into some sort of trap or ambush.
James set off for Perth with twenty-five men including Lennox, Mar, Erskine and John Ramsay, his current favourite. When this party was within a mile of Gowrie House, the Master of Ruthven rode ahead to let his brother know they were approaching. The Earl of Gowrie, who was having dinner with three of his neighbours, was suspicious; he could think of nothing that would bring the king to Perth. Anyway, he rushed out to give the king a welcome, apologizing that there was not enough food in the house to supply dinner. James had to wait an hour while food was sent out for. During this hour, the king drank and chatted to the earl, who was uneasy.
The Gowrie steward asked the Master why the king had come. It was good question. The Master said, ‘Robert Abercromby, that false knave, has brought the king here to cause His Majesty to take order for our debt.’ James later suppressed this comment. Abercromby, the king’s saddler, was not called in court to comment on the Master’s remark, so it was probably true – at least to the extent that it was the reason given to the Master by the king. The stranger and the pot of gold were inventions of James.
After James had dined in the Great Hall, he went upstairs with the Master. The Master turned to the company and said, ‘Gentlemen, stay, for so it is His Highness’s will.’ Lennox was suspicious, anxious and rose as if thinking of following the king. He was held back by the remark of Gowrie that the king had gone up ‘on some quiet errand’, discreetly implying that the king and the Master had gone upstairs for sex. The two went upstairs, along the Great Gallery, then through a heavy door which they locked behind them. They were in the gallery chamber with a turreted room leading out of it, and they stayed there for over two hours.
The rest of the company left the Great Hall and walked in the garden, talking and eating cherries. Then, some time after five o’clock in the evening, the earl’s equerry announced that James was riding away from Perth. Gowrie sensed that something was wrong, shouted, ‘Horse! Horse!’ and went into the courtyard, where the porter assured him that the king had not left the house and he had the keys of all the gates. Gowrie went into the house to see whether James was there or not. Then he emerged to say that he thought the king really had gone. The group was startled to hear the king’s voice shouting, ‘Help, my Lord Mar! Treason! I am betrayed! They are murdering me!’ They looked up to the turret room window, where they saw the king, red-faced, with a hand clutching his mouth and cheek.
Lennox and Mar led the rest of the company up the stairs, only to find their way blocked by the locked heavy door. They worked at it for half an hour, but were unable to break it down.
Two people stayed apart from all of this, and their behaviour suggests that they were acting as part of some plan. One was the page, Ramsay, and the other was Erskine. If the unfolding plot was of James’s making, only these two young men need have known about it. Ramsay was the one who gave out the false story about James having ridden away. Instead of following the rest of the company into the Great Hall, he had gone up a small spiral staircase called the Black Turnpike, and which led directly into the gallery chamber where the king and the Master were. Ramsay must have known about this route from the king, who knew the geography of the house well. Presumably the door at the top of the Black Turnpike had been unlocked by the king when he was left alone for a moment by the Master. The shouting from the window by the king was evidently for Ramsay’s benefit, a signal to come up to the chamber via the Black Turnpike.
Erskine and his brother set upon Gowrie and tried to kill him. With help from his supporters, he managed to fight them off. Erskine ran back to the Black Turnpike and with three companions went up to join Ramsay. When Ramsay
James set off for Perth with twenty-five men including Lennox, Mar, Erskine and John Ramsay, his current favourite. When this party was within a mile of Gowrie House, the Master of Ruthven rode ahead to let his brother know they were approaching. The Earl of Gowrie, who was having dinner with three of his neighbours, was suspicious; he could think of nothing that would bring the king to Perth. Anyway, he rushed out to give the king a welcome, apologizing that there was not enough food in the house to supply dinner. James had to wait an hour while food was sent out for. During this hour, the king drank and chatted to the earl, who was uneasy.
The Gowrie steward asked the Master why the king had come. It was good question. The Master said, ‘Robert Abercromby, that false knave, has brought the king here to cause His Majesty to take order for our debt.’ James later suppressed this comment. Abercromby, the king’s saddler, was not called in court to comment on the Master’s remark, so it was probably true – at least to the extent that it was the reason given to the Master by the king. The stranger and the pot of gold were inventions of James.
After James had dined in the Great Hall, he went upstairs with the Master. The Master turned to the company and said, ‘Gentlemen, stay, for so it is His Highness’s will.’ Lennox was suspicious, anxious and rose as if thinking of following the king. He was held back by the remark of Gowrie that the king had gone up ‘on some quiet errand’, discreetly implying that the king and the Master had gone upstairs for sex. The two went upstairs, along the Great Gallery, then through a heavy door which they locked behind them. They were in the gallery chamber with a turreted room leading out of it, and they stayed there for over two hours.
The rest of the company left the Great Hall and walked in the garden, talking and eating cherries. Then, some time after five o’clock in the evening, the earl’s equerry announced that James was riding away from Perth. Gowrie sensed that something was wrong, shouted, ‘Horse! Horse!’ and went into the courtyard, where the porter assured him that the king had not left the house and he had the keys of all the gates. Gowrie went into the house to see whether James was there or not. Then he emerged to say that he thought the king really had gone. The group was startled to hear the king’s voice shouting, ‘Help, my Lord Mar! Treason! I am betrayed! They are murdering me!’ They looked up to the turret room window, where they saw the king, red-faced, with a hand clutching his mouth and cheek.
Lennox and Mar led the rest of the company up the stairs, only to find their way blocked by the locked heavy door. They worked at it for half an hour, but were unable to break it down.
Two people stayed apart from all of this, and their behaviour suggests that they were acting as part of some plan. One was the page, Ramsay, and the other was Erskine. If the unfolding plot was of James’s making, only these two young men need have known about it. Ramsay was the one who gave out the false story about James having ridden away. Instead of following the rest of the company into the Great Hall, he had gone up a small spiral staircase called the Black Turnpike, and which led directly into the gallery chamber where the king and the Master were. Ramsay must have known about this route from the king, who knew the geography of the house well. Presumably the door at the top of the Black Turnpike had been unlocked by the king when he was left alone for a moment by the Master. The shouting from the window by the king was evidently for Ramsay’s benefit, a signal to come up to the chamber via the Black Turnpike.
Erskine and his brother set upon Gowrie and tried to kill him. With help from his supporters, he managed to fight them off. Erskine ran back to the Black Turnpike and with three companions went up to join Ramsay. When Ramsay
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