William Fowler (died January 1572), an Edinburgh merchant, served as a treasurer of the French revenues of Mary, Queen of Scots. His son, the poet William Fowler, who was later a secretary to Anna of Denmark, came to London in 1582 seeking a debt Mary owed to his father and enlisting the help of the French ambassador Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de Mauvissiere.1

The debt involved the French revenue, Fowler senior may have paid out more than he received. Fowler senior was also a textile merchant and could have been owed money by Mary for merchandise,2 but the younger Fowler’s letter of May 1583 explains that his mother Janet Fokart had previously written for repayment to the French administrators of Mary’s dowry, including the Archbishop of Glasgow, Piguillon, and Dolu, to no avail. She was “in despair to recover it” and now advised her son to abandon his suit.3

Some details of William Fowler senior and the French revenue in the account of George Wishart of Drymme have recently been published by the Scottish History Society.4 Wishart worked for the Comptroller, John Wishart of Pitarrow, as a sub-collector, collecting and distributing sums from Mary’s revenue. The Comptroller joined the Chaseabout Raid, a rebellion against Mary and her new husband Lord Darnley, causing some disruption to crown finance. By some chance, Wishart of Drymme’s preliminary account survived.

In the account, George Wishart included sums of money which he had received in 1564 which were “neither of the property nor yet of the collectory”. This section includes payments from William Fowler, which would seem to be allocations made from Mary’s French income, revenues from her dowry lands.

… money receaved by the compter at my Lord Comptrollaris command quhilk is neither of the propertie nor yit of the collectorie … National Records of Scotland E30/11 f.5r.

Fowler delivered £500 Scots, which was given to Alan Stewart, quartermaster of her guard. Another £500 was sent to Alexander Durham, the finance officer of Mary’s household, to help cover her expenses in Perth in April 1564. Wishart received £200 from Fowler, the “rest” or final payment of £1000, the £800 having been paid in a previous accounting period.5

And fra Williame fowlar burges of Edr to pay the garde quhilk was deliverit to Allan Stewart ther _ £500, And mair resavit fra Wm Foular that samyn tyme the xxij of Aprile yeir etc lxiiij & send to Alexander Durehame with Lowrie Fentoune to Sanct Jonestone _ £500, And mair I resavit fra Alexr Arbuthnet in Edr the xx day of Merche of the rest of ane thousand pund quhilk he resavit fra William Foular _ £200

John Knox felt that household expenses and the cost of the guard weighed heavily on money that might otherwise have been used for the stipends of kirk ministers, claiming “the gaird and the effairis of the kytcheing wer so gryping that the mynisteris stipendis could nocht be payit”.6 Wishart’s account shows that at least some of the expense of the guard came from Mary’s own money.

As Fowler’s receipts from France might easily fall behind the sums he advanced for the expenses of Mary’s guard and household, he could become “superexpended”, and leave a legacy of unpaid debt that his hopeful son might try to claim from the French ambassador in London.

  1. William Craigie, Works of William Fowler, 3 (Edinburgh: STS, 1940), pp. x, xv. ↩︎
  2. Michael Pearce, “‘Maskerye claythis’ for James VI and Anna of Denmark”, Medieval English Theatre, 43 (Cambridge: Brewer, 2022), p. 113: Will of William Fowlare CC8/8/3, pp. 718-731. ↩︎
  3. William K. Boyd, Calendar State Papers Scotland, 6 (Edinburgh, 1910), pp. 250 no. 276, 480 no. 495, TNA SP52/31 f.56. ↩︎
  4. Michael Pearce, “Account of George Wishart of Drymme”, Miscellany of the Scottish History Society, 17 (Boydell, 2025), p. 15. ↩︎
  5. Margaret H. B. Sanderson briefly describes a loan of £1000 involving Fowler and other parties and the treasurer of the marquis d’Elboeuf, Mary Stewart’s People (James Thin, 1987), p. 93 citing NRS RoD, 5, f.53. ↩︎
  6. Gordon Donaldson, Accounts of the Collectors of Thirds of Benefices, 1561-1572 (Edinburgh: Scottish History Society, 1949), p. xxv. ↩︎

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