David Lyndsay
Scottish noble and poet (c. 1490 – c. 1555)
Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount (c. 1486 – c. 1555; surname sometimes transcribed as Lindsay) was a Scottish knight, poet, and herald who gained the highest heraldic office of Lyon King of Arms. He remains a well regarded poet whose works reflect the spirit of the Renaissance, specifically as a makar.
Biography
He was the son of David Lyndsay – second of the Mount (Fife), and of Garmylton (Haddingtonshire) – who died circa 1503. Lyndsay the younger's place of birth and early education are unknown, but he may have attended the University of St Andrews, on the books of which appears an entry "Da Lindesay" for the session 1508–1509. He was engaged as a courtier in the Royal Household; first as an equerry, then as an usher to the future King James V of Scotland. His poems mention that he was involved in the education of James V and some contain advice for the young king.
The Treasurer's Accounts are missing from September 1518 to June 1522. When they recommence, they record a "Jenet Dowglas, spous to David Lindsay maister Ischare to the King" who was a seamstress at court.
“David Lyndsay” enters the record as scottish noble and poet (c. 1490 – c. 1555). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what David, Lyndsay and Scottish can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“David Lyndsay” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, David, Lyndsay and Scottish provides the most credible route into that argument.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q723850. VIAF identifies the subject as 46764133. The Library of Congress control number is n50050870. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1486, 1555, 1503 and 1508.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “David Lyndsay” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.