John Mosman or Mossman was a Scottish goldsmith based in Edinburgh who served the royal court and was involved in gold mining.
Family background
There is some confusion between the John Mosman who served James V of Scotland and the activities of other members of the family. Another John Mosman of a previous generation was an Edinburgh apothecary. It has been suggested that the Mosman family was of Jewish origin. A branch of the family including a John Mosman and his son Robert Mosman was recorded in February 1490 in connection with their tenancy of the lands of "Easter Gledstanis".
In 1508 a John Mosman and his servant John Bykat were involved in a violent struggle involving several Edinburgh goldsmiths. Daggers were drawn and William Currour cut James McCalyean's lip with a goldsmith's file. This John Mosman was married to Agnes Bartholmew in 1512. Alan Mosman was also a goldsmith in Edinburgh at this time.
Career
One of John Mosman's early recorded works was a set of silver clasps for the king's haubergeon, a piece of chain-mail armour in February 1534.
Scottish gold
Mosman was involved in gold mining in Scotland. In 1539 French-speaking miners arrived from the Duchy of Lorraine sent by the Duchess of Guise and Mosman paid their expenses from Edinburgh to the mines at Crawford Moor and for their equipment. The royal accounts specify that many pieces made by Mosman were fashioned from Scottish gold. In 1538 Mosman made a hat badge featuring a mermaid, set with diamonds, from the "Kingis awne gold" with some gold Mosman provided himself. Mosman was paid for a nugget of gold, "unwrocht gold of the mynde", that was sent to the Duke of Guise, the father of the queen consort Mary of Guise.
Queens of Scotland
In May 1538 the fool of Madeleine of Valois was bought a green velvet gown and Mosman made her a "chaffron" of gilded silver. In April 1539 Mosman was given gold coins and gold from a Scottish mine to make hair pieces called "chafferonys" for the women of the court of Mary of Guise. He made a "chafferoun" of gold in "Paris work" or fashion for one of the daughters of James V, probably Lady Jean Stewart. This was a Scots word for a jewelled strip bordering the front of a hood or coif. In an inventory of Margaret Tudor's jewels in 1516 a "chaffron" comprises the jewelled border and also the velvet hood or hair bag, embroidered with pearl.
Another goldsmith, Thomas Rynd, who was based in St Andrews sold a "chaffron" to Mary of Guise in May 1539, when she was staying at Pitlethy near Leuchars, and James V bought chains and pendants from Rynd to give to the queen's gentlewomen at this time. This gifts to the women of the queen's household bought from Mosman and Rynd were occasioned by the queen's pregnancy.
In December 1539 Mosman made a zibellino for Mary of Guise from Scottish gold, comprising the head and feet of a marten fashioned in gold to be worn with the fur. Mary, Queen of Scots gave this fur with a gold head and feet to Mademoiselle Rallay in December 1561 to mend and re-line, described as an item to wear around her neck.
Mosman made Mary of Guise a belt from Scottish gold with a sapphire. Mosman made rings for James V from Scottish gold and stones described as "Scottish diamonds." He also made silver reliquaries for bones of St Malo and Adrian of May. He made at least two whistles for the king from Scottish gold, and one had a dragon coloured with enamel. The whistles may have been used by the king on his ships, including the Salamander. Mosman made a silver whistle for the "patroun", the commander of the king's new ships. James V was also fond of hawking, and Mosman fashioned a silver clam shell as a luxurious accessory to hold the meat used to train the birds. He made a second clam shell for hawk meat in December 1541 with another, half the size, for the king's tooth powder. In February 1541 he made the king two gold bells for hawks and a silver case for tooth-picks. In June 1542 he was asked to enlarge the second clam shell for hawking.
Gifts for kings
In 1540 James V sent hackney riding horses as gifts to Francis I, the Dauphin, and the Duke of Guise. The horses were equipped with elaborate harnesses and cover cloths, fitted with buckles, and decorative thistles and lion's heads, which Mosman gilded using mercury. The weaver Helen Ros made silk fringes for this horse tack, and she also made passementerie for chairs. The king's former favourite James Hamilton of Finnart was executed in August 1540, and his silver was brought from Craignethan Castle to Edinburgh, where Mosman engraved it with the heraldry of the king's infant eldest son, James, Duke of Rothesay.