Chamberlain of Scotland
Encyclopedia
Holders of the office of Lord Chamberlain of Scotland
are known from about 1124.
It was ranked by King Malcolm as the third great Officer of State, called Camerarius Domini Regis, and had a salary of £200 per annum alloted to him. He anciently collected the revenues of the Crown, at least before Scotland had a Treasurer, of which office there is no vestige of until the restoration of King James I
when he disbursed the money necessary for the maintenance of the King's Household.
The Great Chamberlain had jurisdiction for judging of all crimes committed within burgh, and of the crime of forestalling; and was in effect Justice-General over the burghs, and held Chamberlain-ayrs every year for that purpose; the form whereof is set down in Iter Camerarii, the Chamberlain-ayr. He was a supreme judge and his Decrees could not be questioned by any inferior judicatory. His sentences were to be put into execution by the baillie
s of burghs. He also settled the prices of provisions within burghs, and the fees of the workmen in the Mint
.
The Chamberlain lost his financial functions after 1425 to the Treasurer
. The position was vacant from 1558 to 1565 and again from 1569. It was occupied in 1580 for the cousin of James I
, Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
, whose appearance as a Great Officer of State
in 1581 is attributable to his personal standing with the king rather than his office. But following the Raid of Ruthven, August 24, 1582, the Great Chamberlain lost his supervision of the royal burgh
s.
Thereafter the office was held by successive Dukes of Lennox
(heritably from 1603) until resigned to the Crown ad perpetuam remanentiam by the Duke of Richmond and Lennox
in 1703, since which time no Great Chamberlain has been appointed. In 1711 a form of the office was revived in a Commission of Chamberlainry and Trade, which lapsed on the death of Queen Anne
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
are known from about 1124.
It was ranked by King Malcolm as the third great Officer of State, called Camerarius Domini Regis, and had a salary of £200 per annum alloted to him. He anciently collected the revenues of the Crown, at least before Scotland had a Treasurer, of which office there is no vestige of until the restoration of King James I
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
when he disbursed the money necessary for the maintenance of the King's Household.
The Great Chamberlain had jurisdiction for judging of all crimes committed within burgh, and of the crime of forestalling; and was in effect Justice-General over the burghs, and held Chamberlain-ayrs every year for that purpose; the form whereof is set down in Iter Camerarii, the Chamberlain-ayr. He was a supreme judge and his Decrees could not be questioned by any inferior judicatory. His sentences were to be put into execution by the baillie
Baillie
A baillie or bailie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where baillies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate...
s of burghs. He also settled the prices of provisions within burghs, and the fees of the workmen in the Mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
.
The Chamberlain lost his financial functions after 1425 to the Treasurer
Treasurer of Scotland
The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland.The full title of the post was Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation, formed as it was from the amalgamation of four earlier offices...
. The position was vacant from 1558 to 1565 and again from 1569. It was occupied in 1580 for the cousin of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox was the son of John Stewart, 5th Lord of Aubigny who was the younger brother of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox...
, whose appearance as a Great Officer of State
Great Officer of State
In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are traditional Crown ministers, who either inherit their positions or are appointed to exercise certain largely ceremonial functions. Separate Great Officers exist for England and Scotland, and formerly for Ireland...
in 1581 is attributable to his personal standing with the king rather than his office. But following the Raid of Ruthven, August 24, 1582, the Great Chamberlain lost his supervision of the royal burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
s.
Thereafter the office was held by successive Dukes of Lennox
Duke of Lennox
The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The Dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Stirling, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lennox. The second Duke was made Duke of Richmond; at his...
(heritably from 1603) until resigned to the Crown ad perpetuam remanentiam by the Duke of Richmond and Lennox
Duke of Richmond and Lennox
Since 1623 the same person has usually held the dukedoms of Richmond and of Lennox. Since 1734 he has held the dukedom of Aubigny. Since 1876 he has also held the dukedom of Gordon.See:*Duke of Richmond*Duke of Lennox*Duke of Aubigny*Duke of Gordon...
in 1703, since which time no Great Chamberlain has been appointed. In 1711 a form of the office was revived in a Commission of Chamberlainry and Trade, which lapsed on the death of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
.
Lord Chamberlains
- 1159: Herbert, to Kings David IDavid I of ScotlandDavid I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
and Malcolm IVMalcolm IV of ScotlandMalcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne... - 1179: Nicolaus
- 1205: Philip de Valence, to King William the Lion
- Walter de Barclay
- Hugo de Giffard, Lord of YesterYester CastleYester Castle is a ruined castle, located south east of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. The only remaining structure is the subterranean Goblin Ha' or Hobgoblin Ha' ...
and MorhamMorhamMorham, East Lothian, sometimes spelt Moram, Morum, Morhame, etc., in old records, is the smallest parish in Scotland, sandwiched between five other parishes: Haddington, Garvald, Yester, Whittingehame, and Prestonkirk, in the undulating lower reaches of the Lammermuir Hills.-Church and hamlet:For... - John de Melville, to King Alexander IIAlexander II of ScotlandAlexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
- 1216: Henry de Balliol (d. 1246)
- 1228: David de BernhamDavid de BernhamDavid de Bernham was Chamberlain of King Alexander II of Scotland and subsequently, Bishop of St. Andrews. He was elected to the see in June 1239, and finally consecrated, after some difficulties, in January, 1240. He died in 1253, and was buried at Nenthorn, near Kelso.-References:*Dowden, John,...
(later Bishop of St Andrews) - 1231-41: Sir John de Maccuswel (or Maxwell) to King Alexander II of ScotlandAlexander II of ScotlandAlexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
succeeded by his brother Aylmer de Maxwell (1241.) - 1241-60: Aylmer de Maxwell lord of Carlaverock, Sheriff of Dumfries, to King Alexander III of ScotlandAlexander III of ScotlandAlexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
- 1260:William, Earl of MarUilleam, Earl of MarUilleam of Mar - Uilleam mac Dhonnchaidh - was perhaps the greatest of the Mar mormaers, ruling Mar from 1244 to 1276....
, to King Alexander IIIAlexander III of ScotlandAlexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:... - 1261: Henry de Balliol
- 1267: Sir Reginald Cheyne
- 1269: Sir Thomas Randolph, father of Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray,
- 1278: John de Lindsay
- 1319: William de Lindsay, to Robert the Bruce
- 1325: Alexander Fraser of Touchfraser and Cowie (who married Mary, the King's sister)
- 1329: John Baptista, to King David IIDavid II of ScotlandDavid II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
- 1333: Sir Robert de Lawedre of The Bass (d. 1337) (also JusticiarJusticiarIn medieval England and Ireland the Chief Justiciar was roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister as the monarch's chief minister. Similar positions existed on the Continent, particularly in Norman Italy. The term is the English form of the medieval Latin justiciarius or justitiarius In...
) - 1334: Robert de Peebles
- 1349: Thomas, Earl of MarThomas, Earl of MarThomas of Mar was a 14th century Mormaer of Mar . He was a son of Domhnall II of Mar.Thomas became Earl of Mar whilst still a child living in the Kingdom of England, and it took several years for Thomas to return to the Kingdom of Scotland and take charge of his inheritance...
- 1350: Walter Fleming of BiggarBiggar, South LanarkshireBiggar is a town and former burgh in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is situated in the Southern Uplands, near the River Clyde, around 30 miles from Edinburgh along the A702. The closest towns are Lanark and Peebles, and as such Biggar serves a wide rural area...
- 1354: Robert de Erskine
- c1354-c1361: Thomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of AngusThomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of AngusThomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of Angus was a medieval Scottish nobleman.He was the son of John Stewart of Bonkyll and Margaret de Abernethy. Stewart was an infant when his father died and inherited his estates and titles in Berwickshire, Abernethy and Angus.In 1353 he married Margaret Sinclair, a...
- 1371: William de Biggar, Rector of Errol, to King Robert IIRobert II of ScotlandRobert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
- 1376: Michael de MonymuskMichael de MonymuskMichael de Monymusk was a 14th century bishop of Dunkeld. He held a licentiate in Canon law. He had been dean of the bishopric of Dunblane, dean of the bishopric of Aberdeen, and then dean of the bishopric of Glasgow...
, Bishop of DunkeldBishop of DunkeldThe Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Cormac... - 1377: Sir John Lyon
- 1382: Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife
- 1426: John Forrester of Corstophine (d. c1448), to King James IJames I of ScotlandJames I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
- 1431: George de Schoriswood, Bishop of BrechinBishop of BrechinThe Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or Angus, based at Brechin Cathedral, Brechin. The diocese had a long-established Gaelic monastic community which survived into the 13th century. The clerical establishment may very well have traced their earlier origins...
- 1458: James Livingstone, 1st Lord Livingston, to King James IIJames II of ScotlandJames II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
- Robert Boyd, 1st Lord BoydRobert Boyd, 1st Lord BoydRobert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd Lord Boyd, was a Scottish statesman.-Biography:Robert Boyd was knighted, and was created a Peer of Parliament by James II of Scotland at some date between 1451 and 18 July 1454 . In 1460 he was one of the Regents during the minority of James III...
, to King James IIIJames III of ScotlandJames III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the... - 1477: James Stewart, 1st Earl of BuchanJames Stewart, 1st Earl of BuchanJames Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan , was the second son of Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne, and Joan Beaufort, the widow of James I of Scotland...
- 1483: David Lindsay, 5th Earl of CrawfordDavid Lindsay, 1st Duke of MontroseDavid Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman.He was the son of Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford, and inherited the Earldom of Crawford on his father's death in 1453...
- 1488: Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home, to King James IVJames IV of ScotlandJames IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
- 1509: Alexander Home, 3rd Lord HomeAlexander Home, 3rd Lord HomeAlexander Home, 3rd Lord Home His mother was Nicholace Ker, a daughter of George Ker of Samuelston, his father the 2nd Lord Home. Alexander Home was found guilty of treason in 1516 and executed....
- 1516: Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord FlemingMalcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord FlemingMalcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming , was Lord Chamberlain of Scotland to King James V, from 1524.He was the son and heir of John Fleming, 2nd Lord Fleming, who was killed in a feud with the Tweedie of Drumelzier family in 1524....
(d. 1547 at Battle of Pinkie), to King James VJames V of ScotlandJames V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss... - 1547: James Fleming, 4th Lord FlemingJames Fleming, 4th Lord FlemingJames Fleming, 4th Lord Fleming was Lord Chamberlain of Scotland.-Life:He was the eldest son of Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming, lord high chamberlain, by his wife Johanna or Jonet Stewart, natural daughter of James IV....
(d. 1558), to Mary, Queen of Scots - 1565: John Fleming, 5th Lord FlemingJohn Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming-Life:He was the son of Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming, lord high chamberlain, by his wife Johanna or Jonet Stewart, natural daughter of James IV.He succeeded his brother James Fleming, 4th Lord Fleming....
(d. 1572) - 1581: Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of LennoxEsmé Stewart, 1st Duke of LennoxEsmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox was the son of John Stewart, 5th Lord of Aubigny who was the younger brother of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox...
, to King James VI - 1594: Ludovick (or Louis) Stewart, Duke of LennoxLudovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of LennoxLudovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was the son of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox and his wife Catherine de Balsac. Stewart was involved in the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland and the colonization of Maine in New England...
(made heritable Chamberlains).