John Skene, Lord Curriehill

The writer Thomas Dempster mentions Skene's travels in the countries of Northern Europe and his fluency in their languages.

Skene produced a printed charter of the queen's lands in Fife and as a traditional symbol of the transfer of ownership (sasine), the Danish Admiral Peder Munk was given a handful of earth.

[11] In June 1590 James VI of Scotland sent Skene and Colonel William Stewart, Commendator of Pittenweem, with John Geddie as secretary, as ambassadors to Denmark and Germany.

[15] On 27 1590 November, Edinburgh town council made his cook, John Lillo, a burgess, for free at his request.

According to the Dictionary of National Biography, "In 1592 he was named one of a commission to examine the laws and acts of parliament, and to consider which of them should be printed, and he was finally entrusted with the preparation of the work.

It was published by Robert Waldegrave on 15 May 1597, under the title 'The Lawes and Actes of Parliament maid be King James the First and his successors kings of Scotland, visied, coffected, and extracted forth of the Register,’ and on 3 June the privy council remitted to the lords of session to enforce the purchase of it by all subjects of sufficient 'substance and habilitie'.

"[18] As a member of the Privy Council, Skene went with others to Stirling Castle in May 1603 to discuss and investigate a controversy involving Anne of Denmark who wished to take custody of her son, Prince Henry.

John Skene's wrote an account of his embassy to Denmark in 1590, known from a copy made by the antiquary Robert Mylne.

Their secretary John Geddie spoke to William Cecil to arrange an audience with Elizabeth I of England at Greenwich Palace.

They embarked on the George Noble at Leigh on Sea, and after some difficulty sailed to Heligoland and Stade, then crossed the Elbe into Holstein.

The next day he went with Cecil to Somerset House and waited in the Chamber of Presence until the queen came out at 11 o'clock on her way to Richmond Palace.

Skene then went to York House in Westminster and met the French ambassadors Beauvais and Henri de la Tour, Viscount of Turenne.