1. The Yards, 26 October [1560]

Adam, bishop of Orkney, to Archibald Napier of Merchiston.

Darrest brother, efter all hartle recommendation, pleis wit I ressavit ane wreting of youris fra James King, be the quhilk ye schew me ye haid wretin dyvers tymes to me, and mervalet that ye haid gottin na anser. Trewle other na that wreting I gat naine fra you this gryt quhyill, quhairfor think not onkuith that I wreit na anser of that thing I ressavit not. As to the knawlege of my being quhilk ye war desyrus of, it hes bene in continuall trawell and labour of bodye and mynd and evill helth thairthrow continualle sene my cumming in this cuntray, as this berar can reherss and informe yow sufficientle. Alsua quhat cummeris sume frendis hes sterit oup unto us, and how the samin standis with us presentle, James Meinyes will reherss yow. Prayand yow hartle to rekkin, that all the cummer that can be maid me sall not caus me to geif ouer that thing suld be my supple in tyme of neid, and that otheris weill deserving suld bruik efter me: bot gif thais that hes done me plesuir will resaiff sic thankfulnes of me as of thankfull mynd I am willing and glaid to do thame, I sall be abowt to do thame mair plesuir, and acquyt the benifet done to me mair thankfulle than ony in Scotland that ever ressavit sic guid deid. Prayand yow, that gif ye cum in commonyng with ony man thairanent, schaw how I haif offeret the justice clerk, haiffand upone this benefice xi hundreth merk of pension yeirle to be geiffin owt of the quantite of xx chailder beyr, quhilk is mair than I haif to sustene me one behind, and gif the victuall com to sic pryces as it hes bene guid chaip within this schort spaice, I wald not haif sua mekil behind my pensionis as other mycht pay that or susteine my selff. Quhairfor pray him to be ressonable and ramember him that he that wald haif all, all is able to tyne.

The editors of this work first encountered this run of correspondence in the course of their different researches into the history of Orkney and Shetland, John Ballantyne in his work with Brian Smith on Shetland documents, and Peter Anderson in his studies of the two Stewart earls of Orkney. The first of these earls, as Lord Robert Stewart, features prominently in the letters. Peter Anderson had already made basic transcriptions of the letters for research purposes, but it was John Ballantyne who provided independently the rigorous versions which now form the subject of this work.

There are four main sources for this material: in the National Library of Scotland are Advocates’ Manuscripts Adv. Mss 22.3.14 and 54.1.6, and manuscript Ms 1707. In the Roxburghe Muniments in Floors Castle are bundles 1104 and 1634. Those in Adv. Ms 54.1.6 are printed in Mark Napier, Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston, 63–71, which also contains printed versions of nos. 7, 9 and 10 in the transcription, the original sources for which are unknown.

There are a variety of writers and recipients and none of the letters is in answer to any of the others, though other letters are mentioned, which do not survive. Despite this, and despite the variety of provenances, taken together each surviving epistle contributes to a coherent whole narrative. The run of correspondence, from 1560 to 1582, seems to form an almost continuous chronological sequence. There are gaps in the chronology – in particular, the last in line is separated from the rest by ten years – but most of these are at least partly explicable, with good reasons, other than simple loss, for interruptions in the action. They seem pauses rather than absences, in an ongoing account of a coherent, if contentious, body of affairs. Although of necessity telling only one side of the discussion, each letter tends to contain enough clues to infer the nature of replies and other points of view.

Pivotal to the story is the character of Sir John Bellenden of Auchnoull (1520?–76). He, despite the name of this collection, in fact writes none of the letters, but is rather the recipient of the greater part of them, and is a commanding presence throughout the correspondence, even when he is neither writer nor recipient.

MR GEORGE BELLENDEN

Mr George Bellenden was a younger brother of Sir John and Sir Patrick Bellenden. He appears to have been illegitimate, though documents place him in line of succession after Sir John and Sir Patrick. He had an early interest in the north. In 1561 he granted a tack of the vicarage of Dunrossness to Ola Sinclair of Havera for three years from Lammas 1560; he was appointed chanter of Glasgow in 1564. He was in Scotland in March–June 1564, but by 17 October of that year he was writing from Paris describing his life there, as outlined in the letter below. This fascinating missive explicitly designates him as a brother of Sir John. Already a graduate, he had gone to France for further study. He sought to improve his Latin and French, and also heard lectures in Greek from ‘P Ramus’, the notable renaissance scholar who had had Lords John and James (the later regent) under his tutelage. It is not known whether he returned to Scotland as the only subsequent reference to him is on 21 March 1569 when Sir John Bellenden was granted a gift of the escheat of his goods, as he had died unlegitimated without lawful heirs of his body or disposition of his goods. The following letter, though not part of the main body of the correspondence, gives an interesting perspective on the whole, on the Bellendens’ part in it, and a picture of the times.

Paris, 17 October 1564

Mr George Bellenden to Sir John Bellenden, his brother.

My lord, efter my humble commendatioun of serwice. Althoe I have writtin at lenth to your lordship with the Scottis merchauntis quhom with I come in thir partis quhatsoever thing at this present I had to wrytt, yit remembering on your lordships commands quhilk was that I suld nevir lippin your lordship suld ressave ony wrytting that I wrytt, and that with sindry handis I suld evir wryttthe sammyn think. And understanding also that this berar was cummit of court and bound to Scotland in poist, and that he suld prevene our merchantis, I thocht gude to assure your lordship of your lordships cousing Williamis gude helth and weilfair, and of his placeing in Rowane,7 quhilk I understude your lordship was maist earnest with the first to knaw.

Dr Peter Anderson, the lead editor, did not live to see the publication of this volume. He died in October 2022 after suffering from a debilitating illness for several years. Peter had a deep knowledge of the period of the Stewart earldom in Orkney and Shetland and published biographies of both Lord Robert Stewart and his son Patrick.

Thanks are given to a variety of individuals for assistance and, where necessary, permission to publish items from within the correspondence and related legal documents. Most notable are the duke of Roxburghe and the National Library of Scotland (NLS), who hold the bulk of the letters, and gave permission for their use. Thanks for liaison with the duke's archives at Floors Castle are due to the National Register of Archives of Scotland. Much background material in filling in the whole background to the period was derived from lengthy previous researches on the Stewart earls of Orkney, on the history of Orkney and Shetland, and the lands of the abbey of Holyroodhouse, in the National Archives (now Records) of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, the Orkney Library and Archives, the Shetland Museum and Archives. Overall thanks are therefore due to successive Keepers of the Records of Scotland, National Librarians, the staff of their respective institutions, and the archivists of Orkney and Shetland.