David Chalmers, Lord Ormond (c. 1530 – 1592) was a 16th-century Scottish landowner, historian, judge, and

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland 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 ...

. His name also appears as David Chambre and David Chambers and is title occasionally appears as Lord Ormand. He was a major figure in Edinburgh law and politics. His most notable contribution in history is as one of those accused of the murder of

Lord Darnley Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Scot ...

and one of the persons organising the escape 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 List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

from

Lochleven Castle Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–1 ...

. Born pre-Reformation, he appears to have retained strong Catholic allegiance through turbulent times.

Life

Avoch shoreline looking towards Ormond Hill - geograph

He was born in

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; ), or the County of Ross, was a county in the Scottish Highlands. It bordered Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire, a county consisting of numerous enc ...

around 1530 the son of Andrew Chalmers, descended from the Chalmers of Strichen. He studied divinity at

Aberdeen University The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland, petitioned Pope Al ...

then studied both Canon Law and Civil Law in France and Italy. The latter study was at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

under Marianus Sozenus in 1556. He returned to Ross-shire around 1557 and was successively parson of Suddie, Provost of Crichton, and Chancellor of the Diocese of Ross. In these roles (from around 1560) he resided at Ormond Castle on Ormond Hill. The castle (now gone) would have formed a distinctive profile as seen from the coastal village of

Avoch Avoch harbour Avoch ( ; from the – meaning mouth of the stream) is a harbour-village located on the south-east coast of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth. History Origins Ormond Castle or ''Avoch Castle'' was a stronghold built on the s ...

which also fell under his control. Given the position of the castle and village it is likely that all travel to Edinburgh etc. was undertaken by ship.ODNB: David Chambers, Lord Ormond In January 1565 he replaced Henry Sinclair, Bishop of Ross as a

, adopting the title Lord Ormond. In December 1566

granted him lands at Castleton in recognition of his services to Scotland both within the country and on the continent. He appears to have been a friend and confidant of the Queen. In February 1567 he was named in a placard nailed to Edinburgh Tolbooth next to

St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alteratio ...

as one of the conspirators in the murder of

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567) was King of Scotland as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, from 29 July 1565 until his murder in 1567. Lord Darnley had one child with Mary, the future James VI of Scotland and I ...

and his valet, William Taylor. As Chalmers house adjoined Kirk o'Field, the site of the murder, it is likely that at the very least he was a witness to the event. The placard also accused the

Earl of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was recreated for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

, James Balfour of Flisk (near Cupar), and "black" John Spens, Lord Condie. In May 1568 he was involved in helping

escape from

and fought for her at the

Battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

, alongside numerous Scottish noblemen. For these actions the Scottish parliament exiled him, and he was forced to leave Scotland for several years. In exile from the summer of 1568 he first lived and associated with the court of Philip II in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

then in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the court of Charles IX. Ormond Castle and his adjacent estates at Suddie and Avoch were sold to Andrew Munro of Milntown late in 1568. Chalmers received a pension from Mary's French council and also worked for

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, Wa ...

. In May 1584 the Scottish parliament lifted his ban and allowed his return to Scotland after almost 16 years absence. In 1586 he was restored to the bench and permitted to resume his role as a judge. He died in Edinburgh in November 1592. There is no clear record of his exact burial place but he appears to be buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 1 ...

Publications

*"Notes of the Scottish Parliament" (1561) aka "The Black Acts" * ''Histoire abbregée''; ''La Recherche de singularitez''; ''Discours de la legitime sucession des femmes'' (1579).Alexander S. Wilkinson, ''Mary, Queen of Scots and French Public Opinion'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), pp. 30–31, 68–71.

Family

Not known.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalmers, David 1530s births 1592 deaths 16th-century Scottish people People from Ross and Cromarty Senators of the College of Justice