Coat of arms Sir Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie, KG

Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie (1566 – 12 June 1639) was a Scottish peer.

Biography

Thomas Erskine was the eldest surviving son of Sir

Alexander Erskine of Gogar Alexander Erskine of Gogar (died 1592) was a Scottish landowner and keeper of James VI of Scotland at Stirling Castle. Career Alexander was a son of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Lady Margaret Campbell, a daughter of Archibald Campbell, ...

and Margaret Home, a daughter of

George Home, 4th Lord Home George Home, 4th Lord Home (died 1549) was a Scottish nobleman and Warden of the Eastern March. The son of Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home and his wife Nicola Ker, daughter of George Ker of Samuelston, he succeeded his brother, Alexander Home, 3 ...

and

Mariotta Haliburton Mariotta or Maryon or Marion Haliburton, Lady Home (circa 1500–circa 1563) was a 16th-century Scottish noblewoman. She varied the spelling of her forename between ''Mariotta'', ''Marion'', and ''Mary''. She is remembered for her defence and negot ...

. Thomas was a school classmate and lifelong personal friend of

James VI of Scotland 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 Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

(later James I of England). He was a server at the king's table, a "sewar". In 1585 he was made a Gentleman of His Majesty's Bedchamber. James VI married

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

by proxy in 1589 and while waiting for his bride to come to Scotland, wrote a series of poems in Scots now known as the ''Amatoria''. Some manuscript copies include Erskine's name as "Sr Thomas Areskine of Gogar". It has been suggested that Erskine collaborated with the king in writing the poems, or was involving in circulating them. In November 1592 Erskine was identified with the friends of

Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lenno ...

, Sir George Home,

Colonel William Stewart Sir William Stewart of Houston (c. 1540 – c. 1605) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish soldier, politician and diplomat. He is often known as "Colonel Stewart", or the Prior of May (Pittenweem), Commendator of Pittenweem. Life He began his ca ...

, the Laird of

Dunipace Dunipace is a village in the west of the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is south of Stirling and north-west of Falkirk. The village is situated on the north bank of the River Carron and adjoins the town of Denny, to the south of ...

, and James Sandilands, as a supporter of the king's former favourite

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 ...

, working for his rehabilitation to the disadvantage of the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, John Maitland and the Hamilton family. The English diplomat Robert Bowes called this group the "four young and counselling courtiers." In January 1593 James VI set a tax anticipating the expenses of the birth and baptism of

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

and appointed Erskine Collector General of this tax. At the tournament during the baptism festivities, Erskine performed in a team with the King, dressed as

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

. James VI gave his courtiers gifts of jewelry at New Year. In January 1596 Erskine received a "tablet" or locket set with rubies and diamonds and a gold ring set with a table diamond. He was with the king on the occasion of the

Gowrie Conspiracy John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (c. 1577 – 5 August 1600), was a Scottish nobleman who died in mysterious circumstances, referred to as the "Gowrie Conspiracy", in which he and/or his brother Alexander were attempting to kill or kidnap King ...

in 1600, when James rode from

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. Today it is under the stewardship of ...

to the house of the Ruthven brothers in Perth, where he was supposedly to be kidnapped or assassinated. Erskine was awarded a third of the land confiscated from the Ruthvens and given the title Lord Erskine of Dirletoun in 1604. He was made a Privy Councilor in 1601 and accompanied the

on a diplomatic visit to France. James VI maintained a " secret correspondence" with some of Queen Elizabeth's courtiers, hoping thereby to facilitate his succession to the throne of England. A letter to

Sir Robert Cecil Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612), was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the ...

was sealed with Erskine's heraldry, and his initials as "T. A" for Thomas Areskine.

At court in England

Thomas Erskine travelled with James to England when James ascended the English throne in 1603.

Lady Anne Clifford Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...

described a visit to the king at

Theobalds Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace) in the parish of Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire, was a significant stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries. Set in extensive parkland, it was a r ...

in May 1603, noting that the fashion of the court had changed, "we were all lowzy by sittinge in Sir Thomas Erskin's chamber." He was made Captain of the Guard (1603–1617) and Groom of the Stool in 1604 and created Viscount Fenton (or Fentoun) in 1606. Erskine wrote frequently to the

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. The ...

in Scotland with political and court news. He described Anne of Denmark's nosebleed at Oatlands in September 1604, which lasted a day, the "first 12 hours in such abundance as you would not believe". In June 1612 he described efforts to reduce the costs of the royal households:

There is much pain taken to draw his Majesty's estate in a right form; the expense is so great and so much more than the receipt, that his Majesty will be forced to retrench both in his own house, the Queen's, and the Prince his house, and this they go about presently. How it shall please women and young folks as yet I can say any thing.

He was at

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. Hen ...

on 27 December 1612 when contracts were exchanged for the marriage Princess Elizabeth and

Frederick V of the Palatinate Frederick V (german: link=no, Friedrich; 26 August 1596 – 29 November 1632) was the Elector Palatine of the Rhine in the Holy Roman Empire from 1610 to 1623, and reigned as King of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620. He was forced to abdicate both r ...

, and wrote to Mar that " The marriage is appointed to be on Saint Valentine's day and by mere accident". Erskine acquired

Kellie Castle Kellie Castle is a castle just outside Arncroach and below the dominant hill in the area, Kellie Law. it is about 4 kilometres north of Pittenweem in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Early history The earliest records of Kellie go back to 115 ...

from the 5th

Lord Oliphant Lord Oliphant was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created twice and de facto under Peerage Law a third time. The first creation is in abeyance of the law, the second extinct and the third creation is dormant. The title was certainly ...

in 1613 and was given the barony of Kellie. On 23 April 1615 he was made a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

. He had lodgings at Theobalds House near London. When the Dutch ambassador Noel Caron came to Theobalds on 16 March 1616, he waited first in Lord Fenton's lodging before seeing King James in the Privy Gallery. He was made

Earl of Kellie The title Earl of Kellie or Kelly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1619 for Sir Thomas Erskine, who was Captain of the Guard and Groom of the Stool for James VI. It is named after Barony of Kellie in Fife, Scotland. Since 1875 ...

in March 1619. When King James died in March 1625 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 ...

drafted a proclamation. Kellie reminded them that James had preferred the title "King of Great Britain", and he assured the council that using "King of England and Scotland" would not please the people of Scotland. He died intestate cites in London in 1639 and was buried at

Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

. Thomas's son Alexander predeceased his father in 1633. He was succeeded by his grandson,

Thomas Erskine, 2nd Earl of Kellie Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Family

The Earl of Kellie married three or four times. His first marriage, on 30 November 1587 was to Ann Ogilvie, daughter of Sir Gilbert Ogilvie of Powrie and sister of the political intriguer John Ogilvy of Powrie. A younger brother, James Erskine, married Marie, a daughter of

Adam Erskine Adam Erskine, Commendator of Cambuskenneth, was a Scottish landowner and courtier. Career He was a son of Thomas Erskine, a younger son of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine. His father's wife was Margaret Fleming, later Countess of Atholl. He was ma ...

, Commendator of Cambuskenneth on 17 May 1594. He married secondly in 1604 Elizabeth Pierrepoint, daughter of Sir Henry Pierrepoint, Several sources note his third wife was Elizabeth Norreys, widow of

Edward Norreys Sir Edward Norreys (or Norris) (died 1603) was a 16th-century Governor of Ostend and English Member of Parliament. Norreys was the third son of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys and his wife, Lady Margery Williams, then of Wytham in Berkshire (no ...

, following a letter of the

Earl of Worcester Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. Five creations The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leices ...

Edmund Lodge Edmund Lodge, KH (1756–1839), herald, was a long-serving English officer of arms, a writer on heraldic subjects, and a compiler of short biographies. Life and career Lodge was born in Poland Street, London on 13 June 1756, the son of Edmund Lo ...

''Illustrations of British History'', vol. 3 (London, 1838), pp. 55, 89
/ref> He married thirdly, or fourthly, the thrice-widowed

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...

, daughter of Ambrose Smith of Cheapside.

Notes

References

* * , Endnotes: ** and volume 9, page 284. ** **

External links

Portrait of Elizabeth, Countess of Kellie, Yale Center for British Art

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kellie, Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of 1 1566 births 1639 deaths Knights of the Garter

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

Court of James VI and I Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1617 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish people Peers of Scotland created by James VI