Sir John Skene, Lord Curriehill (1549–1617) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

prosecutor, ambassador, and judge. He was involved in the negotiations for the marriage of

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

and

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 was regent in

St Mary's College, St Andrews St Mary's College, founded as New College or College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the home of the Faculty and School of Divinity within the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland. History The college was founded in ...

from 1564 to 1565 and became an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

in 1575.

Life

He was born at

Curriehill Curriehill (, )
is a suburb of

Wester Corse (b.1505) and Janet Lumsden. The physician Gilbert Skene was an elder brother. Their lands were at Bandodle or Wester Corse, a manor in Aberdeenshire. In his own writings he mentions his travels, describing the appearance of a travelling salesman in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

in 1569. The writer

Thomas Dempster Thomas Dempster (23 August 1579 – 6 September 1625) was a Scottish scholar and historian. Born into the aristocracy in Aberdeenshire, which comprises regions of both the Scottish highlands and the Scottish lowlands, he was sent abroad as a yo ...

mentions Skene's travels in the countries of Northern Europe and his fluency in their languages.

James Melville of Halhill Sir James Melville (1535–1617) was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer, and father of the poet Elizabeth Melville. Life Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith, in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason ...

said he could give long speeches in Latin, and was "good, true, and stout". Skene enrolled or matriculated at the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

on 16 March 1570. As an advocate in 1578 he was involved in the case of Hew Campbell of

Loudoun Loudoun () is a parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland and lies between five and ten miles east of Kilmarnock. The parish roughly encompasses the northern half of the Upper-Irvine Valley and borders Galston parish, Galston Parish (which encompasses ...

regarding his Provostship of

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

. Skene's career was advanced by the marriages of his sisters to Alexander Hay,

Lord Clerk Register The office of Lord Clerk Register (Scottish Gaelic: ''Clàr Morair Clèireach'') is the oldest remaining Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenanc ...

, and

Lord Blantyre Lord Blantyre was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The Scottish feudal barony of Blantyre was first documented in the 13th century. In 1606, it was elevated into the Peerage of Scotland for the politician Walter Stewart, who was thus made a ...

, an exchequer official and one of the

Octavians The Octavians were a financial commission of eight in the government of Scotland first appointed by James VI on 9 January 1596. Origins James VI's minister John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane died on 3 October 1595, and his financial ...

. As joint

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (), is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolution, devolved powers of the Scottish P ...

from 1589 to 1594, he was zealous in the prosecution of witches. He was appointed

and

Lord of Session 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 ...

, with the judicial title of Lord Curriehill in 1594, serving until 1611.

Denmark and the royal marriage

As a diplomat, Skene went to Denmark to seek an agreement over rights to

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, and presented a memorandum on that topic to

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 4 October 1631) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian royal consorts, Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King ...

and the four regents of

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

on 20 August 1589. He was also given instructions to negotiate the terms of the royal marriage. His companions were;

George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal (c. 1553–1623) was a Scottish nobleman and Earl Marischal. He succeeded as earl on 7 October 1581, upon the death of his grandfather, William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. Early life George Keith was the s ...

, Andrew Keith, James Scrimgeour of Dudhope the Constable of Tay and standard bearer of Scotland, and

George Young George Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Young (filmmaker), Australian stage manager and film director in the silent era * George Young (rock musician) (1946–2017), Australian musician, songwriter, and record producer * G ...

. John Craig wrote to

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, ; 14 December 154624 October 1601), generally called Tycho for short, was a Danish astronomer of the Renaissance, known for his comprehensive and unprecedentedly accurate astronomical observations. He ...

to introduce other members of this embassy, including the poet William Fowler. Skene returned on to Scotland 23 July 1589 with his colleagues Andrew Keith, and George Young and went to

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 ...

at Boyne Castle. An English observer Thomas Fowler reported their news including the Danish opinion that James VI asked for too high a dowry, but they had seen extensive preparations for the marriage including a coach made of silver. According to their report, Anne of Denmark was keen for the marriage to go ahead, and Fowler wrote; "the young lady is so far in love with the king's majesty as it were death to her to have it broken off, and has made good proof (in) diverse ways of her affection, which his majesty is apt enough to requite". On 22 October 1589, he accompanied James VI on his voyage from Leith to Norway and Denmark to meet his wife

, and attended the meeting of the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

at Oslo on 25 November. James VI had given Anne of Denmark a "

morning gift Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settlement (law), settled on the bride (being given into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of t ...

" of lands and palaces. In the week before her coronation in Scotland the Danish ambassadors travelled to view these places and take formal possession. On 12 May 1589 the envoys were welcomed at

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, who took refuge there from political and religious turmoil of her times. Today it is under th ...

by the keeper, James Beaton of Creich. Skene produced a printed charter of the queen's lands in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

and as a traditional symbol of the transfer of ownership (

sasine Sasine in Scots law is the delivery of Feudalism, feudal property, typically land. Feudal property means immovable property, and includes everything that naturally goes with the property. For land, that would include such things as buildings, tre ...

), the Danish Admiral

Peder Munk Peder Munk of Estvadgård (1534–1623), was a Danish navigator, politician, and ambassador, who was in charge of the fleet carrying Anne of Denmark to Scotland. The events of the voyage led to witch trials and executions in Denmark and Scotland ...

was given a handful of earth. After this ceremony, the party rode to the Newhouse of

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 ...

to stay the night, then repeated the ritual at

Dunfermline Palace Dunfermline Palace is a ruined former Scottish royal palace and important tourist attraction in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. It is currently, along with other buildings of the adjacent Dunfermline Abbey, under the care of Historic Environmen ...

, and on 14 May at

Linlithgow Palace The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland in the 15th and 16th ce ...

Germany

In June 1590

sent Skene and Colonel William Stewart, Commendator of Pittenweem, with John Geddie as secretary, as ambassadors to Denmark and Germany. The mission was to intended to cement a peaceful league in Europe. They met the mother of

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

, then went on to meet

William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William IV of Hesse-Kassel (24 June 153225 August 1592), also called ''William the Wise'', was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day. Life L ...

Rotenburg an der Fulda Rotenburg an der Fulda (, ; officially ''Rotenburg a.d. Fulda'') is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, in central Germany, situated, as the name says, on the river Fulda (river), Fulda. Geography Location The town ...

and

Christian I, Elector of Saxony Christian I of Saxony (29 October 1560 – 25 September 1591) was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. He was the sixth but second surviving son of Augustus, Elector of Saxony a ...

at Dresden, and Joachim Frederick son of the

Elector of Brandenburg This article lists the Margraves and Prince-elector, Electors of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg during the time when Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the prima ...

at Potsdam. Skene was ill when he returned to Edinburgh. James VI gave his wife Helen Somerville £333 from the English subsidy money around this time. On 27 1590 November, Edinburgh town council made his cook, John Lillo, a burgess, for free at his request. He served as ambassador to Holland from 1591. In April 1597 he wrote to the

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

and joked about the expense connected with 30 deer sent from England for the park of

, as "deer of that ilk". He said he had

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

or "podagra". James VI was hunting at Hatton House in

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

with Sir James McConneil. Another James McConneil ''alias'' McSorley was to be knighted, possibly with the designation "of Inchgarvy". They were grandsons of

Sorley Boy MacDonnell Somhairle Buíodh MacDonnell (Scottish Gaelic: ''Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill''), known as Sorley Boy MacDonnell, whose last name was also given as MacDonald (c. 1505 – 1590), was a Gaelic chief, the son of Alexander Carragh MacDonnell, ...

Regiam Majestam

His compilation of old Scots law ''

Regiam Majestatem The ''Regiam Majestatem'' is the earliest surviving work giving a comprehensive digest of the Law of Scotland. The name of the document is derived from its first two words. It consists of four books, treating (1) civil actions and jurisdiction ...

'' is a source of the laws of Scotland previous to

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

. He was granted a pension by

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scot ...

for preparing a digest of laws. He also produced a

Scots law Scots law () is the List of country legal systems, legal system of Scotland. It is a hybrid or mixed legal system containing Civil law (legal system), civil law and common law elements, that traces its roots to a number of different histori ...

dictionary, ''De Verborum Significatione''. According to the Dictionary of National Biography, "In 1592 he was named one of a commission to examine the laws and acts of parliament, and to consider which of them should be printed, and he was finally entrusted with the preparation of the work. It was published by Robert Waldegrave on 15 May 1597, under the title 'The Lawes and Actes of Parliament maid be King James the First and his successors kings of Scotland, visied, coffected, and extracted forth of the Register,’ and on 3 June the privy council remitted to the lords of session to enforce the purchase of it by all subjects of sufficient 'substance and habilitie'."

Later life

As a member of the Privy Council, Skene went with others 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 ...

in May 1603 to discuss and investigate a controversy involving Anne of Denmark who wished to take custody of her son, Prince Henry. In 1604 he bought the lands of Curriehill Castle. Curriehill is north of

Currie Currie is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. It is situated be ...

, a village to south of

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He took "Lord Curriehill" as his title. He is 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 ...

. His memorial stands on the north face of the church.

Ane Account of ane Embassie, 1590

John Skene's wrote an account of his embassy to Denmark in 1590, known from a copy made by the antiquary Robert Mylne. This is in the form of a journal of events. Skene left Edinburgh with William Stewart on 9 June 1590 and rode to

Berwick upon Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

and on to London. Their secretary John Geddie spoke to William Cecil to arrange an audience with

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

Greenwich Palace Greenwich ( , , ) is an area in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian ...

. On 17 June they came to court again and spoke to

Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton (12 December 1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. Early ...

the Chancellor, the Treasurer (Cecil), the

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

, Lord Cobham, and Lord Buckhurst. They also spoke to the French ambassador Jean de la Fin, seigneur de Beauvoir La Nocle. They embarked on the ''George Noble'' at

Leigh on Sea Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish within the city of Southend-on-Sea, located in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 22,509. Geography Leigh-on-Sea is on th ...

, and after some difficulty sailed to

Heligoland Heligoland (; , ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , ) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. The islands were historically possessions of Denmark, then became possessions of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1890. Since 1890, the ...

and

Stade Stade (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (, ) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the Stade (district), district () which bears its name. It is located roughly to the wes ...

, then crossed the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

into

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

. On his return, in London, they stayed at an inn on

Gracechurch Street Gracechurch Street is a main road in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, England, which is designated the A1213. It is home to a number of shops, restaurants, and offices and has an entrance to Leadenhall Market, ...

. Skene got an appointment with William Cecil, who received him lying on his bed at

Cecil House Cecil House refers to two historical mansions on the Strand, London, in the vicinity of the Savoy. The first was a 16th-century house on the north side, where the Strand Palace Hotel now stands. The second was built in the early 17th century on th ...

, because he was old and weary. Skene told him details of his negotiations in Denmark, Germany, and the Low Countries. The next day he went with Cecil to

Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

and waited in the Chamber of Presence until the queen came out at 11 o'clock on her way to

Richmond Palace Richmond Palace was a Tudor royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminste ...

. Skene then went to York House in Westminster and met the French ambassadors Beauvais and Henri de la Tour, Viscount of Turenne.

Family

He was married to Helen Somerville of

Cambusnethan Cambusnethan is a historic parish in North Lanarkshire in Scotland. The largest settlement in the parish is Wishaw, and Cambusnethan now appears on maps as a village almost contiguous with Wishaw. The village is approximately long, straddling ...

. Their children included; * Catherine Skene, who married Alexander Hay, Lord Fosterseat. * Jane Skene, who married Sir William Scott of Ardross, their daughter Euphemia Scott married William Cochrane and was Countess of Dundonald. * Euphemia Skene, married Sir Robert Richardson of

Pencaitland Pencaitland is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, about south-east of Edinburgh, south-west of Haddington, and east of Ormiston. The land where the village lies is said to have been granted by William the Lion to Calum Cormack in 1169, ...

. * Margaret Skene, married Robert Learmonth, a son of

George Learmonth of Balcomie George Learmonth of Balcomie (died 1585) was a Scottish landowner. Family background He was the son of James Learmonth (noble family), Learmonth of Dairsie Castle, Dairsie and Balcomie (d. 1547), who was Food and the Scottish royal household, Mas ...

. *

James Skene, Lord Curriehill Sir James Skene, Lord Curriehill (1578–1633) was a 17th-century Scottish judge and Senator of the College of Justice. Life He was the son of Sir John Skene of Curriehill and Helen Somerville of Cambusnethan. He was born at Curriehill Cast ...

(d. 15 October 1633), who married Janet Johnston. * John Skene of Halyards, * Alexander Skene, who married Joneta Syms. Their son John Skene was Keeper of the Register of Hornings.William Forbes Skene, ''Memorials of the family of Skene of Skene'' (Aberdeen, 1887), p. 112. * William Skene.

Sources

* Concise Dictionary of National Biography

External links

*
'SKENE, SIR JOHN (SSNE 1585)', St Andrew University, The Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern European Biographical Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skene, John Lord Curriehill 1549 births Skene, John Currehill Skene, John Ambassadors of Scotland Ambassadors of Scotland to Denmark Scottish legal writers Academics of the University of St Andrews Lord advocates 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish people Octavians