Thomas Fowler (courtier) facts for kids
Thomas Fowler (who died in 1590) was an English lawyer, diplomat, and a secret agent. He worked for important people like Margaret Douglas, the Countess of Lennox. He even helped arrange the marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Later, he was a steward for the Earl of Leicester and advised James VI of Scotland. He also helped the Scottish ambassador in London, Archibald Douglas.
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Who Was Thomas Fowler?
Historians like John Knox and the English diplomat Thomas Randolph said that Thomas Fowler was English. We don't know if he was related to the Scottish poet William Fowler.
The Fowler family name appears in records from Settrington, which was a property owned by Margaret Douglas in Yorkshire. Thomas might have been from an English family or a Scottish family living in England, who worked for the Lennox family. In 1562, Fowler, who was a clerk in the Countess's kitchen, was mentioned as a possible witness against the Countess.
There were other famous Thomas Fowlers in London at the same time. One was a "comptroller of the works" (a paymaster for royal building projects) who died in 1595. Another was Sir Thomas Fowler of Islington.
Fowler's Role in Scotland
Thomas Fowler was a university graduate and worked for Margaret Douglas, the Countess of Lennox. He traveled to Edinburgh for the Earl of Lennox in November 1564. He returned in March with permission for Lennox to come to Scotland.
William Cecil, a powerful English official, was very interested in Fowler's work. He even got a copy of Fowler's notes about his tasks and news. The English diplomat in Scotland, Thomas Randolph, called Fowler the "Flying Post" because he carried so many important letters. Fowler brought secret messages from William Maitland of Lethington to Queen Mary. One message in April 1565 made the court sad, and a planned party in Edinburgh was canceled.
In June 1565, Fowler said bad things about one of Randolph's men. This led to a fight between one of Fowler's servants and Randolph's servant. In September 1565, Randolph listed Fowler, along with Italians David Riccio and Francisco de Busso, as "unworthy persons" who were causing suspicion at court. John Knox also wrote about Fowler's strong influence.
In December 1565, Fowler was removed from Lord Darnley's service. He wrote to the Countess that Lord Darnley had attended a Catholic mass on Christmas Day. Fowler also delivered a letter from the Earl of Lennox to the Countess, which mentioned him leaving Darnley's service.
On December 27, 1566, Fowler shaved his beard and changed his name to "Forster." He sailed from Leith to England. He was arrested in London and faced serious trouble. William Cecil gathered information about his contacts and travels between Scotland and England. Both Maitland of Lethington and Queen Mary wrote to Elizabeth I of England to ask for his life to be spared.
Fowler continued to work for the Lennox family. He was in Scotland in December 1570, and the Earl, who was then Regent Lennox, paid for his trip back to England. Fowler was arrested again in July 1574. Francis Walsingham, a key English spy master, prepared questions to ask him. Walsingham wanted to know if Fowler had been at Temple Newsam and if he knew about talks for a marriage between Bess of Hardwick's daughter, Elizabeth Cavendish, and Margaret's son, Charles Stuart. Walsingham also asked about letters between Margaret Douglas, John Lesley (the secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots), and the Laird of Kilsyth. He was also curious about Spanish and Portuguese men who might have visited the Countess's house in Hackney. Fowler was kept prisoner, and Walsingham asked the Earl of Huntingdon to question him again in December 1574. This suggests Fowler was held near Margaret's estate in Settrington.
When the Countess Margaret Douglas died in 1578, Fowler was named the only person in charge of her will. He received her sheep at Settrington and all her "clocks, watches and dials." He was also responsible for building her tomb at Westminster Abbey. The writer Raphael Holinshed noted that the tomb, which also honored Charles, Earl of Lennox (who died in 1577), was almost finished before Margaret died. Mary, Queen of Scots asked him to give any jewels the Countess had left to Arbella Stuart to Bess of Hardwick.
Working for the Earl of Leicester
Fowler then joined the household of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, working as his steward. In November 1581, John Selby sent Fowler and the Earl of Leicester news about Scottish politics from Berwick. Selby asked Fowler, who lived in Aldersgate Street in London, to send his greetings to Roger Aston, an English courtier of James VI. Around this time, Fowler was mentioned in secret letters from Mary, Queen of Scots, to the French ambassador Michel de Castelnau.
When John Colville sent news about the Gowrie Regime to Walsingham in June 1583, he asked him to tell Leicester but not Fowler about Colonel Stewart, saying Fowler "will reveal it again." Fowler sent news about Francis Walsingham's trip to Scotland to the Earl of Shrewsbury on August 10, 1583. He was at the camp at Tilbury in August 1588 with Leicester during the Armada crisis.
Fowler's Later Years in Scotland
After Leicester died, Fowler went to Scotland without permission. The English Privy Council, at the request of the Countess of Leicester, ordered a search of his house in Bishopsgate. James VI of Scotland talked about a possible marriage between Arbella Stuart and Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox. Fowler advised against this. In October 1588, Chancellor Maitland started to trust Fowler with secrets about the Scottish royal marriage. Around this time, Fowler became separated from his second wife, Elizabeth, who stayed in London.
From Aberdeen, Fowler wrote to the English ambassador in Edinburgh, William Asheby, on July 28, 1589. He said that James VI was very eager to marry Anne of Denmark and would not push for strict marriage terms. Fowler wrote that "the young lady is so much in love with the King's majesty that it would be death to her to have it broken off."
In August, from Edzell Castle, Fowler wrote to Walsingham that James VI often asked him if Queen Elizabeth would send him money for the marriage. Fowler traveled with the King and returned with him to Falkland Palace. There, he wrote to Walsingham about getting official diplomatic status. When Fowler stayed at Whittingehame Tower, the home of Richard Douglas, in October 1589, James VI was told that Fowler planned to secretly leave Scotland from there.
Fowler began to discuss the King's marriage plans with William Cecil. He also talked about the business of the Earl of Essex using code-names. In this code, the Earl of Essex was "Ernestus," Lord Riche was "Richarddo," Lady Riche (Essex's sister) was "Rialta," and James VI was "Victor." Cecil called Fowler "Fidelis," meaning faithful. Historians often use Fowler's letters because they give important details about the Scottish court. When Fowler thought James VI would sail to Norway to meet Anne of Denmark, he was asked to go with the Chancellor, but he refused.
On June 7, 1589, Fowler attended meetings with the English ambassador William Asheby and the English sailor George Beeston and his captains. An English sailor on shore had been killed by Spanish sailors. Fowler wrote that James VI had involved him as "his secretary" to help draft requests to the Privy Council of Scotland for justice for the sailors.
At the end of October 1589, Fowler wrote a long letter to Cecil complaining about the English ambassador, William Asheby. Fowler claimed he had helped Asheby gain connections and influence at the Scottish court. However, another English resident, Richard Wigmore, had turned Asheby against him. He believed Asheby had spoken against him to the king and to the Earl of Bothwell. He also thought his enemies were intercepting his letters. Wigmore, according to Fowler, guided Asheby like a child. Fowler was forced to stay in Edinburgh Castle because he feared Bothwell. Letters were taken from the messenger Robert Hudson.
Fowler's Death
Thomas Fowler died on April 13, 1590, in John Acheson's House in Edinburgh's Canongate. He had become sick and unable to speak.
Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell took Fowler's belongings. These included a payment bond for £400 that Fowler had lent to the English courtier of James VI, Roger Aston. Bothwell claimed that Fowler was illegitimate and had not left a will, so his possessions belonged to the Scottish crown. Bothwell's right to do this was challenged by Lewis Bellenden, who was in Norway with the King. The English ambassador Robert Bowes tried to get back property that belonged to Arbella Stuart. However, James VI claimed these were gifts to him from his grandmother, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox.
The disputed property included a diamond cross, a locket with a diamond, a ruby, and an emerald, another locket with an agate on both sides, a locket with a ruby, and a ring with a large diamond. Fowler owed money to Thomas Foulis, Robert Jousie, David Clappan, and Roger Aston. Richard Wigmore noted that there were receipts from the Countess of Shrewsbury for jewels received by Arbella. Wigmore said that Fowler falsely claimed to have made a will on his deathbed.
Fowler's son, William Fowler, promised to return these jewels to Arbella once he received the rest of his father's property from the king. Bowes sent William Fowler to Cecil from Edinburgh. James said he would give the jewels to Arbella if he saw the Countess of Lennox's will.
Fowler's second wife, Elizabeth, married George Blenkoe. They continued to manage the property at Settrington, which they rented as part of Fowler's legacy from the Countess of Lennox.
