John Hope was a French

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

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

who settled in

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 ...

. According to family histories "John de Hope" came to Scotland in the entourage of

Madeleine of Valois Madeleine of Valois (10 August 1520 – 7 July 1537) was a French princess who briefly became Queen of Scotland in 1537 as the first wife of King James V. The marriage was arranged in accordance with the Treaty of Rouen, and they were marrie ...

in 1537. His family was from

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

, and their original name was Houblon. It seems more likely that he was John Hope ''alias'' "Petit Johnne, Trumpetour", possibly in the service of

John Stewart, Duke of Albany John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (8 July 1482 – 2 June 1536) was the regent of the Kingdom of Scotland and the count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France. Early life John was a son of Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, son of King James I ...

, governor of Scotland, and made a burgess of Edinburgh in March 1517. He set up business as a merchant in Edinburgh and married Bessie (or Elizabeth) Cumming. The royal treasurer's account mention French grey cloth bought from a "Johne Hoip" in September 1537 for the costumes of the grooms in the royal stable, and that in August 1537 "Johne Hope" was among the merchants who supplied black cloth for the mourning clothes and riding equipment worn by the ladies in waiting of Madeleine of Valois. The Hope family were dealers in textiles like many successful Edinburgh merchants, and imported luxury fabrics such as velvets, silver lace and cloth-of-gold. John's son Edward married a Parisian woman, Jacqueline de Tot. He supported 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 ...

in 1560. John Hope built a house on Edinburgh high street between Chalmers and Barringers' closes. When this house was demolished an attractive fireplace was discovered and is now displayed in the rebuilt

Trinity College Kirk Trinity College Kirk was a Scottish monarchy, royal collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. The kirk and its adjacent almshouse, Trinity Hospital, were founded in 1460 by Mary of Guelders in memory of her husband, King James II of Sco ...

. It appears to be older than John Hope's time. A gothic basin or piscina from the house was reused at

Darnick Darnick is a village near Melrose in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire. The name was first recorded in 1124, and has changed from Dernewic, Dernwick and Darnwick to the present Darnick. was built in c. 1425, ...

Tower. The next family home in Edinburgh was at the top 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 ...

on the north side of Castlehill, entered through Tod's close or Edward Hope's Close. The complex of buildings was sometimes known as the palace of

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 ...

. Various items from the demolished buildings are displayed in the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...

. John's grandson was the lawyer

Sir Thomas Hope of Craighall Sir Thomas Hope, 1st Baronet Hope of Craighall (1573 – 1646) was a Scottish lawyer, and Lord Advocate under Charles I of England, Charles I. Life He was the son of an eminent Edinburgh merchant, Henry Hope, and his French wife, Jacqueline ...

whose house was demolished to build the public library in Edinburgh.Alison Hay Dunlop, ''Anent Old Edinburgh'' (Edinburgh, 1890), pp. 11-12.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, John 16th-century Scottish people 16th-century Scottish businesspeople

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

French emigrants Immigrants to the Kingdom of Scotland