who was briefly

Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

in 1562 at the personal request of

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 ...

who sought a moderate influence during these troubled times.

Career

He lived at Clifton Hall, west of Edinburgh. He trained as a lawyer and became a judge. In 1543 Thomas McCalzean of Cliftonhall was a lawyer working for

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

. On her behalf he confiscated a ship belonging to

Katherine Bellenden Katherine Bellenden (1497 – c. 1568) was a courtier working in the wardrobe of James V of Scotland. Her niece of the same name was similarly employed. A family at court Katherine was the daughter of Patrick Bellenden a servant of Margaret Tu ...

and

Oliver Sinclair Sir Oliver Sinclair of Pitcairnis (died 1576?) was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss. Another story tells how at the end of h ...

, who were holding

Kirkwall Castle Kirkwall Castle, also known as King's Castle, was located in Kirkwall, the main settlement in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Built in the 14th century, it was deliberately destroyed in 1614. The last ruins were cleared in the 19th century. The cas ...

which belonged to Mary of Guise. Around 1550 he married Elizabeth Galbraith. In June 1556, in his role as City Assessor, he was temporarily suspended from his job for evil and foul language against the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise. He was restored to the job around two months later. He was a staunch supporter of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and happily moved to Protestantism. In 1562 he was chosen by

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 ...

to replace

Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie Sir Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie (c. 1475 – bef. 1536), also known as ''Greysteil'', was a Scottish nobleman and courtier, who served as Treasurer of Scotland, and was three times Provost of Edinburgh. Life Rise Kilspindie was the four ...

, as a more moderate politician, and he was endorsed by

Thomas Ewyn Thomas Ewyn (died 1569) was a Scottish goldsmith working in Edinburgh. His brother may have been the chaplain and scribe, Robert Ewyn. Thomas Ewyn was Deacon of the Goldsmiths. Ewyn was involved in planning the civic celebrations in Edinburgh fo ...

. However, the Queen's authority to do this was later challenged, and Archibald Douglas returned to his elected role within a year. In 1563 he was appointed advocate to the Kirk in Edinburgh. In October 1570 he was elected a

, a senior position in the Scottish legal system, replacing Lord

Henry Balnaves Henry Balnaves (1512? – February 1570) was a Scottish politician, Lord Justice Clerk, and religious reformer. Biography Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, around 1512, he was educated at the University of St Andrews and on the continent, where he adopt ...

. In 1570 he was involved in a famous Scottish court case: Ruthven v. McCalzean. This was between Thomas McCalzean and Archibald Ruthven, brother of

William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, 4th Lord of Ruthven (c. 1541May 1584) was a Scottish peer known for devising the Raid of Ruthven. Life and career William Ruthven was born in 1541 in Ruthven Castle, in Perthshire, Scotland, the son of Patr ...

. The crux of the case is a breach of promise, relating to a marriage proposal between his daughter Eupham, and Ruthven. 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 ...

McCalzean supported the queen. He was granted a pardon or remission in May 1572 by

Regent Mar John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar (died 28 October 1572) was a Scottish aristocrat and politician. He was the custodian of the infant James VI of Scotland and Regent of Scotland. Erskine was a son of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Lady Margaret C ...

for helping Mary's supporters, the Duke of Chatelherault and the

Earl of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...

when they held Edinburgh. The supporters of

continued to occupy

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. ...

for a time. To fund the Castle garrison

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 ...

took loans from his allies, offering the

jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots The jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587), are mainly known through the evidence of inventories held by the National Records of Scotland. She was bought jewels during her childhood in France, adding to those she inherited. She gave gifts o ...

as security. William Sinclair of Roslin sold his pledge of 200 gold royal buttons weighing 31 ounces to Thomas McCalzean for 500

merks The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...

. McCalzean surrendered the buttons to the Privy Council and

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 ...

on 6 July 1573. McCalzean worked for

Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray (c. 1540 – 16 July 1588) was a Scottish noblewoman. She was the wife of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland and the illegitimate half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots, making her a sister-in-law o ...

. On 17 May 1575 he enjoyed a banquet with Robert Scott and the Dean of Moray, in Scott's house in Edinburgh, where wine and sugar confections called "scorchattis" were served. The celebration was for completing an inventory of evidence, a compilation of the countess' property charters. He died on 5 June 1581.

Euphame MacCalzean

In 1587 his only child and heir,

Euphame MacCalzean Euphame MacCalzean (born before 1558, died 25 June 1591 in Edinburgh) was a victim of the North Berwick witch trials of 1590–1591. Early life She was born at Clifton Hall, west of Edinburgh, the only child of Thomas McCalzean (Lord Cliftonhal ...

, was sole but absentee owner of The White House, on the south side of Edinburgh (on the site of St Margaret's Convent) when the house is proposed as a remote hospice for plague victims. The Edinburgh magistrates usurped the empty building for this use without consulting her and she had a long court battle to retrieve possession. She was executed for witchcraft as part of the

North Berwick witch trials The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St Andrew's Auld Kirk in North Berwick on Halloween night. They ran for two years, and implicated over seventy ...

in 1591. Execution was by public burning on the Castle Hill below

on 25 June 1591.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCalzean, Thomas 1520 births 1581 deaths Year of birth uncertain Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Senators of the College of Justice 16th-century Scottish judges Lawyers from Edinburgh