Archibald Armstrong
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Archibald Armstrong (died March 1672),
court jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...
, called "Archy", was a native of Cumberland, and according to tradition first distinguished himself as a sheep thief; afterwards he entered the service 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 ...
, with whom he became a
favourite A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated s ...
.


At court

When the king succeeded to the English throne, Armstrong was appointed court jester. His yearly fee in 1606 was £9-2s-6d. In 1611 he was granted a pension of two shillings a day. In February 1612 he was given clothes laced with silk, made by Lord Cranbourne's tailor. Armstrong had been born in Scotland and in July 1612 was made a denizen of England. His influence was considerable and he was greatly courted and flattered, but his success appears to have turned his head. He became presumptuous, insolent, and mischievous and was much disliked by the members of the court. James seems to have favoured him; indeed in August 1618, Armstrong got the monopoly on tobacco pipes. At the Newmarket races in 1612, he even tried to excite jealousy between James and Henry, Prince of Wales, by pointing out how more courtiers stayed with Henry once they were parted. Thereafter Henry's friends would always toss Armstrong in a blanket when they saw him. Armstrong attended the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate in 1613. He wore a crimson velvet coat with gold lace. Another fool at court Tom Durie was painted in a red costume with gold trim. In May 1617 Armstrong visited Scotland with the king. Accounts of a banquet in Edinburgh call him "Archibald Armstrong his Majesties pleasnt". At Aberdeen he and other courtiers including
Edward Zouch Sir Edward Zouch of Woking (died 1634) was a courtier to English kings James and Charles I, a masque actor, and Knight Marshal of the King's Household. He was the son of Sir Willam Zouch or Zouche. His mother's name is not known. Career Marria ...
, George Goring, and John Wolfgang Rumler were made burgesses of the town. That year it was reported that he had obtained a royal pension of £50 yearly for his Scottish kinsman, John of the Syde, (an Armstrong from Mangerton). The courtier and musician James Hudson thought if Armstrong, "that grave gentleman", had such influence then 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. T ...
could do the same for him. In October 1618, it was reported that "Archy the Fool" had been banished from the court for misbehaviour. In 1623 he accompanied Prince Charles and
Lord Buckingham 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 ...
in their royal marriage negotiations in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
,REED Online: Sir John Oglander's List
/ref> where he was much caressed and favoured by the Spanish court and, according to his own account, was granted a pension. His conduct here became more intolerable than ever. He rallied the
infanta ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...
on the defeat of the Armada and censured the conduct of the expedition to Buckingham's face. Buckingham declared he would have him hanged, to which the jester replied that "dukes had often been hanged for insolence but never fools for talking." On his return he gained some complimentary allusions from
Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
by his attacks upon the Spanish marriage. He retained his post on the accession of
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
, and accumulated a considerable fortune, including the grant by the king of 1000 acres (4 km2) in Ireland. After the death of Buckingham in 1628, whom he declared "the greatest enemy of three kings", the principal object of his dislike and rude jests was
William Laud William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640 ...
, whom he openly vilified and ridiculed. He pronounced the following grace at Whitehall in Laud's presence: "Great praise be given to God and little laud to the devil" (Laud stood only five feet tall, and bitterly resented remarks on the subject), and after the news of the rebellion in Scotland in 1637 he greeted Laud on his way to the council chamber at Whitehall with: "Who's fool now? Does not your Grace hear the news from Stirling about the liturgy?" On Laud's complaint to the council, Armstrong was sentenced the same day "to have his coat pulled over his head and be discharged the king's service and banished the king's court."


Later years

He settled in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
as a money-lender, and many complaints were made to the privy council and
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
of his sharp practices. In 1641 on the occasion of Laud's arrest, he enjoyed a mean revenge by publishing ''Archy's Dream; sometimes Jester to his Majestie, but exiled the Court by Canterburie's malice''. Subsequently, he resided at
Arthuret Arthuret is a civil parish in the Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,434, increasing to 2,471 at the 2011 Census. The parish includes the town of Longtown and the village of Easton. It ...
in Cumberland, according to some accounts his birthplace, where he possessed an estate, and where he died in 1672, his burial taking place on 1 April. He was twice married, his second wife being Sybilla Bell. There is no record of any legal offspring, but the baptism of a " base son" of Archibald Armstrong is entered in the parish register of 17 December 1643. ''A Banquet of Jests: A change of Cheare'', published about 1630, a collection chiefly of dull, stale jokes, is attributed to him, and with still less reason probably ''A choice Banquet of Witty Jests ... Being an addition to Archee's Jests, taken out of his Closet but never published in his Lifetime'' (1660).


References

Attribution: *


External links


Archy's Dream
at google books.
A Banquet of Jests
at archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Archibald Jesters 1672 deaths Year of birth unknown Court of James VI and I