John Selby (died 1595)

Last updated

Sir John Selby of Twizell (died 1595) was an English landowner and official on the Scottish border.

Career

There were several branches of the Selby family in Northumberland.

His home was Twizell Castle in Northumbria. He was Gentleman Porter of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town on the border between England and Scotland, and depute-warden of the East March.

Selby was a depute to the border warden Lord Grey. [1] In October 1562 he offended Lord Home who complained to the English ambassador in Edinburgh, Thomas Randolph. [2]

In November 1581 Selby sent Thomas Fowler and the Earl of Leicester news of Scottish politics from Berwick. Selby asked Fowler, who was then living in Aldersgate Street in London, to pass his compliments to Roger Aston, an English courtier of James VI of Scotland. [3] Around this time, Fowler was mentioned in letters of Mary, Queen of Scots, sent to the French ambassador Michel de Castelnau which were encoded in cipher. [4]

He was knighted in 1582. He wrote to Francis Walsingham with Scottish news on 5 May 1588 including the arrival of Lord Maxwell at Dundee, who passed into the country in disguise with "a plaid about him, like a wayfaring man". [5]

In September 1589 the English ambassador in Edinburgh William Ashby asked him to send food for the welcoming party for Anne of Denmark, the new queen of Scotland. He replied that there were no fallow deer or pheasants in his wardenry, only beef and mutton no better than that available in Scotland. [6]

Selby was involved in the rendition of Richard Blithe, a Scottish mariner regarded as a pirate. Blithe had served in a ship that robbed the Master of Orkney and was arrested in Newcastle. James VI wanted to execute him in Leith. In August 1590 the English ambassador in Edinburgh Robert Bowes sent a Spanish prisoner to Selby in exchange. [7] In January 1591 James VI wanted Selby to apprehend John Dickson, who had killed his father, and was living at Horkley near Norham. [8]

In February 1591 he sent a Scottish witch captured in England and imprisoned in Berwick to Edinburgh at the request of James VI. She then accused several other people of witchcraft. This was perhaps "Kennedy the witch of Reydon." James VI sent David Seton of Tranent, who knew the North Berwick witches to England to help round up fugitives. Selby was to have a warrant to return any escaping suspects from the North Berwick Witch Trials. [9]

In May 1594 two fugitives from Edinburgh, Anna of Denmark's jeweller Jacob Kroger and a stable worker Guillaume Martin, who had stolen the queen's jewels were captured at North Shields. John Selby handed them over to John Hume of Hutton Hall, the Scottish depute-warden of the East March, on 11 June 1594, a day of truce, at the west ford of Norham. The two men were taken to Edinburgh and executed. [10]

He died in 1595. An inventory was made of his goods at Twizell and elsewhere. [11]

His heir, and next Gentleman Porter of Berwick, was his son, William Selby (died 1612). His daughter Margaret married George Selby (d. 1625).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch</span> Scottish nobleman

Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch was a Scottish nobleman and famous border reiver, known as the "Bold Buccleuch" and leader of Kinmont Willie's Raid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar</span>

George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, KG, PC was, in the last decade of his life, the most prominent and most influential Scotsman in England. His work lay in the King's Household and in the control of the State Affairs of Scotland and he was the King's chief Scottish advisor. With the full backing and trust of King James he travelled regularly from London to Edinburgh via Berwick-upon-Tweed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell</span> Scottish nobleman (1562–1612)

Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings against his first cousin, King James VI, all of which ultimately failed, and he died in poverty in Italy after being banished from Scotland. Francis's maternal uncle, the 4th Earl of Bothwell, was the chief suspect in the murder of James VI's father, Lord Darnley.

Sir John Carmichael was a Scottish soldier, the Keeper of Liddesdale, a diplomat, and owner of Fenton Tower at Kingston, East Lothian.

Robert Bowes (1535?–1597) was an English diplomat, stationed as permanent ambassador to Scotland from 1577 to 1583.

John Carey, 3rd Baron Hunsdon was an English peer, politician and Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Sir William Bowes of Streatlam,, was an English ambassador to Scotland, Deputy Warden of the West March, Treasurer of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and Member of Parliament for Westmorland.

Sir George Selby (1557–1625) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1611.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Fowler (courtier)</span> English lawyer and diplomat

Thomas Fowler was an English lawyer, diplomat, courtier, spy, servant of the Countess of Lennox, broker of the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, steward of the Earl of Leicester, advisor to James VI of Scotland and the Scottish ambassador in London, Archibald Douglas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wark on Tweed Castle</span> Ruined C12 castle in Northumberland, England

Wark on Tweed Castle, sometimes referred to as Carham Castle, is a ruined motte-and-bailey castle at the West end of Wark on Tweed in Northumberland. The ruins are a Grade II* listed building.

John Arnot of Birswick (Orkney) (1530–1616) was a 16th-century Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1587 to 1591 and from 1608 to death. He was Deputy Treasurer to King James VI.

George Young was a Scottish churchman, courtier, member of the Privy Council of Scotland, diplomat, and secretary depute.

William Selby, was an English member of parliament and soldier at Berwick upon Tweed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Kroger</span> German goldsmith and thief

Jacob Kroger, was a German goldsmith who worked for Anne of Denmark in Scotland and stole her jewels.

George Nicholson or Nicolson, was an English diplomat in Scotland.

George Douglas of Longniddry was a Scottish landowner and courtier.

Nicolas Errington was an English soldier, military engineer, and administrator.

John Crane was a soldier and comptroller of works at Berwick-upon-Tweed during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James VI and I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne of Denmark and contrary winds</span> Weather problems for the new queen of Scotland were interpreted as witchcraft

Anne of Denmark (1574–1619) was the queen of Scotland from her marriage by proxy to King James VI on 20 August 1589 and queen of England and Ireland from his accession on 24 March 1603 until her death in 1619. When Anne intended to sail to Scotland in 1589 her ship was delayed by adverse weather. Contemporary superstition blamed the delays to her voyage and other misfortunes on "contrary winds" summoned by witchcraft. There were witchcraft trials in Denmark and in Scotland. The King's kinsman, Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell came into suspicion. The Chancellor of Scotland John Maitland of Thirlestane, thought to be Bothwell's enemy, was lampooned in a poem Rob Stene's Dream, and Anne of Denmark made Maitland her enemy. Historians continue to investigate these events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Musgrave of Bewcastle</span> English landowner

Thomas Musgrave, Captain of Bewcastle was an English landowner and soldier involved in Scottish border politics. He was keeper of Bewcastle Castle for Elizabeth I.

References

  1. ↑ Charles H. Hunter Blair, "Wardens and deputy wardens of the Marches of England towards Scotland in Northumberland and the English wardens of Berwick upon Tweed", Archaeologia Aeliana, 28 (1950), p. 73. doi : 10.5284/1060129
  2. ↑ Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1547-1562, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 663), pp. 661-2.
  3. ↑ Border Papers, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1894), p. 78
  4. ↑ George Lasry, Norbert Biermann, Satoshi Tomokiyo, 'Deciphering Mary Stuart’s lost letters from 1578-1584', Cryptologia, (8 Feb 2023), pp. 1-102
  5. ↑ William Boyd, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1586-1588, vol. 9 (Edinburgh, 1915), p. 558 no. 456.
  6. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 166.
  7. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 369, 385.
  8. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 449.
  9. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 457, 460, 463, 471, 487, 531.
  10. ↑ Joseph Bain, Calendar of Border Papers, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1894), pp. 538-9.
  11. ↑ William Greenwell, Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham, vol. 2 (Surtees Society, Durham, 1860), pp. 256-8.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.