James Learmonth of Dairsie

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James Learmonth of Dairsie and Balcomie (died 1547) was a Scottish courtier and diplomat.

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Family

The Learmonth family estate was centered on Dairsie Castle and Clatto near St Andrews. James Learmonth bought Balcomie in 1526. James Learmonth married Katherine Ramsay, and secondly Grizel Meldrum. His children included Patrick Learmonth, George Learmonth of Balcomie, and Margaret Learmonth who married William Kirkcaldy of Grange. [1]

According to George Buchanan, when Mary of Guise first came to Scotland in June 1538, she landed near James Learmonth's Balcomie Castle and travelled by land to St Andrews. [2]

Career

James Learmonth was Master of Household to James V of Scotland. [3] He was involved in the arrest of James Hamilton of Finnart in 1540. [4] [5]

James V sent Learmonth as ambassador to England in August 1542 after the battle of Haddon Rig. [6] After taking part in peace negotiations at York, Learmonth went to Greenwich Palace but was not granted an audience with Henry VIII. [7] According to the chronicle of Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie, he carried a secret private letter from James V for Henry, which was "sealed and closed so straitly as could be devised for opening of the same" and Learmonth was to invite Henry VIII to reply in kind. [8]

Learmonth's task in London was to try to persuade Henry VIII to agree to a future meeting with James V at York. [9] Although the story of letter may be doubtful, Henry VIII conceived a good opinion of Learmonth at this time. [10]

George Buchanan claims that Learmonth was forced to return from talks in Newcastle as the Duke of Norfolk's raid began (on 22 October 1542). [11]

James Learmonth was a witness to a legal instrument made at Falkland Palace in December 1542 on the death of James V, which purported to make Cardinal Beaton as Regent or Governor of Scotland. [12] He was a commissioner for the 1543 Treaty of Greenwich. [13] [14]

He was killed at the battle of Pinkie in September 1547.

References

  1. ↑ Walter Wood, The east neuk of Fife its history and antiquities (Edinburgh, 1862), pp. 65–66, 273–274.
  2. ↑ James Aikman, History of Scotland by George Buchanan, 2 (Glasgow, 1827), p. 317.
  3. ↑ Athol Murray, 'Pursemaster's Accounts', Miscellany of the Scottish History Society, 10 (Edinburgh, 1965), p. 41.
  4. ↑ Carol Edington, Court and Culture in Renaissance Scotland: Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (Tuckwell, 1995), pp. 12, 55.
  5. ↑ James Aikman, History of Scotland by George Buchanan, 2 (Glasgow, 1827), p. 320.
  6. ↑ Jamie Cameron, James V: The Personal Rule (Tuckwell, 1998), p. 296: State Papers of Henry the Eighth, part 4 cont., vol. 5 (London, 1836), pp. 208-209.
  7. ↑ Letters and Papers Henry VIII, 17 (London, 1900), pp. 522 no. 910, 535 no. 942.
  8. ↑ The History of Scotland: From 21 February 1436 to March 1565 (Edinburgh, 1728), p. 171: The history of Scotland; from 1436 to 1565 by Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie (Glasgow: Urie, 1749), pp. 312–313.
  9. ↑ Jamie Cameron, James V: The Personal Rule (Tuckwell, 1998), p. 299.
  10. ↑ Carol Edington, Court and Culture in Renaissance Scotland: Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (Tuckwell, 1995), p. 55.
  11. ↑ James Aikman, History of Scotland by George Buchanan, 2 (Glasgow, 1827), p. 321.
  12. ↑ HMC 11th Report, part VI, Manuscripts of the Duke of Hamilton (London, 1887), pp. 205, 219–220.
  13. ↑ Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, vol. 18 part 1, (London, 1901), no. 804.
  14. ↑ Carol Edington, Court and Culture in Renaissance Scotland: Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (Tuckwell, 1995), p. 59.
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