Adam Leys or Leis was a Scottish goldsmith based in Edinburgh. [1] He worked for James V of Scotland and, in the 1530s, repaired and refashioned the Scottish crown jewels known as the Honours of Scotland. [2]
Adam Leys or Leis was a Scottish goldsmith based in Edinburgh. [1] He worked for James V of Scotland and, in the 1530s, repaired and refashioned the Scottish crown jewels known as the Honours of Scotland. [2]
In 1530, Adam Leys made a silver chandelier or candleholder for Edinburgh's town council, probably for St Giles' Kirk. [4] He made a silver chalice for James V's almoner in August 1535. [5] On a larger scale, Leys worked on panels of royal heraldry and a "great image" of Saint Andrew to be carved and cast in lead for Holyrood Palace. [6] Leys added the arms of Mary of Guise beneath the saint for her Royal Entry to Edinburgh. [7]
James V employed Adam Leys to repair and augment the crown of Scotland in 1532 and 1536. [8] The treasurer's accounts mention that he added new "spryngis" in 1532. It is perhaps unclear which elements these were, but the record may refer to new Imperial-style arches. [9] The crown was comprehensively reworked again by John Mosman in January 1540, into the form it has today. [10]
Leys also worked on the Sword of Honour, a gift from Pope Julius II, [11] and the silver sceptre, a gift to James IV from Pope Alexander VI in 1494, [12] which he extended from around 53 to 86 cm and gilded. [13] He seems to have cast new elements moulded from the Italian originals. [14] These works to the Honours were probably in connection with ceremonies planned for James V's bride, Madeleine of Valois. [15] The royal accounts recorded these works in the Scots language as:
Leys made an engraved silver seal for David Beaton in 1539. [17]
James V was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England. During his childhood Scotland was governed by regents, firstly by his mother until she remarried, and then by his first cousin once removed, John Stewart, Duke of Albany. James's personal rule began in 1528 when he finally escaped the custody of his stepfather, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. His first action was to exile Angus and confiscate the lands of the Douglases.
The Honours of Scotland, informally known as the Scottish Crown Jewels, are the regalia that were worn by Scottish monarchs at their coronation. Kept in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle, they date from the 15th and 16th centuries, and are the oldest surviving set of crown jewels in the British Isles.
Madeleine of Valois was a French princess who briefly became Queen of Scotland in 1537 as the first wife of King James V. The marriage was arranged in accordance with the Treaty of Rouen, and they were married at Notre-Dame de Paris in January 1537, despite French reservations over her failing health. Madeleine died in July 1537, only six months after the wedding and less than two months after arriving in Scotland, resulting in her nickname, the "Summer Queen".
The Crown of Scotland is the centrepiece of the Honours of Scotland. It is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and it is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and among the oldest in Europe.
Charles John Burnett (1940–2024) was a Scottish antiquarian and former officer of arms.
John Tennent or Tennand of Listonshiels was a servant and companion of King James V of Scotland. He kept an account of the king's daily expenses which is an important source document for the Scottish royal court.
Sir James Kirkcaldy of Grange, a Fife laird and treasurer of Scotland. He married Janet Melville, aunt of Sir James Melville of Halhill. Their heir was William Kirkcaldy of Grange. His main property was called Hallyards Castle. The name is sometimes spelled Kirkaldy.
Robert Barton of Over Barnton was a Scottish landowner, merchant, sailor and politician. He served as Comptroller, Master of the Mint and Lord High Treasurer to James V of Scotland.
William Stewart was a Scottish poet working in the first half of the 16th century.
John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl (1507–1542) was the son of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl and Lady Janet Campbell, a daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll and Elizabeth Stewart.
The Comptroller of Scotland was a post in the pre-Union government of Scotland.
James, Duke of Rothesay was the first of the two sons and three children born to King James V of Scotland and his second wife, Mary of Guise. From the moment of his birth James was Duke of Rothesay and heir apparent to the Scottish throne.
John Mosman or Mossman was a Scottish goldsmith based in Edinburgh who served the royal court and was involved in gold mining.
Athol Laverick Murray (1930–2018) was a historian and archivist.
Queen Elizabeth I of England paid a subsidy to King James VI of Scotland from 1586 to 1602. This enabled her to influence James by delaying or deferring payments to his diplomats in London. Records survive of the yearly amounts, and details of the expenditure in some years. A large proportion of the money was spent on the royal wardrobe of James and Anne of Denmark. Some royal expenses were met by Anne of Denmark's dowry, which was known as the "tocher". The regular incomes of the Scottish crown were feudal rents, customs, and "compositions" charged on grants of land. Accounts for royal incomes and payments survive as the exchequer rolls and lord treasurer's accounts and have been published as historical sources.
Andrew Edgar was a Scottish tailor who served James V of Scotland.
The jewellery and jewels owned by James V of Scotland are mainly known from the royal treasurer's accounts and inventories. James V reinforced his authority by lavish display.
James Stewart (1566–1625), son of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) and Lord Darnley (1546–1567), was crowned King of Scotland by Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, in the Holy Rude Kirk at Stirling on 29 July 1567.
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587), the daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, was crowned as Queen of Scotland in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle on 9 September 1543.
The Sword of State, also referred to as the Papal Sword, is a ceremonial sword that serves as part of the Honours of Scotland but ceased being formally used in 2022. It was presented to the King of Scotland by Pope Julius II in 1507 and continued to be used as the sword of state for Scotland until 2022 when it was deemed too fragile to continue to be used and was replaced by the Elizabeth Sword.