George Seton, 7th Lord Seton
7th Lord Seton George Seton | |
---|---|
Ambassador to France | |
In office December 1583 – July 1585 | |
Provost of Edinburgh | |
In office 1557–1561 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1531 |
Died | 1586 France, Seton Collegiate Church (buried in Scotland) |
Spouse | Isobel Hamilton |
Children | 6, including Robert |
George Seton V, 7th
Political career
Edinburgh and the Reformation
George Seton was Provost of Edinburgh in 1557, and from time to time would send his carpenter, Robert Fendour or Fender, to the Burgh Council as his representative. In February 1558, George Seton was one of eight commissioners sent to Henry II of France to negotiate the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Dauphin.[1] On 29 November 1558, the Parliament of Scotland acknowledged that Seton and the others had fulfilled their commission. In February 1559, the town council gave him funds to prepare a banquet for Mary of Guise on their behalf.[2]
However, Seton and the burgh council began to encounter difficulties, due only in part to the
During the Siege of Leith in 1560, Seton fought for Mary of Guise against the Scottish Protestants and the English army. On 24 April he attacked the English camp at Restalrig. He was seized by an English cavalryman who broke his sword and staff, but was rescued by French musketeers.[5] After the treaty of Edinburgh concluded the fighting, Seton sailed to France with the evacuees aboard the Mynyon.[6]
In Paris in October 1560, he secretly met the English ambassador,
Mary in Scotland
During the personal reign of Mary in Scotland George had a loyal inscription set in large carved letters and gilded above the entrance to Seton Palace;
"UN DIEU, UN FOY, UN ROY, UN LOY"
One God for all time: One loyalty to the monarch.[9]
Lord Seton had dies made by the Edinburgh goldsmith Michael Gilbert to strike gold and silver medals with the same motto, and a monogram with his initials and those of his wife, Isobel Hamilton, "GS-IH," with another motto "Nemo Potest Duobus Dominus Servire," from Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters."[10]
Mary was unsuccessful in proposing Seton as Provost of Edinburgh again in October 1561. Next year she made a better choice by backing Archibald Douglas (II) of Kilspindie, now associated with the success of the Reformation.[11]
In March 1565, Seton fought a duel with Francis Douglas who was badly injured. The Earl of Morton and the Laird of Lethington tried to take legal action so Seton went to France.
The French ambassador, Jean, Count de Brienne, arrived in Edinburgh on 2 November 1566 and was lodged in Henry Kinloch's house in the Canongate near Holyrood Palace. He went to Stirling Castle for the baptism of Prince James on 12 December, escorted by Lord Seton.[15]
Days after the death of Lord Darnley, on 17 February 1567, Mary had a blue costume for her fool called George Steven delivered to her at Seton Palace, in April she was there with her council.[16] With other supporters of Mary's marriage to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell Seton signed the Ainslie Tavern Bond on 19 April 1567.
Mary's marriage to Bothwell and continued rule in Scotland was opposed by the Confederate Lords. She stayed at Seton Palace before her capture nearby at the battle of Carberry Hill. She was then imprisoned at Lochleven Castle. She escaped to Seton's castle at Niddry but her supporters were defeated again at the battle of Langside. Seton was taken prisoner and early reports thought him killed. The son of Lord Ochiltree, John Knox's brother-in-law, would have killed him in revenge for his father's injury, but he yielded and was saved by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray.[17]
Queen Mary went into England, where her companion, Seton's half-sister
Supporter of the exiled queen
Three Scottish supporters of Mary, the
In January 1572, Seton was in the
An Italian called Battista di Trento wrote a long letter to Elizabeth I of England in 1577, which alleged to reveal a plot some years earlier involving Seton and his sons, including Alexander, then a student in Rome. As part of the
In May 1579, during the suppression of the
Ambassador in France, 1583
After the collapse of the
When he was selected for this embassy in September 1583, Seton wrote to Queen Mary from Seton Palace to explain his mission. He said he was to continue the league and amity with France, follow the advice of the Duke of Guise, and complete the treaty with her and her son (a plan for her return to Scotland in joint rule known as the "association"). Seton wrote that Mary's service was his principal motive. He explained that the poverty of King James was "so great that he could not carry out the least part of his plans". Seton had to pay for the voyage himself. He also mentioned that the English envoy Francis Walsingham had left Scotland on 15 (or 25) September 1583, and had a very poor reception and entertainment in Scotland.[31] Seton was funded in part by the town of Edinburgh, who gave him a commercial mandate and contributed 2000 marks to hiring of Andrew Lamb's ship.[32]
The Scottish embassy was keenly observed by the English diplomat, Sir Edward Stafford. Stafford noted Seton's audience with the French king in February 1584, supported by the Dukes of Guise and Joyeuse. Stafford said that Seton was lavish in his entertainment and display of silver plate, which resulted in a suspicion that he was funded by Spain. He thought that Seton's mission concerned a marriage for James VI to the Princess of Lorraine. By May 1584, Seton had run out of money and pawned his silver plate and the guns of the ship at Dieppe. Seton asked Stafford about the rebel leaders of the Raid of Ruthven who had fled into England, and Stafford wrote to Francis Walsingham that Seton was foolish in this conversation.[33]
On 21 June 1584, Stafford remarked in another letter that Seton's phrases echoed those of Mary, Queen of Scots, and it was clear the two maintained frequent communication.[34] James VI wrote to Mary in July, encouraged by her envoy Fontenay, anticipating Seton's return.[35] After Seton's return to Scotland, de Maineville wrote to James VI in November 1584 that Seton had been earnest in this embassy (to reconcile Mary and James VI), but the time was not right. Primarily, France was anxious to maintain good relations with England.[36]
Death and epitaph
Seton remained in France till July 1585 or later. The
Family
He married Isobel Hamilton (died 1604), daughter of Sir William Hamilton of Sanquhar, Captain of Edinburgh Castle in August 1550.[40] The wedding was celebrated with a feast at Edinburgh Castle.[41] According to Richard Maitland, Hamilton of Sanquhar organised some of the rebuilding of Seton Palace, which had been damaged by the English army that burnt Edinburgh in May 1544.[42]
The children of Lord Seton and Isobel Hamilton included;
- George, Master of Seton, (died 1562)
- Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton
- Sir John Seton of Barnes, attendant to the Earl of Leicester in 1575,[43] Master Carver to Philip II of Spain and Master of Horse to James VI.
- Lord Fyvie, and Prior of Pluscarden
- William Seton of Kylesmure, who married Janet Dunbar
- Margaret Seton, who married Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley, on 1 August 1574 at Niddry Castle with "great triumphs."[44]
Isobel Hamilton was invited to wait on Anne of Denmark at her coronation in May 1590.[45] According to a Spanish diplomatic report, in 1592 Anne of Denmark told several ladies at court, including Isobel Hamilton, Lady Seton, that she was a Catholic and prayed with a rosary.[46] In December 1596 Lady Seton was said to be a great favourite of Anne of Denmark.[47]
Lord Seton's painter
An anonymous portrait of Lord Seton was kept by the family of
The 18th century heraldic writer Alexander Nisbet described some of his additions to the interior of Seton Palace. Above the fireplace in the Great Hall were carved his coat of arms quartered with the Earl of Buchan encircled with a collar which Nisbet claimed to represent the Order of the Thistle. The ceiling of another room, called Samson's Hall, incorporated 28 armorial achievements of families of France, Scotland and Lorraine, "curiously embossed and illuminated."[50] Viscount Kingston mentions seeing a mural painting on the end wall of the Long Gallery at Seton Palace, which he believed showed Lord Seton driving a wagon during his years of exile in France following the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots.[51]
References
- ^ Ritchie, Pamela, Mary of Guise (Tuckwell: East Linton, 2002), pp. 190-1.
- ^ Extracts from the records of the Burgh of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, 1875), 3 Feb. 1559, 22 April 1559.
- ^ Knox, John, The History of the Reformation, bk. 2: Laing, David, ed., 'John Knox's 'History of the Reformation', Books 1 & 2,' The Works of John Knox, vol. 1 (Bannatyne Club, Edinburgh, 1846), pp. 362-3, 389-391.
- ^ Lynch, Michael, Edinburgh and the Reformation (John Donald, Edinburgh, 1981), pp. 75-81, Lynch argues that the council's problems were largely unrelated to Reformation pressures.
- ^ Calendar of State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 377, no. 748.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, p. 1898), 455.
- ^ Philip Yorke, Miscellaneous State Papers, vol. 1 (London, 1778), pp. 151-2.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Foreign, Elizabeth: 1560-1561, vol. 3 (London, 1865), p. 368 no. 665, para. 5; pp. 409-10 no. 737; p. 411 no. 740.
- ^ Maitland, (1829), 57-8.
- ^ John Hill Burton, Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. 227-8: Seton Medal, British Museum
- ^ Lynch, Michael, Edinburgh and the Reformation (John Donald, Edinburgh, 1981), pp. 98, 103.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 136 no. 157.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 181 no. 208.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), pp. 214, 220-1, 247.
- ^ A Diurnal of Remarkable Occurrents in Scotland (Bannatyne Club, 1833), pp. 102-3.
- ^ Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1970), pp. 42, 52, 398.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), pp. 405-7 nos. 653-655.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), pp. 515, 525.
- ^ Maitland, The History of the House of Seytoun (1829), p. 56: Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 650 no. 1068.
- ^ National Galleries of Scotland. "George, 5th Lord Seton and his Family". Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ Cameron, Annie I., The Warrender Papers, vol. 1 (SHS, 1931), pp. 98-9: CSP Scotland, vol. 3, no. 408.
- ^ HMC Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield House, vol. 1 (London, 1883), p. 483 nos. 1517-1518.
- ^ Historie and Life of James the Sext, Bannatyne Club (1825), 61-63: See also HMC Salisbury, vol. 1 (1883), 324 no. 1070, a Flemish receipt to Seton for the exchange of 10,000 crowns each of 40 stuivers, of uncertain date, calendared as (?1565).
- ^ Accounts of the Lord Treasurer of Scotland, vol. 12 (1970), 216.
- ^ HMC Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield, vol. 2 (London, 1888), xlviii, 4 no. 8, 7 no. 16, 39 no. 103.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1905), p. 297.
- ^ HMC, Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield, vol. 2 (1888), v-vi, 165-170 no. 491, (p. 168-9) Italian.
- ^ HMC, Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield, vol. 2 (1888), pp. 256-7 no. 732, Occurrents out of Scotland, 14 May 1579.
- ^ Hewitt, George, Scotland under Morton( John Donald, Edinburgh, 1982), p. 202.
- ^ Stevenson, David, The Origins of Freemasonry (CUP, 1988), pp. 28-9, 94: Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 6, (London, 1910), pp. 649, 652; vol. 7, p. 4.
- ^ Clifford, Arthur, ed., Sadler State Papers, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1809), p. 374, no. XVII: Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 6 (London, 1910), pp. 614-5 no. 642.
- ^ Extracts from the Burgh Records of Edinburgh: 1573-1589 (Edinburgh, 1882), pp. 312, 316, 318-20,
- ^ HMC Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield, vol. 3 (London, 1889), pp. 22-32.
- ^ Murdin, Cecil State Papers (London, 1759), p. 409.
- ^ HMC Salisbury Hatfield, 3 (London, 1889), pp. 46-7: Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 7 (Edinburgh, 1913), pp. 233-4 no. 216: TNA SP SP 53/13 f.107: Steven J. Reid, The Early Life of James VI: A Long Apprenticeship, 1566–1585 (John Donald, 2023), pl. 9.
- ^ Annie Cameron, The Warrender Papers, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1931), pp. 167-169: See also, Mackie, J. D., 'Scotland and the Spanish Armada,' Scottish Historical Review, vol. XII, no. 45 (October 1914), pp. 1-23.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 7 (Edinburgh, 1913), pp. 235, 533, 547, 562.
- ^ Extracts from the Burgh Records of Edinburgh, 1573-1589, (1882), 463-4.
- ^ Grose, Francis, The Antiquities of Scotland, vol. 2 (1789), 66: "Alexander Setonus Fermelinoduni Comes Fieri Fecit."
- ^ Paul 1911, p. 588: "George, 5th Lord Seton married (contract dated 2 August 1550) Isabell, daughter of Sir William Hamilton of Sanquhar, one of the Lords of Council."
- ^ Michael Pearce, 'A French Furniture Maker and the 'Courtly Style' in Sixteenth-Century Scotland', Regional Furniture, vol. 32 (2018), pp. 131-2.
- ^ Richard Maitland & Viscount Kingston, History of the House of Seytoun (Glasgow, 1829), pp. 37, 39, 42-45.
- ^ CSP Scotland, vol.5 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 120.
- ^ Thomas Thomson, A diurnal of remarkable occurrents that have passed within Scotland (Edinburgh, 1833), p. 341
- ^ Maureen Meikle, 'Anna of Denmark's Coronation and Entry', Julian Goodare & Alasdair A. MacDonald, Sixteenth-Century Scotland (Brill, 2008), p. 284.
- ^ HMC Calendar of the papers of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield, vol. 6 (London, 1895), p. 540.
- ^ Maitland, (1829), 58.
- ^ Thomson, Duncan, Painting in Scotland, 1570-1650 (Edinburgh, 1975), pp. 31-3.
- ^ Nisbet, Alexander, A System of Heraldry, vol. 1 (reprint, 1984), 'Of Celestial Figures etc.,' p. 234.
- ^ Maitland, (1829), p. 58.
- Paul, James Balfour (1911), The Scots Peerage, vol. 8, Edinburgh: David Douglas – Sumerville to Winton
- Maitland, Richard and Seton, Alexander, The History of the House of Seytoun to 1559 by Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington continued by Alexnder Viscount Kingston, Maitland Club (1829)
- Murdin, William, ed., Collection of State papers relating to affaires in the reign of queen Elizabeth from 1571 to 1596, London (1759)
External links
- Portrait of Lord Seton and family, 1572 by National Gallery of Scotland.
- Portrait of Lord Seton as Master of Mary's Household, c. 1572, attributed to Adrian Vanson, National Gallery of Scotland.
- Epitaph of Lord Seton at Seton Collegiate Church, translated, website The Setons of Scotland.