Much laced as the fashion is

The National Records of Scotland has a series of letters from a minor courtier David Cunningham of Auchenharvie to his younger cousin David Cunningham of Robertland in Ayrshire. [1] The writer lived in London and had the office of 'Receiver of rents the king had when he was Prince' or 'Receiver General of the Principality…

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…

Closet and Cabinet

Mary Dudley Sutton (1586-1644) was a cousin of Lucy, Countess of Bedford and a friend of Lady Ann Clifford. She married Alexander, Earl of Home on 11 July 1605 at Bedford House on the Strand. Latin verse in 1617 celebrated her marriage and her 'English hand' rebuilding Dunglass Castle as an example for the Union…