Robert Logan of Restalrig

Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig (c.1555-July 1606) was a Scottish knight involved in the Gowrie House affair of 1600.

Contents

Family

Robert's father was also called "Robert Logan of Restalrig," his mother was Agnes Gray, daughter of Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray. In 1547, his father, Robert Logan of Restalrig was married to Agnes Seton.[1]

After Robert Logan senior died, Agnes Gray married Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home. Robert firstly married Elizabeth MacGill, daughter of David MacGill of Cranston-Riddell, then Jonet Ker and thirdly Marion Ker.[2] Robert's first wife, Elizabeth MacGill, after their divorce, married Sir Thomas Kennedy of Culzean, Tutor of Cassilis.

Properties

The Logan family lived at Lochend Castle near Restalrig, and others of the name had been Provost of Leith. In 1430, an ancestor, also called Sir Robert Logan (d.1439), and his wife Dame Katherine founded the monastery of St Anthony which was near South Leith Parish Church with an outlying chapel at Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park, which survives as a ruin.[3]

Robert inherited Fast Castle and other lands near the border with England, as 'nephew' and heir of Elizabeth Martene, Lady Fastcastle, widow of Cuthbert Home who had fallen at Flodden Field. In 1597 he surrendered a number of lands and rights connected to Fast Castle (but not the Castle itself), which he had inherited from Sir George Ogilvy of Dunlugus, to the Hume of Wedderburn family. The rights included the keeping of Berwick Castle, which had not been in Scottish hands since 1482.[4] Fast Castle had been a possesion of Coldingham Priory, but after 1598 the lands of the Priory were annexed to the crown, and so Logan now held Fastcastle and Flemington directly from the crown. On 5 April 1603, James VI of Scotland raised the status of the Restalrig estate into a free barony, which gave Robert extra jurisdictions over his tenants.[5]

Loyalties

During the Scottish civil war in 1573, Robert Logan supported Mary, Queen of Scots by joining William Kirkcaldy of Grange in defending Edinburgh Castle in the Queen's name. On 29 July 1586, he wrote from Restalrig to Archibald Douglas in London, offering his service to Francis Walsingham. Logan conveyed letters secretly from England for the Master of Gray.[6] Robert Logan died before May 1608, the last of his line.[7] His first wife, Elizabeth MacGill, after their divorce married Sir Thomas Kennedy of Culzean, Tutor of Cassilis.

Logan and the Gowrie House affair

Robert Logan was implicated in an alleged attempt to abduct James VI of Scotland by John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, at Perth on 4 August 1600 by the confession of George Sprot of Eyemouth. In 1608, after Robert Logan's death, Sprot confessed he had seen letters from Gowrie to Logan at Fast Castle and Gunnisgreen. Sprot understood from Logan's servant that if the king was successfully abducted, Logan would be rewarded with the gift of Dirleton Castle.

Sprot described a letter signed "Restalrig" which he claimed was written by Robert Logan to Gowrie, which he had obtained from Logan's illiterate servant, James Bour. Logan offered Gowrie and his brother the use of Fast Castle to settle their plot. He recommended that "the matter" be settled soon at the King's buck hunting. In this letter, Robert said the matter in hand was like a strange tale of a gentleman of Padua.

George Sprot was hanged at the Market Cross of Edinburgh for foreknowledge of the conspiracy on 12 August 1608.[8] The story was doubted at the time, Sprot having first withdrawn his confession, John Spottiswoode who was present at Sprot's hanging thought his tale, "a meer invention of the man's own brain." Spottiswoode did not think it likely that Gowrie would have plotted with Logan.[9] George Sprot had been connected with Logan, if only because the lawyer had signed as a witness to some of Logan's property transactions.[10]

The Logan family were then forfeited by the Parliament of Scotland, including Logan of Restalrig's eldest son, also called Robert. The records of Parliament include the text of five alleged letters from Robert to Gowrie. The Kirk Minister of Coldingham, Alexander Watson, testified that the spelling and hand of the letters was that of Logan. Watson made detailed comment on the habits of Logan's orthography.[11]

References

  1. ^ HMC 5th report Miss M. E. Stirling, (1878), p.648 no. 18.
  2. ^ Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, 1580-1593, (1888), nos. 436, 1014: Douglas, William, PSAS (1927), 27-35, see external links.
  3. ^ Roger, Charles, Historical Notices of St Anthony's Monastery, Leith and Reheasal of Events, Grampian Club (1877), 7, 28
  4. ^ HMC, Milne Home of Wedderburn, (1902), 64.
  5. ^ HMC 5th report Miss M. E. Stirling, (1878), p.648 no. 18, no.24
  6. ^ HMC, Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield, vol. 3, (1889). nos. 312, 489.
  7. ^ Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, vol. 6, no. 2078.
  8. ^ Scott, Walter, ed., Secret History of the Court of James the First, vol. 2, Ballantyne, Edinburgh, (1811), 118-135, reprinting Aulicus Coquinariae (1650)
  9. ^ Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol. 8, Edinburgh (1887), 150-152 footnote.
  10. ^ HMC 5th report Miss M. E. Stirling, (1878), p.648 no.25
  11. ^ Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. 4, (1816), 419-428.

External links