Alexander Abernethy, 6th Lord Saltoun facts for kids
Alexander Abernethy, 6th Lord Saltoun (died 1587) was an important Scottish nobleman and a trusted advisor to the king.
He was the son of William Abernethy, 5th Lord Saltoun (who died in 1543), and Elizabeth Hay. Her father was John Hay, 2nd Lord Hay of Yester. The Abernethy family owned large areas of land, including Saltoun in East Lothian. Their main home in the north was Rothiemay, which was described in the 1500s as "a palace very fair" (a very beautiful palace).
In 1560, when Mary of Guise, the Queen Regent of Scotland, was very sick in Edinburgh Castle, Lord Saltoun had dinner with her. Other important people there included Lord James Stewart and the Earl Marischal.
Lord Saltoun strongly supported James VI of Scotland during a difficult time called the Marian Civil War. This was a fight between those who supported King James VI and those who supported his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots. On May 1, 1570, Saltoun and other lords signed a letter. This letter was for Robert Pitcairn, who was going to England as an ambassador. They asked Queen Elizabeth I to help King James's government in Scotland and send English soldiers.
On August 23, 1570, Lord Saltoun wrote a letter from Rothiemay to the Earl of Morton. He shared important news about a ship that had arrived in Aberdeen. It was a small ship called a "pink" from Flanders. On board were Mr John Hamilton and two Spanish helpers of the Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, Duke of Alva. They had gone to Huntly Castle to meet the Earl of Huntly, but they missed him. John Hamilton had been trying to get help from the Duke of Alva for Mary, Queen of Scots. He heard that 6,000 soldiers might come to Aberdeen to support her. This secret information came from someone who supported the King.
In another letter from Glenbervie, Saltoun described the two men from the Duke of Alva. One was a Florentine named Caesar Ruspoty, and the other was from Picardy named Philip Hensier. Other important people, like the Prior of Coldingham and Sir James Balfour, were planning to leave Aberdeen on the "pink." Meanwhile, Lord Seton and Katherine Neville, the Countess of Northumberland, were going to take a different boat. A history book from that time, The Historie of James the Sext, says the "pink" also brought weapons and money. It carried armor and guns for 600 men, seven cannons, gunpowder, and money for the Earl of Huntly. Huntly was the Queen's main leader in the North.
In 1578, Lord Saltoun was listed as a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots. However, this might have been a mistake.
Family Life
Alexander Abernethy, 6th Lord Saltoun, married Alison Keith. She died in 1567. They had several children:
- George Abernethy, 7th Lord Saltoun: He married Margaret Stewart. In 1574, George, who was known as the Master of Saltoun, was involved in the death of a relative of the Regent Morton.
- Elizabeth Abernethy: She married John Innes of Innes.
- Alexander Abernethy: He married Elizabeth Crichton, whose father was Sir James Crichton of Frendraught.
- Jean Abernethy: She married Alexander Seton of Meldrum first. Later, she married John Urquhart of Craigfintry.
Lord Saltoun's sister, Elizabeth Abernethy, married William Meldrum of Fyvie. After he died, she married John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis.
