Jacob Kroger (d. 1594) was a German goldsmith who worked for Anna of Denmark in Scotland and stole her jewels. Jacob Kroger was a citizen of Lüneburg, ruled by Anna of Denmark's brother-in-law, Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.[1] He completed his apprenticeship as a goldsmith in 1575 instructed by the master goldsmiths Tönnies Dierssen and…
My Own Making: Women and textile production in seventeenth-century Scotland
In July 1676 James, 2nd Marquis of Douglas recorded his use of relatively plain hangings which were now becoming unfashionable, writing to his factor about new hangings for the hall at Douglas Castle. The marquis was ashamed of the old hangings of plain sad coloured (grey or brown) cloth and requested new cloth which would…
Edinburgh’s welcome for Anna of Denmark
Anna of Denmark, National Galleries of Scotland When Anna of Denmark was newly arrived in Scotland, Edinburgh performed a ceremony of royal entry on Tuesday 19 May 1590. Anna was conveyed around the town in a coach at walking pace under a canopy called a paill or vaill. John Burel described the scene: ANNA, our welbelovit…
Craftsmen in the royal accounts
The treasury of James V left an extensive archive with the treasurer’s accounts and exchequer rolls. In addition there are two series of household books and inventories of household goods. Much of the building work on royal palaces is also well documented, with the survival of volumes produced for audit by the Master of Work,…
The Earl of Dunfermline’s purse
My PhD research Vanished Comforts: Setting the Context for Furniture and Furnishings in Scotland, 1500-1650, was an AHRC-funded project involving National Museums Scotland and the University of Dundee, running from 2012 to 2016. The purpose of the research was to imagine and understand the use and purpose of rooms and planning in Scottish homes and…
Objects and the archive 