{{Short description|Scottish courtier and administrator (died 1584)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Alexander Durham''' (died 1584) was a Scottish courtier and administrator.<ref>John G. Harrison, 'The Royal Court and the Community of Stirling', ''Forth Naturalist and Historian'', 30 (2007), p. 40.</ref>
== Career ==
His appointments included, clerk in the Exchequer, administrator of John Stewart of Coldingham, and Master of the Wardrobe to King James VI.<ref>Gordon Donaldson, ''Thirds of Benefices'' (Edinburgh: SHS, 1949), p. 193.</ref> His wife was also a member of the household.<ref>Marguerite Wood, ''Balcarres Papers'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1925), p. 314 citing NRS E34/23.</ref> He was also known as "Sandy Durhame" or "Durame". Another member of the family, "Andrew" or Alexander Durham, worked in the spice house of the kitchen of Mary of Guise,<ref>Rosalind K. Marshall, ''Mary of Guise'' (London: Collins, 1978), p. 71.</ref> and Michael Durham was the king's physician.<ref>Andrea Thomas, ''Princelie Majestie'', p. 241: James Balfour Paul, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 7 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 131: The royal household accounts show that he was in Edinburgh Castle with Mary of Guise in 1560.</ref>
He bought white taffeta fabric used at the baptism of Mary, Queen of Scots.<ref>James Balfour Paul, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 8 (Edinburgh, 1908), p. 165.</ref> Durham was ''argentier'' or "argentar" to Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots. A record of food at court, the "Bread Book", mentions a meal in his chamber in December 1549.<ref>John G. Harrison, "The Bread Book and the Court and Household of Marie de Guise in 1549", ''Scottish Archives'', 15 (2009), p. 39.</ref>
In June 1547, Alexander Durham retrieved a valuable hat belonging to Mary of Guise from Marion Bruce in Stirling. The hat had originally been pledged for a loan or supplies bought for the royal household, and was now part of chain of credit in the sale of a house. Durham paid £100 Scots to Robert Forester of Kylemuk to redeem the hat. The velvet hat, with its gold trimmings, was described in the records of the burgh of Stirling, "ane hat of velvus, begareit all with chenyeis of gold, with a drawing chenyie and ane knop".<ref>''Extracts from the Burgh Records of Stirling'' (Glasgow, 1887), pp. 48–49.</ref>
His role later included taking receipt of an income funding the royal household called the "thirds of benefices" derived from teinds.<ref>Gordon Donaldson, ''Accounts of the Thirds of Benefices'' (Edinburgh: SHS, 1949), p. 184.</ref> The money was collected by men working for the exchequer, like George Wishart of Drymme.<ref>John Hill Burton, ''Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 1545-1569'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. 497-8.</ref> From 1 October 1565 up to 2 January 1568 he received £4833-6s-8d on top of £23,351-13-4d already paid to him from the Thirds, for the expenses of the houses and "avery" (horse fodder) of Queen Mary and James VI of Scotland.<ref>Gordon Donaldson, ''Thirds of Benefices'' (Edinburgh: SHS, 1949), p. 190.</ref>
In August 1564 Durham took up a contribution of £124-10s-8d from Coupar Angus Abbey towards the expenses of the queen's hunting trip in Atholl and Glen Tilt and her journey to Inverness.<ref>Charles Rogers, ''Rental Book of the Cistercian Abbey of Cupar-Angus Abbey'', vol. 2 (London, 1880), p. 281.</ref> Durham allocated £250 Scots for the members of the household who remained at Holyrood for two months while Mary went on progress.<ref>Michael Pearce, "Account of George Wishart of Drymme", ''Miscellany of the Scottish History Society'', 17 (Edinburgh: SHS, 2025), p. 18.</ref>
He died in 1584 and was buried at the Holy Rude Kirk in Stirling.<ref>John G. Harrison, 'The Royal Court and the Community of Stirling', ''Forth Naturalist and Historian'', 30 (2007), p. 41.</ref>
==Alexander Durham, Lord Darnley's page== His son Alexander, also known as "Sandy Durham" was present at the Scottish court, a page to Lord Darnley. According to the confession of Nicolas Hubert ''alias'' French Paris, Mary wanted Gilbert Curle in her service to replace "Sande Duram" shortly before the murder of Lord Darnley. According to French Paris, Mary distrusted Durham.<ref>Joseph Bain, ''Calendar of State Papers Scotland'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 667 no. 1117.</ref> As a former servant of Lord Darnley in 1568, who was ready to work for James VI, being "of good mind to be employed to be employed in his minute and small affairs".<ref>Gordon Donaldson, ''Thirds of Benefices'' (Edinburgh: SHS, 1949), p. 193.</ref> He was made master of wardrobe of Prince James on 15 February 1567.<ref>''Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland'', vol. 5:2 (Edinburgh, 1957), p. 280 no. 3254.</ref> Described as the late king's page, Alexander Durham was imprisoned in Edinburgh's tolbooth by Regent Moray in September 1567 on suspicion of involvement in Darnley's murder.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 393 no. 617.</ref>
He became the "provisour" of the household of Regent Moray and of the king's household at Stirling Castle in the 1570s, and made a burgess of Stirling.<ref>''Exchequer Rolls'', vol. 20 (Edinburgh, 1899), pp. 31, 430.</ref> Durham worked for Regent Moray in 1568, providing for his household.<ref>Charles Thorpe McInnes, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1970), p. 117.</ref> He made payments for Regent Moray, including a dowry or "tocher" given to Robert Porterfield when he married one the women appointed to rock the King's cradle at Stirling Castle.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/sixthreportroyal00manu/page/647/mode/2up ''HMC 6th Report: Earl of Moray'' (London, 1877), p. 647]</ref>
In March 1572 Durham paid for cloth to make gown and smocks for six children, an Easter ceremony. The number of gowns matched the age of James VI.<ref>Charles Thorpe McInnes, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1970), p. 303.</ref> He arranged for harpers to play for James VI at Stirling Castle in June 1579.<ref>Charles Thorpe McInnes, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 13 (Edinburgh, 1978), p. 267.</ref> The family came to own and rebuild Duntarvie Castle.
==Family== Alexander Durham married Elizabeth Murray.<ref>Gordon Donaldson, ''All the Queen's Men: Power and Politics in Mary Stewart's Scotland'' (London: Batsford, 1983), p. 65.</ref> Their children included: * Alexander Durham younger, was a servant to Lord Darnley, and was bought green clothes in January 1566.<ref>''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 11, p. 457.</ref> In 1567 he was suspected of involvement in Darnley's murder. He was asked to bring a marten fur, a "couverture de maytres", a bedcover, from the Queen's chamber at the Kirk o'Field to Margaret Carwood.<ref>Agnes Strickland, ''Lives of the Queens of Scotland'', vol. (London, 1854), p. 152.</ref> He may have been the father of Elizabeth Durham, who married William Baillie, Lord Provand * James Durham of Duntarvie, a member of the royal household as clerk of expenses and a "daily servitour" who was suspected of involvement in the Raid of Holyrood in 1591.<ref>David Moysie, ''Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1755), p. 181.</ref> He served as Chamberlain for Linlithgowshire between 1595 and 1600.<ref>''HMC 5th Report: M. E. Stirling'' (London, 1879), p. 648.</ref><ref>Marilyn Brown, ''Scotland's Lost Gardens'' (Edinburgh: RCAHMS, 2015), p. 130.</ref> He married Margaret Hepburn. She was invited to wait on Anne of Denmark at her coronation in May 1590, and clothes were bought for James Durham to wear at the event.<ref>Maureen Meikle, 'Anna of Denmark's Coronation and Entry', Julian Goodare & Alasdair A. MacDonald, ''Sixteenth-Century Scotland'' (Brill, 2008), p. 284: ''Papers Relative to the Marriage of King James the Sixth of Scotland, With the Princess Anna of Denmark'', Appendix, p. 17.</ref> His daughter Janet Durham married James Durham of Pitkerrow (died 1633).
The main branch of the Durham family lived at the Grange of Monifieth (near Dundee). Eufame Durham (died 1580) was the wife of John Strachan or Strathauchin, the builder of Claypotts Castle. She was a sister of Robert Durham of the Grange of Monifeith.<ref>Michael R. Apted, ''Claypotts, Angus'' (Edinburgh: HMSO, 1957), p. 12.</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Alexander}} Category:1584 deaths Category:Court of Mary, Queen of Scots
Category:Year of birth missing