Alexander Crichton of Brunstane
Alexander Crichton of Brunstane, (died before December 1558), was a Scottish Protestant laird who advocated the murder of Cardinal David Beaton and supported the plan for the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Prince Edward of England.
He returned before his master in 1541 to meet James V. The King, Crichton, and the secretary, Thomas Erskine of Haltoun, played tennis at St Andrews on 3 April 1541.
Alexander Crichton told Ralph Sadler that the principal cause of this rebellion was to break the peace with England, the recently signed Treaty of Greenwich.
Brunstane employed a Scot called Wishart to take his plan for the Cardinal to Lord Hertford on 17 April 1544, who noted for Henry VIII its two objectives;One is, that the Larde of Grange, late Tresourer of Scotlande, the Master of Rothes, th'earl of Rothers eldest son, and John Charters, wolde attempte eyther to apprehende or slee the Cardynall at some tyme when he shall passe thorough the Fyf lande, ...,The other is, that in case Your Majestie would grant unto them a convenyent enterteynnment for to kepe 1,000 or 1,500 men in wages for a moneth or two, ..., they will take uppon them, at such tyme as Your Majesties armye shalbe in Scotland, to destroye the abbey and town of Arbroath ..., and t'apprehende all those whiche they say be the principall impugnators of amyte bitwen Englande and Scotlande"One is, that the laird of Grange, lately Treasurer of Scotland, the Master of Rothes, the earl of Rothes's eldest son, and John Charteris, would attempt either to apprehend or slay the Cardinal at some time when he shall through Fife land.The other is, that in case Your Majesty would grant them a convenient entertainment (finance) for 1,000 or 1,500 men in wages, they will undertake at such time as Your Majesties army shall be in Scotland, to destroy the Abbey and town of Arbroath, and apprehend all those which they say be the principal opponents of the amity between England and Scotland[10]The historian Charles Rogers discussed the identity of Brunstane's messenger "Wishart."
Henry VIII would not directly sponsor the murder but Ralph Sadler wrote to Brunstane with the encouragement that it would be "an acceptable service to God to take him away."
[16] The Governor of the Netherlands, Mary of Hungary believed that France insincerely encouraged the English marriage plan in order to gain an advantage in negotiations with England about Boulogne which had been captured on 13 September 1544.
George Douglas of Pittendreich had told him that the Lords of the Parliament of Scotland had signed an agreement for Mary, Queen of Scots to marry James Hamilton, the son of the Governor.
The diplomat Johannes Sturm wrote to the English secretary of state, William Paget on 4 December with news of discussions of the new marriage plan in France.
[23] The Cardinal was murdered at St Andrews Castle by a group of Protestant lairds from Fife which included the men Alexander had put forward.
Adam Otterburn wrote to Mary of Guise with news that Lord Ruthven, the secretary David Paniter, and Arran's half-brother, the Abbot of Paisley accompanied by Alexander Crichton of Brunstane had set out, but they were recalled after a change of plan.
Finally, Henry's Welsh diplomat Edward Carne was able to show the Scottish ratification to Mary of Hungary's administrator in Brussels, the President Lodewijk van Schore on 10 September.
She believed Arran's government delayed the resolution of peace with the empire because the situation prevented Henry sending military aid to the Protestants in St Andrews Castle.
[27] The English Privy Council authorised payments to Brunstane in 1546, one in April for three months wages for a band of 100 horsemen, and in October granted his servant Cockburn a passport to carry satin cloth over the border for his furniture.
[28] After the battle of Pinkie on 10 September 1547, Brunstane travelled with the English Norroy Herald, Gilbert Dethick, carrying messages between the Privy Council of Scotland and Mary of Guise at Stirling Castle and Lord Hertford.
the topp is pulled downe, so much of the stone as was lyked, which laye in redyness to bylde, caryed to Edynborough, his yong trees cut up, and all worse handled than if it had been with fyer.
"[34]Alexander stayed at Nunraw, he, Ormiston and their ally, Hugh Douglas of Longniddry, remained in Lothian with a force of 150 English horsemen.
[35] Following Grey of Wilton's recommendation, Edward VI gave the two lairds compensation for their losses caused by military action and supplying Haddington which was held by the English.
After his death, the date of which has not been established,[37] on 5 December 1558, the forfeiture was reversed in favour of his heir, John Crichton, on the grounds that the procedure was flawed because Alexander was out of the country at the time.
On 23 January 1560 he rode into Scotland to Glasgow at night bringing letters from the English court to the Protestants and was sent to Fife to summon the lords to come for the negotiation of the treaty of Berwick.
