To William, the marriage gave political connections at the highest levels of the Scottish establishment and society that found him "associating with the most influential people, and beyond suspicion of any want of loyalty - against that his wife's relationships protected him".
The Regius Keeper is a household appointment granted directly by Royal Warrant from the monarch and it was surprising[2] that the experienced incumbent was replaced by William Arthur, who as doctor of medicine had no apparent qualification or skill for the role beyond a physician's knowledge of botanical herbs and plants.
The younger members of the raiding party got drunk in a public tavern and were overheard, allowing word to be sent to Sir Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Justice-Clerk who raised the alarm with the deputy governor of the Castle.
The sentries on the wall were thus forewarned and the guarding watches changed, meaning that the soldiers bribed to assist the assault would have less time and discretion to fulfil their part of the bargain.
The erstwhile raiders at the foot of the walls fled, but not before a party from the Edinburgh Town Guard intercepted and captured three youths of their number and one Captain Maclean, a former officer in the service of King James, who had fallen on the rocks.
From here, he corresponded with his wife in Edinburgh who informed him by return that his part in the plot was known and that she had been visited and questioned by her brother Baron Clerk and other senior figures with family connections.
After this, the authorities in Edinburgh claimed that Arthur and his cousin, William Cunningham of Barnes, thereafter met with the Earl of Mar "with intelligence"[2] and were later present at the Battle of Preston where the rising finally failed.
William was buried in Rome by his sympathisers and was the first to be interred in the Protestant Cemetery in that city,[4] a privilege which had been conferred directly from Filippo Gualterio, Cardinal Protector of Scotland.
A countryman of yours, a very pretty young man, is lately dead at Rome, Dr. Arthur and his brother Tom, who is at Francis' quarters, has fallen so ill on it, that 'tis feared he'll die too.