Birrel’s Diarey (sic), an important source for Edinburgh’s early modern history, and published as long ago as 1798, says that George Heriot was appointed as goldsmith to Anna of Denmark on 27 July 1597, and proclaimed by trumpet in this role at the Mercat Cross. He displaced a French craftsman “Clei”. Heriot’s appointment is also recorded in the register of the privy seal, held by the National Records of Scotland.

“Birrel’s Diarey”, Fragments of Scotish history (Edinburgh, 1798), p. 44.
George Heriot younger appointed ‘ordinar goldsmith to hir maiestie’, at Dunfermeling 17 July 1597, NRS Privy Seal Register

Before “Clei”, Anna employed Jakob Kroger from Lüneburg as her goldsmith. He ran away to England in 1594 with some of her jewels and a French stablehand from Holyrood called Guilliaume Martyn in 1594.

“Clei” seems to be a misreading for “Elias” or “Elei”. Elias le Tellier was the queen’s goldsmith in 1597, and continued to work in Edinburgh. He was still described as a goldsmith to the Queen’s Majesty in 1600. He probably worked with or for George Heriot, and in 1603 he moved to London and was located at Charing Cross in 1613.

“… instance of Elias Litillier frencheman goldsmyth to the Quenis ma[jes]tie ..”, NRS, CS7/190, f.12r.

The family connections of Elias le Tellier were described by Mary Edmond and Winifred Coutts.1 Edmond inferred that the family had been in Edinburgh in the 1590s. Coutts worked through court registers in the National Records of Scotland for the year 1600. She found two records of Elias Litillier or Littleyear, who was based in Edinburgh’s Canongate. One was a dispute with an Edinburgh goldsmith James Crawfurd,2 the other case with Elias’ Canongate landlord Robert Johnston who had sought to evict him and his family.3

Winfred Coutts noted these cases for the apparent xenophobia, where foreign craftsmen, even with royal patronage, were at a disadvantage in disputes with local craft colleagues and other citizens. William Schaw, the chamberlain of Anna’s Dunfermline estates, had intervened in the dispute with James Crawfurd in March 1597.

“…instance of Elias Littileir goldsmyth burges of the Cannogait, Harie Littelleir his sone, and Sampson de la Grange, Agains James Crawfurd goldsmyth burges of the burgh of Edinburgh …” NRS CS7/186, f.120v.

The Crawfurd case confirms the family connections . Elias worked with his son Harry, and a colleague Samson des Granges.4 His wife is not mentioned by name in the Edinburgh records. Johnston tried to evict Elias’ “wyfe and bairns”. She was Hester or Esther des Granges, later recorded as a silkwoman to Anna of Denmark.5

Samson des Granges (died 1635) seems to have been a goldsmith colleague of Elias and Harry le Tellier, although the record of Crawfurd case does not specify his trade. His son was the miniature painter David des Granges, and Hester was David’s godparent and presumably an aunt.6 In May 1649, David and Judith Hoskins des Granges named their Edinburgh-born son Samson des Granges. Judith Hoskins was perhaps a relation of the miniature painters John Hoskins and Samuel Cooper. They had at least four other children, baptised in London.

  1. Mary Edmond, “Limners and Picturemakers”, Walpole Society, 47 (1978-1980), pp. 123-124: Winifred Coutts, The Business of the College of Justice in 1600 (Stair Society, 2003), pp. 64, 70, 73. ↩︎
  2. National Records of Scotland, CS7/186, ff.120v-121r. ↩︎
  3. National Records of Scotland, CS7/190, ff.12r-12v. ↩︎
  4. National Records of Scotland, CS7/186, f.120v. ↩︎
  5. John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, 3 (London, 1828), p. 541. ↩︎
  6. William Moens, Registers of the French Church, 1 (Lymington: Huguenot Society, 1896), p. 81. ↩︎

Leave a comment