James Colville, 1st Lord Colville of Culross

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James Colville, 1st Lord Colville of Culross (1551–1629) was a Scottish soldier, courtier, and diplomat.

Life

James Colville was the son of James Colville of East Wemyss (d. 1562) and Janet Douglas, a daughter of Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine.[1]

Before becoming Lord Colville, he was known as the "Laird of East Wemyss", and often simply as the "Laird of Wemyss".

He was a distinguished soldier who fought in

Ruthven raid, on 22 August of that year.[2]

Colville owned a ship, the Good Company which was robbed by pirates at

Scots was thrown in the sea.[3] Colville was at that time ambassador in London with Colonel William Stewart. He sent his goods and purchases back to Scotland in a ship from Prestonpans which was also robbed by pirates.[4]

Colville was sent to London and Navarre in March 1589. He was to discuss with Queen Elizabeth the rights of James VI to lands owned by his grandmother

Catherine de Bourbon, sister of Henry of Navarre. The English ambassador in Scotland, William Asheby wrote to William Cecil that Colville was "right well affected towards her majesty, and a furtherer of all good courses betwixt these two crowns".[5]

James VI rewarded him for his service, especially as a diplomat abroad in religious causes, with the lands and Abbey of Culross in June 1592.[6]

In April 1594, with

Scots for their expenses.[9] Colville was to continue to France, and invite Henry IV to send a representative to the christening, investigate the debts and revenues of Mary, Queen of Scots, and if necessary help to bring peace in France with James's cousins, the Dukes of Guise and Mayenne.[10]

Anthony Bacon, a follower of the Earl of Essex, wrote that Colville came to see Elizabeth again in January 1595 and she was critical of his mission to France. After his audience he came out of the queen's privy chamber and asked the Lord Chamberlain, Henry Carey, if he could now see Sir Robert Cecil. He was told that Cecil had been in the privy chamber with him. Sir George Carey joked that Colville had missed him because he was so little, so short. Colville told Bacon that he laughed at this.[11]

After

James VI of Scotland came to the English throne in 1603, Colville was one of James's main supporters in the Jacobean debate on the Union.[12]

Family

His first marriage was in 1570 to Isabel Ruthven, daughter of Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven, with whom he had five children. His eldest son, Robert, Master of Colville (d. 1614) married Christian Colville, a daughter of George Bruce of Carnock. A daughter Jean married James Campbell of Lawers in 1595.[13]

In 1599 he remarried Helen Schaw, niece of William Schaw, an event which caused a feud with Francis Mowbray, brother of Helen's dead husband, Robert Mowbray. They had a further child together.

Calvin's case, the leading legal test of the status of citizenship after the 1603 union of the crowns of England and Scotland, was at least notionally concerned with the legal rights of Colville's young grandson James.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ James Balfour Paul,Scots Peerage. vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1905), pp. 553–557.
  2. ^ Anderson 1863, Colville of Culross.
  3. ^ William Boyd, Calendar of State Papers Scotland: 1574-1581, vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 486.
  4. ^ William Boyd, Calendar of State Papers Scotland: 1574-1581, vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1907), pp. 513–4.
  5. ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1589-1593, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 9–10, 13.
  6. ^ Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, vol. 5, pp. 575–576 no. 1675.
  7. ^ Thomas Birch, Memorials of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, vol. 1 (London, 1754), pp. 175–7.
  8. ^ Annie I. Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1593-1595, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 312–4.
  9. ^ Miles Kerr-Peterson & Michael Pearce, 'James VI's English Subsidy and Danish Dowry Accounts, 1588-1596', Scottish History Society Miscellany XVI (Woodbridge, 2020), p. 79
  10. ^ Annie I. Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1593-1595, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 314–5.
  11. ^ Janet Dickinson, Court Politics and the Earl of Essex, 1589-1601 (Routledge, 2016), p. 103: HMC Salisbury, vol. 5 (London, 1894), pp. 97–8.
  12. ^ a b Williamson 2008.
  13. ^ Lundy 2011, p. 6945 § 6944 cites Mosley 1999, p. 174 Mosley 2003, p. 865

References

  • Anderson, William (1863), "Coville of Culross", The Scottish Nation: or the Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours and Biographical History of The People of Scotland, vol. 1
  • Lundy, Darryl (17 February 2011), Sir James Colville, 1st Lord Colville of Culross, p. 6945 § 6944, retrieved 23 March 2017
    • Mosley, Charles, ed. (1999), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, vol. 1 (2 volumes, 106th ed.), Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books), p. 174
    • Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, vol. 1 (3 volumes, 107th ed.), Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books), p. 865
  • Williamson, Arthur H. (January 2008) [2004]. "Colville, James". required.)
Peerage of Scotland
New creation Lord Colville of Culross
1604–1629
Succeeded by
James Colville