Sir James MacGill, Lord Rankeillor of Nether Rankeillour (died 1579), was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

and

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court ...

. Sworn of the Privy Council by

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

in 1561, he became her

Lord Clerk Register The office of Lord Clerk Register (Scottish Gaelic: ''Clàr Morair Clèireach'') is the oldest remaining Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenanc ...

(Keeper of the Scots Royal Archives). He was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed as Sir James MacGill of Nether Rankeillour. Although engaged in the administration of Queen Mary (of Guise) he remained a committed

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. He occupied the

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

Flisk Flisk ( meaning "Stalk" or "Rod") was a parish in Fife, Scotland. Description According to the 1853 Gazetteer, in part: "Flisk parish is bounded on the north by the Tay, on the south by Creich and Abdie, on the east by Balmerino and on the ...

, an estate three miles south of

Cupar Cupar ( ; ) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

. His successor as

, James Balfour, later Lord Pittendreich, previously held the manse in Flisk.

Early life

He was the son of James MacGill of Nesbit, an

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

burgess, and his wife, Helen Wardlaw.

Regency of Mary of Guise

MacGill was appointed

of Scotland when

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

formed her administration in 1554. On 25 May 1557 he was one of a delegation who met with

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

's delegation near

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

by the Water of Sark. There, in the run-up to Peace of Cateau-Cambresis, he proposed that the Scots would not break any peace treaty with England to appease French interests. MacGill and

John Bellenden John Bellenden or Ballantyne ( 1533–1587?) of Moray (why Moray, a lowland family) was a Scottish writer of the 16th century. Life He was born towards the close of the 15th century, and educated at St. Andrews and Paris. At the request of ...

prepared a short guide to Scottish law, the ''Discours Particulier D'Escosse'', written in French for Mary, Queen of Scots, and

Francis II of France Francis II (; 19 January 1544 – 5 December 1560) was List of French monarchs, King of France from 1559 to 1560. He was also List of Scottish consorts, King of Scotland as the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1558 until his death in ...

. MacGill was a commissioner for the final negotiation of the

Peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

at the Kirk of Steill in May 1559, called the Treaty of Upsettlington. During the crisis of the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

, MacGill and John Bellenden of Auchnoul searched the records of Scotland to find precedents for trying

Regent Arran In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

and his son

James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran (1537–1609) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who opposed the French-dominated regency during the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault, sometime regent of ...

, who had joined the Protestant cause, for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

. Yet by August 1559, he had secret meetings with the English commander and Captain of Berwick, Sir James Croft, saying that the Queen Regent's council were mostly joined with the Protestants. However, on 25 November 1559, he asked for the keys of

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

on behalf of the Regent, and was refused. Later, during the

Siege of Leith The siege of Leith ended a twelve-year encampment of French troops at Leith, the port near Edinburgh, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland. French troops arrived in Scotland by invitation in 1548. In 1560 the French soldiers opposed Scottish supporter ...

he remained with the Queen Regent at

Personal rule of Mary, Queen of Scots

When Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 she appointed MacGill a Privy Councillor. MacGill was unhelpful to the English agent Thomas Randolph when he requested details of the divorce of

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...

and the

Earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

, the grandparents of

Lord Darnley Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Scot ...

. After the murder of David Riccio, the

Papal Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is a ...

advised the removal of six men from Court to restore peace, including Bellenden and MacGill, described as "a man of no family and contriver of all evil". After Mary escaped to England, MacGill was one of the party who produced the

casket letters The Casket letters were eight letters and some sonnets said to have been written by Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Earl of Bothwell, between January and April 1567. They were produced as evidence against Queen Mary by the Scottish lords who opposed ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

which were alleged to implicate Mary in the death of her husband Lord Darnley. He attended

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

and her

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

in late October 1568.

Under James VI

In 1570 MacGill was reluctantly appointed Provost of

. In November 1571, during the War between Leith and Edinburgh when Mary's supporters held

, MacGill was sent with Robert Pitcairn, Commendator of

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

to negotiate with Henry, Lord Hunsdon at

Berwick upon Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

. MacGill asked for 8 cannons, 3000 footmen and pikemen, and support for 1000 Scots troops, in the cause of the "maintenance and protection of the true religion to the confusion of those that now goes about to disturb the same". MacGill had a particular interest in the siege as the "registers and records of the chief matters" were held in the Castle with the Scottish crown jewels and the

jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots The jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) are mainly known through the evidence of inventories held by the National Records of Scotland. She was bought jewels during her childhood in France, adding to those she inherited. She gave gifts of ...

. In 1572, the force holding Edinburgh Castle led by

William Kirkcaldy of Grange Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation. He ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the c ...

and known as the "Castilians" twice destroyed MacGill's stronghouses in Edinburgh, and while the siege lasted the Burgh Council met in exile at

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scot ...

wrote to MacGill in 1575 asking him to re-negotiate a gold and silver mining contract with the Dutch engineer

Cornelius de Vos Cornelius de Vos or de Vois or Devosse (fl. 1565-1585), was a Dutch or Flemish mine entrepreneur and mineral prospector working in England and Scotland. He was said to have been a "picture-maker" or portrait artist. De Vos is known for gold mini ...

. A portrait painter working in Scotland at this time,

Arnold Bronckorst Arnold Bronckhorst, or Bronckorst or Van Bronckhorst ( 1565–1583) was a Flemish or Dutch painter who was court painter to James VI of Scotland.Nicholas Hilliard Nicholas Hilliard ( – before 7 January 1619) was an English goldsmith and limner best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. He mostly painted small oval miniatures, but also some l ...

. Morton also obtained passports for MacGill's sons, John and David, to travel to France to continue their studies. MacGill died on 16 October 1579. Alexander Hay succeeded him as Lord Clerk Register. His executors were his wife Janet Adamsoun and their son, Master James MacGill.

Janet Adamsoun

MacGill's wife, Janet Adamsoun or Adamson was a noted Protestant.

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

wrote to her from

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

in 1557 as one of his "sweet sisters". His letter mentions that he had previously written to her on the subject of "what duty a

wife A wife (: wives) is a woman in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until their marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgment; or until death, depending on the kind of marriage. On t ...

owes her husband"; Knox said he had referred the matter to

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

. In 1584, as a supporter of the strongly Protestant William Ruthven, Earl of Gowrie, Janet was banished from Edinburgh. In 1585 she vacated a house on the north side of the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal ...

which belonged to the sons of a wealthy apothecary, Thomas Thomson. When Janet wrote to Thomas Randolph, an English diplomat, in April 1583, she reminded him of her husband's "duty and good service to his country, together with his love and maintenance of peace, unity, and concord betwixt our two nations, whenever the occasion was offered here, or when he was employed and sent in commission to your country". Their children included: * James MacGill * John MacGill * David MacGill * Rachael MacGill, who married (1) Stewart of

Rosyth Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...

, and (2) in 1584, Archibald Wauchope of Niddrie, and was the mother of Francis Wauchope, named after

Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell (c. December 1562 – November 1612), was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings aga ...

. In November 1575 David and John MacGill both went to France for their education.''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 223.

References

Sources

''Calendar of the State Papers relating to Scotland and Mary Queen of Scots 1547–1603'', H.M. General Register House Edinburgh, vol. 1, ed. J. Bain, (1898)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macgill, James, Of Nether Rankeillour Year of birth uncertain 1579 deaths People associated with Fife 16th-century Scottish people Provosts of Edinburgh Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Privy Council of Mary, Queen of Scots Scottish knights Scottish Reformation Diplomats for Scotland Senators of the College of Justice