Hugh Somerville, 5th Lord Somerville
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Hugh Somerville, 5th Lord Somerville
(c. 1484 – 1549) was a lord of the Parliament of Scotland
. He is sometimes reckoned to be the 4th Lord Somerville. He succeeded his brother, John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville
. Hugh and John were sons of William Somerville, Master of Somerville, and Marjory Montgomerie.
.' Hugh, Lord Somerville, benefitted from John's loss. When Red-bag gained the upper hand in his legal struggle against him in 1528, Hugh asked James Hamilton of Finnart
to be his backer.
In April 1536, Hugh's son James married Agnes the daughter of James Hamilton of Finnart at Craignethan Castle
. Later, Hugh sat on the assize that condemned Hamilton of Finnart to death for treason on 16 August 1540. By Finnart's death he gained the bailiary of Carstairs
.
in 1542, and released in 1543. Henry VIII of England
gave several of the Scottish prisoners presents of money on 28 January 1543; Somerville got £200. The English soldiers who had captured him, Richard Greme and John Briscoe of Caston, took their dispute over ransom money to the Privy Council
which asked the Duke of Suffolk
to arbitrate.
On his return to Scotland, Hugh became involved in a factional struggle against the Governor of Scotland, Regent Arran, and was associated with the Earl of Angus
. On 1 November 1543, Hugh was imprisoned with Lord Maxwell
in Edinburgh Castle
. The Abbot of Paisley
had kept the pair talking on the Royal Mile
while waiting for a serjeant to arrest them in the name of Mary, Queen of Scots and the Regent. Somerville was then taken to Blackness Castle
. The English diplomat Ralph Sadler
thought they had been foolish to come to Edinburgh where their enemies the Regent and Cardinal Beaton
had full control.
Hugh's last letter of 21 March 1549 explains his position. He, and other Scottish lords captured at Solway Moss in 1542, had undertaken to promote the marriage of Mary to Edward VI of England
. In November 1543, he was planning to go to England with counsel for the marriage when Regent Arran captured him in Edinburgh. Hugh was writing in 1549 to Thomas Wharton
for the return of his son James for 20 days, who was then a hostage in England in his father's place.
On 21 October 1545, Hugh's second son John wrote to the Queen Dowager, Mary of Guise
from Cowthally Castle
. He said that Hugh, the Earl of Angus, and George Douglas and all their friends and favourers would resist the potential marriage of Regent Arran's son, James Hamilton
to Queen Mary, despite rewards promised by the Hamiltons. He asked for her opinion which was sent to Cowthally and received by the Somerville's ally James Douglas of Drumlanrig
.
The principal residence of Lord Somerville was Cowthally Castle
which Hugh rebuilt in style after gaining possession in 1524. Hugh Somerville died in 1549. He was buried in the Somerville aisle at Carnwath
Church.
Lord Somerville
Lord Somerville was a title in the Peerage of Scotland which is subject to a number of ambiguities. The date of creation is not known with certainty but it was probably created about 1435 for Thomas Somerville, Justiciar of Scotland...
(c. 1484 – 1549) was a lord of the Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
. He is sometimes reckoned to be the 4th Lord Somerville. He succeeded his brother, John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville
John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville
John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville, , was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland. John was the eldest son of William Somerville, Master of Somerville, who was the son of John Somerville, 3rd Lord Somerville and Marjory Montgomerie...
. Hugh and John were sons of William Somerville, Master of Somerville, and Marjory Montgomerie.
Hugh and Sir James Hamilton of Finnart
Hugh Somerville was in dispute with his uncle Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan (known as Red-bag). John Somerville had forfeited his lands for his part in the fight in Edinburgh called 'Cleanse the CausewayCleanse the Causeway
The skirmish known as Cleanse the Causeway, or Clear the Causeway, took place in the High Street of Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 30, 1520, between rivals James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran, chief of Clan Hamilton, and Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, chief of Clan Douglas.The skirmish was the...
.' Hugh, Lord Somerville, benefitted from John's loss. When Red-bag gained the upper hand in his legal struggle against him in 1528, Hugh asked James Hamilton of Finnart
James Hamilton of Finnart
Sir James Hamilton of Finnart was a Scottish nobleman and architect, the illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran, and Mary Boyd of Bonshaw....
to be his backer.
In April 1536, Hugh's son James married Agnes the daughter of James Hamilton of Finnart at Craignethan Castle
Craignethan Castle
Craignethan Castle is a ruined castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located above the River Nethan, a tributary of the River Clyde, at . The castle is two miles west of the village of Crossford, and 4.5 miles north-west of Lanark...
. Later, Hugh sat on the assize that condemned Hamilton of Finnart to death for treason on 16 August 1540. By Finnart's death he gained the bailiary of Carstairs
Carstairs
The name Carstairs refers to a pair of villages located some 4–5 miles east of the town of Lanark in the administrative region of South Lanarkshire in southern Scotland....
.
Hugh and Regent Arran
Hugh was captured by the English at the battle of Solway MossBattle of Solway Moss
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border in November 1542 between forces from England and Scotland.-Background:...
in 1542, and released in 1543. Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
gave several of the Scottish prisoners presents of money on 28 January 1543; Somerville got £200. The English soldiers who had captured him, Richard Greme and John Briscoe of Caston, took their dispute over ransom money to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
which asked the Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
to arbitrate.
On his return to Scotland, Hugh became involved in a factional struggle against the Governor of Scotland, Regent Arran, and was associated with the Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots...
. On 1 November 1543, Hugh was imprisoned with Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell , A member of the council of Regency of the Kingdom of Scotland. Regent of the Isle of Arran and like his father before head of the clan Maxwell. A distinguished Scottish nobleman, politician, soldier and in 1513 Lord High Admiral...
in Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
. The Abbot of Paisley
John Hamilton (archbishop)
The Most Rev. Dr. John Hamilton , Scottish prelate and politician, was an illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran....
had kept the pair talking on the Royal Mile
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
while waiting for a serjeant to arrest them in the name of Mary, Queen of Scots and the Regent. Somerville was then taken to Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle is a 15th century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s. At this time, Blackness was the main port serving the Royal Burgh of...
. The English diplomat Ralph Sadler
Ralph Sadler
Sir Ralph Sadler, PC, Knight banneret was an English statesman of the 16th century, and served as a Secretary of State for King Henry VIII.-Background:...
thought they had been foolish to come to Edinburgh where their enemies the Regent and Cardinal Beaton
David Beaton
The Most Rev. Dr. David Cardinal Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish Cardinal prior to the Reformation.-Career:...
had full control.
Hugh's last letter of 21 March 1549 explains his position. He, and other Scottish lords captured at Solway Moss in 1542, had undertaken to promote the marriage of Mary to Edward VI of England
Prince Edward
-People:* Edward, the Black Prince , eldest son of King Edward III and father of King Richard II* Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales , son of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou...
. In November 1543, he was planning to go to England with counsel for the marriage when Regent Arran captured him in Edinburgh. Hugh was writing in 1549 to Thomas Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton was an English nobleman and a follower of King Henry VIII of England. He is best known for his victory at Solway Moss on 24 November 1542 for which he was given a barony.-Early life:...
for the return of his son James for 20 days, who was then a hostage in England in his father's place.
On 21 October 1545, Hugh's second son John wrote to the Queen Dowager, Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
from Cowthally Castle
Cowthally Castle
Cowthally Castle, also known as Couthalley, is a ruined L-plan castle near Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland. The remains are protected as a scheduled monument....
. He said that Hugh, the Earl of Angus, and George Douglas and all their friends and favourers would resist the potential marriage of Regent Arran's son, James Hamilton
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who fought against French troops during the Scottish Reformation....
to Queen Mary, despite rewards promised by the Hamiltons. He asked for her opinion which was sent to Cowthally and received by the Somerville's ally James Douglas of Drumlanrig
Drumlanrig
Drumlanrig is a settlement in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which is best known for nearby Drumlanrig Castle.-External links:***...
.
Family
Hugh married Jonet Maitland in 1516. Their children included;- Agnes Somerville, who was betrothed to John Tweedie younger of DrumelzierDrumelzierDrumelzier , is a village on the B712 in the Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders.The area of the village is extensive and includes the settlements of Wrae, Stanhope, Mossfennan and Kingledoors. To the north is Broughton and to the south the road passes Crook Inn to Tweedsmuir.The Drumelzier or...
in 1533 - Elizabeth Somerville
- James Somerville, 6th Lord SomervilleJames Somerville, 6th Lord SomervilleJames Somerville, 6th Lord Somerville, was a Lord of the Parliament of ScotlandJames was the son of Hugh Somerville, 5th Lord Somerville and Jonet Maitland...
- John Somerville
- Hugh Somerville
- Michael Somerville
- William Somerville
The principal residence of Lord Somerville was Cowthally Castle
Ampherlaw House
Ampherlaw House is a manor house in Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the village of Carnwath and one of the former possessions of the Somerville family...
which Hugh rebuilt in style after gaining possession in 1524. Hugh Somerville died in 1549. He was buried in the Somerville aisle at Carnwath
Carnwath
Carnwath is a moorland village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow...
Church.
Sources
- Cameron, Jamie, James V, Tuckwell (1998)
- Dickinson, William Croft, ed., Court Book of the Barony of Carnwath, 1513-1542, Scottish History Society (1937)
- Gairdner & Brodie, ed., Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic of Henry VIII, vol. 18 part 2 (1902)
- Paul & Thomson, ed., Register of the Great Seal, 1513-1546, HM General Register House, Edinburgh (1883)
- McKean, Charles, The Scottish Chateau, Sutton (2001)
- Scott, WalterWalter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
, ed., The Memorie of the Somervilles by James, 11th Lord Somerville, vol. 1, Ballantyne, Edinburgh (1815) - Scott, Walter, ed., The Memorie of the Somervilles by James, 11th Lord Somerville, vol. 2, Ballantyne, Edinburgh (1815)