Richard Wedderburn (floruit 1560-1602), was a Scottish merchant based in Denmark. Richard Wedderburn was the eldest son of Alexander Wedderburn elder (1510–1589) and Isobel Anderson. He was a great uncle of David Wedderburne of Dundee who is known for his account book published in 1898. Richard's brother Patrick Wedderburn was also merchant and burgess in Dundee, but Richard was not recorded as a burgess or freeman of Dundee. Wedderburn was a burgess or citizen of Elsinore or

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

in Denmark by 1568. He supplied timber for the roof of the kirk of Dundee in 1591. In July 1573 his parents gave him part of their tenement in Dundee located in South Marketgate. He sold this property to his brother Patrick and his wife, Elizabeth Low, in 1590. Richard also had a property called the Chapel Yard in the Cowgate of Dundee. He hosted Sir Patrick Vans of Barnbarroch, a Scottish ambassador negotiating the marriage of

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

with

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

the elder sister of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

, for a night at Elsinore on 8 June 1587. At that time Wedderburn loaned Mr John Learmonth money and Barnbarroch and

Peter Young Peter or Pete Young may refer to: Sports * Peter Dalton Young (1927–2002), English rugby union player * Peter Young (cricketer, born 1961), Australian cricketer * Pete Young (born 1968), American baseball player * Peter Young (rugby league) (fl. ...

were his security for the debt of 18 Danish dollars and 8 shillings. Barnbarroch's kinsman, William Wallace of Failford mentioned meeting Wedderburn during the king's visit to Elsinore in 1590. In 1590 Richard Wedderburn was given a license to export seven horses from Scotland, and a yearly quantity of wheat for making the flour used at the table of

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

which he had been supplying for some years to

Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II (1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588) was King of Denmark-Norway, Denmark and Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1559 until his death in 1588. A member of the House of Oldenburg, Fre ...

. In Danish records, which include payments for the Scottish wheat flour and green cloth supplied to the king, "Skotsk hvidemel" and "grønt klaede", his name appears as "Richardus Vederborn". Another Scottish embassy, that of Lord Ogilvy and Peter Young, sent to attend the coronation of Christian IV in September 1596, stayed with him in August, and he claimed 516 dalers from the King of Denmark. In 1600 he was involved in the transport of timber bought by

Peder Munk Peder Munk of Estvadgård (1534–1623), was a Danish navigator, politician, and ambassador, who was in charge of the fleet carrying Anne of Denmark to Scotland. The events of the voyage led to witch trials and executions in Denmark and Scotland ...

for building work at

Frederiksborg Castle Frederiksborg Castle () is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for Christian IV of Denmark, King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II ...

.''Kancelliets brevbøger vedrørende Danmarks indre forhold i uddrag: 1596-1602'' (Copenhagen, 1913), p. 558. Richard Wedderburn married three times. He died in 1602 and was buried at St. Olaf's Church, Helsingør where there is a carved slab commemorating him.

External links

Research on Richard Wedderburn (in Swedish)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wedderburn, Richard People from Dundee 1602 deaths 16th-century Scottish businesspeople Scottish merchants Expatriates from the Kingdom of Scotland Expatriates in Denmark–Norway