John Auchmoutie facts for kids
John Auchmoutie of Scoughall was a Scottish courtier who lived and worked between about 1580 and 1635. He was an important person in the royal household, helping the king and even performing in special plays called masques.
Working for the King
John Auchmoutie had important jobs for the king in Scotland. He was a "groom of the bedchamber," which meant he helped the king personally. He was also the "master and keeper of the royal wardrobe." This meant he was in charge of all the king's clothes, tapestries, and other valuable items.
His sister, Elizabeth Auchmoutie, was a nurse for Princess Elizabeth when she was a child at Linlithgow Palace.
In July 1600, John and other young men who worked for the king, like Robert Ker and John Murray, received special green outfits for hunting trips.
Scoughall, where John Auchmoutie was from, is a place near North Berwick in Scotland. His family name was sometimes spelled "Auchmowtie" or "Acmooty."
After the Union of Crowns in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland also became King James I of England, Auchmoutie received a special permission, called a patent, to deal with dye materials.
Masque Performances
Masques were special plays or shows that were popular at court. They often involved music, dancing, elaborate costumes, and special effects.
John Auchmoutie's brother, James Auchmoutie, was a talented masque dancer. In April 1613, James traveled to Heidelberg with Princess Elizabeth after her wedding to Frederick V.
James Auchmoutie was known as one of the best dancers in The Irish Masque, a play by the famous writer Ben Jonson. This masque was performed in December 1613 during a big wedding celebration. James also performed in another of Ben Jonson's masques, For the Honour of Wales, in February 1618. Records show that expensive yellow costumes were made for this performance.
In January 1619, the Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace in London burned down while people were getting ready for a masque. The show still went on, but it was moved to the Great Hall. Prince Charles (who would later become King Charles I) was one of the twelve performers in this masque, along with James Auchmoutie and others.
Managing the Royal Wardrobe
In 1613, John Auchmoutie was asked to go to Berwick-upon-Tweed. His job was to collect important papers belonging to the king.
His wife, Christian Douglas, passed away on March 28, 1615. She owned valuable jewelry, including lockets with diamonds and rubies. John Auchmoutie later married a daughter of Sir William Seton in 1616.
In October 1615, King James told John Auchmoutie to give tapestries to Lord Erskine. These tapestries were used to decorate rooms in Stirling Castle. In 1616, Auchmoutie packed up four royal beds to be sent to England for repairs. One of these beds had curtains showing the Labours of Hercules, and another was embroidered by Mary, Queen of Scots. These beds were being prepared for King James's visit back to Scotland.
In 1618, a poet named John Taylor visited Scotland and met Auchmoutie at Burntisland. Later, Taylor visited John and his brothers James and Alexander at Auldhame (Scoughall). They ate a special local bird called a Solan goose from the Bass Rock. It was served separately from dinner, like how oysters were eaten back then, and washed down with Spanish sack wine.
In June 1621, an Edinburgh merchant was ordered to give royal furnishings to Auchmoutie. In July 1621, some fabric and linen that belonged to the king were returned to the royal wardrobe when John Auchmoutie was in London.
The king also ordered that the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish crown jewels) should stay in Edinburgh Castle. An inventory, or detailed list, was made of the tapestries and silver plates that John Auchmoutie was looking after. In March 1622, he received a large collection of silver items, including basins, plates, candlesticks, spoons, and bowls, which had been used for the royal visit in 1617.
In 1624, John Auchmoutie asked the king for better pay for the people who looked after and repaired the royal tapestries in Scotland. After King James VI and I died, John Auchmoutie and others continued to receive salaries for their work as grooms of the bedchamber in Scotland.
In 1633, Charles I was crowned king in Edinburgh. John Auchmoutie was involved in preparing the royal wardrobe and table linen for this important event. He was even asked to take the ermine fur from one of King James's robes and use it to line an older robe of James IV of Scotland for King Charles to wear at his coronation.
