
Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie (died 5 June 1607) was a Scottish nobleman. His death is the subject of the ballad ''Lord Spynie''.
Early life
Lindsay was the fourth son of
David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford
David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford (1527-1574) was a Scottish landowner.
Lindsay was the son of Alexander Lindsay, Master of Crawford (d. 1541) and Jean Sinclair, daughter of Henry Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair (d. 1513).
Lindsay was a grandson ...
, by his wife Margaret Beaton, daughter of
Cardinal Beaton
David Beaton (also Beton or Bethune; 29 May 1546) was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation.
Life
David Beaton was said to be the fifth son of fourteen children born to John Beaton (Bethune) of Balfo ...
, and was a younger brother of
David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford
David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford (1547?–1607) was a Scottish nobleman and privy councilor.
Life
He was the eldest son of David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford, by Margaret, daughter of Cardinal Beaton and Marion Ogilvy, and was born about ...
. At an early age he became one of the favourites 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 ...
, and was chosen to be vice-chamberlain of his household.
Helen Huntar, the wife of Alan Lentroun in
St Andrews
St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...
, was said to have committed adultery with Lindsay and his brother,
David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford
David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford (1547?–1607) was a Scottish nobleman and privy councilor.
Life
He was the eldest son of David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford, by Margaret, daughter of Cardinal Beaton and Marion Ogilvy, and was born about ...
.
Courtier
In October 1589 he accompanied the king when he went to Denmark to bring home his bride,
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
. He lent a thousand crowns to the king, who promised on his return "to make him a lord", and wrote him a note to effect at the castle of
Kronborg
Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
. On 6 May 1590, therefore, he received a charter of
Spynie
Spynie was a seaport, burgh and ancient parish in Moray, Scotland, that survives as a small hamlet and Civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish. It is the location of the ruins of Spynie Palace, which was the principal residence of the Bishop of Mo ...
and other lands belonging to the
see of Moray, which were erected into the barony of
Spynie
Spynie was a seaport, burgh and ancient parish in Moray, Scotland, that survives as a small hamlet and Civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish. It is the location of the ruins of Spynie Palace, which was the principal residence of the Bishop of Mo ...
, together with the title of Baron Spynie, which was conferred on him and his heirs and assignees, the creation being confirmed on 4 November 1589. Lord Spynie, after his marriage to Jean Lyon, took up residence at
Aberdour Castle
Aberdour Castle is in the village of Aberdour, Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, along with Castle Sween in Argyll, which was ...
. He hosted James VI and Anne of Denmark at Aberdour at the end of December 1590.
Lord Spynie was one of the new members of the privy council, chosen after the reconstitution of the council in June 1592. On 15 August 1592 following he was accused by
Colonel William Stewart of having harboured the turbulent
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell (c. December 1562 – November 1612), was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings aga ...
at
Aberdour Castle
Aberdour Castle is in the village of Aberdour, Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, along with Castle Sween in Argyll, which was ...
. Spynie offered to fight the accuser, but the king would not permit this, and after a day had been appointed for the trial, Stewart was committed to
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...
or
Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Falkirk, Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth.
It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness ...
(sources differ), and Spynie to
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
. At the trial the accuser failed to make a case and Spynie was set free; but Spynie never regained the king's entire confidence. When, on 24 July 1593, Bothwell made his appearance before the king at
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...
, Spynie was one of those who interceded for him. On 27 December 1594 he was denounced for not appearing to answer charges; and on 24 February following proclamation was made against holding intercourse with him and "other adherents of Bothwell".
Spynie made his peace with the king, and on 27 November 1595 was present at a meeting of the privy council, but their relations were never again quite cordial. On 18 November 1599 he had to promise the council to present
Sir Walter Lindsay of Balgavie
Sir Walter Lindsay of Balgavie (died 25 October 1605) was a Scottish Roman Catholic intriguer.
Early life
He was the third son of Katherine Campbell, Countess of Crawford and David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford. Katherine was the daughter of Sir ...
, a papal emissary, before the presbytery of Edinburgh, and was ordered to reside where they directed him until he satisfied them in reference to his religion.
In 1600 a quarrel erupted between Lord Spynie and the Ogilvies which, though the council tried settle it, ultimately resulted on 26 November 1602 in a night attack by the Master of Ogilvie and his brother and 100 armed followers on the house of Lord Spynie at
Kinblethmont. After blowing up the principal gate with a
petard
A petard is a small bomb used for blowing up gates and walls when breaching fortifications, originally invented in France in 1579. A typical petard was a conical or rectangular metal device containing of gunpowder, with a slow match for a fuse ...
and firing cannon or "field pieces" at the windows, the assailants entered the house with cocked pistols and drawn weapons. They searched the house for Lord Spynie and his wife, but they had left two hours before. Finding they had escaped, the Ogilvies looted the mansion. James VI proclaimed on 1 December that the petard was such that "no man of whatsoever rank and calling can assure his own safety and preservation within his own house and iron yetts" and so any petards should be surrendered on pain of death.
On the revival of the ancient bishopric of Moray in 1605, Spynie, at the request of the king, resigned the temporalities, but the patronage of the living was reserved to the family.
Death
While, on 5 June 1607, at the foot of the stair of his lodgings in the High Street of Edinburgh, Spynie was witness to an encounter between his kinsmen,
David Lindsay, 12th Earl of Crawford
David Lindsay, 12th Earl of Crawford (1577–1620) was a Scottish nobleman.
Life
David Lindsay was born in Crawford, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the son of David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford and Griselda Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 4t ...
, and
David Lindsay of Edzell, eldest brother of
Walter Lindsay of Balgavie
Sir Walter Lindsay of Balgavie (died 25 October 1605) was a Scottish Roman Catholic intriguer.
Early life
He was the third son of Katherine Campbell, Countess of Crawford and David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford. Katherine was the daughter of Sir ...
who had been murdered by Crawford. He endeavoured to interpose to prevent bloodshed and was slain by the young laird of Edzell by mistake. The incident was told inaccurately in the old ballad ''Lord Spynie''.
Family
The king used his influence to induce
Dame Jean Lyon, daughter of
John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis
John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis (died 1578) was a Scottish nobleman, judge and Lord High Chancellor of Scotland.
Life
He was the eldest son of John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis, by his wife, Janet Keith, daughter of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal, and si ...
, and widow first of Sir Robert Douglas, Master of Morton, and secondly of
Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton (15554 August 1588) was a Scottish aristocrat.
Family background
He was the son of David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus, David, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates i ...
, to agree to give Lord Spynie her hand in marriage, writing letters to both parties to urge their marriage. They had two sons,
Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Spynie
Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Spynie (died March 1646) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier of fortune.
Life
He was the eldest son of Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie from his wife Jean Lyon. He was still a minor at the time of his father's murd ...
, and John who died young, and two daughters, Anne, married to Sir Robert Graham of Invermay, and Margaret, to John Erskine of Dun.
The English ambassador
Robert Bowes described Jean Lyon in 1592 as the "late lady and mistress of Arderyre", meaning John Lumsden of Airdrie, who was a supporter of the rebel Earl of Bothwell.
[''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 763 no. 742.]
References
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;Attribution
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Spynie, Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord
Year of birth missing
1607 deaths
Nobility from Fife
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
Scottish feudal barons
Spynie
Spynie was a seaport, burgh and ancient parish in Moray, Scotland, that survives as a small hamlet and Civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish. It is the location of the ruins of Spynie Palace, which was the principal residence of the Bishop of Mo ...
Lords of Parliament (pre-1707)
Younger sons of earls
Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630