Thomas Arthur was a Scottish tailor who worked for

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 a ...

. He used a fabric described as "Highland

tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...

Career

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. 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'', ...

, and inventories of the king's clothes. The published editions of the accounts by

James Balfour Paul Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926. Life James Balfour Paul was educated at Royal High School, Edinbur ...

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 Europ ...

. Another tailor, Richard Hills, made some of the King's clothes when he was in France. In August 1538, Thomas Arthur made clothes for James V using Highland tartan. The "Heland tertane" was used to make

hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube or pipe designed to carry fluids from one location to another, often from a faucet or hydrant. Early hoses were made of leather, although modern hoses are typically made of rubber, canvas, and helically wound w ...

for a Highland outfit sent to James V at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

. Arthur had previously made a tartan "galcoit", which was a gift for the Master of Forbes in February 1533. More tartan for another "galcoit" was bought in Dundee in December 1533. The "galcoit" was worn while riding. Thomas Arthur made gowns and shirts for Senat or Serat, a French entertainer who was

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 ...

's fool. Arthur made clothes for

Lady Jean Stewart Lady Jean Stewart (also known as Jane Stuart; c. 1533 – 7 January 1588), was an illegitimate daughter of King James V of Scotland by his mistress, Elizabeth Bethune (sometimes spelled ''Betoun'' or ''Beaton''). Childhood Jean was born betw ...

, Lord James of Kelso, and Lord James of Saint Andrews, the children of James V who resided in the household of Mary of Guise or at

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...

. Some clothes for the women of the royal household were made by the "French tailor", and they collaborated in providing a marriage gown for Jeanne de la Rainville ''alias'' Gresmore when she married

Robert Beaton of Creich Robert Beaton of Creich (died 1567) was a Scottish landowner and courtier. He served as a Master of Household to Mary, Queen of Scots. Career Robert Beaton was a son of John Beaton of Creich, keeper of Falkland Palace and Janet Hay. He went t ...

in May 1539. Arthur's servant carried fabric to the French tailor at

. Walter Quhyte, from February 1539, and then a French tailor, probably Jacques de la Grange, made clothes for

, one of the king's daughters, and for Helen and Elizabeth Stewart, sisters 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 e ...

, who were members the household of

Linlithgow Palace The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland in the 15th and 16th ce ...

in March 1539 and with her at Pitlethlie in May 1539. He made gowns and kirtles for them of black and red velvet, satin, and taffeta, with French hats, hoods with velvet "saferis" (

French hood French hood is the English name for a type of elite woman's headgear that was popular in Western Europe in roughly the first half of the 16th century. The French hood is characterized by a rounded shape, contrasted with the angular "English" or ...

s), and riding hoods called "barbutes". 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 the makar Sir David Lyndsay. The complete play was first performed outside in the playing ...

" in the Great Hall of

. In February 1540 he made a bonnet to line the

crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland (, ) is the centrepiece of the Honours of Scotland. It is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and it is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and among the oldest in Europe. A ...

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

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 Doublet is a word derived from the Latin ''duplus'', "twofold, twice as much",