A tale of conspiracy and plotting involving Douglas of
Mains, Edmonston of Duntreath, and various others.
Extracted from:
The Parish of Strathblane and Its Inhabitants from
Early Times: A Chapter of Lennox History, by John Guthrie Smith; 1886
Sir James Edmonstone, sixth of Duntreath, was much employed in
the public service, principally in legal positions. Thus in 1578
he had a grant of a deputation from the Earl of Argyll,
Justice-General of Scotland, for holding Justiciary Courts at the
fortalice of Duntreath. The indictment against the Earl of Gowrie for
his part in the Raid of Ruthven was found relevant by a court
consisting of " Mr. James Graham sitting as Justice, and assisted
by Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar, Alexander, Master of
Livingstone, Alexander Bruce of Airth, and James Edmonstone of
Duntreath." Sir James, however, had himself to stand his trial on a
memorable occasion, and as his brother Strathblane lairds,
Malcolm Douglas of Harlehaven, and John Cunninghame of Easter
Mugdock, were involved in the same affair, an historian of Strathblane, though he would rather pass over the matter in silence, cannot
in fairness do so.
Malcolm Douglas of Mains and
Harlehaven was
son of Mathew Douglas, and grandson of Alexander Douglas of Mains,
who married the Lady Margaret, eldest daughter of Mathew Earl of
Lennox. He married in 1562 Janet, daughter of John Cunninghame of
Drumquhassle, and was, according to Melville, "a gentleman of
notable gifts of body and mynd." He held the important office of
Captain of Blackness Castle. His father-in-law, John Cunninghame of
Drumquhassle and Easter Mugdock, was also a man of Standing. He was
Captain of Dumbarton Castle, and "Bailie, Chalmerlane, Ressaver, and
Intromittour with the maillis, fermes, etc., of the Earledome of
Lennox and Lordschip of Dernlie."
Both father
and son-in-law, after 1578, fell into disfavour with the Court,
probably through belonging to the party of Morton, which was in
opposition to the Duke of Lennox and the King's favourite, James
Stewart, afterwards Earl of Arran. On the 17th January, 1580-81,
Malcolm Douglas was one of the Earl of Morton's friends who were
forbidden by the Council "to repair to His Hienes presence and
Court, or to the burgh of Edinburgh, or to ony uther place quhair
they sail understand His Majestie to be for the tyme quhill the said
triall (Morton's) be done." in 1581 the Captaincy of Blackness Castle was taken from him and handed over to Lord Robert Stewart, who soon
afterwards complained to the Council that Mains "hes maist
wranguslie and contempnandlie spiulyeit and away tuke furth of the
samin the great ime yett of the dungeoun of the said castell with
the hingand lok and slotis of the same and als the haill graith and
fumesing of the mylne of the said castell with the branders, rackis
and spetis pertening thereto." ' The Council ordered him to deliver
up the missing articles under pain of being treated as a rebel, but
as he did not do so, at a subsequent meeting he was denounced, and
finally, on the 3rd January, 1583-84, he was charged to remain within
Dumbartonshire till relieved, under pain of treason.
John
Cunninghame's fall began in July, 1578, when he was summoned to
Stirling to give in his accounts for the Earldom of Lennox to the King
and Council. He declined to do so personally, alleging "that he was
then vesiit with seiknes and forder that he durst not compeir
personalie for feir of his lyffe becaus he wes in that opinioun and
suspitioun that the principal keiparis of the castell of Strivling
wer his unfreindis." For this failure to appear he was denounced and
put to the hom. On the 27th July, 1580, he was deprived of the
Captaincy of Dumbarton Castle, and in 1583 he was "in ward in the castell of Sanct Andros," from which he was only relieved on
condition of repairing immediately to his own house of "Cragyveme,"
in Drymen parish, to remain there until freed, and of appearing
before the Council when required upon a fifteen days' notice.
In 1584, after the execution of the Earl of Gowrie, the chief of the
Ruthven Raid, and the flight to England of his associates, Angus,
Mar, and others, afterwards known as the " Banished Lords," Arran, who
was now complete master of the kingdom, determined to make a signal
example of some of their friends. On the information of Robert
Hamilton of Inchmauchan, who pretended he had discovered a plot
against the King, Sir James Edmonstone of Duntreath, John
Cunninghame of Easter Mugdock and Drumquhassle,and Malcolm Douglas
of Harlehame and Mains, were apprehended in their own houses,
brought prisoners to Edinburgh and tried for their lives.
Douglas
relationship and friendship to Morton, Arran's late rival, and Cunninghame's connection with him and also with the Raid of Ruthven, and no doubt also with the "
Banished Lords," marked them out as fitting
victims ; but why was Sir James Edmonstone arrested? He was a
relative of the all- powerful Arran. He had been but lately one of
the judges at the trial of the Earl of Gowrie, and he was a friend
of the King's dear friend and relative, Lennox — lately dead — and
had, in fact, been knighted the day he was made Duke.
The answer
furnishes the ugly part of the story, for it is but too evident that
Archbishop Spottiswoode wrote the truth when he said, "To make out
the accusation it was devised that Sir James Edmonstone of Duntreath,
who had lived in great familiarity with them (Douglas and
Cunninghame), should be charged with the said crime, and upon his
confession, to be pardoned, which, by the policy of the accuser, to
his own perpetual discredit, he was menaced to yield unto."
The accusation, which bore falsity on its very face, was that Hamilton
of Inchmauchan, Edmonstone's relative, Edmonstone himself, Douglas, and
Cunninghame were to intercept the King when hunting, convey
him to some stronghold within the " Illis of Lochlowmunt in the
Leuuenax " and there detain him till the " Banished Lords " could
come and take possession of his Royal person.
It was narrated how
the conspirators met " att the Kirk of Strablane and the Kirk of
Killerne, and at the hous and place of Mains" to arrange for their
treasonable attempt. Edmonstone, when put on trial, made no defence, confessed all, and threw himself upon the King's mercy ; Douglas
and Cunninghame indignantly denied the whole story, but were found
guilty and hanged the same day at the Cross of Edinburgh.(1)
Melville says of the former. " His death was als mikle lamented in
England as ever I hard Scotsman " ; ' and Calderwood ends his
account of the affair by saying, " Great lamentatioun was made for them speciallie for Maynes, sonne in
law to Drumquhassill. Drumquhassill dranke a bitter cuppe of his
owne brewing, for he was an earnest deeler for the bringing home of
Monsieur D'Aubigney."
All that can be said in exculpation of
Sir James Edmonstone for his share in this miserable transaction, is
that if he had not agreed to act as he did, no doubt Arran would
have taken his life. Indeed, when he made a clean breast of it the
same year, 7th November, 1585, after the fall of Arran, " he declairit upoun his conscience, and as he wald ansuer to God upoun the
Salvatioun and Condempnatioun of his saull " that his sole reason
for accusing the " Banished Lords " or " ony utheris," " wes onlie
for the saulftie of his lyff." ^
When Sir James Edmonstone
confessed and threw himself upon the King's mercy, he was put in
ward in Edinburgh Castle, but was soon afterwards pardoned (all as
doubtless arranged), and his estates restored to him. The lands
belonging to Malcolm Douglas both in Strathblane and Kilpatrick were
of course forfeited, but by some process were made over to his
brother-in-law, Cuthbert Cunninghame, Provost of the Collegiate
Church of Dumbarton, and thus preserved to the family. John
Cunninghame's lands were restored to his son by Act of Parliament in
1585. Thus ended this unfortunate affair, and even at this distant
day it is not difficult to picture the excitement and consternation
into which Strathblane must have been thrown when it was known that two
of the leading heritors had been hanged at the Cross of Edinburgh
and a third imprisoned in the Castle.
Notes:
1. Their sentence was, ' That the saidis Johnne Cunninghame of Drumquhassill and Malcolm Dowglas of Manis suld be tane to ane skaffauld
besyde the Mercat Croce of Edinburgh, and thair be hangit quhill thai
wer deid, and quarterit and drawin." — Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, vol.
i. part 11 p. 139.
2. Sir James
Edmonstone after his pardon and release returned to his public
duties, and his name often appears in the records of the day.
Sir James was by no means a credit to the family.
He
greatly injured the estate by mortgages, " wraikit his house and
leveing," and there is a very ugly story of his having come to
Duntreath when Mrs. Edmonstone, his daughter-in-law, was there alone,
and after being verie hairtUe and kyndlie ressaved " by her,
carrying off a large sum of money belonging to her husband, his son
William. The celebrated Sir George Mackenzie somewhere says that it is a sign of '
an
ancient and considerable kindred " to have had a criminal or two in
the family. Sir James certainly did his best to vindicate the
antiquity and consequence of the Edmonstones.
His neighbours
in Strathblane, Killeam, and Kilpatrick, however, were not apparently disposed to pardon him so easily, for on 4th July, 1590, there is
recorded a caution by William Grahame of PannoUis for Johnne Earl of
Montrois in £1,000, and for James Grahame in Culmannan, Thomas Craig
there, William Buchannane in Lether, and Johnne Buchannane in
Auchinneden in 200 merks each that they will not harm Sir James
Edmonstone of Duntreath ; and on the loth of the same month there is
another caution by David Dundas of Preistinche and others that
Claude, Commendator of Paisley, Claude Hammiltoun of Cochno, William
Stirling of Law and others will not harm Sir James Edmonstone of
Duntreath.
See also:
•
Douglas of Mains
•
Malcom
Douglas of Mains and Arlehaven
•
Arlehaven |
