Robert Drummond of Carnock
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Drummond of Carnock (died 1592) was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland
from 1579 to 1583. This was the responsibility for building and repair of palaces and castles. His appointment was made to be "as Sir James Hamilton of Finnart
had it."
, Stirlingshire
, neighbouring Broich, the home of William Schaw
. Carnock is to the east of Stirling.
Robert's first wife, Agnes (or Margaret), was a sister of Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange
. With Robert's permission, Agnes Kirkcaldy sold a tenement in Dysart called the "Slate House" in 1540. Agnes's sister Elizabeth married John Mowbray grandson of Robert Barton of Over Barnton
.
Some time after 1542, he married Marjorie Elphinstone, the sister of his neighbour Lord Elphinstone
.
He was the grandfather of the poet William Drummond of Hawthornden
. Robert's children included;
in 1570. He was knighted as a supporter of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
, in 1565, and had fought for Darnley's father, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
, against Regent Arran
at Glasgow Muir in 1544
. As an architect his significance lies in the inventory of repairs for royal palaces of May 1583 with its appreciation of the landscape around Stirling Castle
. His only certain works are repairs and alterations to roof and parapet at Doune Castle
and some repairs at Stirling.
Drummond's own house at Carnock was demolished in 1941. The armorial panel of 1548 with his coat of arms and that of Marjorie Elphinstone can be seen at Sissinghurst Castle Garden
, painted ceiling boards
and the front door of the house are displayed at Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery
. Midhope Castle
belonged to his brother Alexander.
His son Patrick Drummond of Monzie feuar of Carnock, was involved in the Ruthven Raid
, and his son-in-law Adam Erskine, Commendator of Cambuskenneth, was a leader of the Gowrie regime. These connections may have led to Robert's replacement as royal master of work by William Schaw
before November 1583, after the fall of the Gowrie Regime
. His inventory of repairs of May 1583 makes provision for Mary, Queen of Scots or the potential bride of James VI at Stirling Castle and demonstrates Drummond's involvement with the regime and perhaps, its cynical negotiation with Queen Elizabeth I for the conjoint 'associated rule' of Mary and James VI in the Spring of 1583. The fictional double portrait of Mary and James of 1583 was made for this negotiation.
Robert was witness at the christening in Stirling on 19 October 1589 of Mr William Drummond and Christine Brodie's daughter Janet.
who flourished at the court of James VI in the same years as Drummond wrote an epitaph to the architect:
In Scottish folklore, Drummond's second wife Marjorie Elphinstone has been identified as the subject of the story of the "Lady with the Ring
". After the death of his grandson in 1636, Carnock was sold to the Nicolson
family who became Barons of Carnock
.
Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland
The Master of Works to the Crown of Scotland was responsible for the construction, repair and maintenance of royal palaces, castles and other crown property in Scotland. The main buildings were; Holyroodhouse; Edinburgh Castle; Stirling Castle; Linlithgow Palace; and Falkland Palace. The position...
from 1579 to 1583. This was the responsibility for building and repair of palaces and castles. His appointment was made to be "as Sir 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....
had it."
Family
He was the eldest son of Alexander Drummond, of Carnock and Arnmore (Ermore), and Marjory Bruce of Auchinbowie. Arnmore is a location at KippenKippen
Kippen is a small village approximately west of the city of Stirling, Scotland. It lies between the Gargunnock and Fintry hills and overlooks the strath of the River Forth. The name is believed to come from Scottish Gaelic, ceapan, meaning "place of the little stump", "outcrop" or "block". The...
, Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
, neighbouring Broich, the home of William Schaw
William Schaw
William Schaw was Master of Works to James VI of Scotland, and is claimed to have been an important figure in the development of freemasonry.-Biography:...
. Carnock is to the east of Stirling.
Robert's first wife, Agnes (or Margaret), was a sister of Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange
William Kirkcaldy of Grange
Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange , Scottish politician and general, was the eldest son of Sir James Kirkcaldy of Grange , a member of an old Fife family...
. With Robert's permission, Agnes Kirkcaldy sold a tenement in Dysart called the "Slate House" in 1540. Agnes's sister Elizabeth married John Mowbray grandson of Robert Barton of Over Barnton
Robert Barton of Over Barnton
Robert Barton of Over Barnton was a Scottish sailor and Lord High Treasurer to James V of Scotland.-Sailor and shipowner:Robert Barton was a son of John Barton the sailor. He took Perkin Warbeck away from Scotland in the Cuckoo in July 1497...
.
Some time after 1542, he married Marjorie Elphinstone, the sister of his neighbour Lord Elphinstone
Lord Elphinstone
Lord Elphinstone, of Elphinstone in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1510 for Alexander Elphinstone who was killed at the Battle of Flodden three years later. He was succeeded by his son, the second Lord, killed at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547....
.
He was the grandfather of the poet William Drummond of Hawthornden
William Drummond of Hawthornden
William Drummond , called "of Hawthornden", was a Scottish poet.-Life:Drummond was born at Hawthornden Castle, Midlothian. His father, John Drummond, was the first laird of Hawthornden; and his mother was Susannah Fowler, sister of William Fowler, poet and courtier...
. Robert's children included;
- Margaret Drummond, daughter of Agnes Kirkcaldy, married Alexander Erskine, Commendator of Cambuskenneth, her daughter Annabella married Sir John Buchanan of that Ilk.
- Patrick Drummond of Monzie, feuar of Carnock, royal master stabler, married Margaret Scott heiress of Monzie.
- John Drummond of Slipperfield and Hawthornden, royal usher, married Susanna Fowler, father of the poet
- William Drummond, a student at St Andrews with disputed appointment as Canon of Alloway in 1571
- Edward Drummond, son of Marjorie Elphinstone
- Agnes Drummond, married James Lockhart, younger of Lee
Activities
"Dominus Drummond", as he is referred to in the annals of Dunfermline, is said to have been responsible for the repairs to Dunfermline AbbeyDunfermline Abbey
Dunfermline Abbey is as a Church of Scotland Parish Church located in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. In 2002 the congregation had 806 members. The minister is the Reverend Alastair Jessamine...
in 1570. He was knighted as a supporter of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany , styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland and murdered at Kirk o'Field...
, in 1565, and had fought for Darnley's father, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox was the 4th Earl of Lennox, and leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox. His grandson was James VI of Scotland....
, against Regent Arran
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault and 2nd Earl of Arran was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:He was the eldest legitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran....
at Glasgow Muir in 1544
Battle of Glasgow (1544)
The Battle of Glasgow was fought on 16 March 1544, between Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox and the Scottish Regent James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, and their adherents, during the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots.-Prelude:...
. As an architect his significance lies in the inventory of repairs for royal palaces of May 1583 with its appreciation of the landscape around Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
. His only certain works are repairs and alterations to roof and parapet at Doune Castle
Doune Castle
Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling district of central Scotland. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith. It lies north-west of Stirling, where the Teith flows into the River Forth...
and some repairs at Stirling.
Drummond's own house at Carnock was demolished in 1941. The armorial panel of 1548 with his coat of arms and that of Marjorie Elphinstone can be seen at Sissinghurst Castle Garden
Sissinghurst Castle Garden
The garden at Sissinghurst Castle in the Weald of Kent, near Cranbrook, Goudhurst and Tenterden, is owned and maintained by the National Trust. It is among the most famous gardens in England.-History:...
, painted ceiling boards
Scottish Renaissance painted ceilings
A number of Scottish houses and castles built between 1540 and 1640 have painted ceilings. This is a distinctive national style, though there is common ground with similar work elsewhere, especially in France, Spain and Scandinavia. Most surviving examples are painted simply on the boards and...
and the front door of the house are displayed at Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery
Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery
Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum is an institution based in Stirling, Central Scotland, dedicated to the promotion of cultural and historical heritage and the arts, from a local scale to nationally and beyond. It is also known locally by its original name of "The Smith Institute"...
. Midhope Castle
Midhope Castle
Midhope Castle is a 16th century tower house in Scotland. It is situated in the hamlet of Abercorn on the Hopetoun estate, About to the west of South Queensferry, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It is located at ....
belonged to his brother Alexander.
His son Patrick Drummond of Monzie feuar of Carnock, was involved in the Ruthven Raid
Raid of Ruthven
The Raid of Ruthven was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 22 August 1582. It was composed of several Presbyterian nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who abducted King James VI of Scotland. He was seized while staying at the castle of Ruthven , and kept under...
, and his son-in-law Adam Erskine, Commendator of Cambuskenneth, was a leader of the Gowrie regime. These connections may have led to Robert's replacement as royal master of work by William Schaw
William Schaw
William Schaw was Master of Works to James VI of Scotland, and is claimed to have been an important figure in the development of freemasonry.-Biography:...
before November 1583, after the fall of the Gowrie Regime
Raid of Ruthven
The Raid of Ruthven was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 22 August 1582. It was composed of several Presbyterian nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who abducted King James VI of Scotland. He was seized while staying at the castle of Ruthven , and kept under...
. His inventory of repairs of May 1583 makes provision for Mary, Queen of Scots or the potential bride of James VI at Stirling Castle and demonstrates Drummond's involvement with the regime and perhaps, its cynical negotiation with Queen Elizabeth I for the conjoint 'associated rule' of Mary and James VI in the Spring of 1583. The fictional double portrait of Mary and James of 1583 was made for this negotiation.
Robert was witness at the christening in Stirling on 19 October 1589 of Mr William Drummond and Christine Brodie's daughter Janet.
Epitaph
The poet Alexander MontgomerieAlexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie , Scottish Jacobean courtier and poet, or makar, born in Ayrshire. He was one of the principal members of the Castalian Band, a circle of poets in the court of James VI in the 1580s which included the king himself. Montgomerie was for a time in favour as one of the king's...
who flourished at the court of James VI in the same years as Drummond wrote an epitaph to the architect:
- All buildings brave bid DRUMMOND nou adeu;
- Quhais lyf furthsheu he lude thame by the lave.
- Quhair sall we craiv sik policle to haiv?
- Quha with him straiv to polish, build or plante?
- These giftis, grant, God lent him by the laiv
-
- All buildings brave bid Drummond now adieu,
- Whose life demonstrated he loved them more than any other.
- Where now shall we seek building and estate improvement?
- Who with him strive to adorn, build or plant?
- These gifts, I grant, God lent him more than any other.
In Scottish folklore, Drummond's second wife Marjorie Elphinstone has been identified as the subject of the story of the "Lady with the Ring
Lady with the Ring
The "Lady with the Ring" is a story about premature burial from European folklore. Versions of the story were popular throughout Europe in the 14th through the 19th centuries.- Central features :...
". After the death of his grandson in 1636, Carnock was sold to the Nicolson
Clan Nicolson
Clan Nicolson is a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan claims descent from an Edinburgh lawyer who lived in the 16th century and from a disinguished line of Aberdeen merchants who preceded him. During the mid-1980s David Nicolson, 4th Baron Carnock was recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms as the...
family who became Barons of Carnock
Baron Carnock
Baron Carnock, of Carnock in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1916 for the former Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign Office, Sir Arthur Nicolson, 11th Baronet....
.