Adam Otterburn

Sir Adam Otterburn of Auldhame and Redhall (died 6 July 1548) was a Scottish lawyer and diplomat. He was king's advocate to James V of Scotland and secretary to Mary of Guise and Regent Arran. The King's lawyer The law brought against the Douglas family Adam Otterburn was an important servant of the Scottish monarchy as a lawyer and a diplomat. In August 1524, Margaret Tudor sent him to England with the Earl of Cassilis and Scot of Balwearie to negotiate peace, and a possible marriage for James V with Princess Mary. In May 1525, the English ambassador Dr Thomas Magnus recommended him to Cardinal Wolsey for an annual pension of £20. In 1528, Magnus and Otterburn again discussed the possibilities of a marriage between James V and Princess Mary. When James V assumed the throne as an adult ruler and rejected the Douglases and their associates, Otterburn drew up charges of treason against them on 13 July 1529. On 8 November 1529, he was one of the Scottish commissioners who met English diplomats at Berwick-upon-Tweed. This meeting discussed the possible restoration of the Earl of Angus, an issue which Henry VIII could use as leverage to decide James's choice of future bride. A five-year truce was concluded and the Douglases were to go into English exile.