John Chisholm (soldier)

King's Wark
Leith, Scotland
Site of the King's Wark Royal Arsenal
King's Wark
Coordinates	55°58′34″N 3°10′10″W / 55.9761°N 3.1695°W / 55.9761; -3.1695
Site history
Built	in royal occupation since 1434
In use	disused as arsenal since 1647
Battles/wars	destroyed May 1544
Garrison information
Past commanders	John Chisholm (1564-1606)

John Chisholm, 16th-century Scottish soldier and chief officer, Comptroller and Prefect of the Scottish artillery for Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland, and keeper of the King's Wark in Leith. Chisholm was a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots after her exile in England.

Mary, Queen of Scots was eager for Chisholm's arrival as a messenger in Perth in April 1564. As Comptroller of the Royal Artillery for Mary, he received in 1565 the large sum of 10,000 Scottish marks on behalf of the Queen, from the Burgh council of Edinburgh, for the right of superiority of Edinburgh over Leith. The money was used to take the royal artillery to the west of Scotland during the rebellion called the Chaseabout Raid.

John Chisholm arranged the firework display for the baptism of her son Prince James at Stirling Castle in December 1566. The preparations were expensive, and John had to send to the Queen twice for extra money. John's account for the event lists his ingredients, including, colophony, orpiment, quicksilver, arrows and dozens of small pottery vessels. The fireworks were made in Leith and shipped to Stirling in great secrecy, being carried to the castle at the dead of night "for feir of knowledge thairof." John also arranged the making of costumes used in a pageant of an assault on a mock castle.

In April 1567 Mary, Queen of Scots confirmed in Parliament John Chisholm's possession of the King's Wark in Leith, which he had held in feu since May 1564. There, John was in charge of the long established Shore-side arsenal which served the Royal Scots Navy. The arsenal had been founded by James I of Scotland in 1434. The buildings, which included a tower had been burnt in May 1544 during the war of the Rough Wooing after 80,000 cannonballs were looted by the English army. In 1545 Robert Logan of Restalrig used the tower as a Tolbooth for Leith. Now demolished, the tower was depicted in a drawing by John Slezer in 1693. The site is now a bar and restaurant.