John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness (May 1, 1588 – January 1626), known as Sir John Ramsay between 1600 and 1606, and as the Viscount of Haddington between 1606 and 1621, was an important Scottish aristocrat of the

Jacobean era The Jacobean era was the period in English and Scotland, Scottish history that coincides with the reign of James VI and I, James VI of Scotland who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I. The Jacobean era succeeds the Elizabeth ...

, best known in history as the first favourite of James I when he became king of England as well as Scotland in 1603. Correct DOB May 1, 1588. See A. Thrush “House of Lords 1603-1660”. DOB often mistakenly given as c 1580.

Gowrie conspiracy

Ramsay was a page at the Scottish court when the so-called Gowrie Conspiracy occurred in 1600. The actual nature of that affair is deeply disputed; the most likely account is that the young Ramsay stabbed

Alexander Ruthven Alexander Ruthven, master of Ruthven (12 January 1580 – 5 August 1600) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman. He is most notable for his participation in the Gowrie conspiracy of 1600. Early life Ruthven was born in Perth, Scotland, Perth, the th ...

, Master of Gowrie, and the Earl of Gowrie to death with his dagger, helping to frustrate a plot to either kidnap or murder King

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 ...

. Ramsay was knighted in 1600, and was created Viscount of Haddington and Lord Ramsay of Barns in the Scottish peerage on 11 June 1606, and Lord Ramsay of Melrose in 1609, among various other offices that he acquired during his Court career (Gentleman of the Bedchamber to James I, 1603; Joint Constable, Receiver, and Steward of Dunstable, 1604; etc.). Prior to his 1608 marriage, Haddington received from James grants of land that yielded an annual income of £1,000. Later, Haddington was supplanted as James's favourite, first by

Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset (c. 158717 July 1645), was a politician, and favourite of King James VI and I. Background Robert Kerr was born in Wrington, Somerset, England, the younger son of Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst, Sir Thomas Kerr ( ...

, and then by

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...

Wedding at court

The peak of Haddington's influence may have occurred at his marriage to Lady Elizabeth Radclyffe, daughter of the Earl of Sussex. In November 1607, the courtier George Chaworth wrote that their wedding plans had disappointed one of

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 ...

's maids of honour, who was moved to "wear willow, and keep her Christmas in the country". On 9 February 1608, James himself gave away the bride at the wedding. The marriage was celebrated at

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...

with the

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...

'' The Hue and Cry After Cupid'', by

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...

and

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...

. The masque was performed by the Earls of Arundel, Pembroke, Montgomery, Theophilus Howard, and Robert Rich, and seven Scottish courtiers, the Duke of Lennox, Lord D'Aubigny, Hay, the Master of Mar, young Erskine, Sanquhar, and Kennedy. Each was asked to contribute £300. King James gave Haddington a diamond feather jewel bought for £300 from John Blomeart, paid off Haddington's debts of £10,000, and sent the bride a gold cup containing a grant of lands worth an income of £600 per year. Lady Haddington danced in the masque '' Tethys' Festival'' to celebrate the creation of Prince Henry as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

on 5 June 1610. She died of smallpox on 6 December 1618. None of their children survived to adulthood. Also around that time, he resigned the title Lord Ramsay of Melrose in favour of his cousin, Sir George Ramsay of Dalhousie. The new Lord Ramsay of Melrose had that title altered to Lord Ramsay of Dalhousie, and is the ancestor of the Earls of Dalhousie. In 1619, Haddington, dismayed at missing appointment to the Earldom of Montgomery, left Britain and retired to France. In 1620 James lured back his old favourite with a gift of £7,000, and created him Baron Kingston upon Thames and Earl of Holderness in the English peerage (22 January 1621). Around July 1624 Holderness married his second wife, Martha Cockayne, daughter of a

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

knight. She survived him; they had no children. Holderness died in January 1626 and was buried on 28 February that year in Chapel of St Paul,

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. Chester, Joseph Lemuel, ''The Marriage, Baptismal, and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church or Abbey of St. Peter, Westminster'' (Harleian Society, 1876), p. 125. Since he left no children, his line became extinct. A lawyer, Sir Thomas Hamilton, was subsequently created Earl of Haddington.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Holderness, John Ramsay, 1st Earl of 1580s births 1626 deaths James Earls of Holderness Lord-lieutenants of Surrey Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1617 Peers of Scotland created by James VI Peers of England created by James I Burials at Westminster Abbey