Richard Maitland

Maitland was a Senator of the College of Justice, an Ordinary Lord of Session from 1561 until 1584, and notable Scottish poet. He was served heir to his father, Sir William Maitland of Lethington, East Lothian, and Thirlestane, Berwickshire, on 15 October 1515, following his father's death at the Battle of Flodden.

Richard Maitland was said to have refused to assist the English occupying army during the war now known as the Rough Wooing. His grandson, James Maitland, wrote that "most part of the Gentlemen of Lothian, Merse, and Teviotdale did assure, but my grandfather would not assure", even though the English occupied Haddington and Lauder where his lands were.^[1][2]

Maitland's poetry includes his reaction to the Scottish Reformation of 1560. In Quhair is the blyithness that hes beine he describes the reduced celebration of Christmas, including the former customs of guising and hospitality offered by landowners.^[3]

He held the political office of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland and was also the Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, from 1563 to 1567, and was succeeded in this post by his son John Maitland.

He married Mariotta (or Margaret) (d. March 1586), daughter of Sir Thomas Cranstoun of Corsbie, in Berwickshire. They had three sons and four daughters, including

• William Maitland of Lethington, Secretary of State to Mary, Queen of Scots, and
• Sir John Maitland of Thirlestane, Lord Chancellor of Scotland;
• Thomas Maitland (died 1572), poet and supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots.^[4][5]
• Isabella Maitland, who married Sir James Heriot of Traboun
• Marie Maitland (d. January 1596), who married Alexander Lauder of Haltoun (d. 1627).^[6]
• Elizabeth Maitland, who married William Douglas of Whittinghame.
• Helen Maitland, who married John Cockburn of Clerkington in 1560,^[7] and was the mother of Richard Cockburn of Clerkington.^[8]

Two of Maitland's manuscript works survive, known as the Maitland Folio and Maitland Quarto; both are compilations of the Scots literature of his era. They are held by the Pepys Library.

The manuscripts preserve many of the works of the great makars and a large number of anonymous pieces. The manuscripts also record many of Maitland's own compositions.^[9] Maitland's daughter Marie transcribed his poems as well as her brother John Maitland's and others.^[10]

Maitland's poems, especially in the Maitland Quarto (MQ), lament division in Scotland during the Marian Civil War (1569–1573), and seem to lay blame on English interventions.^[11][12]

Maitland is the 12th great-grandfather of prominent Canadian sculptor and poet Christian Cardell Corbet.