Douglas book > Angus memoirs

INDENTURE WITH HENRY VII., 1489. 91
castle of the Hermitage, with the lands thereto belonging. The Earl and his
son were to become securities for the fulfilment of this bond, and Eobert
Elwold, son of Eobert Elwold of Hermitage, younger, was also to be a surety
with the Master of Angus. On the other hand, no peace was to be concluded
between England and Scotland unless Angus was a party. If Hermitage
were delivered up, then the English king was to aid him with lands and
goods in England to an extent corresponding to the value of the lands
delivered, it being also stipulated that the Earl should not make any private
arrangement with the King of Scots. If truce be not made, the King of
England shall help the Earl and his son at their desire.
Such were the provisions of this treaty, though it has been doubted
whether Henry the Seventh ever intended to act upon it. The terms of it
apparently did not at once become known to the Scottish king, as for some
time afterwards he was on friendly terms with the Earl. 1 But that this secret
treaty came to the king's knowledge, and was the cause, or at least one cause,
of the committal of Angus to ward in Tantallon, is hinted by Godscroft,
who, however, assigns Dumbarton as the place of his confinement. 2 What
immediately followed upon his incarceration there is no evidence to show,
but two months later, on 11th October, the king was at Tantallon, whence
he sent to Edinburgh, Linlithgow, and Leith, for cannon, cross-bows,
1 The only known copies of the treaty are to. This supposition accords both with
defective, and the date assigned to the dates, and with the progress of events,
document, 16th November, 7 Henry VII. Tytler, accepting the date assigned to the
(1491), is indorsed in a modern hand. This, treaty, gravely states, that on Angus's return
however, cannot be correct, as Angus was from England, he was met by Lyon Herald,
then in Scotland, and he was also (as shown who conducted him to ward in Tantallon,
in a previous note) in Scotland during but the Treasurer's Accounts [vol. i. p. 180]
November 1490. The treaty therefore was show that the Earl was at Perth when the
probably entered into towards the end of royal message reached him.
1489, when Angus was absent from Scotland ' 2 MS. History at Hamilton Palace. Cf.
in virtue of the safe-conducts already referred edition 1644, p. 232.