Editing James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle

{{Short description|British noble}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle from NPG.jpg|thumb|243px|The Earl of Carlisle]]

'''James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle''' [[Order of the Bath|KB]] (c. 1580{{snd}}March 1636) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] courtier and English nobleman.

==Life==
He was the son of Sir James Hay of Fingask, second son of Peter Hay 3rd of [[Megginch Castle|Megginch]] (a branch member of Hay of Leys, a younger branch of the Erroll family) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Crichton of Ruthven.<ref name=JS>[https://digital.nls.uk/histories-of-scottish-families/archive/95428023?mode=transcription ''Historical Account of the Family of Hay of Leys''], (Edinburgh, 1832), pp. 20-1. Accessed January 2020.</ref> His mother was Margaret Murray, cousin of [[George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull|George Hay]], afterwards [[George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull|1st Earl of Kinnoull]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}}

His aunts married well and had two well regarded uncles. His uncle Peter Hay of Megginch married Margaret Ogilvie, daughter of Sir Patrick Ogilvie of Inch, and are the ancestors of the later [[Earls of Kinnoull]] via their son, his first cousin Peter of Kirklands of Megginch.<ref name=JS /> His uncle [[Edmund Hay]] was Professor of Scots Law at [[University of Douai|Douay]].<ref name=JS />

He was knighted and taken into favour by [[James VI of Scotland]], brought into England in 1603, treated as a "prime favourite" and made a gentleman of the bedchamber. In 1604, he was sent on a mission to France and pleaded for the Huguenots, which annoyed [[Henry IV of France]] and caused a substantial reduction of the present made to the English envoy. On 21 June 1606, he was created by patent a baron for life with precedence next to the barons, but without a place or voice in [[Parliament of England|Parliament]], no doubt to render his advancement less unpalatable to the English lords.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}}

The king bestowed on him numerous grants, paid his debts, and secured for him a rich bride in the person of [[Honora Denny]], only daughter and heir of [[Edward Denny, 1st Earl of Norwich|Edward, Lord Denny]]. Their marriage was celebrated by ''[[Lord Hay's Masque]],'' staged on 6 January 1607. On 9 February 1608 he performed in the masque ''[[The Hue and Cry After Cupid]]'' at [[Whitehall Palace]] as a sign of the zodiac, to celebrate the wedding of [[John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness|John Ramsay, Viscount Haddington]] to Elizabeth Radclyffe.<ref>Edmund Lodge, ''Illustrations of British History'', vol. 3 (London, 1838), p. 223.</ref> In 1610 he was made a [[Knight of the Bath]], and in 1613 master of the wardrobe, while in 1615 he was created Lord Hay of [[Sawley, Lancashire|Sawley]], and took his seat in the [[House of Lords]].

Honora, Lady Hay was favourite of [[Anne of Denmark]] and they enjoyed the company of a Venetian  diplomat and musician Giulio Muscorno. Muscorno quarrelled with the ambassador [[Antonio Foscarini]] and it was said that the queen and Lady Hay promoted Muscorno's cause.<ref>Allen Hinds, ''Calendar State Papers, Venice: 1613-1615'', vol. 13 (London, 1907), pp. 481-2, 507.</ref> Honora, Lady Hay died in 1614 and was buried on 16 August at Waltham Abbey.

Hay was sent to France in 1616 to negotiate the marriage of Princess Christina with [[Charles I of England|Prince Charles]]. Before he left London news arrived that the French fashion in clothing had changed and his outfits would have to be remade. [[John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness|Lady Haddington]] made a joke about his companions, that there were three [[courtier|mignards]]; himself, [[Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland|Sir Henry Rich]] and [[George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich|Sir George Goring]], three dancers; Sir Gilbert Hawten, [[John Auchmoutie]], and Abercromby, and three fools or buffoons; Sir Thomas German, [[Shelton family|Sir Ralph Shelton]], and Sir Thomas Badger.<ref>Norman Egbert McClure, ''Letters of John Chamberlain'', vol. 2 (Philadelphia, 1939), pp. 13-4.</ref> On his return, being now a widower, he was made a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Councillor]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}}

In February 1617 he presented a masque by [[Ben Jonson]], ''[[Lovers Made Men]]'', to the French ambassador [[Charles Cauchon de Maupas|Baron de Tour]] at his house in London. The performance was staged by the [[Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford|Countess of Bedford]] and said to have cost £2200.<ref>Norman Egbert McClure, ''The Letters of John Chamberlain'', vol. 2 (Philadelphia, 1939), pp. 51, 55, 57.</ref> Later that year, he married [[Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle|Lady Lucy Percy]] (1599–1660), daughter of [[Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland]] (the famous "Wizard Earl"), by his wife [[Dorothy Percy, Countess of Northumberland|Dorothy Devereux]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}}

[[File:Coat of arms of Sir James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, KG.png|thumb|The coat of arms of Sir James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, KG]]
In 1618 he resigned the mastership of the wardrobe for a large sum in compensation. He was created Viscount Doncaster, and in February 1619 was despatched on a mission to [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]], where during the beginning [[Thirty Years' War]] he identified himself with the cause of the "Winter King", Elector [[Frederick V of the Palatinate]], and urged James to make war in his support. In 1621 and 1622 he was sent to [[Kingdom of France|France]] to obtain peace for the [[Huguenots]] from [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]], in which he was unsuccessful, and in September 1622 was created [[Earl of Carlisle]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}}

Next year he went to [[Paris]] on the occasion of Prince Charles's journey to [[Madrid]], and again in 1624 to join [[Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland|Henry Rich]], afterwards Lord Holland, in negotiating the prince's marriage with [[Henrietta Maria]], when he advised James without success to resist [[Cardinal Richelieu|Richelieu]]'s demands on the subject of religious toleration.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}}
Charles's marriage in 1625 was [[Proxy marriage|by proxy]], so the wedding contract was signed by Carlisle and Holland. The king's representative at the actual wedding was [[Claude de Lorraine, Duke of Chevreuse|the duke of Chevreuse]], yet Carlisle and Holland acted as witnesses.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

Carlisle became gentleman of the bedchamber to [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] after his accession. In 1628, after the failure of the expedition to [[Isle of Rhe|Rhe]], he was sent to make a diversion against [[Cardinal Richelieu]] in [[Lorraine (province)|Lorraine]] and [[Piedmont (Italy)|Piedmont]]; he counselled peace with Spain and the vigorous prosecution of the war with France, but on his return home found his advice neglected. He took no further part in public life, and died in March 1636.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=339–340}}

Carlisle was a man of good sense and of accommodating temper, with some diplomatic ability. His extravagance and lavish expenditure, his double suppers and costly entertainments, were the theme of satirists and wonder of society, and his debts were said at his death to amount to more than £80,000. A lavish banquet for the French ambassador in 1621 at [[Essex House (London)|Essex House]] involved [[Confectionery|sweetmeats]] costing £500 and [[ambergris]] used in cooking costing £300, and the total bill was £3,300.<ref>[[Lawrence Stone]], ''Crisis of the Aristocracy'' (Oxford, 1965), p. 561.</ref>

[[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon|Clarendon]] said he left a reputation of a very fine gentleman and a most accomplished courtier, and after having spent, in a very jovial life, above £400,000, which upon a strict computation he received from the crown, he left not a house or acre of land to be remembered by.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=340}}

==Colonial proprietor==
Hay by 1612 was a director of the [[Virginia Company]].<ref>Schreiber, p. 168.</ref> He was a patentee and councillor of the plantation of [[New England]], and showed great interest in the colonies.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}}

Carlise also had an interest in the Caribbean. There [[James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough]] was a rival, who had to be bought off.<ref>Schreiber, p. 170.</ref> Another rival was the [[Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke|Earl of Montgomery]].<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=12723|title=Hay, James|first=Roy E.|last=Schreiber}}</ref> On 2 July 1627 Carlisle obtained from the king a [[Proprietary colony|grant]] of all the [[Caribbean Islands]], including [[Barbados]], this being a confirmation of a former concession given by [[James I of England|James I]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=339}} A colonial plantation venture on Barbados was led in 1628 by [[Marmaduke Roydon]], a prominent [[City of London]] merchant and one of Carlisle's major creditors.<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=24237|title=Roydon (Rawdon), Sir Marmaduke (1583–1646)|first=John C.|last=Appleby}}</ref>

==Family==
Hay's first wife was Honoria Denny. His second wife, [[Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle]], was involved in many conspiracies, or allegations thereof, during the [[English Civil War]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=340}}

The first earl was succeeded by James, his only surviving son by his first wife.  James married Margaret Russell, third daughter of [[Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford]], but James died without issue on 30 October 1660. At his death, the peerage became extinct in the Hay family.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=340}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last1=Carrington |first1=Sean |last2=Fraser |first2=Henry |title=A~Z of Barbados Heritage |year=2003 |publisher=Macmillan Caribbean |isbn=978-0-333-92068-8 |pages=14, 29, 186 }}
*Roy E. Schreiber, ''The First Carlisle Sir James Hay, First Earl of Carlisle as Courtier, Diplomat and Entrepreneur, 1580-1636'', Transactions of the American Philosophical Society New Series, Vol. 74, No. 7 (1984), pp.&nbsp;1–202. Published by: American Philosophical Society. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1006420.
*{{cite news |title=Bagatelle Great House, Restaurant and Wine Bar and Lord Willoughby's Tavern officially open |author=Staff writer |url=http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=22775 |newspaper=[[Barbados Advocate]] |date=12 September 2005 |access-date=4 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224054950/http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=22775 |archive-date=24 December 2005 }}
'''Attribution:'''
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Carlisle, Earls of|volume=5|pages=339–341}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-reg|en}}
{{s-new|rows=2|creation}}
{{s-ttl
  | title = [[Earl of Carlisle]]
  | years = 1622&ndash;1636}}
{{s-aft |rows=2| after = [[James Hay, 2nd Earl of Carlisle|James Hay]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Earl of Carlisle|Viscount Doncaster]]|years=1618–1636}}
{{s-reg|sct}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Earl of Carlisle|Lord Hay]]|years=1606–1636}}
{{s-aft| after = [[James Hay, 2nd Earl of Carlisle|James Hay]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlisle, James Hay, 1st Earl Of}}
[[Category:17th-century Scottish people]]
[[Category:17th-century English nobility]]
[[Category:Clan Hay|James]]
[[Category:Earls of Carlisle (1622 creation)|1]]
[[Category:Peers of England created by James I]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of England to the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:17th-century Barbadian people]]
[[Category:1580s births]]
[[Category:1636 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:17th-century English diplomats]]
[[Category:English duellists]]