Robert Jousie facts for kids
Robert Jousie (also spelled Joussie, Jowsie, or Jossie) was an important Scottish businessman who lived a long time ago. He was a textile merchant, which means he sold fabrics. He was also a financier, someone who deals with money, and a courtier, meaning he worked closely with the king and queen. Robert Jousie helped manage the money that Queen Elizabeth I sent to James VI of Scotland. He died in 1626.
Contents
Life as a Royal Supplier
Robert Jousie was a cloth merchant who lived in Edinburgh, Scotland. His house was on the famous Royal Mile. He became the main person who supplied fabrics to James VI of Scotland and his wife, Anne of Denmark.
We know a lot about the fabrics he sold because his old records are still kept in the National Archives of Scotland. Historians have looked at these records. For example, they show that King James VI bought fancy ostrich feathers and beaver hats. Jousie also supplied special costumes for the king and queen to wear in masques. These were like plays or dances performed at weddings in the early 1590s. The costumes were made from light taffeta and shiny metallic fabrics.
Helping with the Royal Wedding
Robert Jousie helped with the marriage of King James VI and Anne of Denmark. He lent money to William Stewart, a Scottish ambassador. Stewart traveled to Denmark several times to arrange the wedding. Jousie also sold silks and velvets to Stewart.
In July 1589, King James VI sent Jousie to London. He went with Thomas Foulis, a goldsmith and financier. Their job was to buy clothes and decorations for the upcoming royal wedding. The king even gave them some valuable rubies from the crown jewels as a promise to pay for their purchases.
Collecting Money from England
Jousie and Thomas Foulis often helped collect money from Queen Elizabeth I. This money was a gift or "subsidy" she sent to King James VI. Sometimes, collecting this money was difficult. In December 1591, Jousie was held up in Berwick-upon-Tweed. King James wrote to Queen Elizabeth, complaining about the long delays.
In April 1593, an English ambassador named Lord Burgh and a diplomat named Robert Bowes borrowed money from Jousie, Foulis, and another person. They used this money to reward people who might support England's plans in Scotland.
Fabrics for Royal Clothes
In 1590, William Keith of Delny, who managed the king's clothes, paid Jousie a large sum for silk fabrics. Jousie was still owed even more money for clothes and other items he supplied for the royal wedding.
Throughout the 1590s, Robert Jousie provided fabrics to the royal tailors. These tailors, like Alexander Miller and Peter Sanderson, made clothes for the king and queen. Part of the money for these fabrics came from the gifts Queen Elizabeth sent to King James. Jousie and Foulis kept buying things in London for the king. In 1593, they filled many trunks and packs with goods.
In July 1594, Jousie received a large payment from the English money. This was for the clothes he had supplied to the king and queen. He also provided textiles for a special event in 1594. This was a masque held for the baptism of Prince Henry. The money for these textiles came from Queen Anne's dowry, which was invested in different towns. Jousie received some money from the town of Aberdeen.
In March 1595, Sir Robert Melville stepped down from his job as the Treasurer of Scotland. He owed Jousie a lot of money, which the king promised to pay back.
In September 1597, Jousie went to London again to collect the money from England. He was delayed there, waiting for the payment. King James VI wrote to Queen Elizabeth again, saying Jousie was being held up for too long.
Financial Troubles
In 1598, Thomas Foulis, Jousie's business partner, ran into serious financial trouble. He declared bankruptcy, meaning he could not pay his debts. A list of people who had lent money to Foulis and Jousie was made. These people had helped them pay for things for the royal court. The list included the Edinburgh Company of Tailors and other merchants.
In May 1598, a man named James Hudson wrote that Foulis had pawned a valuable gold lion. Hudson thought this item might belong to King James VI. Robert Jousie was also having trouble paying his debts. Hudson even thought about having Jousie arrested in London because of the money he owed.
Even with these financial problems, Jousie continued to buy things for the royal family. In January 1599, he bought a sapphire with Queen Elizabeth's picture on it for Queen Anne. However, people in England who Foulis owed money to arrested Jousie in London. He was put in prison for a while. Even the Secretary of State, James Elphinstone, could not help him get out until the debts were promised to be paid. In February 1599, the Scottish Privy Council decided that from then on, the Treasurer would manage the English money. This money would be used for clothes for the royal family and Prince Henry's household.
A textile merchant named Baptist Hicks wrote to King James VI in March 1599. He hoped to get back the money Jousie owed him. He was disappointed to hear he would not be paid from the money Queen Elizabeth sent.
Life in England
After King James VI became King of England in 1603 (this was called the Union of the Crowns), Robert Jousie moved to England. He was given several important jobs in the royal household between 1606 and 1611. He was a Groom of the Bedchamber and a Yeoman of the Robes. He also worked for Prince Henry.
In October 1606, George Home sent Jousie to give money to a minister named Andrew Melville and his friends. The money was hidden in packages that looked like sugar loaves.
Jousie bought a large estate called Baynards in Surrey, England, in 1610.
When William Betoun, who embroidered for the royal family in Scotland, died in 1620, Robert Jousie still owed him money.
Robert Jousie passed away in London in 1626. He did not leave a will. We don't know much about his family details. A historian named Dr. Robert Johnston was with him when he died.
Jousie's Family
Robert Jousie's wife was named Margaret. They had two sons and one daughter.
- His son, James Jousie, also known as Jossey or Hay, had to sell parts of their Baynards estate. He sold them to Richard Gurnard or Gurney, a London clothworker. Gurney then sold the property to Richard Evelyn, whose son John Evelyn later became a famous diarist. James Jousie married Elizabeth Band, who was the daughter of George Heriot (1563-1624).
- Another son, Robert Jousie, traveled to Spain with Prince Charles in 1623. He later came to Edinburgh in 1633 with King Charles I. He was also a Yeoman of the Robes.
- Their daughter, Elizabeth (born 1609), married King Charles I's jeweler, James Heriot, in 1624. After James Heriot died, Elizabeth Jousie married David Cunningham of Robertland in 1637.
A friend and relative named John Jousie (died 1621) was a rich Scottish merchant in London. He named Robert Jousie of Baynards as one of the people who would manage his will.
A Ship's Cargo in 1586
We have a list of goods that belonged to Robert Jousie from a ship's cargo in 1586. This list helps us understand his business. He lost many items when the ship ran aground in Norfolk, England. These included:
- 12 hats lined with taffeta
- 15 beaver hats
- 36 hat bands
- 24 silk hat bands
- 12 crêpe hat bands
- 24 hat bands for children
Robert Jousie's House in Edinburgh
In June 1593, something dramatic happened at Jousie's house in Edinburgh while he was away in London. A servant of King James VI, James Gray, had taken and married Catherine Carnegie. She was the daughter of John, Laird of Carnegie. Catherine did not want to be married to Gray and found safety in Robert Jousie's house.
Gray sent his friend John Wemyss of Logie to quietly enter the house. When Logie found Catherine still inside, he signaled to his friends. They broke down the doors and carried Catherine back to Gray. Meanwhile, Lord Home and his followers stopped anyone from trying to help her. Catherine eventually married Sir John Hamilton of Lettrick.
Jousie's house was also the scene of a cool trick on July 10, 1598. An acrobat performed on a rope stretched between the front stairs of the house and the tall steeple of St Giles.
