Robert Drummond of Carnock

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Sir Robert Drummond of Carnock (died 1592) was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland from 1579 to 1583.

He was the eldest son of Alexander Drummond, of Carnock and Arnmore, and Marjory Bruce. His first wife, Agnes, was the sister of Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange: his second wife was Marjorie, the sister of his neighbour Lord Elphinstone. He was the grandfather of the poet William Drummond of Hawthornden. Arnmore is a location at Kippen, Stirlingshire, neighbouring Broich, the home of William Schaw. Carnock is to the east of Stirling.

"Dominus Drummond", as he is referred to in the annals, was responsible for the repairs to Dunfermline Abbey in 1570.^[1] He was knighted as a supporter of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in 1565, and had fought for Darnley's father, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, at Glasgow in 1543. As an architect his significance lies in the inventory of repairs for royal palaces of May 1583 with its appreciation of the landscape around Stirling Castle.^[2]

Drummond's own house at Carnock was demolished in 1941. The armorial panel of 1548 with his coat of arms and that of Marjorie Elphinstone can be seen at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, painted ceiling boards and the front door of the house are displayed at Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery.^[3]

Drummond's son Patrick was involved in the Ruthven Raid, and his son-in-law Adam Erskine, Commendator of Cambuskenneth, was a leader of the regime. These connections may have led to his replacement as royal master of work by William Schaw by November 1583, after the fall of the Gowrie Regime.^[4] The inventory of repairs of 1583 makes provision for Mary Queen of Scots at Stirling Castle and demonstrates Drummond's involvement with the regime and its cynical negotiation with Queen Elizabeth I for the conjoint 'associated rule' of Mary and James VI in the Spring of 1583. The fictional double portrait of Mary and James of 1583 was made for this negotiation.^[5]

Poet Alexander Montgomerie wrote an epitaph to Drummond:

All buildings brave bid DRUMMOND nou adeu;

Quhais lyf furthsheu he lude thame by the lave.

Quhair sall we craiv sik policle to haiv?

Quha with him straiv to polish, build or plante?

These giftis, grant, God lent him by the laiv

All buildings brave bid Drummond now adieu,

Whose life demonstrated he loved them more than any other.

Where now shall we seek building and estate improvement?

Who with him strive to adorn, build or plant?

These gifts, I grant, God lent him more than any other.

In Scottish folklore, Drummond's second wife Marjorie Elphinstone has been identified as the subject of the story of the "Lady with the Ring".

Preceded by John Hamilton

Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland 1579–1583

Succeeded by William Schaw

[edit] References

• Drummond of Carnock, accessed 9 June, 2007.