John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness
Encyclopedia
John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness (c. 1580 – 28 February 1626) was an important Scottish aristocrat of the Jacobean era
, best known in history as the first favourite of James I when he became king of England as well as Scotland in 1603.
Ramsay had been a page at the Scottish court when the so-called Gowrie Conspiracy occurred in 1600. The actual nature of that affair is deeply disputed; the most likely account is that the young Ramsay stabbed John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie
to death with his dagger, helping to frustrate a plot to either kidnap or murder the then King James VI of Scotland. Ramsay was knighted in that year, and was created Viscount of Haddington and Lord Ramsay of Barns in the Scottish peerage on June 11, 1606, and Lord Melrose in 1609, among various other offices that he acquired during his Court career (Gentleman of the Bedchamber to James I, 1603; Joint Constable, Receiver, and Steward of Dunstable, 1604; etc.). Prior to his 1608 marriage, Ramsay received from James grants of land that yielded an annual income of £1000.
In 1619, Ramsay, dismayed at missing appointment to the Earldom of Montgomery, left Britain and retired to France. In 1620 James lured back his old favourite with a gift of £7000, and created him Baron of Kingston-upon-Thames and Earl of Holderness in the English peerage (January 22, 1621).
The peak of Ramsay's influence may have occurred at his marriage to Lady Elizabeth Radclyffe, daughter of Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex
, on February 9, 1608; James himself gave away the bride at the wedding. The marriage was celebrated at Whitehall Palace with the masque
The Hue and Cry After Cupid
, by Ben Jonson
and Inigo Jones
. At the time, James paid off Ramsay's debts of £10,000, and sent the bride a gold cup containing a grant of lands worth an income of £600 per year. Later, Ramsay was supplanted as James's favourite, first by Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset
, and then by George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
.
Elizabeth Radclyffe Ramsay died of smallpox on December 6, 1618. None of their children survived to adulthood. Around July 1624 Ramsay married his second wife, Martha Cockayne, daughter of a Northamptonshire
knight. She survived him; they had no children.
Ramsay died in January 1626 and was buried on February 28 of that year in St. Paul's Cathedral. Since he left no children, his line became extinct. The titles of Earl of Melrose and Earl of Haddington
passed to a lawyer, Sir Thomas Hamilton.
Jacobean era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I...
, best known in history as the first favourite of James I when he became king of England as well as Scotland in 1603.
Ramsay had been a page at the Scottish court when the so-called Gowrie Conspiracy occurred in 1600. The actual nature of that affair is deeply disputed; the most likely account is that the young Ramsay stabbed John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie
John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie
John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie was a Scottish nobleman, the second son of William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie and his wife Dorothea Stewart...
to death with his dagger, helping to frustrate a plot to either kidnap or murder the then King James VI of Scotland. Ramsay was knighted in that year, and was created Viscount of Haddington and Lord Ramsay of Barns in the Scottish peerage on June 11, 1606, and Lord Melrose in 1609, among various other offices that he acquired during his Court career (Gentleman of the Bedchamber to James I, 1603; Joint Constable, Receiver, and Steward of Dunstable, 1604; etc.). Prior to his 1608 marriage, Ramsay received from James grants of land that yielded an annual income of £1000.
In 1619, Ramsay, dismayed at missing appointment to the Earldom of Montgomery, left Britain and retired to France. In 1620 James lured back his old favourite with a gift of £7000, and created him Baron of Kingston-upon-Thames and Earl of Holderness in the English peerage (January 22, 1621).
The peak of Ramsay's influence may have occurred at his marriage to Lady Elizabeth Radclyffe, daughter of Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex
Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex
Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex, KG was an English peer.-Life:He was the only son of Henry Radclyffe, 4th Earl of Sussex and his wife Honora Pounde, and was known as Viscount Fitzwalter from 1583 until he succeeded his father as Earl on 4 December 1593...
, on February 9, 1608; James himself gave away the bride at the wedding. The marriage was celebrated at Whitehall Palace with the masque
Masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio...
The Hue and Cry After Cupid
The Hue and Cry After Cupid
The Hue and Cry After Cupid, or A Hue and Cry After Cupid, also Lord Haddington's Masque or The Masque at Lord Haddington's Marriage, or even The Masque With the Nuptial Songs at the Lord Viscount Haddington's Marriage at Court, was a masque performed on Shrove Tuesday night, February 9, 1608, in...
, by Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
and Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
. At the time, James paid off Ramsay's debts of £10,000, and sent the bride a gold cup containing a grant of lands worth an income of £600 per year. Later, Ramsay was supplanted as James's favourite, first by Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, , was a politician, and favourite of King James I of England.-Background:Robert Kerr was born in Wrington, Somerset, England the younger son of Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehurst, Scotland by his second wife, Janet, sister of Walter Scott of Buccleuch...
, and then by George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated...
.
Elizabeth Radclyffe Ramsay died of smallpox on December 6, 1618. None of their children survived to adulthood. Around July 1624 Ramsay married his second wife, Martha Cockayne, daughter of a Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
knight. She survived him; they had no children.
Ramsay died in January 1626 and was buried on February 28 of that year in St. Paul's Cathedral. Since he left no children, his line became extinct. The titles of Earl of Melrose and Earl of Haddington
Earl of Haddington
Earl of Haddington is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for the noted Scottish lawyer and judge Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Melrose. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1616 to 1625...
passed to a lawyer, Sir Thomas Hamilton.