Robert Drummond of Carnock facts for kids
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Sir Robert Drummond of Carnock (died 1592) was a very important person in Scotland who was in charge of royal buildings. From 1579 to 1583, he held the title of Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland. This meant he was responsible for building new palaces and castles, and also for fixing old ones. His job was as important as that of Sir James Hamilton of Finnart before him.
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Life and Family
Robert Drummond was the oldest son of Alexander Drummond and Marjory Bruce. His family lived in places like Carnock and Arnmore, which is near Kippen in Stirlingshire. Interestingly, Arnmore was also close to the home of William Schaw, who took over Robert's job later and is thought to be a founder of Freemasonry.
Robert's father, Alexander, had supported the Earl of Angus and even went into exile in England with him in 1529. Robert himself worked hard to make the lands around Carnock into a recognized "free barony," which was a special type of land ownership.
Robert was married twice. His first wife was Agnes (or Margaret) Kirkcaldy, who was the sister of Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange. Later, after 1542, he married Marjorie Elphinstone, whose brother was Lord Elphinstone. Robert was knighted in 1565 because he supported Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. He had also fought for Darnley's father, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, in a battle near Glasgow in 1544.
People believed that "Dominus Drummond," as he was sometimes called, was in charge of fixing Dunfermline Abbey in 1570. He also seemed to have some influence with Regent Morton, who was ruling Scotland at the time, helping his family with their business.
Ideas for Royal Palaces
Robert Drummond officially became the Master of Work on May 6, 1579. He was like a royal architect. One of his most important ideas was an inventory (a list) of repairs needed for the royal palaces, which he made on May 7, 1583. He especially loved the views around Stirling Castle. He imagined designing a new gallery and a roof terrace on the west side of the palace. From there, people could enjoy amazing views of the river valleys and the many castles belonging to Scottish nobles.
He also wanted to move the royal chapel at Stirling. He wrote that the west side of the palace was the "best and most pleasant situation" because it had the "most pleasant sight of all the four directions," including the park, gardens, deer, and rivers like the Forth and Teith, all the way to Loch Lomond. He could see "many great stone houses" from there.
Sadly, these big plans for Stirling Palace were never carried out during his time. Later, part of the building even fell down. He also warned that a part of Linlithgow Palace was about to collapse, saying that £100 spent then would save £1000 later. This part of the building did fall down twenty years later, just as he predicted.
Drummond's successor, William Schaw, rebuilt the chapel at Stirling in 1594. Robert Drummond's only definite works were some repairs to the roof and walls at Doune Castle and a few fixes at Stirling Castle.
Changes in Power
In 1582, Robert's oldest son, Patrick Drummond, was involved in something called the Raid of Ruthven. This was a time when some nobles took control of the young King James VI. Because of this, Patrick lost his job at court and had to go into exile in England. Robert's other son, John, also lost his job. Robert's son-in-law, Adam Erskine, was also a leader in this group.
These family connections might have caused Robert to be replaced as Master of Work by William Schaw before November 1583, after the group that took control of the king lost power.
In his repair list from May 1583, Robert Drummond even made plans for Mary, Queen of Scots, or perhaps a future queen for James VI, at Stirling Castle. He suggested rebuilding the Chapel Royal so that ladies-in-waiting could easily go from a new part of the palace to a special loft in the chapel.
This shows that Drummond was involved with the plans of the Ruthven group, and perhaps even with ideas for Mary, Queen of Scots, to rule alongside her son, James VI. A painting from 1583 showing both Mary and James was made for these discussions.
Robert Drummond himself went into exile in England in April 1584 with other nobles.
Family, Land, and Coal
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Sir Robert Drummond owned coal mines on his land. He sold coal to the town of Stirling for people to use in their homes. He even made an agreement with a merchant in Stirling about how to measure the coal correctly.
Sadly, Drummond's own house at Carnock in Stirlingshire was torn down in 1941. It had become unsafe because of coal mining underneath it, especially during the 1914-18 war. The house had an interesting design with two staircases. A stone panel from 1548, showing his family crest and that of his wife Marjorie Elphinstone, can now be seen at Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Some painted wooden boards from the ceiling and the front door of the house are on display at the Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery.
Oak beams from the ceiling, which are now kept by Historic Environment Scotland, have dates from 1589. They have old sayings written on them, some from the Bible and some from an ancient philosopher. For example, one says: "Gif that in werteu thow takis ony paine..." (If you take any pain in virtue...). Another says: "Naikit I cam into the warld..." (Naked I came into the world...). These sayings were popular at the time, and King James VI himself wrote a Latin version of the first saying in his own book.
Midhope Castle, which you might recognize as the "Lallybroch" setting in the TV show Outlander, belonged to Robert's brother, Alexander Drummond. It's possible that Robert, as a Master of Work, helped with changes to Midhope Castle. Another brother, Charles, was the Provost (like a mayor) of Linlithgow.
Later Life
In 1586, Robert Drummond, his son-in-law Adam Erskine, and his sons Patrick, John, Robert, and William, faced some legal issues. They were accused of threatening Duncan Forrester of Queenshaugh. A relative, James Drummond, 1st Lord Maderty, offered a large sum of money to guarantee their good behavior.
In 1587, Robert had trouble selling some property, and his lands at Carnock, Bannockburn, and his house in Stirling were taken over for a while by Lord Doune.
Robert was a witness at a christening in Stirling in October 1589. He passed away in 1592.
Epitaph
The poet Alexander Montgomerie, who was also at King James VI's court, wrote a special poem about Robert Drummond after he died. This type of poem is called an epitaph. The poem talks about Robert Drummond as a leader in building and planting things in Scotland. His grandson, the poet William Drummond of Hawthornden, even added Robert's name to the title of the poem in a collection of Montgomerie's works.
Here's what the poem says, in more modern words:
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- Stay, traveler, pay attention, look closely,
- Please take a moment to read his epitaph
- He left behind very few people like him,
- Since he learned to die to live again.
- Everyone who knew noble Carnock knows this is true.
- This country can be sad that he is gone.
- All beautiful buildings say goodbye to Drummond now;
- His life showed that he loved them more than anyone else.
- Where will we find such good building and land improvement now?
- Who could compete with him in decorating, building, or planting?
- These gifts, I agree, God gave him more than anyone else.
In Scottish folklore, Robert Drummond's second wife, Marjorie Elphinstone, is sometimes thought to be the person in the story of the "Lady with the Ring". After his grandson died in 1636, Carnock was sold to Thomas Nicolson.
Children
Robert Drummond had several children, including:
- Margaret Drummond, who was the daughter of Agnes Kirkcaldy. She married Alexander Erskine. Her daughter, Annabella, married Sir John Buchanan.
- Patrick Drummond of Monzie, who was in charge of the royal stables. He married Margaret Scott. His grandson, Alexander, was killed in a battle in 1645.
- John Drummond of Slipperfield and Hawthornden, who was a royal usher. He married Susanna Fowler and was the father of the famous poet William Drummond of Hawthornden.
- William Drummond, who was a student at St Andrews.
- Edward Drummond, who was the son of Marjorie Elphinstone.
- Agnes Drummond, who married James Lockhart.
