James Kirkcaldy of Grange
Encyclopedia
James Kirkcaldy of Grange (d. 1556) was a Fife laird and treasurer of Scotland
.
He married Janet Melville, aunt of Sir James Melville of Halhill
. Their heir was William Kirkcaldy of Grange
. His main property at the Grange was called Halyards Palace
Sir James Kirkcaldy accompanied James V on his trip to France in 1536 to marry Madeleine of Valois. The Laird of Grange's duties including paying the sailors and organising repairs to the ships for the return voyage. On 13 October 1537, Janet and James received a gift of lands at Kinghorn
from James V of Scotland
which were taken from John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis. On 4 October 1539, James V granted his treasurer the fishing rights on the Tay
at Tentsmuir
both fresh and saltwater. In February 1540, James V requested the auditors of the accounts to reward Kirkcaldy and the comptroller, David Wood of the Craig. As their twelve servants had to attend court but would not be housed and fed as household men in the newly reformed royal household, Wood and Kirkcaldy each got £333-6s-8d each yearly. Kirkcaldy also got extra payments, to 'sustain the treasurer's house', when the exchequer followed the king on justice ayres; to Dumbarton in 1540, and Dumfries in 1541.
Kirkcaldy witnessed king James's will on the Salamander
at Leith on 12 June 1540 before his voyage to Orkney and the Western Isles.
mentions Kirkcaldy's Protestant faith in his account of the arrest and execution of James Hamilton of Finnart
. James Melville of Halhill
credits Kirkcaldy with a lengthy speech to James V which narrates the events of the king's early years. According to Melville and John Knox
, the Catholic clergy had given James V a list of all the Protestants in Scotland, hoping the king would persecute them and seize their lands. James Kirkcaldy, in Melville's story, by his speech persuaded the king not to do this. James V confronted the clergy with his dagger saying; "Wherefore gave my predecessors so many lands and rents to the kirk? Was it to maintain hawks, dogs and whores to a number of idle priests?" But now the priests knew the king's intentions, and when Kirkcaldy was away from court, securing the marriage of his second son to Helen Leslie of Pitcaple, his enemies at court moved against him. Melville thought these courtiers persuaded James V against travelling to York to meet Henry VIII of England
, who hoped that Scotland would become a Protestant country. The breaking of this arrangement was thought to have led to the Battle of Solway Moss
. John Knox told the same story in his History of the Reformation
. Regent Arran mentioned the king's list of 360 Protestants to Ralph Sadler
in March 1543.
On 25 October 1542, the king confirmed Janet and James in possession of their lands at Grange. After the death of James V, as treasurer of Scotland, Kirkcaldy ratified the Treaty of Greenwich
on 25 August 1543.
s who killed David Beaton
then held St Andrews Castle
against Regent Arran. In February or March 1547 James joined with other lairds in the Castle to witness Patrick, Lord Gray's
pledge to Edward VI of England
. The other witnesses on 11 March 1547 were; Norman Leslie
, Master of Rothes; Henry Balnaves
of Halhill; Alexander Whitelaw of Newgrange. A French fleet came and took the castle. James Kirkcaldy was taken to France as a prisoner with Norman Leslie, Henry Balnaves, Henry Moneypenny and others. The lairds and John Knox
were eventually released.
His daughter Marjory married Harry Ramsay younger of Colluthie, and Agnes married Robert Drummond of Carnock
, Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland
.
Treasurer of Scotland
The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland.The full title of the post was Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation, formed as it was from the amalgamation of four earlier offices...
.
He married Janet Melville, aunt of Sir James Melville of Halhill
James Melville of Halhill
Sir James Melville was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer.Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason in 1548. One of his brothers was Robert, 1st Baron Melville of Monimail . James Melville in 1549 went to France to become...
. Their heir was 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...
. His main property at the Grange was called Halyards Palace
Halyards Palace
Located to the north-west of the village of Auchtertool, the Palace of Halyards is reputed to have been a hunting seat of Malcolm Canmore...
Sir James Kirkcaldy accompanied James V on his trip to France in 1536 to marry Madeleine of Valois. The Laird of Grange's duties including paying the sailors and organising repairs to the ships for the return voyage. On 13 October 1537, Janet and James received a gift of lands at Kinghorn
Kinghorn
Kinghorn is a town in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth opposite Edinburgh...
from James V of Scotland
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
which were taken from John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis. On 4 October 1539, James V granted his treasurer the fishing rights on the Tay
River Tay
The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui , then flows easterly across the Highlands, through Loch Dochhart, Loch Lubhair and Loch Tay, then continues east through Strathtay , in...
at Tentsmuir
Tentsmuir Forest
Tentsmuir Forest in Fife, Scotland, stands next to Kinshaldy Beach with a view across the Firth of Tay. Covering some , the area was originally moorland before acquisition by the Forestry Commission in the 1920s....
both fresh and saltwater. In February 1540, James V requested the auditors of the accounts to reward Kirkcaldy and the comptroller, David Wood of the Craig. As their twelve servants had to attend court but would not be housed and fed as household men in the newly reformed royal household, Wood and Kirkcaldy each got £333-6s-8d each yearly. Kirkcaldy also got extra payments, to 'sustain the treasurer's house', when the exchequer followed the king on justice ayres; to Dumbarton in 1540, and Dumfries in 1541.
Kirkcaldy witnessed king James's will on the Salamander
Salamander of Leith
Salamander of Leith was a warship of the 16th-century Royal Scots Navy. She was a wedding present from Francis I of France to James V of Scotland....
at Leith on 12 June 1540 before his voyage to Orkney and the Western Isles.
Against persecution
George BuchananGeorge Buchanan
George Buchanan may refer to:*George Buchanan , Scottish humanist*Sir George Buchanan , Scottish soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms*Sir George Buchanan , Chief Medical Officer...
mentions Kirkcaldy's Protestant faith in his account of the arrest and execution of 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....
. James Melville of Halhill
James Melville of Halhill
Sir James Melville was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer.Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason in 1548. One of his brothers was Robert, 1st Baron Melville of Monimail . James Melville in 1549 went to France to become...
credits Kirkcaldy with a lengthy speech to James V which narrates the events of the king's early years. According to Melville and 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...
, the Catholic clergy had given James V a list of all the Protestants in Scotland, hoping the king would persecute them and seize their lands. James Kirkcaldy, in Melville's story, by his speech persuaded the king not to do this. James V confronted the clergy with his dagger saying; "Wherefore gave my predecessors so many lands and rents to the kirk? Was it to maintain hawks, dogs and whores to a number of idle priests?" But now the priests knew the king's intentions, and when Kirkcaldy was away from court, securing the marriage of his second son to Helen Leslie of Pitcaple, his enemies at court moved against him. Melville thought these courtiers persuaded James V against travelling to York to meet 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...
, who hoped that Scotland would become a Protestant country. The breaking of this arrangement was thought to have led to the Battle of Solway Moss
Battle 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:...
. John Knox told the same story in his History of the Reformation
History of the Reformation
The History of the Reformation in Scotland is a five-volume book written by the Scottish reformer, John Knox, between 1559 and 1566.In 1559 during the Scottish Reformation, the leaders of the Protestant nobility, the Lords of the Congregation, asked Knox to write a history of the movement...
. Regent Arran mentioned the king's list of 360 Protestants to 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:...
in March 1543.
On 25 October 1542, the king confirmed Janet and James in possession of their lands at Grange. After the death of James V, as treasurer of Scotland, Kirkcaldy ratified the Treaty of Greenwich
Treaty of Greenwich
The Treaty of Greenwich contained two agreements both signed on July 1, 1543 in Greenwich between representatives of England and Scotland. The accord, overall, entailed a plan developed by Henry VIII of England to unite both kingdoms...
on 25 August 1543.
Within St Andrews Castle
James Kirkcaldy joined the Protestant Fife LairdLaird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
s who killed David 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:...
then held St Andrews Castle
St Andrews Castle
St Andrew's Castle is a picturesque ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands and the adjoining North Sea. There has been a castle standing at the site since the times of Bishop Roger...
against Regent Arran. In February or March 1547 James joined with other lairds in the Castle to witness Patrick, Lord Gray's
Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray
Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray was a Scottish landowner and Sheriff of Angus active during the war of the Rough Wooing as a supporter of the Scottish Reformation.-Family:...
pledge to Edward VI of England
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
. The other witnesses on 11 March 1547 were; Norman Leslie
Norman Leslie (soldier)
Norman Leslie , was a 16th-century Scottish nobleman. The leader of the party who assassinated Cardinal Beaton, he was forced to flee Scotland, serving the monarchs of England and France...
, Master of Rothes; Henry Balnaves
Henry Balnaves
Henry Balnaves was a Scottish politician and religious reformer.-Biography:Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, around 1512, he was educated at the University of St Andrews and on the continent, where he adopted Protestant views. Returning to Scotland, he continued his legal studies and in 1538 was appointed...
of Halhill; Alexander Whitelaw of Newgrange. A French fleet came and took the castle. James Kirkcaldy was taken to France as a prisoner with Norman Leslie, Henry Balnaves, Henry Moneypenny and others. The lairds and 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...
were eventually released.
Family
James and his younger brothers George, John and Patrick are all described as "familiar servants of the king", courtiers, in a Great Seal letter. On the 19 October 1539 the brothers were forgiven for not joining James V on an excursion to Solway and for their connivance in the murder of three Fife lairds.His daughter Marjory married Harry Ramsay younger of Colluthie, and Agnes married Robert Drummond of Carnock
Robert Drummond of Carnock
Sir Robert Drummond of Carnock 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."...
, Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland
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...
.