[1] Roche was granted a monopoly to mine metals in Scotland, and work salt on the shore near Edinburgh, but his contract was terminated in 1592.
[2] In August 1583 James VI granted Eustachius Roche a contract with monopoly rights to mine for gold, silver, copper, and lead in Scotland.
[5] James VI gave a mineral entrepreneur, evidently Roche, a letter of introduction to Walsingham in January 1584.
He had made a contract with James VI that would make him rich, and Robert Sidney, who had recently been English ambassador in Edinburgh, had begun to discuss a similar privilege for him in England.
[10] In April 1588 the Privy Council, impressed with his estimates to improve revenue, made an act that Roche's heirs would inherit his 10% share.
[11] On 27 December 1588 Edinburgh council allowed Roche the same lease or "tack" of lands at Newhaven, as the Englishmen had before, meaning the works previously set to Cornelius de Vos and his partners.
He wanted the Privy Council to summon Roche and make him form a partnership or allow Lindsay to manage his own mines.
In order to ensure Roche resigned his rights, information damaging his reputation was collected from the Dutch Republic and Flanders by the means of the diplomat Adrian van Damman, the Conservator of Scottish Privileges at Veere, and a Scottish merchant in Antwerp, Jacques Barron, and it was said he was of "evil fame."
[15] Robert Jousie, whose business partner Thomas Foulis had a copper mine, wrote to the Conservator of Privileges, Robert Dennistoun, about an old legal case concerning Roche, who confirmed "It imports no small dishonour and interest to his Majesty and the country so long to suffer an infamous person to have charge of the mines.
"[16] Archibald Napier of Merchiston Castle responded to the act appointing Lindsay and advised on the "reduction", the legal challenge, to Roche's contract.