Thomas Arthur was a Scottish tailor who worked for

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and dur ...

Arthur was made master tailor to the king in 1529. During the previous years of the king's minority, his clothes had been made by

Andrew Edgar Andrew Edgar was a Scottish tailor who served James V of Scotland. He was a son or brother of Thomas Edgar, a tailor who worked for James IV of Scotland and made items for Margaret Tudor, including a crimson satin stomacher during her pregnanc ...

. Arthur's work is known through the accounts of the

treasurer of Scotland The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland. Lord Treasurer The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation'', f ...

, and inventories of the king's clothes. The published editions of the accounts by James Balfour Paul do not include the detail of the lining and secondary fabrics of costume, described in the original manuscripts in the

National Archives of Scotland The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe ...

. In January 1540 Arthur made "play coats" of red and yellow taffeta, and a side cape for one of the players. These costumes were for an early performance of David Lindsay's "

A Satire of the Three Estates ''A Satire of the Three Estates'' (Middle Scots: ''Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis''), is a satirical morality play in Middle Scots, written by makar Sir David Lyndsay. The complete play was first performed outside in the playing field ...

" in the Great Hall of

Linlithgow Palace The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, ...

. In February 1540 he made a bonnet to line the

crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland ( gd, Crùn na h-Alba) is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. It is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and dates from at least 1503, although it has been claimed that the ...

which the goldsmith John Mosman had recently refurbished. The bonnet was made of purple velvet and lined with purple satin. Thomas Arthur worked in Edinburgh and would bring the clothes to the king at his palaces. His servants brought clothes to Stirling Castle in March 1540 and were given a reward or tip recorded as "

drinksilver Drinksilver was a kind of tip or gratuity given to artisans in Early Modern Scotland, a sum of money suitable for buying drinks and celebrating. Records of payments give insights into labour, service, and patronage. Payments and contexts Buildin ...

". At Easter 1541 he brought a coffer of clothes to Stirling Castle, including a black Venice satin doublet with gold buttons, and black

hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called ''pipes'' (the word ''pipe'' usually refers to a rigid tube, whereas a hose is usually a flexible one), or more generally ' ...

. He also delivered new clothes to the King's servants, including the pursemaster John Tennent who would "deliver them where the king commanded". He made clothes for the king's two sons, and mourning cloaks for ladies in waiting to wear at the funeral of

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was 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 successfully fought to extend her regency. Ma ...

in Perth in November 1541. In March 1542 he made a nightgown for Mistress Margaret, sister of the

Earl of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first ea ...

. A lady-in-waiting

Katherine Bellenden Katherine Bellenden (1497 – c. 1568) was a courtier working in the wardrobe of James V of Scotland. Her niece of the same name was similarly employed. A family at court Katherine was the daughter of Patrick Bellenden a servant of Margaret ...

worked in the royal wardrobe. She sold cloth to Thomas Arthur. Her niece, also called Katherine Bellenden, married Robert Craig, one of Thomas Arthur's servant-tailors. Arthur was not employed by

Regent Arran A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. After the death of Thomas Arthur, in 1551 any money he had owed to James V was granted by Regent Arran to the soldier

Robert Hamilton of Briggis Robert Hamilton of Briggis (died 1568) was a Scottish soldier and military engineer. He was keeper of Linlithgow Palace and Dunbar Castle and was Master of the Scottish artillery. Lands Briggis was an estate at Kirkliston near the Almond Water ...

and William Hamilton of Humbie. A tailor called Thomas Arthur worked in England at this time, and in 1527 joined a company of actors. He entered into a legal dispute with George Maller, who was a glazier by trade, who had undertaken to train Arthur to be a player or "interluder" in the court revels of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

.Ian Lancashire, ''Dramatic Texts and Records of Britain'' (Toronto, 1984), p. 62. It is not clear if this was the same man.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Thomas Court of James V of Scotland 16th-century Scottish businesspeople British tailors Material culture of royal courts