Sir Robert Carnegie, Lord Kinnaird, 5th Laird of Kinnaird (c.1490–1566) was a 16th-century Scottish landowner, diplomat, 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 ...

Life

He was born at Kinnaird Castle near

Brechin Brechin (; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which contin ...

around 1490, the son of John Carnegie and his wife Euphame Strachan. His father was killed at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton or Brainston Moor was fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and resulted in an English victory ...

(9 September 1513) and his mother died a month after (possibly grief-stricken). Robert inherited Kinnaird Castle at this point and extended it with a kitchen and servants wing around 1520. In July 1547 he was elected a

and took the title Lord Kinnaird. He replaced

Henry Balnaves Henry Balnaves (1512? – February 1570) was a Scottish politician, Lord Justice Clerk, and religious reformer. Biography Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, around 1512, he was educated at the University of St Andrews and on the continent, where he adopte ...

who was removed due to suspicion of complicity in the murder of Cardinal Beaton. In the autumn of 1548 Carnegie was the diplomat, sent with an armed guard, to deliver the ransom for the

George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (151428 October 1562) was a Scottish nobleman. Life He was the son of John Gordon, Lord Gordon, and Margaret Stewart, daughter of James IV and Margaret Drummond. George Gordon inherited his earldom and esta ...

who had been captured at the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk, Lothian, River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the U ...

and was held in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. After leaving

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

he went to

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

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 ...

with Archbishop Gavin Hamilton and the David Panter, Bishop of Ross to create the Regent Duke of Chatelherault. After two years in France he returned to Scotland in the summer of 1551.ODNB: Robert Carnegie Robert Carnegie was clerk of the treasury in 1549. He was knighted sometime after 1551 and prior to 1554 (as he then appears as "Sir Robert Carnegie”).

Diplomat

He was involved with other law lords in the debates over the Scottish-English border and especially the issue of who should have

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 ...

. In 1553, when

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

became Regent, he was appointed Clerk to the

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

. Later that year, he was re-appointed, along with Sir Robert Bellenden, to the task of settling legal issues relating to the border. Carnegie was sent to present Border complaints to

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

. He joined with the French ambassador,

François de Noailles François de Noailles, (2 July 1519 – 19 September 1585) Papal Prothonotary, made Bishop of Dax in 1556, was French ambassador in Venice in the 1560s, and French ambassador of Charles IX of France, Charles IX to the Ottoman Empire from 1571 to 1 ...

, in London, which added to English irritation. Carnegie next attended a meeting at Carlisle with

James MacGill Sir James MacGill, Lord Rankeillor of Nether Rankeillour (died 1579), was a Scottish courtier and Senator of the College of Justice. Sworn of the Privy Council by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1561, he became her Lord Clerk Register (Keeper of the ...

of Nether Rankeillour, the

Earl of Cassilis Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

, and the

Bishop of Orkney The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The ...

, with an English delegation including the

Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...

and the

Earl of Westmorland Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorl ...

.Pamela Ritchie, ''Mary of Guise in Scotland'' (Tuckwell, 2002), p. 177. This long-winded negotiation resulted in an initial agreement in December 1557.

Death

His final appearance as a member of the Privy Council appears in December 1565. He died at either

Leuchars Castle Leuchars Castle, was a castle that was located near Leuchars, Fife, Scotland. A motte and bailey castle was built in the 12th century. The town was created a barony in the time of King William the Lion. The castle was built of stone in the 13t ...

or nearby Earlshall Castle 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 ...

on 5 July 1566 and is buried in the parish churchyard at

Leuchars Leuchars (pronounced or ; "rushes") is a town and parish near the north-east coast of Fife in Scotland. The civil parish has a population of 5,754 (in 2011) Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by Nati ...

in central

Family

He was married to Margaret Guthrie of the Guthries of Lunan. They were parents to Sir John Carnegie (d.1595) and at least 12 other children including

David Carnegie of Colluthie David Carnegie of Colluthie (1559–1598) was a Scottish landowner and administrator. Career David Carnegie was the younger son of Sir Robert Carnegie of Kinnaird (d. 1565) and Margaret Guthrie (d. 1571). Colluthie is near Leuchars in the paris ...

and Helen Carnegie whose third husband John Gordon built

Glenbuchat Castle Glenbuchat Castle is a historic Z plan Scottish castle built in 1590 for John Gordon of Cairnbarrow to mark his wedding. It is located above the River Don, near Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire. The building is roofless, but otherwise in fairly goo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnegie, Robert 1490s births 1566 deaths People from Angus, Scotland 16th-century Scottish landowners Ambassadors of Scotland to the Kingdom of England Senators of the College of Justice Scottish knights