REFN: 4608AN
REFN: P4609
Sir Andrew was Provost of Jedburgh for many years, but never becam e
Warden, the office having been abolished following on the Union of the
Cr owns. He held several Court and administrative posts, and was created
Lord Je dburgh in 1622. His half-brother Robert Carr (who adopted the
English spellin g of the name when he migrated to England with the King)
was James’ favourite and possibly the best-known member of the family to
those who have only a su perficial knowledge of English history, and none
of Scottish history. This he achieved by contributing to James’ personal
unpopularity in his new Kingdom, and to the tension that gradually built
up against the Stuarts, culminating in the Civil War and the "execution"
of Charles I. School textbooks, however, have been less than fair to him,
and grossly unfair to James VI and I — a co mpetent ruler of his own
original kingdom even if he did not understand Engla nd well enough to be
a real success there, and a man of great intellectual ab ility.