Robert Abercromby (saddler)

Robert Abercromby was a Scottish leatherworker serving the Scottish monarchy in the 16th century.

Abercromby and his family made saddles and horseriding equipment for the royal family. He was an Edinburgh burgess and lived in a tenement on the Royal Mile known as the Black Turnpike.

In September 1561 Abercromby made saddles and foot mantles for the queen and for her 12 ladies in waiting. The saddles were covered in black cloth by the stable master Arthur Erskine of Blackgrange as part of the mourning for Mary's first husband Francis II of France. In September 1565 Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley ordered cover cloths for horses of red and yellow cloth, and a leather saddle cover for Lord Darnley.[1] In July 1567 she ordered a foot mantle from Abercromby, to be made with blak velvet with gold fringes and gilt buckles. He was also paid for goods delivered to her master stablers.[2]

An account for saddler work for Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray in 1568 was probably from Abercromby; it includes covering stools with leather, mending saddles, and making dog collars.[3]

He supplied three velvet foot mantles to James VI in 1579.[4] He was also involved in the book trade, and lost a parcel of books sent by sea from London in 1583.[5]

In September 1589 he was chosen by Edinburgh burgh council to be the craft representative and be one of the two teams of six men carry the canopy or "paill" over Anne of Denmark at her Entry and coronation.[6] In June 1591 he made an incarnate red taffeta caparison for the king's horse, possibly for a masque.[7]

His son, or nephew, Abraham Abercromby, repaired Anne of Denmark's litter when Prince Charles was brought from Dunfermline Palace to Holyrood Palace for a time in 1600, and made four saddles sent with gift horses to France. He was saddler to Prince Henry in England, and later to Charles I.

References
  1. James Balfour Paul, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1916), pp. 64-5, 406-7.
  2. Charles Thorpe McInnes, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1970), pp. 12, 60.
  3. HMC 6th Report: Earl of Moray (London, 1877), p. 658.
  4. Charles Thorpe McInnes, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 13 (Edinburgh, 1978), pp. 292-4.
  5. Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 6, p. 525.
  6. Marguerite Wood, Extracts from the Records of Edinburgh: 1589-1603 (Edinburgh, 1927), p. 5.
  7. National Records of Scotland, E35/13.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.