Jerome Bowie
Jerome Bowie (died 1597) was a servant of James VI of Scotland as a sommelier and Master of the Wine Cellar, in charge of the purchase and serving of wine. Family background Jerome Bowie's family was from Stirling. His father is thought to have been Andrew Bowie, a gunner employed by Regent Arran. During the war known as the Rough Wooing Andrew Bowie was hurt at the siege of Haddington in August 1548 and a "barber" cured him. He was stationed at Dunbar Castle in 1552, and at Dumbarton Castle in 1553. Career at court Jerome Bowie was first recorded as a servant of the Earl of Mar. He helped keep a record of the expenses of James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran when Arran was a prisoner in Edinburgh Castle in 1564. At that time the Earl of Mar was keeper of Edinburgh Castle. Bowie joined the newly established household for the infant King James in March 1568, serving in the wine cellar at Stirling Castle. In February 1569, the ruler of Scotland, Regent Moray, bought a horse from Bowie, described as the Earl of Mar's servant, for £30, for the use of the king's tailor James Inglis. Bowie was confirmed as Master of the King's Wine Cellar in April 1569. In June 1576 Bowie signed a receipt for new black clothes and hats given to him and four of the king's servants at Stirling, to improve their appearance while waiting at the royal table "when strangers are present". As supplier of wine to the king, Bowie had considerable leverage in the Scottish wine trade. The burgh council of Edinburgh was interested in his role, and objected in May 1578 to the appointment of one Thomas Lindsay in Leith to similar duties involving the "uptaking of wine to his highness' house", insisting that town merchants could supply wine for the royal household. In March 1579 the comptroller of the king's household William Murray of Tullibardine told the Privy Council that he had commissioned and made a proclamation authorising Bowie's "visiting, tasting, and uptaking wines for his Majesty's house at reasonable prices". Despite the powers given to Bowie to search for good wine in cellars and arriving ships, several merchants had not obliged. The Provost of Edinburgh Archibald Stewart and others came to defend the merchants, but the Privy Council was not impressed and set prices for Bordeaux wine and "Hottopyis bind". The latter was a Scottish merchants' term for a wine variety and is now obscure. In 1589 Bowie went to Norway and Denmark with King James to meet his bride Anne of Denmark. In Denmark he bought baskets to pack glasses in the ship, and local beer for the voyage back to Scotland. Bowie made an inventory of silver plate used in the king and queen's households with Andrew Melville of Garvock in October 1590, which includes two silver ships or nefs and an ostrich egg cup, described as an "ostrix eg coupe garnessit in silver dowble overgilt".