Sir William Keith of Delny was a Scottish courtier and keeper of the Royal Wardrobe.
Career
William Keith was a son of Andrew Keith, laird of Ravenscraig, Aberdeenshire, and only distantly related to the Earls Marischal. In 1579 he was made a valet in the household of James VI of Scotland. In May 1583 he accompanied Colonel William Stewart and John Colville on their embassy to London. On 1 June he was attacked and insulted by Marmaduke Hedworth, Robert Banks, and others outside Durham on the way back. Hedworth declared Keith was a "Scottish villain" and he replied "I am a gentleman." King James granted William Keith lands in Delny in Ross in 1586 for good service as Master of the Wardrobe. On 2 January 1587 he wrote to Francis Walsingham mentioning, "as for this maid that was said, his Majesty has taken such order with it, the Lord Maxwell is committed to Edinburgh castle." In 1587 Delny was sent to England with Sir Robert Melville of Murdocairny and the Master of Gray to intercede for the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Their speeches and manner of mediation was said to have been counter-productive. On 17 March 1588 he wrote to Walsingham mentioning the arguments in favour of James VI marrying Catherine de Bourbon the sister of Henry of Navarre. At this time he transferred £10,000 Scots to the Lord Chancellor, John Maitland of Thirlestane, from the English subsidy money which Elizabeth gave to James VI. In July 1589 it was expected that Delny and the English courtier Roger Aston would lose their places at court because they had been supporters of the Master of Gray, who was now out of favour. Their opponents, the followers of the Earl of Huntly and Sir John Seton of Barnes called Aston, Keith, and the Lord Privy Seal, "Queen Elizabeth's pensioners".
Delny was in the retinue which accompanied King James VI to Norway and Denmark to collect his future Queen, Anne of Denmark. James Melville of Halhill mentions that Douglas did not sail in the king's ship, but in one of three other ships, along with Lewis Bellenden, John Carmichael, the Provost of Lincluden, George Home, James Sandilands, and Peter Young. There was discussion whether the queen's dowry money should be brought home untouched to Scotland, or whether the Earl Marischal, Lord Dingwall and Delny should be recompensed. James VI gave Delny 830 Danish dalers from the dowry for clothes received in Denmark. During the trip, the king sacked him as keeper of the wardrobe, allegedly for appearing in richer clothing than himself, and appointed Sir George Home in his stead. In the days before Delny lost his place, Robert Douglas, Provost of Lincluden on 4 April 1590 wrote "Sir William Keith is lyke to be casin, and to tyne his offices, credit and all." A correspondent of Francis Walsingham wrote on 5 April 1590 that the Chancellor John Maitland of Thirlestane aimed to discredit the Earl Marischal and Delny, but Delny was "wonderfully well beloved" and had "ever worn his sword on the right and true side". Archibald Douglas suggested Keith's allies were a threat to Maitland, and a royal guard raised by Sir John Carmichael was chiefly to protect the Chancellor.
Out of favour
In July 1590 Delny came to Lady Gowrie's house near Holyrood Palace to await his return to royal favour. The English ambassador Robert Bowes noted in July 1591 that Delny "lay in bed" once or twice at Morham Tower with the owner, the rebellious Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell. Delny regained royal favour in June 1592 apparently by the intervention of Anne of Denmark in the controversy between the Earl Marischal and the Lord Chancellor, John Maitland of Thirlestane.
Later years
Delny became an associate of Ludovick Stuart, 2nd Duke of Lennox. On 6 May 1593 the Duke and 15 friends subscribed to a frivolous legal document swearing to abstain from wearing gold and silver trimmings on their clothes for a year, and defaulters were to pay for a banquet for all of them at John Killoch's house in Edinburgh. This "passement bond" was in part inspired by cheap counterfeit gold and silver thread used in "passements great or small, plain or à jour, bissets, lilykins, cordons, and fringes" which quickly discoloured. The signatories included; Lord Home, the Earl of Mar, Lord Spynie, the Master of Glamis, Sir Thomas Erskine, Walter Stewart of Blantyre, and Sir George Home. In 1594 Delny carried invitations to the baptism and tournament at Stirling Castle for Prince Henry to the Dutch Republic. Sir James Melville of Halhill said he was not suited the role because he could not speak French, Latin, or Flemish. His partner in this embassy was Captain William Murray of Pitcarleis, Provost of St Andrews. They were instructed to confirm previous peace treaties and to give good report of Adrian Damman van Bijsterveld, the resident diplomat of the States General at the court of Scotland, and ask that Scots soldiers serving in the Eighty Years' War be paid. In April 1597 James VI asked Delny to correspond with Venice, to bolster support for his accession to the throne of England.
