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1623 Letter from the Court of King James I and VI at Whitehall Palace to Edinburgh, probably carried by the King's Mail messengers
In 1603 on King James VI of Scotland's accession to the English throne, he immediately instituted a regular royal messen?~r service. between
London' and Edinburgh to assist him in governing both king~or:ns. The King's Mail was use<i_ only by the King, hi~ off1c1als and important
courtiers. Letters carried by the service generally have no identifying marks. A letter can be surrrnsed to have been ~med by r~yal messen_gers
if it is addressed to or from a royal court and the status of the sender is sufficiently high to have been granted the privilege of using the service.
Ludovic Stuart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox, Steward of the Royal Household The 1623 Letter
Born 1574; died 16th February 1624 The letter concerns the attempt of Lord Glenorchie to buy the Lands of Kilmarnock, and the
intention of the Duke of Lennox to prevent it and to deal with this himself as soon as
2nd Duke of Lennox (1583)
possible. lt reads:
f 11 Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber (1603)
My vety harty commendations remembred, I received your Letter by which I understand that
Appointed to the English Privy Council (1603)
Glenorchie is about to buy the Lands of Kilmarinoch in the Lenox, I ame to give you many thanks for
Steward of the Royal Household (1616)
giving mee notice thereof, for that is a thing can not bee SQ filing for any body as for mee: and I
Duke of Richmond (1623)
intend SQ soone as I can, to deal/ for it my self: Glenorchie is my frende and I assure my selfe he will
Lennox was a cousin and close friend of King not doe any thing that may tend to my disadvantage, I must therefore request you to speak with
James VI and one of his most trusted advisers. him, and Let him see how much that importeth me, and desire him that he wold not proceed in that
He was the only Scottish duke to accompany
bargaine, for it is so necessarye for mee, that I hope hee will not go betweine mee and it: I pray you
James to London on his accession to the
English throne. Let me know his resolution with the first occasion so I rest
He was in the King's inner circle and had
access to the Royal Bedchamber, a privilege Whitehall the 3 of Novemb 1623
granted to few. Your veTY lovinge trende
When, in May 1623, James gave his favourite, Richmond & Lenox
George Villiers, the title 'Duke of Buckingham', conceming lnchmereine, Sir George Elphinston
this raised Buckingham above aJI other English
peers. will Let you know my intention when he goeth doune
In order to ensure that Lennox retained his
precedence at court, James, at the same time,
granted Lennox the English title, Duke of To my loveing frende
Richmond.
The Duke of Lennox circa 1620
My Lord of Kilsaythe The letter is from the Palace of
Whitehall where the Court was in
At the time that this 1623 letter was written, the Duke of Richmond and Lennox was one of these
residence.
only two dukes at court and his high position entitled him to use the King's Mail.
3rd November 1623. Letter sent by the
Duke of Richmond and lenno>< from the ' Most of the Palace of Whitehall, apart
Sir William Livingston, Laird of Kilsyth and Vice-Chamberlain of Scotland
Palace of Whitehall in London to Lord from the Banqueting House, was
Kilsyth in Edinburgh. It is known that destroyed by fire in 1698.
The recipient of the letter was William Livingston, Laird of Kilsyth.
Kilsyth was in Edinburgh at this time as the
Scottish Privy Council was meeting there
Livingston had been knighted in 1594 and was admitted to the Scottish Privy Council in
and he signed a commission at the Privy
1601 . In the same year he accompanied Ludovic, Duke of Lennox on his embassy to King
Council in Edinburgh on 6m November. References:
Henri IV of France. He attended various Conventions of Estates and Parliaments from Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
1599 to 1609. In 1609 he was appointed a Lord of Session and, in 1613, Vice-Chamberlain The Duke would have had use of the royal The Scots Peerage Vol. V
of Scotland. He was a regular attendee at the Scottish Privy Council and lived for much of messengers of the King's Mail between Records of the Scottish Privy Council
The Parliaments of Scotland Vo/_ 2
his life in Edinburgh. He died in 1626 or 1627. London and Edinburgh. This letter was
very probably carried by such messengers.
