Volume I Part 46 (1/2)

[325] Ancrum Moor, about a mile and a half to the north of the village of that name, in the county of Roxburgh. The battle took place on the 17th of February 1544-45, when Sir Ralph Evers was slain, and the English forces routed.

[326] Captain de Lorge Montgomery, with about 3500 men, arrived from France in May or June 1545.--(Acta Parl. Scot. vol. ii. pp. 594-596.)

[327] The Castle of Wark, a border fortress, on the bank of the river Tyne in Northumberland, near Coldstream.

[328] In Vautr. edit. ”great slaverie.”

[329] In MS. G, ”the Frenche Captane.”

[330] Matthew Stewart fourth Earl of Lennox, had retired to England in 1545. He married Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter of the Earl of Angus and Margaret, widow of King James the Fourth. She was thus niece of the English Monarch, at whose Court she resided until her marriage. Their son was Henry Lord Darnley, who married Mary Queen of Scots. The Earl of Lennox became Regent of Scotland in 1570, upon the death of the Earl of Murray.

[331] John Hamilton, Archbishop of St. Andrews, was a natural son of James first Earl of Arran. He pursued his studies first at Glasgow, and afterwards at Paris. In 1525, he obtained the rich Abbacy of Paisley; and as Abbot he sat in the Parliaments of 1535 and 1540. His relations.h.i.+p to the Governor, over whom he obtained great influence, led to his rapid promotion. He was successively Lord Privy Seal, High Treasurer, Bishop of Dunkeld, and a Judge in the Court of Session. On the death of Cardinal Beaton, he became his successor as Primate. The ”Catechisme,” which usually pa.s.ses under his name, from having been printed at his expense, at St. Andrews, in 1552, exhibits a solitary instance on the part of the Roman Catholic clergy to convey spiritual instruction, and is most creditable to his memory.

[332] That is, the Abbot of Paisley now began, &c.

[333] In the MS. this word _Eme's_, at first inaccurately written, was corrected, but not distinctly, and led to the subst.i.tution of _Enemies wyfe_, in all the other copies. _Eme_ usually means _Uncle_; here it merely signifies _kinsman_.

[334] Lady Grizell Sempill was the eldest daughter of Robert third Lord Sempill, and was the second wife of James Hamilton of Stenhouse, Captain of the Castle of Edinburgh. A charter under the Great Seal was granted of the lands of Kittiemuir, on the 10th of March 1539, ”Jacobi Hamilton de Stanehouse et Grizeldi Sempill ejus conjugi.” Her husband, who was Provost of Edinburgh, was slain in endeavouring to quell a tumult between some of the auxiliary troops quartered in the Canongate, and the inhabitants, on the 1st of October 1548.

[335] In MS. G, ”Gilston;” and in Vautr. edit., &c., ”haldin in povertie.” It probably means, that her connexion with the Archbishop always continued. Some further notice of this Lady will be given in a subsequent note.

[336] George Martine, in his ”Reliquiae Divi Andreae,” written in 1683, has given an account of Hamilton, in which, in reference to the Archbishop and this Lady, he says, ”I have seen copies of charters granted by this Archbishop to William, John, and James Hamiltons, his three naturall sones born of this Grizzell Sempill; and they are designed her naturall sones, but they came all to be forfeited.” (P.

244.) Letters of Legitimation of John and William Hammylton, b.a.s.t.a.r.d sons of Grissel Sempill, daughter of Robert Master of Sempill, were dated 9th Oct. 1551.--(Reg. Mag. Sigill.)

[337] Knox places Wishart's return to Scotland in 1544, although the Commissionars to whom he alludes came back in July 1543. The exact time has not been well ascertained: see Appendix, No. IX.

[338] In MS. G, ”a litill s.p.a.ce.”

[339] William fourth Earl Marishall, according to Sadler's report to Henry, 27th March 1543, was ”a goodly young gentleman, well given to your Majesty, as I take him.” He was friendly to the Reformation, and survived till about the year 1581.--(Sadler's Papers, vol. i. p. 99.)

[340] In MS. G, ”Locnoreis.” The person referred to was George Crawfurd of Leifnorris, or Loch Norris, now called Dumfries House, the seat of the Marquess of Bute, in the parish of Old c.u.mnock, Ayrs.h.i.+re.

[341] Gaston, or Galston, a parish in the district of Kyle.

[342] This phrase, ”used much in the Bar,” signifies that he frequented the house of Barr, the seat of John Lockhart of Barr, in the parish of Galston.

[343] Sir Hugh Campbell of Loudoun, was hereditary Sheriff of the county of Ayr.

[344] The persons here named were all proprietors of lands in Ayrs.h.i.+re.

Mongarswood, or Monkgarswood, is in the parish of Mauchline; Bronnsyde, in Sorne; Dawdeling, (in Vautr. edit. ”Dawdilling,”) or Daldilling, also in the parish of Sorne; and Tempilland, in that of Auchinleck. The Crawfurds were proprietors of Templeland; and the Reids of Daldilling, appear in the Retours 1651 and 1673, in the succession of their property.--(Ayr, Nos. 449 and 679.)

[345] Kinyeancleuch is in the parish of Mauchline. Hugh Campbell was a cadet of the Campbells of Loudoun; and his son Robert Campbell of Kinyeancleuch, who is afterwards mentioned, was a special friend of Knox, and much distinguished himself by his singular zeal and devotedness in promoting the Reformation.

[346] In Vautr. edit. ”Shaw.” Laurence Rankin, laird of Sheill, in the parish of Ochiltree, Ayrs.h.i.+re.

[347] The year 1544 is the date usually a.s.signed for the ravages of the plague in Dundee. It would seem to have prevailed in different parts of the country for two or three successive years. The probable time of Wishart's visit on that occasion may have been in August 1545, as we are told, ”In this tyme the pest was wonder greit in all burrowis townis of this realme, quhair mony peipill deit with great skant and want of victuallis.”--(Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 39.)

[348] In MS. G, ”at lycht parte.”

[349] During the sixteenth century, the town of Dundee was surrounded by a double wall, with ports or gates, which were all removed about sixty years ago, with the exception of the East Gate, called the Cowgate Port, which was then ”allowed to stand, from respect to Wishart's memory, and his services to the inhabitants of Dundee, during the plague of 1544; and it is still kept in good preservation.”--(New Stat. Account, Forfars.h.i.+re, p. 17.)