John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham (1531–1563) was a Scottish landowner.

He was a son of Elizabeth Carmichael (1514–1550) andJames V of Scotland.^[1]

His mother later married John Somerville ofCambusnethan.^[2]

As a child, John Stewart was given the estates and incomes ofColdingham Priory, and was usually called the Prior or Commendator of Coldingham, or "Lord John". His father, James V, wrote to CardinalRodolfo Pio da Carpi, in July 1541 that John should bePrior of Coldingham in place of Adam Blackadder, who became Abbot ofDundrennan, and his son would be able to prevent Protestant doctrine spreading from the nearby border with England. In his letter, James V explained that the danger of the "new doctrines" spreading was great because of the "community of language", theScots language being similar in some respects to English. At this time, John Stewart was around nine years old, as an adult, he sometimes resided at Coldingham.^[3]

In August 1548 Lord John Stewart and his half-brother Lord Robert sailed for France from Dumbarton withMary, Queen of Scots. According to an English observer, Henry Johnes, their elder half brothers,Lord James Prior of St Andrews andJames Stewart, Commendator of Kelso and Melrose refused to go.^[4]

In 1550, after the conclusion of the war known theRough Wooing, he accompanied his step-motherMary of Guise on a visit to the French court.^[5] Stewart was in Paris in February 1551 and wrote to Mary of Guise. His letter concerns a property in France, theAbbey of Flavigny en Auxois, a gift to him fromHenry II of France.^[6][7] In July 1553, his sisterLady Jean Stewart was contracted to marryArchibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll.^[8] Her cash dowry of 5,000 merks was to be paid by Mary of Guise and her brothers, the Commendators of Kelso, Holyrood, and Coldingham.^[9]

In April 1558 he wrote to Mary of Guise fromColdingham about a dispute amongst his tenants in Glasgow who were now threatened with legal action byRobert, Lord Sempill, as Sheriff ofRenfrew. Stewart wanted Guise, who was nowRegent of Scotland, to intervene in favour of his tenants.^[10]

During theReformation Crisis the English government sent a fleet of warships to Scotland, and subsequently, by theTreaty of Berwick, an army to assist theProtestants at thesiege of Leith. In January 1560 John Stewart sighted the English fleet commanded byWilliam Wynter offDunbar sailing towards theIsle of May and sent a boat to investigate.^[11]

Mary, Queen of Scots made him keeper ofDunbar Castle when she returned to Scotland in August 1561. The English diplomatThomas Randolph wrote that Lord John was in the queen's favour in October 1561, for his "leaping and dancing", and would marry theEarl of Bothwell's sister,Jean Hepburn.^[12] She had previously been "handfasted" to another man,Robert Lauder younger of the Bass, on 24 July 1556, but the marriage was not completed.^[13]

Lord John, his half-brotherLord Robert, theMarquis of Elbeuf and others performed in a tournament in December 1561 on thesands of Leith. There was "running at the ring", with two teams of six men, one team dressed as women, the other as exotic foreigners in strange masque garments.^[14] Mary, Randolph, the French ambassadorPaul de Foix, andMonsieur de Moret, envoy from theDuke of Savoy attended this entertainment. There had been a similar tournament atAmboise involving Mary's uncle Francis, the Grand Prior, dressed as a gypsy with a baby, and theDuke of Nemours as a townsman's wife with a bunch of keys, and in 1594 another event involving cross-dressing was staged at thebaptism of Prince Henry atStirling Castle.^[15]

Lord Robert married Jean Kennedy, sister of theEarl of Cassilis on 13 December 1561. Soon after this Lord John was involved in a disturbance in Edinburgh that started as a kind of masque in the town.^[16] He and theEarl of Bothwell and the Marquis of Elbeuf went to the house of Cuthbert Ramsay where Alison Craik, a merchant's daughter and mistress of theEarl of Arran was lodged, wearing masks.^[17] When they were not admitted they broke down the doors. There were complaints to the queen and she issued a reprimand. Bothwell and Lord John ignored this and the next day there was a face-off between their followers and the Hamiltons in the market place.^[18]

Mary sent him to arrest theEarl of Huntly atHuntly Castle in October 1562. On the dayWilliam Kirkcaldy of Grange and the Tutor of Pitcur arrived first and surrounded the house. While Kirkcaldy was talking to the porter, the castle watchman on the tower spotted Coldingham and the Master of Lindsay and their troops a mile off. He alerted the Earl, who hopped over a low wall at the back of the castle and found a horse before Pitcur could stop him.Elizabeth Keith, Countess of Huntly then welcomed the queen's men in and gave them a meal and showed them around the place.^[19]

He entertained Mary at Dunbar Castle on 30 December 1562.^[20]

He died at Inverness in November 1563.^[21]

John Knox told a story about his last words. Someone toldMary, Queen of Scots that Stewart's deathbed wish was that she would become a Protestant. Mary declared without hesitation that this version of Coldingham's speech was a lie invented by the treasurerJohn Wishart of Pitarrow and her brother Moray's secretaryJohn Wood.^[22]

He marriedJean Hepburn, daughter ofPatrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell. The wedding was celebrated atCrichton Castle on 3 January 1562. Mary, Queen of Scots andJames Stewart, Earl of Moray (a half-brother to both Mary and John) attended. The English diplomatThomas Randolph, who was not invited, heard there was 'much good sport and pastimes.'^[23]Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie said the entertainments lasted four days.^[24]Their children included:

• Francis Stewart, who becameEarl of Bothwell
• Christine Stewart, who was appointed torock the cradle ofPrince James in March 1568.^[25]Regent Moray andRegent Morton bought her clothes.^[26]
• Marjorie or Margaret Stewart, who was also in the king's household at Stirling before August 1570.^[27] She married (1) William Sinclair of Underhoull,Unst, a son ofOlave Sinclair, (2)William Bruce ofSymbister, a relation ofLaurence Bruce of Cultmalindie.^[28]

John Stewart also had a sonHercules Stewart by an unknown mother.

After the death of the Commendator, Jean Hepburn marriedJohn, Master of Caithness. In 1567, she was said to be in the favour of Mary, Queen of Scots, instead ofMargaret, Lady Rires.^[29]

• Court of James V
• Illegitimate children of James V
• Court of Mary, Queen of Scots
• House of Stuart
• 1531 births
• 1563 deaths
• Sons of kings

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