Robert Abercromby (saddler)

Last updated

Robert Abercromby or Abircrumby was a Scottish leatherworker serving the Scottish monarchy in the 16th century. [1]

Contents

Career

Abercromby and his family made saddles and horseriding equipment for the royal family. He was an Edinburgh burgess and lived in a tenement on the Royal Mile known as the Black Turnpike.

In September 1561 Abercromby made saddles and foot mantles for the queen and for her 12 ladies in waiting. The saddles were covered in black cloth by the stable master Arthur Erskine of Blackgrange as part of the mourning for Mary's first husband Francis II of France. In September 1565 Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley ordered cover cloths for horses of red and yellow cloth, and a leather saddle cover for Lord Darnley. [2] In July 1567 she ordered a foot mantle from Abercromby, to be made with black velvet with gold fringes and gilt buckles. He was also paid for goods delivered to her master stablers. [3]

In July 1567, Michael Gilbert, Nicol Edward, and Abercromby were sent as Edinburgh's commissioners to the coronation of James VI at Stirling. [4] His wife sold Holland linen cloth for the use of James VI at Stirling Castle in September 1567. [5]

An account for saddler work for Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray in 1568 was probably from Abercromby; it includes covering stools with leather, mending saddles, and making dog collars. [6]

He supplied three velvet foot mantles to James VI in 1579. [7] He was also involved in the book trade, and lost a parcel of books sent by sea from London in 1583. [8]

In September 1589 he was chosen by Edinburgh burgh council to be the craft representative and be one of the two teams of six men carry the canopy or "paill" over Anne of Denmark at her Entry and coronation. [9] In June 1591 he made an incarnate red taffeta caparison for the king's horse, possibly for a masque. [10]

His son, or nephew, Abraham Abercromby, was involved in a court case involving James Rigg and Mungo Rigg of Carberry. The Riggs went to law over the purchase a ship called the Angel and its cargo of Norwegian timber by Harry Watson, a Scotsman based in Bergen. Abercromby claimed Watson had not paid. [11] Abraham Abercromby repaired Anne of Denmark's litter when Prince Charles was brought from Dunfermline Palace to Holyrood Palace for a time in 1600, and made four saddles sent with gift horses to France. He was saddler to Prince Henry in England, and later to Charles I. [12]

Abercromby the masquer

A Mr Abercromby took part in court masques, and this man is often said to have been a saddler. The masques were Ben Jonson's For the Honour of Wales and Love Restored. [13] John Chamberlain described Abercromby and John or James Auchmoutie as "high dancers". [14] John Auchmoutie was not an aristocrat, but he was a Scottish laird and a groom of the bedchamber. He was keeper of the royal wardrobe in Scotland. [15]

Patrick Abercromby travelled to Heidelberg in April 1613 with Princess Elizabeth after her marriage to Frederick V of the Palatinate, ranked with James Auchmoutie, a brother of John Auchmoutie. [16]

Abercromby of the queen's wardrobe

Sir George Abercromby was an officer of the wardrobe to Anne of Denmark in England, probably in succession to David Abercromby who died in 1609. [17] Their role in the household included making payments to the goldsmith George Heriot for the queen's jewels. [18] David Abercromby's will mentions that in June 1609 Jean Drummond and Lady Fleetwood stayed at his bedside and declared his will to them. He was related to Jean Drummond. [19] George Abercromby pawned the queen's jewels with Rebecca Romney. He was granted an annual pension of £80 in March 1612. He may have been the masque dancer. He was made a denizen of England in 1624. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray</span> Regent for King James VI of Scotland from 1567–70

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his half-nephew, the infant King James VI, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570. He was the first head of government to be assassinated with a firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Erskine, Earl of Mar (died 1572)</span> Scottish noble

John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar was a Scottish aristocrat and politician. He was the custodian of the infant James VI of Scotland and Regent of Scotland.

Thomas Hudson, was a musician and poet from the north of England present at the Scottish court of King James VI at the end of the 16th century. Both he and his brother Robert Hudson were members of the Castalian Band, a group of court poets and musicians headed by the King in the 1580s and 1590s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish royal tapestry collection</span>

The Scottish royal tapestry collection was a group of tapestry hangings assembled to decorate the palaces of sixteenth-century kings and queens of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bastian Pagez</span> French servant and musician

Bastian Pagez was a French servant and musician at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. He devised part of the entertainment at the baptism of Prince James at Stirling Castle in 1566. When Mary was exiled in England, Bastian and his family continued in her service. The 19th-century historians Agnes Strickland and William Barclay Turnbull considered his court role as equivalent to the English Master of the Revels; in England he was Mary's chamber valet and designed her embroidery patterns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Chisholm (soldier)</span>

John Chisholm, 16th-century Scottish soldier and chief officer, Comptroller and Prefect of the Scottish artillery for Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland, and keeper of the King's Wark in Leith. Chisholm was a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots after her exile in England.

Servais de Condé or Condez was a French servant at the court of Mary Queen of Scots, in charge of her wardrobe and the costume for masques performed at the Scottish royal court.

Nichola or Nicolle was a fool or jester to Mary, Queen of Scots.

John Auchmoutie of Scoughall was a Scottish courtier and performer in masques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gibb (courtier)</span> Scottish landowner and courtier

John Gibb of Knock and Carribber (c.1550-1628) was a Scottish landowner and courtier.

Michael Gardiner was a Scottish artilleryman based at Stirling Castle. The surname also appears as Gardner and Gardenar.

Robert Anstruther was a Scottish soldier in the service of Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots.

John Balfour was a Scottish courtier or servant at the court of Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots.

Jerome Bowie was a servant of James VI of Scotland as a sommelier and Master od the Wine Cellar, in charge of the purchase and serving of wine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wardrobe of Mary, Queen of Scots</span>

The wardrobe of Mary, Queen of Scots, was described in several contemporary documents, and many records of her costume have been published.

Arthur Erskine of Blackgrange was a Scottish courtier.

Alexander Durham was a Scottish courtier and administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Murray (valet)</span> Scottish courtier

William Murray was a Scottish courtier, a household servant of James VI of Scotland as a "valet of the king's chamber".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Littil</span> Scottish nurse of King James VI and I

Helen Littil was a Scottish courtier, the nurse of King James VI and I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronation of James VI</span>

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.

References

  1. ↑ Steven J. Reid, The Early Life of James VI, A Long Apprenticeship (Edinburgh: John Donald, 2023), p. 113.
  2. ↑ James Balfour Paul, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1916), pp. 64-5, 406-7.
  3. ↑ Charles Thorpe McInnes, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1970), pp. 12, 60.
  4. ↑ James David Marwick, Extracts from the Records of Edinburgh, 1557-1561 (Edinburgh, 1875), p. 238.
  5. ↑ Charles Thorpe McInnes, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1970), p. 74.
  6. ↑ HMC 6th Report: Earl of Moray (London, 1877), p. 658.
  7. ↑ Charles Thorpe McInnes, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 13 (Edinburgh, 1978), pp. 292-4.
  8. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 6, p. 525.
  9. ↑ Marguerite Wood, Extracts from the Records of Edinburgh: 1589-1603 (Edinburgh, 1927), p. 5.
  10. ↑ National Records of Scotland, E35/13.
  11. ↑ Winifred Coutts, The Business of the College of Justice in 1600 (Edinburgh: Stair Society, 2003), pp. 88, 290-1.
  12. ↑ HMC Salisbury Hatfield, vol. 20 (London, 1968), p. 200.
  13. ↑ Martin Butler, The Stuart Court Masque and Political Culture (Cambridge, 2008), pp. 92, 207, 416 fn. 7: HMC 7th Report: Lord Sackville (London, 1879), p. 260: John S. Brewer, The Court of King James the First by Godfrey Goodman, vol. 2 (London, 1839), pp. 188-9.
  14. ↑ Norman Egbert McClure, Letters of John Chamberlain, vol. 1 (Philadelphia, 1939), p. 496, vol. 2, p. 128.
  15. ↑ David Masson, Register of the Privy Council of Scotland: 1613-1616, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1891), pp. 624-5: Michael Bath, Emblems for a Queen (London, 2008), p. 20.
  16. ↑ Charles George Young, 'Journey to the territories of the Palatinate', Archaeologia, 35:1 (1853), p. 12
  17. ↑ HMC 12th Report Part II, Earl Cowper: Coke, vol. 2 (London, 1888), p. 67.
  18. ↑ Archibald Constable, Memoirs of George Heriot (Edinburgh, 1822), pp. 198, 214
  19. ↑ Will of David Abercromby, TNA PROB 11/116/69.
  20. ↑ James Knowles, Politics and Political Culture in the Court Masque (Springer, 2015): HMC Salisbury Hatfield, vol. 21 (London, 1970), p. 250.
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.