George Seton, 7th Lord Seton
Encyclopedia
George Seton V, 7th Lord Seton (1531-1586) was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland
, Master of the Household of Mary, Queen of Scots and Provost of Edinburgh. He was the eldest son of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton
and Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of John Hay, 3rd Lord Hay of Yester. His childhood and schooling were in France.
to negotiate the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Dauphin
. On 29 November 1558, the Parliament of Scotland
granted 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.
However, Seton and the burgh council began to encounter difficulties, due only in part to the Scottish Reformation
. Then, after rioting in Perth
, Edinburgh was occupied by the Protestant Lords of the Congregation
in June 1559. Seton tried unsuccessfully to protect the Blackfriars and Greyfriars
monasteries. The Protestant Lords left Edinburgh in July, but made an agreement with Guise
permitting freedom of conscience in religion. Seton, the Earl of Huntly and Châtellerault were asked to meet the people of Edinburgh to discuss the restoration of Mass
in St Giles. According to John Knox
, they met with refusal and the people would not allow the Mass in any other church. By the time the Lords of the Congregation occupied Edinburgh for the second time in October 1559, another rival council had already formed, lead by Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie. The Protestant lords retreated and Seton's council was re-instated. When the English army mobilised by the Treaty of Berwick
arrived in April 1560, Kilspindie's council was back in power.
During the subsequent 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. In France in October 1560, he secretly met the English ambassador, Nicolas Throckmorton, asking him for a passport to return to Scotland through England. He managed to convince Throckmorton that he regretted his service of Mary of Guise and French causes. Seton had gained a French pension as a gentleman of the King's Chamber. He intended to take a portrait of Queen Mary and her letter to Elizabeth, but Mary disappointed him of this mission, saying the picture was not ready. Seton left France in November 1560, accompanied by an archer of the Scottish Guard
called Alexander Clark, whose loyalty Throckmorton thought he had bought.
;
, the English diplomat, reported that he heard that Mary and Lord Darnley
went to Seton Palace and were 'bedded' after their marriage at Holyroodhouse. 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. 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 and continued rule in Scotland was opposed by the Confederate Lords. Mary 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
. Queen Mary went into England, where her companion, Seton's half-sister Mary Seton
quickly joined her. With the other Marian lords Seton was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle
where Mary was worried that he was at risk from plague. Seton was finally allowed to go into exile in France. Elizabeth I of England
sent him a passport on 1 June 1569.
and Earl of Argyll
gave Seton a commission to treat with the Duke of Alba
, Viceroy of Lower Germany, as Mary's ambassador in August 1570. Seton was to ask for Spanish help to re-instate Mary in Scotland and expel her son's supporters who depended on English power. In September 1570, Lord Morley
met him in the household of Katherine Neville, the Countess of the exiled Earl of Northumberland
at Bruges
. Seton told Morley that he had come to escort the Countess, who had previously sought refuge in Scotland, into France. The author of the Historie and Life of James the Sext, recorded what must have been a popular account of the mission to the Duke of Alba. Seton tried to convince Alba to provide an army of 10,000 men by persuading the Scottish soldiers fighting against Spain to change sides. The soldiers were unresponsive until Seton himself was captured and tortured on the rack. The soldiers then mutinied only till he was released. There was an offer of money, but Alba could not spare the men, and Seton's mission was unsucessful. Meanwhile in Scotland, the goods of his French stepmother, Marie Pieris, and half-brother Robert Seton were seized by Regent Moray's officers.
In January 1572, Seton was in the Spanish Netherlands with the Duke of Alba and still in contact with the Countess of Northumberland. Seton's return to Scotland through England prompted thorough searches of Scottish shipping in English waters. 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. Mary would have married the Duke of Norfolk
and be restored to the Scottish throne. Seton would pay to secure Edinburgh Castle on her behalf. Elizabeth would marry the Earl of Leicester
. Battista laid out five schemes for the plot and the 19th century editor of William Cecil
's papers believed his circumstancial details to show some "sub-stratum of truth" in his statements.
In May 1579, during the suppression of the Hamilton family
, Lord Seton and three of his sons were ordered to enter ward at Brechin Castle
. Seton pleaded with the King's keepers at Stirling Castle
to mitigate their charge of treason. His son John Seton of Barnes, known as the 'Cavalier de Bucca' from his post at the Spanish court, had returned to Scotland and was suspected to have brought messages from the exiled Queen Mary. On 2 June 1581, Seton and two of his sons watched the execution of Regent Morton from a forestair on the Royal Mile
of Edinburgh.
, Seton was sent as ambassador to France in December 1583. He was accompanied by William Schaw
, Master of Works to James VI of Scotland. An English observer heard that the young Laird of Fintry, a Catholic, would accompany them to escape his excommunication from the Church of Scotland
, and the Master of Livingston would go to bring Catherine, Duchess of Lennox, widow of Esmé Stewart
, and her son Ludovic
back to Scotland. A French diplomat, François de Rocherolles, Seigneur de Maineville, according to Sir Robert Bowes
, was behind the mission and the choice of Lord Seton.
When he was selected for the embassy in September 1583, Seton wrote to Queen Mary from Seton Palace to explain his mission. He said he was to continue the Auld Alliance
with France, follow the advice of the Duke of Guise
, and complete the treaty with her and her son. He explained that the poverty of King James frustrated his plans, which lead to Seton undertaking the diplomatic mission at his own expense, and he hoped she could help. Her service was his principal motive. He 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.
The Scottish embassy was keenly observed by an English diplomat, Sir Edward Stafford
. Stafford noted his audience with the French king
in February 1584, supported by the Dukes of Guise
and Joyeuse
. He said that Seton was lavish in his entertainment and display of silver plate, which resulted in a suspicion that he was funded by Spain. Stafford thought that Seton's mission concerned a marriage for James VI to the Princess of Lorraine. Seton had a commercial mandate from the Burgh of Edinburgh which had also contributed 2000 marks to his hire of Andrew Lamb's ship. By May 1584, Seton had run out of money and pawned his silver plate and the guns of his 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. On 21 June 1584, Stafford remarked in another letter that Seton's phrases echoed those of Mary, Queen of Scots, and clearly the two maintained frequent communication.
After Seton's return to Scotland, de Maineville wrote to James VI in November 1584 that Seton had been earnest in this embassy, but the time was not right. Primarily, France was anxious to maintain good relations with England.
wrote that he was uncertain whether to return or just send his son Alexander back to Scotland. (Although the ultra-Protestant Gowrie Regime
was defeated, the political situation in Scotland was not as Seton had hoped) Back in Scotland, in January Sir John Colville
twice noted him as ill in his letters, and he died in February 1586. On 22 June 1586, his son Alexander, Prior of Pluscarden
, returned to Edinburgh council copies of their papers regarding French import duties sent with George to Henry II. George was buried at Seton Collegiate Church
and his memorial has a lengthy Latin epitaph which also describes his children's careers. The Latin text is signed 'A.S.F.C.F.F.,' presumbly referring to Alexander Seton as its author.
. It shows him with his baton of office as Master of Queen Mary's household, and may have been a commemorative piece made in later decades. The picture is reduced in size and the last figure of a date "157-" is missing. A motto on this painting, "in adversity, unyielding; in prosperity generous," matches an inscription recorded under a version of the painting at Seton Palace by Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston
; "In adversity patiens; in prosperitie, benevolus; Hazard yet forward." Seton's portrait is now attributed to Adrian Vanson
. In January 1582, a painter in his employ, "Lord Seton's painter," was paid for drawing the King's portrait for coinage. The painter may perhaps have been Adrian Vanson or Arnold Bronckorst
, who were both portrait painters to James VI.
Seton was also painted in a family group by Frans Pourbus the Elder
, now in the National Gallery of Scotland
.
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 repesent the Order of the Thistle
. The ceiling of another room, called Samson's Hall, encorporated 28 armorial achievements of families of France, Scotland and Lorraine, "curiously embossed and illuminated." Viscount Kingston mentions seeing a mural painting on the end wall of the Long Gallery at Seton Palace, which he believed showed the exiled Lord Seton driving a wagon during his years of exile in France following the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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...
, Master of the Household of Mary, Queen of Scots and Provost of Edinburgh. He was the eldest son of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton
George Seton, 6th Lord Seton
George Seton IV, 6th Lord Seton was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland.He was the son of Jean Hepburn, daughter of Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell. His father, the 5th Lord Seton was killed at the battle of Flodden and George's mother survived her husband by 45 years till 1558, managing...
and Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of John Hay, 3rd Lord Hay of Yester. His childhood and schooling were in France.
Edinburgh and the Reformation
George Seton was Provost of Edinburgh in 1557, and from time to time would send his carpenter, Robert Fendour, to the Burgh Council as his representative. In February 1558, George Seton was one of eight commissioners sent to Henry II of FranceHenry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
to negotiate the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Dauphin
Francis II of France
Francis II was aged 15 when he succeeded to the throne of France after the accidental death of his father, King Henry II, in 1559. He reigned for 18 months before he died in December 1560...
. On 29 November 1558, 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...
granted 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.
However, Seton and the burgh council began to encounter difficulties, due only in part to the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
. Then, after rioting in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, Edinburgh was occupied by the Protestant Lords of the Congregation
Lords of the Congregation
The Lords of the Congregation were a group of Protestant Scottish nobles who in the mid-16th century favoured reformation of the church along Protestant principles and a Scottish-English alliance.- Historical events :...
in June 1559. Seton tried unsuccessfully to protect the Blackfriars and Greyfriars
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk, today Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk, is a parish kirk of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh, Scotland...
monasteries. The Protestant Lords left Edinburgh in July, but made an agreement with Guise
Articles of Leith
The Articles of Leith were the terms of truce drawn up between the Protestant Lords of the Congregation and Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland and signed on 25 July 1559. This negotiation was a step in the conflict that led to the Scottish Reformation...
permitting freedom of conscience in religion. Seton, the Earl of Huntly and Châtellerault were asked to meet the people of Edinburgh to discuss the restoration of Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in St Giles. According to John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
, they met with refusal and the people would not allow the Mass in any other church. By the time the Lords of the Congregation occupied Edinburgh for the second time in October 1559, another rival council had already formed, lead by Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie. The Protestant lords retreated and Seton's council was re-instated. When the English army mobilised by the Treaty of Berwick
Treaty of Berwick (1560)
The Treaty of Berwick was negotiated on 27 February 1560 at Berwick-upon-Tweed. It was an agreement made by the representative of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the Duke of Norfolk, and the Scottish Lords of the Congregation...
arrived in April 1560, Kilspindie's council was back in power.
During the subsequent Siege of Leith
Siege of Leith
The Siege of Leith ended a twelve year encampment of French troops at Leith, the port near Edinburgh, Scotland. The French troops arrived by invitation in 1548 and left in 1560 after the English arrived to assist in removing them from Scotland...
in 1560, Seton fought for 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...
against the Scottish Protestants and the English army. On 24 April he attacked the English camp at Restalrig
Restalrig
Restalrig is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located east of the city centre, west of the A199 road, and to the east of Lochend, with which it overlaps. Restalrig Road is the main route through the area, running from London Road at Jock's Lodge, to Leith Links at the south edge of...
. He was seized by an English cavalryman who broke his sword and staff, but was rescued by French musketeers. In France in October 1560, he secretly met the English ambassador, Nicolas Throckmorton, asking him for a passport to return to Scotland through England. He managed to convince Throckmorton that he regretted his service of Mary of Guise and French causes. Seton had gained a French pension as a gentleman of the King's Chamber. He intended to take a portrait of Queen Mary and her letter to Elizabeth, but Mary disappointed him of this mission, saying the picture was not ready. Seton left France in November 1560, accompanied by an archer of the Scottish Guard
Garde Écossaise
The Garde Écossaise was an elite Scottish military unit founded in 1418 by the Valois Charles VII of France, to be personal bodyguards to the French monarchy. They were assimilated into the Maison du Roi and later formed the first Company of the Garde du Corps du Roi...
called Alexander Clark, whose loyalty Throckmorton thought he had bought.
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 PalaceSeton Palace
Seton Palace was situated in East Lothian, a few miles south-east of Edinburgh near the town of Prestonpans. Often regarded as the most desirable Scottish residence of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the palace was erected in the 15th century by George, 4th Lord Seton and was similar in...
;
"UN DIEU, UN FOY, UN ROY, UN LOY"Mary was unsuccessful in proposing Seton as Provost of Edinburgh again in October 1561. Next year she made a better choice by backing Kilspindie, now associated with the success of the Reformation. Thomas Randolph
One God for all time: One loyalty to the monarch.
Thomas Randolph (diplomat)
Thomas Randolph was an English ambassador serving Elizabeth I of England. Most of his professional life he spent in Scotland at the courts of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her son James VI. While in Scotland, he was embroiled in marriage projects and several upheavals...
, the English diplomat, reported that he heard that Mary and 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...
went to Seton Palace and were 'bedded' after their marriage at Holyroodhouse. 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. With other supporters of Mary's marriage to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell
James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney , better known by his inherited title as 4th Earl of Bothwell, was hereditary Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He is best known for his association with and subsequent marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third husband...
Seton signed the Ainslie Tavern Bond
Ainslie Tavern Bond
The Ainslie Tavern Bond was a document signed on about 20 April 1567 by a number of Scottish bishops and nobles...
on 19 April 1567.
Mary's marriage and continued rule in Scotland was opposed by the Confederate Lords. Mary stayed at Seton Palace before her capture nearby at the battle of Carberry Hill
Battle of Carberry Hill
The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on the 15th June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. It was part of the ongoing civil war that surrounded Mary, Queen of Scots and the ever changing sides that opposed her and supported her.-The conflict:In May of...
. She was then imprisoned at Lochleven Castle. She escaped to Seton's castle at Niddry
Niddry Castle
Niddry Castle is a fourteenth century tower house near Winchburgh, West Lothian, Scotland. It is situated near the Union Canal, and is adjacent to a large oil shale "bing", or waste heap....
but her supporters were defeated again at the battle of Langside
Battle of Langside
The Battle of Langside, fought on 13 May 1568, was one of the more unusual contests in Scottish history, bearing a superficial resemblance to a grand family quarrel, in which a mother fought her brother who was defending the rights of her infant son...
. Seton was taken prisoner and early reports thought him killed. The son of Lord Ochiltree
Lord Ochiltree
Lord Ochiltree of Lord Stuart of Ochiltree was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. In 1542 Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Avondale exchanged the lordship of Avondale with Sir James Hamilton for the lordship of Ochiltrie and by Act of Parliament was ordained to be styled Lord Stuart of Ochiltrie...
, John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
'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
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, was Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570...
. Queen Mary went into England, where her companion, Seton's half-sister Mary Seton
Mary Seton
Mary Seton was a Scottish courtier and later a nun. She was the daughter of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton, and Marie Pieris, a French-born lady-in-waiting to Marie de Guise, consort of King James V of Scotland...
quickly joined her. With the other Marian lords Seton was imprisoned 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...
where Mary was worried that he was at risk from plague. Seton was finally allowed to go into exile in France. Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
sent him a passport on 1 June 1569.
Supporter of the exiled queen
Three Scottish supporters of Mary, the Duke of Châtellerault, the Earl of HuntlyGeorge Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly , was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time.-Biography:...
and Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll was one of the leading figures in the politics of Scotland during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the early part of that of James VI.-Biography:...
gave Seton a commission to treat with the Duke of Alba
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba was a Spanish general and governor of the Spanish Netherlands , nicknamed "the Iron Duke" in the Low Countries because of his harsh and cruel rule there and his role in the execution of his political opponents and the massacre of several...
, Viceroy of Lower Germany, as Mary's ambassador in August 1570. Seton was to ask for Spanish help to re-instate Mary in Scotland and expel her son's supporters who depended on English power. In September 1570, Lord Morley
Henry Parker, 11th Baron Morley
Henry Parker, 11th Baron Morley was an English peer, Lord of Morley, Hingham, Hockering, &c., in Norfolk, the son of Henry Parker, 10th Baron Morley and Grace Newport....
met him in the household of Katherine Neville, the Countess of the exiled Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland, 2nd Baron Percy was an English aristocrat and conspirator.-Life:He was born at Newburn Manor about 1532, was second of the two sons of Sir Thomas Percy, who was executed in 1537 as a chief actor in the Pilgrimage of Grace, and Eleanor Harbottle...
at Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. Seton told Morley that he had come to escort the Countess, who had previously sought refuge in Scotland, into France. The author of the Historie and Life of James the Sext, recorded what must have been a popular account of the mission to the Duke of Alba. Seton tried to convince Alba to provide an army of 10,000 men by persuading the Scottish soldiers fighting against Spain to change sides. The soldiers were unresponsive until Seton himself was captured and tortured on the rack. The soldiers then mutinied only till he was released. There was an offer of money, but Alba could not spare the men, and Seton's mission was unsucessful. Meanwhile in Scotland, the goods of his French stepmother, Marie Pieris, and half-brother Robert Seton were seized by Regent Moray's officers.
In January 1572, Seton was in the Spanish Netherlands with the Duke of Alba and still in contact with the Countess of Northumberland. Seton's return to Scotland through England prompted thorough searches of Scottish shipping in English waters. 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. Mary would have married the Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.Norfolk was the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was taught as a child by John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist, who remained a lifelong recipient of Norfolk's patronage...
and be restored to the Scottish throne. Seton would pay to secure Edinburgh Castle on her behalf. Elizabeth would marry the Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
. Battista laid out five schemes for the plot and the 19th century editor of William Cecil
William Cecil
William Cecil may refer to:* Lord William Cecil , British royal courtier* William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , English politician and advisor to Elizabeth I* William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter , Knight of the Garter...
's papers believed his circumstancial details to show some "sub-stratum of truth" in his statements.
In May 1579, during the suppression of the Hamilton family
Clan Hamilton
The House of Hamilton, occasionally and erroneously referred to as Clan Hamilton, is a Scottish family who historically held broad territories throughout central and southern Scotland, particularly Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and the Lothians...
, Lord Seton and three of his sons were ordered to enter ward at Brechin Castle
Brechin Castle
Brechin Castle is a castle located in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. The castle is the seat of the Earl of Dalhousie, who is the clan chieftain of Clan Maule of Panmure in Angus, and Clan Ramsay of Dalhousie in Midlothian. The original castle was constructed in stone during the 13th century...
. Seton pleaded with the King's keepers at 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...
to mitigate their charge of treason. His son John Seton of Barnes, known as the 'Cavalier de Bucca' from his post at the Spanish court, had returned to Scotland and was suspected to have brought messages from the exiled Queen Mary. On 2 June 1581, Seton and two of his sons watched the execution of Regent Morton from a forestair 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...
of Edinburgh.
Ambassador in France, 1583
After the collapse of the Gowrie RegimeRaid 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...
, Seton was sent as ambassador to France in December 1583. He was accompanied 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:...
, Master of Works to James VI of Scotland. An English observer heard that the young Laird of Fintry, a Catholic, would accompany them to escape his excommunication from the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, and the Master of Livingston would go to bring Catherine, Duchess of Lennox, widow of Esmé Stewart
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox was the son of John Stewart, 5th Lord of Aubigny who was the younger brother of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox...
, and her son Ludovic
Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox
Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was the son of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox and his wife Catherine de Balsac. Stewart was involved in the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland and the colonization of Maine in New England...
back to Scotland. A French diplomat, François de Rocherolles, Seigneur de Maineville, according to Sir Robert Bowes
Robert Bowes (lawyer)
Sir Robert Bowes was an English lawyer and military commander.-Life:He was son of Sir Ralph Bowes and Marjory Conyers of South Cowton, Yorkshire, and studied law in his early years; but his ancestral connection with the Border country marked him out for employment in border affairs, where he did...
, was behind the mission and the choice of Lord Seton.
When he was selected for the embassy in September 1583, Seton wrote to Queen Mary from Seton Palace to explain his mission. He said he was to continue the Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that...
with France, follow the advice of the Duke of Guise
Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este...
, and complete the treaty with her and her son. He explained that the poverty of King James frustrated his plans, which lead to Seton undertaking the diplomatic mission at his own expense, and he hoped she could help. Her service was his principal motive. He mentioned that the English envoy Francis Walsingham
Francis Walsingham
Sir Francis Walsingham was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security...
had left Scotland on 15 (or 25) September 1583, and had a very poor reception and entertainment in Scotland.
The Scottish embassy was keenly observed by an English diplomat, Sir Edward Stafford
Edward Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford
Edward Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford was the second surviving son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole, the younger brother of Henry Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford. He served in Parliament for Stafford...
. Stafford noted his audience with the French king
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
in February 1584, supported by the Dukes of Guise
Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este...
and Joyeuse
Anne de Joyeuse
Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse, Baron d'Arques, Vicomte then Duke of Joyeuse was a royal favourite and active participant in the French Wars of Religion....
. He said that Seton was lavish in his entertainment and display of silver plate, which resulted in a suspicion that he was funded by Spain. Stafford thought that Seton's mission concerned a marriage for James VI to the Princess of Lorraine. Seton had a commercial mandate from the Burgh of Edinburgh which had also contributed 2000 marks to his hire of Andrew Lamb's ship. By May 1584, Seton had run out of money and pawned his silver plate and the guns of his ship at Dieppe. Seton asked Stafford about the rebel leaders of the Raid of Ruthven
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...
who had fled into England, and Stafford wrote to Francis Walsingham that Seton was foolish in this conversation. On 21 June 1584, Stafford remarked in another letter that Seton's phrases echoed those of Mary, Queen of Scots, and clearly the two maintained frequent communication.
After Seton's return to Scotland, de Maineville wrote to James VI in November 1584 that Seton had been earnest in this embassy, but the time was not right. Primarily, France was anxious to maintain good relations with England.
Death and epitaph
Seton remained in France till July 1585 or later. The Jesuit Robert ParsonsRobert Parsons
Robert Parsons may refer to:* Robert Parsons , English composer* Robert Parsons , English priest* Robert E. Parsons, American politician* Bob Parsons , American entrepreneur...
wrote that he was uncertain whether to return or just send his son Alexander back to Scotland. (Although the ultra-Protestant 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...
was defeated, the political situation in Scotland was not as Seton had hoped) Back in Scotland, in January Sir John Colville
John Colville (politician)
John Colville , Scottish clergyman, judge, politician and author, was the son of Robert Colville of Cleish, in Kinross.Educated at the University of St Andrews, he became a Presbyterian minister, but occupied himself chiefly with political intrigue, sending secret information to the English...
twice noted him as ill in his letters, and he died in February 1586. On 22 June 1586, his son Alexander, Prior of Pluscarden
Prior of Pluscarden
The Prior of Pluscarden was the head of the Valliscaulian, and then Benedictine, monastic community and lands of Pluscarden Priory, Moray. It was founded in 1230 by King Alexander II of Scotland...
, returned to Edinburgh council copies of their papers regarding French import duties sent with George to Henry II. George was buried at Seton Collegiate Church
Seton Collegiate Church
Seton Collegiate Church, known locally as Seton Chapel, is a collegiate church south of Port Seton, East Lothian, Scotland. It is adjacent to Seton House.-Description:...
and his memorial has a lengthy Latin epitaph which also describes his children's careers. The Latin text is signed 'A.S.F.C.F.F.,' presumbly referring to Alexander Seton as its author.
Family
He married Isobel Hamilton, daughter of Sir William Hamilton of Sanquhar. Their children included;- George, Master of Seton, (died 1562)
- Robert Seton, 1st Earl of WintonRobert Seton, 1st Earl of WintonRobert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton was one of the Scottish peers who supported Mary, Queen of Scots.-Early years:The son of George Seton, 7th Lord Seton, Robert Seton grew up active in the affairs of his father and of the State. He was educated early in France, and accompanied his father during his...
- Sir John Seton of BarnesBarnes CastleBarnes Castle is an unfinished castle, with a number of defensive banks, on the slope of the Garleton Hills, located north-east of Haddington and close to Athelstaneford in East Lothian, Scotland...
, Master Carver to Philip II of SpainPhilip II of SpainPhilip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
and Master of Horse to James VI. - Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of DunfermlineAlexander Seton, 1st Earl of DunfermlineAlexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1598 to 1604 and Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1604 to 1622....
, Lord Urquhart, Lord Fyvie, and Prior of PluscardenPrior of PluscardenThe Prior of Pluscarden was the head of the Valliscaulian, and then Benedictine, monastic community and lands of Pluscarden Priory, Moray. It was founded in 1230 by King Alexander II of Scotland... - Sir William Seton of Kylesmuir
- Margaret Seton, married Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord PaisleyClaud Hamilton, 1st Lord PaisleyClaud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley was a Scottish politician. He was a younger son of James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran. In 1553, he received the lands of the abbey of Paisley...
.
Lord Seton's painter
An anonymous portrait of Lord Seton was kept by the family of Hugh Somerville, 7th Lord Somerville, and is now part of the collection of the Scottish National Portrait GalleryScottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery on Queen Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. It holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. In addition it also holds the Scottish National Photography Collection...
. It shows him with his baton of office as Master of Queen Mary's household, and may have been a commemorative piece made in later decades. The picture is reduced in size and the last figure of a date "157-" is missing. A motto on this painting, "in adversity, unyielding; in prosperity generous," matches an inscription recorded under a version of the painting at Seton Palace by Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston
Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston
Sir Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston , a Cavalier, was the first dignity Charles II conferred as King.-Family:...
; "In adversity patiens; in prosperitie, benevolus; Hazard yet forward." Seton's portrait is now attributed to Adrian Vanson
Adrian Vanson
Adrian Vanson was court portrait painter to James VI of Scotland.Adrian succeeded Arnold Bronckorst as court painter in Scotland in May 1584, and his appointment was subsequently confirmed by royal letter on 20 August 1584. Adrian Vanson was paid £8-10s in June 1581 for two pictures sent to...
. In January 1582, a painter in his employ, "Lord Seton's painter," was paid for drawing the King's portrait for coinage. The painter may perhaps have been Adrian Vanson or Arnold Bronckorst
Arnold Bronckorst
Arnold Bronckorst, or Bronckhorst was a painter of Netherlandish origin who was court painter to James VI of Scotland....
, who were both portrait painters to James VI.
Seton was also painted in a family group by Frans Pourbus the Elder
Frans Pourbus the Elder
Frans Pourbus the elder was a Flemish Renaissance painter.He was known primarily for his religious and portrait painting and worked mainly in Antwerp. His father was painter Pieter Pourbus and his son was painter Frans Pourbus the younger.-External links:*...
, now in the National Gallery of Scotland
National Gallery of Scotland
The National Gallery of Scotland, in Edinburgh, is the national art gallery of Scotland. An elaborate neoclassical edifice, it stands on The Mound, between the two sections of Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens...
.
The 18th century heraldic writer Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet is one of the most important authors on Scottish heraldry. He is still much-cited, and his publications are still in print after nearly 300 years....
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
Earl of Buchan
The Mormaer or Earl of Buchan was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male line. The earldom had three lines in its history, not counting...
encircled with a collar which Nisbet claimed to repesent the Order of the Thistle
Order of the Thistle
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
. The ceiling of another room, called Samson's Hall, encorporated 28 armorial achievements of families of France, Scotland and Lorraine, "curiously embossed and illuminated." Viscount Kingston mentions seeing a mural painting on the end wall of the Long Gallery at Seton Palace, which he believed showed the exiled Lord Seton driving a wagon during his years of exile in France following the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots.
External links
- Portrait of Lord Seton and family, 1572 by Frans Pourbus the ElderFrans Pourbus the ElderFrans Pourbus the elder was a Flemish Renaissance painter.He was known primarily for his religious and portrait painting and worked mainly in Antwerp. His father was painter Pieter Pourbus and his son was painter Frans Pourbus the younger.-External links:*...
, National Gallery of ScotlandNational Gallery of ScotlandThe National Gallery of Scotland, in Edinburgh, is the national art gallery of Scotland. An elaborate neoclassical edifice, it stands on The Mound, between the two sections of Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens...
. - 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.