Timothy Cagnioli (floruit 1540–1590) was an Italian merchant and banker in Scotland. Cagnioli was active in Edinburgh during the Regency 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 ...

and the personal reign of

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 ...

. As a merchant he supplied luxury fabrics used in costume and interior decoration. He was able to lend large sums of money and issue letters of credit needed by travellers abroad.

Career in Scotland

He wrote to

from Edinburgh in July 1552, sending three pounds weight of crimson silk, gold and silver thread, and 24 ells of golden gauze. He had ordered more gold and silver gauze to be made in Paris. An account of textiles provided in 1553 includes black velvet, black satin, black damask, taffeta, silk chamlet, and more silver gauze, and crimson, gold, and silver thread. The fabrics were delivered to her 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 ...

and recorded in her wardrobe book. Around this time, the French ambassador in London,

Antoine de Noailles Antoine, 1st comte de Noailles (4 September 150411 March 1563) became admiral of France, and was ambassador in England for three years, 1553–1556, maintaining a gallant but unsuccessful rivalry with the Spanish ambassador, Simon Renard. Antoin ...

, mentioned that "Thymothée Camodey" an associate of Mary of Guise's diplomat

Henri Cleutin Henri Cleutin, seigneur d'Oisel et de Villeparisis (1515 – 20 June 1566), was the representative of France in Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland from 1546 to 1560, a Gentleman of the Chamber of the King of France, and a diplomat in Rome 1564–1566 d ...

, kept an account of the expenses of French soldiers garrisoned in Scotland. Cagnioli lent money to Cleutin, but seems to let him down in 1555. Cleutin had to find Scottish lenders. A tax roll or stent of 1556 includes him a resident of the south-west quarter of Edinburgh. The burgh council of Edinburgh allowed him to sell whole "sticks" or lengths of silks which he had imported in September 1557, as a wholesaler, but not cut and sell fabrics to customers as free merchants or burgesses of the town could. In February 1558 he provided finance for Mary's half-brother, James Stewart, Commendator of St Andrews, to travel to Paris to complete the marriage contract of Mary and the Dauphin. Cagnioli gave letters of credit worth £6,687 Scots. His mother, Margaret Erskine, Lady of Lochleven, made a bond for repayment with the Clerk Register,

James MacGill Sir James MacGill, Lord Rankeillor of Nether Rankeillour (died 1579), was a Scottish courtier and Senator of the College of Justice. Sworn of the Privy Council by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1561, he became her Lord Clerk Register (Keeper of the ...

, and two Edinburgh merchants, James Adamson (burgh treasurer) and James Barroun. At the same time Cagnioli advanced the

Earl of Cassilis Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

£6,720. Cassilis died in France and Cagnioli was still not repaid in 1586. His cook, Ninian McCrechan, was censured by the town council for slandering the kirk minister

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 ...

on 8 April 1562. He said in public on the

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

of Edinburgh that the Earls of

Bothwell Bothwell () is a Protected area, conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland and part of the Greater Glasgow area. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton, ...

and Arran were agreed, and so Knox's time was run. He was whipped in the

tolbooth A tolbooth or town house was the main municipal building of a Scotland, Scottish burgh, from medieval times until the 19th century. The tolbooth usually provided a council meeting chamber, a court house and a jail. The tolbooth was one of th ...

and put in the

branks A scold's bridle, sometimes called a witch's bridle, a gossip's bridle, a brank's bridle, or simply branks, was an instrument of punishment, as a form of public humiliation. It was an iron muzzle in an iron framework that enclosed the head (altho ...

. Another offence would result in his banishment. Cagnioli received £500 Scots from the queen's income known as the "Thirds of Benefices" in 1562. This was repayment for money advanced to decorate a cabinet room for Mary, Queen of Scots in

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...

. The queen's valet

Servais de Condé Servais de Condé or Condez (employed 1561–1574) was a French servant at the court of Mary Queen of Scots, in charge of her wardrobe and the costume for masques performed at the Scottish royal court. Varlet of the Wardrobe He was usually ref ...

had lined the cabinet room with 26 ells of a fabric called "Paris Green". The English diplomat Thomas Randolph mentions this cabinet as a space to which he was not admitted, where the queen withdrew to write letters and to weep. On 17 February 1565, at

Wemyss Castle Wemyss Castle (pronounced eems is situated in Wemyss on the sea cliffs between the villages of East Wemyss and West Wemyss in Fife, Scotland. Wemyss Castle is considered to be a multi-period building, and today's castle includes many elemen ...

, Mary made Cagnioli her "argentar", in charge of her personal expenses. She met

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 ...

for the first time on the same day. On 23 February he was made a burgess of Edinburgh, and had customs exemptions granted by Mary. He was allowed to be a burgess because his wife Jonet Curle was from Edinburgh. In October 1565 he was involved in a contract for mining lead ore at

Leadhills Leadhills, originally settled for the accommodation of miners, is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, WSW of Elvanfoot. The population in 1901 was 835. It was originally known as Waterhead. It is the second highest village in Scotland, ...

granted by Mary and

. Joseph Riccio, a brother of Mary's servant

David Rizzio David Rizzio ( ; ; – 9 March 1566) or Riccio ( , ) was an Italian courtier, born in Pancalieri close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts di San Paolo e Solbrito, who rose to bec ...

ran away from Edinburgh towards England in January 1566, taking money belonging to courtiers including Cagnioli. James Stewart, now Regent Moray, granted him a pension of £100 yearly on 17 May 1569. His wife, Jonet Curle, was a sister of Mary's secretary

Gilbert Curle Gilbert Curle or Curll (died 1609) was a Scottish secretary who served Mary, Queen of Scots during her captivity in England. He married Barbara Mowbray, one of three sisters serving Mary. England Little is known of Curle's family background, but ...

. In June 1574 he had a legal dispute with Marie Pieris, Lady Seton. In August 1586, he wrote to his brother-in-law Gilbert Curle about repayment of a loan.''HMC Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Marquess of Salisbury'', 3, p. 170 no. 338, 176 no. 351.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagnioli, Timothy Court of Mary, Queen of Scots 16th-century Scottish merchants Scottish people of Italian descent Material culture of royal courts Monarchy and money