Sir David Foulis (died 1642) was a Scottish baronet and politician.
Life
Foulis was the third son of James Foulis of Colinton, by Agnes Heriot of Lumphoy, and great-grandson of Sir James Foulis of Colinton (d. 1549). His brothers were James Foulis of Colinton, and George Foulis (goldsmith and Master of the Mint (1569–1633)). His sister, Margaret, married lawyer and king's advocate Thomas Hamilton in 1597. Goldsmith Thomas Foulis was his uncle.
The family lived in Old Colinton House (later called Woodhall). Agnes Heriot, his mother, died in 1593 and is buried in the floor of Colinton Parish Church. Agnes appears to have been the sister of George Heriot a notable Edinburgh merchant.
From 1594 onward, David Foulis was actively engaged in politics, and many of his letters are published and calendared in the Calendar of Scottish State Papers edited by John Duncan Mackie in 1969.
Essex and a diamond ring
Foulis was often in London and concerned with the receipt of an annuity or subsidy from Queen Elizabeth. He made friends with Anthony Bacon, a client of the Earl of Essex. In his letters, he referred to Essex as "Plato."
On 1 July 1594, he received £4,000 sterling for James VI. His uncle, the goldsmith and royal financier Thomas Foulis, made an account of the spending of this money for James VI, along with the tax money on his gold mines, money coined at the royal mint by Thomas Acheson, and £680 Scots received from the Secretary, Richard Cockburn of Clerkington in December 1594, with another £3,000 received by David Foulis at London in August 1595.
Foulis himself received £1000 (Scots) from the subsidy for the expenses of his journey to London.
Foulis wrote to Anthony Bacon about the arrival in July and August 1594 of the ambassadors for the baptism of Prince Henry. Foulis (and the English ambassador Robert Bowes) heard of discussions that Anna of Denmark's sister Augusta might marry Count Maurice.
After the baptism he went to the north of Scotland with James VI. He wrote to Essex that the king had pawned his jewels for £2,000 sterling to fund this military mission, and declared that no house where the Catholic Mass has been said would remain standing.
Foulis reported on demolition works at Huntly Castle while the Countess of Huntly looked on, and destruction at Slains, in a letter to Anthony Bacon.
On 8 July 1595, at Falkland Palace James VI gave him a diamond ring worth 200 crowns to give to someone in London, probably the Earl of Essex. His mission was to ask for money for James VI and financial assistance for his brother, Thomas Foulis. He was also to discuss the affairs of the west border and the border warden Walter Scott of Buccleuch, and congratulate the Queen on the Earl of Essex.
On his return to Scotland, on 27 September at Falkland, Foulis wrote a letter in French to the Earl of Essex, assuring him that James VI had a good opinion of Elizabeth. He had not given the earl's letter to the Chancellor, John Maitland of Thirlestane, who was ill. Foulis thought the Chancellor would recover, and form a firm alliance with the Earl of Mar and abandon the cause of William Ker of Cessford and Buccleuch, who had lost the support of Anne of Denmark. She was now in accord with her husband, who was dissatisfied with the amount of English money Foulis had received in London (only £2,000). Unfortunately for Foulis's scheme, Maitland did not recover to cement these alliances, but died at Thirlestane Castle on 3 October.
Kinmont Willie
Foulis was sent to London in March 1596 with the king's letters and news of foreign Catholics in Scotland. He was given 100 crowns and a promise of a monthly allowance of 60 crowns. James VI received an anonymous letter criticising Foulis's abilities, and suggesting William Cecil and the Earl of Essex were working together against the king's interest. This year, Elizabeth delayed giving money to Foulis for James VI because of the offence caused by Walter Scott of Buccleuch who had rescued Kinmont Willie from Carlisle Castle. On 8 July 1596 Walter Stewart of Blantyre wrote to Foulis that he should return if Elizabeth's attitude did not improve.
Foulis wrote to James VI on 20 July that his discussion were going well with the queen, and he used a figure of speech drawn from tennis, "I praise God the ball is yet aloft and I hope shalbe kept at the stotte."