Patrick Hume of Polwarth

Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Redbraes (c.1550– June 1609) was a Scottish courtier and makar (court poet), the eldest son of Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth & Redbrayes (d. May 1599) and his spouse Agnes, daughter of Alexander Home of Manderston, Berwicksuire, all major Scottish Borders families with landholdings in The Merse. As eldest son, Patrick Hume succeeded to the family estates, including Redbraes Castle, on the death of his father on 20th May 1599. His brothers notably included the cleric, poet and courtier Alexander Hume (c. 1557–1609).

Patrick Hume was introduced to the Scottish court, probably by his father as a member of the royal household, sometime before 1580. He rose to prominence as one of the household servants of the king, James VI. On 1 November 1590 he was made an ordinary gentleman of Anne of Denmark's bedchamber.[1] He became a Scottish warden of the Marches in 1591 and keeper of Tantallon Castle the following year.

He is probably best known to history through his association with the Castalian Band, the group of court poets writing in Scots headed by the king in the 1580s and 1590s. Only two works by him are known, his first published poem, The Promine (1580), a hagiographical portrait of the king in aureate verse, and his contribution to The Flyting Betwixt Montgomerie and Polwart (c.1583), a poetic contest in which he proved himself a worthy opponent to Alexander Montgomerie. Both works have survived.

Hume was bailie of Bonkill in 1593 for James VI and he was instructed to use the rents from the houses in the mains of Bonkyll to pay the wages of the king's huntman John Acheson.[2] He became Master of Household to Anne of Denmark in March 1602 and made an oath of fidelity to the Chancellor, John Graham, 3rd Earl of Montrose. In November 1602 she commanded him to give her embroiderer Thomas Barclay an daily allowance food, coal and candle in the household.[3]

Hume was knighted in later life, probably around 1605, though he does not seem to have had quite the same courtly ambition as his younger brothers. He was a rather reluctant juror in the 1606 treason trial in Linlithgow brought by George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar on behalf of the king in London against a number of Church of Scotland ministers who were defying James' attempts to bring about a union between the Scottish and English Churches.[4]

He was succeeded by his eldest son, also Sir Patrick Hume, who died in 1648.

Patrick was married to Juliana Ker (sic) daughter of Sir Thomas Ker of Ferniehirst by his spouse Jonet, daughter of Sir William Scott of Kirkud. Following Patrick's death she married in September 1613, as his third wife, Sir Thomas Hamilton of Priestfield, (later Earl of Melrose and subsequently 1st Earl of Haddington.) She died in March 1637.[5]

See also

References
  1. a copy is held by National Records of Scotland GD158/2974.
  2. HMC 14th Report: Marchmont (London, 1894), p. 78
  3. HMC 14th Report: Marchmont (London, 1894), p. 79, National Records of Scotland GD 158/2982 and GD 158/532.
  4. Undiscovered Scotland See section Union of the Crowns.
  5. The Complete Peerage by G. E. Cockayne, revised & enlarged by the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, edited by H. Arthur Doubleday, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, vol.vi, London, 1926, p.232.
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