FOIA Request: Information Regarding the Seizure of Lord Francis Stuart’s Estates and Titles
James Robert-Warwick S. York-Plantagenet Stuart made this Freedom of Information request to The Crown Estate
Dear The Crown Estate,
To the Information Officer,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I hereby request the following information:
1.) Any records, communications, or briefings regarding the confiscation of the estates, titles, and earldoms of Lord Francis Stuart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, during the period of the North Berwick Witch Trials, including any royal decrees or decisions by the Crown that led to these actions.
2.) Any discussions or records of communications between the Crown Estate and the Government of the time regarding the rightful inheritance of these estates, and the impact on Lord Francis Stuart’s descendants, specifically my own rights to these estates.
3.) Any records related to the Crown’s legal actions or justifications in seizing Lord Francis Stuart’s properties and titles, which were wrongfully taken, affecting my current entitlement to these assets as the direct descendant of Lord Francis Stuart.
Rationale of Request: I submit this request as James Stuart, Catholic Heir to the Throne (Act of Settlement 1701), Stuart Prince of Wales, and 13th cousin, 9x removed, of King Charles III. I am seeking information about the historical injustice inflicted upon my ancestor, Lord Francis Stuart, which led to the unlawful seizure of his estates, and the subsequent denial of my rightful inheritance.
Please confirm receipt of this request and provide the information within the statutory timeframe.
Sincerely,
HRH James Robert-Warwick S. York-Plantagenet Stuart
Catholic Heir to the Throne,
Stuart Prince of Wales
Thank you for your email which is receiving our attention. We will get
back to you with a response as soon as we can.
If your email is a request for information, it will be handled under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations
2004 or data protection law as appropriate. We will come back to you as
soon as possible, and within 20 working days, or one month for data
protection requests.
Please make us aware of any adjustment you require under the Equality Act
and we will adapt our communication to you as is reasonable. Reasonable
adjustments may include, but are not limited to, responding to your
communication request by post, telephone or by email in an alternative
format such as large print or audio.
Enquiries |
[1]The Crown Estate
1 St James's Market, London, SW1Y 4AH
[2]thecrownestate.co.uk
[3]LinkedIn [4]Twitter [5]Instagram
[6][The Crown Estate request email]
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References
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6. mailto:[the%20crown%20estate%20request%20email]
Dear James
Your information request (1874)
Thank you for your information request of 19 November 2024. Section 1(3)
of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) allows public authorities to
request further information where they reasonably require it in order to
locate and extract the information required.
It appears as if you are seeking information relating to the sixteenth
century. Please could you confirm whether my understanding is correct and,
if possible, provide a date range to help guide our searches?
Thank you for your understanding. Once you have provided us with
clarification, we will proceed with your request and conduct relevant
searches, although I should say that most historical information held by
public authorities is transferred to [1]The National Archives.
Yours sincerely
Aimee Gasston
Transparency Manager
Aimee Gasston | Transparency Manager
Pronouns: she/her/hers
M: +44 7552 863 512 T: +44 20 7851 5046
[2]The Crown Estate
1 St James's Market, London, SW1Y 4AH
[3]thecrownestate.co.uk
[4]LinkedIn [5]Twitter [6]Instagram
[7][email address]
LEGAL DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT NOTICE
The information in this message, including any attachments, is intended
solely for the use of the person to whom it is addressed. It may be
confidential and subject to legal professional privilege and it should not
be disclosed to or used by anyone else. If you receive this message in
error please let the sender know straight away. The Crown Estate's head
office is at 1 St James's Market London SW1Y 4AH.
We cannot accept liability resulting from email transmission.
Subject: Clarification for Information Request (1874)
Dear Aimee Gasston,
1.) You have asked for clarification regarding my Freedom of Information request (Ref: 1874). I gladly provide it, for this inquiry carries the weight of justice and the essence of fairness—principles that should underpin every decision associated with the Crown.
2.) This request pertains to events surrounding the late sixteenth century, specifically the North Berwick Witch Trials (circa 1590–1592) and the resultant actions against Lord Francis Stuart, 5th Earl of Bothwell. To aid your search, the timeframe of my inquiry is 1580 to 1610. My focus lies on decisions, communications, and records pertaining to:
2.1A) The arrest, trial, and dispossession of Lord Francis Stuart;
2.1B) The wrongful seizure of his estates, titles, and rights;
2.1C) Documentation reflecting these properties’ subsequent vesting into the Crown Estate.
3. These matters reflect not only the political intrigues of their time but also enduring questions of justice and governance. Lord Francis Stuart, the Lord High Admiral of Scotland, served as the acting King of Scotland during King James VI’s voyage to Denmark.
4. Upon the King's return, a campaign of terror unfolded, implicating innocent women and men in witchcraft under coerced confessions, in direct violation of principles previously enshrined in by the Kings forebears, - the Charter of Liberty (1215, 1297) and the Charter of the Forest.
.
5. Had such a gross miscarriage of justice not occurred, the titles, estates, and lands seized from Lord Francis Stuart—an outspoken critic of King James I—would today remain within his rightful lineage. As a descendant of Lord Francis Stuart, this investigation not only seeks to illuminate historical truths but to secure an enduring sense of justice, for his story speaks to the heart of what a true Crown should uphold.
6. This is not merely a matter of personal interest but a chapter in the history of the Crown that must be revisited for the sake of all who value the principles of equity, due process, and accountability, which are vital in any true Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
7. I respectfully ask for the Crown Estate to exhaustively examine its records and identify any retained documentation, including references to the estate's management, confiscation, or redistribution during this critical period. Should your search require further detail, do not hesitate to reach out.
Yours faithfully,
HRH James Robert-Warwick S. York-Plantagenet Stuart
Catholic Heir to the Throne,
and the Stuart Prince of Wales (In Abeyance of the 1701 Act of Settlement).
I am out of the office returning Monday 25 November 2024 and will come
back to you as soon as possible.
Aimee Gasston | Transparency Manager
Pronouns: she/her/hers
M: +44 7552 863 512 T: +44 20 7851 5046
[1]The Crown Estate
1 St James's Market, London, SW1Y 4AH
[2]thecrownestate.co.uk
[3]LinkedIn [4]Twitter [5]Instagram
[6][email address]
LEGAL DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT NOTICE
The information in this message, including any attachments, is intended
solely for the use of the person to whom it is addressed. It may be
confidential and subject to legal professional privilege and it should not
be disclosed to or used by anyone else. If you receive this message in
error please let the sender know straight away. The Crown Estate's head
office is at 1 St James's Market London SW1Y 4AH.
We cannot accept liability resulting from email transmission.
References
Visible links
2. https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/
3. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cro...
4. https://twitter.com/TheCrownEstate
5. https://www.instagram.com/thecrownestate/
6. mailto:[email%20address]
Dear The Crown Estate,
Please could you advise on the status of the searches of records, if possible.
Yours faithfully,
James Robert-Warwick S. York-Plantagenet Stuart
Thank you for your email which is receiving our attention. We will get
back to you with a response as soon as we can.
If your email is a request for information, it will be handled under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations
2004 or data protection law as appropriate. We will come back to you as
soon as possible, and within 20 working days, or one month for data
protection requests.
Please make us aware of any adjustment you require under the Equality Act
and we will adapt our communication to you as is reasonable. Reasonable
adjustments may include, but are not limited to, responding to your
communication request by post, telephone or by email in an alternative
format such as large print or audio.
Enquiries |
[1]The Crown Estate
1 St James's Market, London, SW1Y 4AH
[2]thecrownestate.co.uk
[3]LinkedIn [4]Twitter [5]Instagram
[6][The Crown Estate request email]
LEGAL DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT NOTICE
The information in this message, including any attachments, is intended
solely for the use of the person to whom it is addressed. It may be
confidential and subject to legal professional privilege and it should not
be disclosed to or used by anyone else. If you receive this message in
error please let the sender know straight away. The Crown Estate's head
office is at 1 St James's Market London SW1Y 4AH.
We cannot accept liability resulting from email transmission.
References
Visible links
2. https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/
3. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cro...
4. https://twitter.com/TheCrownEstate
5. https://www.instagram.com/thecrownestate/
6. mailto:[the%20crown%20estate%20request%20email]
The Crown Estate - Public
Dear James
Your information request (1874)
Thank you for your request of 19 November 2024 and your further
clarification of 22 November 2024.
I can confirm that we have now searched for information across our systems
and have not located anything relevant to your request. It is possible
that [1]The National Archives holds information relevant to your request.
You may also wish to contact Crown Estate Scotland using the contact
details available here: [2]The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
(“FOISA”) and Crown Estate Scotland | Crown Estate Scotland
I hope this information is helpful. However, if you are not satisfied with
the way we have handled your information request, you may appeal our
decision which will then be investigated through an internal review. You
may request an internal review within 40 working days from today’s date.
If you are not content with the outcome of such a review, you have the
right to refer any complaint directly to the Information Commissioner’s
Office (or ICO, contact details are available at: [3]www.ico.org.uk or you
can access their complaints portal here: [4]FOI and EIR complaints | ICO).
The ICO will usually expect you to have first exhausted our own complaints
procedure before raising any concerns with them.
Yours sincerely
Aimee Gasston
Transparency Manager
[5]The Crown Estate
1 St James's Market, London, SW1Y 4AH
[6]thecrownestate.co.uk
[7]LinkedIn [8]Twitter [9]Instagram
[10][email address]
LEGAL DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT NOTICE
The information in this message, including any attachments, is intended
solely for the use of the person to whom it is addressed. It may be
confidential and subject to legal professional privilege and it should not
be disclosed to or used by anyone else. If you receive this message in
error please let the sender know straight away. The Crown Estate's head
office is at 1 St James's Market London SW1Y 4AH.
We cannot accept liability resulting from email transmission.
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