Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont (13 January 16412 August 1724), known as Sir Patrick Hume, 2nd Baronet from 1648 to 1690 and as Lord Polwarth from 1690 to 1697, was a Scottish statesman. His grandfather was the poet and courtier Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Redbraes who died in 1609.

Life

Born at Polwarth, Berwickshire, he was raised as a strict

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, and after a term of law study at

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he became a member of the

Scottish parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

in 1665 as shire commissioner for

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

, where he at once took a foremost place as defender of the

Covenanter Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...

s. He went so far as to bring imprisonment upon himself, and on being freed was suspected of complication in the

Rye House Plot The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the r ...

, so that he was forced to remain in hiding until he could escape in disguise to the

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. There, he joined

Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll Archibald may refer to: People and characters *Archibald (name), a masculine given name and a surname * Archibald (musician) (1916–1973), American R&B pianist * Archibald, a character from the animated TV show '' Archibald the Koala'' Other us ...

and embarked with him on the unsuccessful 1685 expedition to Scotland. Hume became a

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with a price set upon his head; but he once more escaped abroad and lived at

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under the name "Dr. Wallace," professing to be a Scottish surgeon. He returned with William of Orange at the Revolution of 1688, and once again joined the Scottish parliament as the commissioner for Berwickshire until becoming Lord Polwarth in 1690. With his estates restored and now a Scottish peer, he was made Lord Chancellor in 1696 and Earl of Marchmont in 1697, although when

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came to the throne in 1702 he lost his chancellorship. He strenuously opposed in Parliament the claims of the Old Pretender to the crown and voted for the union of Scotland with England, though he was not above the suspicion of having received a reward for so doing. An investigation in 1711 indicated the Earl received £1104 15s 7d (approx. £176 000 - as of Aug 2024) as an inducement to support the Union. From the list of names published, he received the highest amount. Too

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tic to be popular, he did not hold office in

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until the reign of George I, when he was given some minor charges, but shortly afterwards retired. Hume was an active

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, he belonged to the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) since 1667.

Family

At least six of his children died in infancy and were buried in the Foulis tomb 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 son, Sir Andrew Hume, later Lord Kimmerghame, served as a commissioner in parliament for Kirkcudbright.David Wilkinson
HUME, Hon. Sir Andrew (1676-1730), of Kimmerghame, Berwick.
in ''

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: the House of Commons 1690-1715'' (2002). He was great-nephew to both Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Rev Alexander Hume. His eldest daughter, Grisell Hume (later Lady Grisell Baillie) wrote the popular 17th century song "Werna my Heart Licht I Wad Dee" (Were not My Heart Light I would Die). Another daughter, Julian, married Charles Billingham, an English soldier.Helen & Keith Kelsall, ''Scottish Lifestyle 300 Years Ago'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 1986), pp. 68-72: Lesley Abernethy, ''Lady Grisell Baillie: Mistress of Mellerstain'' (Matador, 2020), p. 61.

Arms

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marchmont, Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of 1641 births 1724 deaths People from Berwickshire Nobility from the Scottish Borders Lord chancellors of Scotland Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Earls of Marchmont

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Peers of Scotland created by William II Scottish Presbyterians Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland People of the Rye House Plot Burials at the Canongate Kirkyard 17th-century Scottish politicians 18th-century British politicians University of Paris alumni Covenanters Scottish Jacobites Scottish Freemasons Lords High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1665 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1667 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1669–1674 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1689–1702 Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland Senators of the College of Justice Extraordinary Lords of Session