Kate Ruthven

Dealing with business together

When Grey Colin was away from their main residence at Balloch Castle, Kate handled all the correspondence, acting on her own judgement in some matters and sending on other letters and news to her husband (e.g. GD112/39/6/22).Even when they were together, Kate managed a great deal of the incoming and outgoing correspondence herself (e.g. GD112/39/4/7).

It is clear that all the matters raised in the letters were shared and discussed by the husband and wife team. Knowing this, their correspondents were sometimes able to save themselves the trouble of writing more than once (GD112/39/10/6).The letters show in great detail one area in which Kate took the lead. She acted as the chief negotiator for her children's marriages.

• Strategic importance: securing suitable marriage alliances was an essential component within a noble family’s strategy. Marriages were designed first and foremost to promote the interests of the lineage and a good match frequently made the difference between the long-term success or failure of the house. When considering a prospective partner the personal feelings of the intended bride and groom were taken into consideration, but the couple were expected to give priority to the needs of their respective houses. Being an alliance between two lineages, marriage negotiations were conducted between the families rather than the couple themselves. In many instances Strategic importance the need for an alliance was more pressing than the need for the actual marriage. Negotiations could take place when the couple were far too young to marry and an ante-nuptial contract would be agreed. In subsequent years such contracts were frequently abandoned when circumstances had altered and alliances with other houses seemed more attractive.
• Legal provisions: legal agreements were concluded to transfer money and land between the two houses, with the bride’s family providing her with a tocher (dowry), normally in cash and paid in instalments. In exchange, the grooms family would settle land, the wife's terce, or third, upon the bride. Other provisions concerning future offspring were often included as part of the contract.
• Kate's role: the marriages of four of Kate's children were arranged before 1583 and the Letters reveal her role in two of them: the crucial marriage of Black Duncan, the eldest son and heir and the all-Campbell match between Anne, Kate's 4th daughter of Katherine and John, son and heir of James Campbell of Ardkinglas. No correspondence has survived concerning the betrothal on 24 May and marriage on 5 September 1574 of Kate and Colin's daughter Margaret to James Cunningham, grandson of the 4th earl of Glencairn (GD112/25/36-9; RMS IV 2254). Kate's 4th son, Archibald was betrothed to Margaret, daughter of Andrew Toscheoch of Monzie, in August 1581 (GD112/25/40) but this local match generated no letters. After the death of his parents, it was left to Black Duncan to negotiate marriages for the remainder of his younger brothers and sisters.

'Business matters and personal touches': these two letters were sent from Ilanran (west end of Loch Tay, near Killin) where Grey Colin was based in the summer of 1570 and directed to Balloch Castle (east end of Loch Tay) where Kate remained in relative safety with her children. In the midst of the business matters and the practical requests for supplies of malt, wine, candles, paper, wax and the signet stamp to be sent urgently, there were some personal touches.

On 16 August, because there was no immediate danger from the MacGregors, Grey Colin asked Kate to travel up to see him at the west end of Loch Tay. The visit would be short and on this occasion Kate should leave their daughter, little Margaret, at home (GD112/39/9/19).A month later when it looked like a settlement was imminent, Grey Colin was urging his wife to treat herself and their bairns.

Kate enjoyed an particularly close relationship with Maitland, Secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots. Eight letters survive from William Maitland of Lethington to Kate though unfortunately there are none the other way (GD112/39/5/15; 6/10 & 11 & 19; 7/15; 9/4 & 8 & 14). They indicate a deep friendship and affection and display an unusual degree of informality and closeness, especially between a man and woman each married to someone else.

Probably acquainted since childhood, Maitland and Kate were more likely to have been good friends than secret lovers. Maitland's protracted courting and final marriage to Mary Fleming, one of the Queen's 4 Maries, was celebrated as a great love-match at the royal court.

Because they enjoyed each others company, Maitland made a point of visiting Kate at Balloch Castle. Although Maitland was friendly with Grey Colin, it was to Kate he chose to address all his promises of support. As he himself admitted, she knew the power she had over him and the only reason he might fail to support her would be if she neglected to tell him what was required.

"I beleive ze knaw quhat puissance ze haiff owyr me and giff ony thing be negleckit on my part zat ze wald haiff me doand it fallit rathar in zour defalt yat puttis me nocht to charge nor it nayer yat salbe willing to obey as ze will command."

An inter-Campbell alliance was of significance to Clan Campbell as a whole and to its chief, Argyll. Significantly, the matchmakers replied to Kate alone. It is not clear precisely why 1570 was chosen as the moment to propose an alliance between the Campbells of Ardkinglas and Glenorchy since the intended bride and groom were young children, and the marriage was not solemnised until 29 March 1586 (GD112/23/2/10-11; Clan Campbell 6 47).

Ardkinglas was probably anxious to secure a future wife for his only child and heir apparent and looked to the Glenorchy or senior branch of his own wife's family, the Campbells of Lawers. This generational shift from the cadet to the main branch of the house of Glenorchy reflected James' own enhanced status.

When succeeding his uncle in 1563, he had been promoted from the minor lairdship of Drongie to become head of the important Campbell house of Ardkinglas. Endogamous marriages were becoming more frequent among the Campbells, though in this period more common among the minor than the major cadet families.

An inter-Campbell alliance was important to the whole clan and its chief, Argyll acted as the main matchmaker assisted by the groom's uncle, John Carswell, the leading Protestant cleric in the Highlands. Carswell, a close friend of Kate and Colin (GD112/39/9/16) was also a member of the Gaelic learned orders who traditionally acted as negotiators. The matchmakers' task proved simple. Significantly, they negotiated with Kate specifically, though they had received separate letters from Grey Colin and Katherine probably outlining different aspects of the marriage conditions (GD112/39/11/3 also see GD112/39/12/16).

A final agreement led to the signing of the ante-nuptial contract on 23 July 1571 (GD112/25/31-33, 37).

When negotiating the marriage of the house's heir much more was at stake for Grey Colin and Kate. Significantly, all but one of the surviving letters were written to Kate and she was the prime mover in the matter.

Moving up the ranks

The Glenorchys pursued a common noble strategy of seeking to marry their eldest son to a woman of higher social status. There was a strong case for concluding an alliance with the house of Atholl. Grey Colin's mother was the daughter of the 1st earl, making the 4th earl his relative and a marriage would bring a closer alliance with the most powerful magnate in the Perthshire region.

This would underline the eastward movement of the Glenorchy Campbells and assist in plans for further expansion. For Atholl a marriage would maintain blood links and renew a political alliance with the Glenorchy Campbells. Since the earl had five daughters for whom to find suitable husbands and provide tochers, he could use their marriages to expand and strengthen his national and regional powerbase.

Apart from Jean who wed Black Duncan, Atholl's other daughters all married members of the Scottish peerage. Jean had been betrothed to the earl of Angus in 1565 but probably due to changing political circumstances that alliance did not materialise.

Maitland's assistance

When discussing marriages with Atholl, the Glenorchys were more supplicants than equals so Kate's close friend, William Maitland of Lethington, Mary, Queen of Scots' Secretary and a skilled diplomat who was asked to act as chief matchmaker.

Kate first suggested the possibility to Maitland, Atholl's brother-in-law, during the winter of 1566-7 (GD112/39/6/19). Things moved slowly because a group of Atholl's friends and advisers opposed the alliance and delayed its progress so that by the summer of 1570 Maitland was urging that terms be settled as quickly as possible.

He also reported the carefully-observed impressions of the prospective bride because Mary Fleming, Maitlands wife, had discussed the matter with her sister, Margaret, Atholl's wife (GD112/39/9/8). The countess was fond of her step-daughter whom she treated as if she were her own daughter. Considerable care was taken to ascertain the suitability and mutual compatibility of the couple. Although the initial attention was fixed upon Margaret, Atholls second daughter by his first wife, it was the younger sister Jean who actually married Black Duncan at Dunkeld in November 1573, though such changes were not unusual.

Maitland was the chief negotiator, but Atholl's right-hand man and brother-in-law, William Stewart of Grandtully, helped with advice on the size of the tocher and the 'going-rate' in the current marriage market (GD112/39/12/9).

The final stages required a written commission signed by both Kate and Colin along with an explicit written statement and an oral elaboration of acceptable terms (GD112/39/9/13 & 14).