In 1515, John took the guns off two warships, the
James and
Margaret, at
Dumbarton, which had been returned from France by the
Duke of Albany, and took the cannon to Edinburgh overland via Glasgow. John was often based at
Edinburgh Castle where carpenters and ironworkers maintained the royal artillery. He directed the transport of these heavy guns. In 1528 he and another gunner, Robert Borthwick, advised the Master of Artillery,
Alexander Jardine of Applegarth on cannon and equipment required to besiege
Tantallon Castle. Timber from Lochaber was shipped to Edinburgh to mount the royal cannons in 1532. A servant of John Drummond spent 10 days supervising labourers. Drummond also had an armoury in a building at the gate of
Holyroodhouse rented from the priest of St. Leonards. On 8 August 1536, John delivered guns to George Stirling of Glorat at
Dumbarton Castle. These included four great guns furnished with stocks, wheels, vices and wedges, six
falcons with stocks and wheels, 33
hagbutts, four iron
culverins, bullets, gunpowder and ramrods. John took away a 10 foot long brass gun barrel. Drummond went with the King to France in 1536. A friend of the exiled Douglas family, John Penven, wrote to
George Douglas of Pittendreich describing how he went to Newhaven by Dieppe to speak secretly to 'John of Drummond.' Drummond was charged with keeping the King's treasure ship and would not speak with Penven. However, John Barton, the mariner, told Penven that the King had spoken to Drummond during the voyage, telling him how he played
James Hamilton of Finnart against the
Earl of Angus. After James and his French bride,
Madeleine of Valois, arrived at Leith in June 1537, Drummond and two helpers spent six weeks taking the guns from the ships off their sea-stocks and mounting them on land-stocks. Drummond sailed to France to collect Mary of Guise, the King's second bride. His work continued at Edinburgh Castle, making and mounting new guns. In March 1539, the English messenger
Henry Ray was told by a "secret friend" who was an associate of the banished
Earl of Angus and an officer of the Scottish royal ordnance that 16 great cannons or
culverins and 60 smaller guns had been refurnished or newly made in Edinburgh Castle. All the guns would be ready 20 days after Easter. After working at Crawfordjohn and cladding the new Register House at Edinburgh Castle with imported 'Eastland' oak boards in July 1541, in August he went to the woods of Calder for twenty days and cut down 'ane hundredth grete treis' to make wheels for the artillery carts. For this he paid the forester a duty of fourpence a tree and then the timber was carted to Edinburgh. In March 1542, when a cannon had been successfully cast at Edinburgh Castle, Drummond paid the wood-carver
Andrew Mansioun to engrave the royal arms and date on the barrel. In the same month the
Mary Willoughby delivered three cannons bought from Hans Anderson in Flanders. Drummond directed the workmen who unloaded the double-cannon and two great culverin-moyanes at Leith and laid them on the Shore. After an extra difficulty when the draught horses refused at the gate of Edinburgh castle, the guns were mounted using a crane. John Drummond was also in charge of the manufacture of gunpowder at Edinburgh. At the start of the war with England called the
Rough Wooing, John Drummond was at the siege of
Glasgow Castle in April 1544, and was with the gunners who defended Edinburgh Castle from
Lord Hertford's army in May 1544. In September 1545, Drummond was summoned from his home to help carry the artillery towards the English border. In September 1547 he was working at
Dunbar Castle, and led the artillery train from Edinburgh Castle to the
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. John was given livery clothes at Christmas, the last time in 1550, and thereafter there is no further record. ==Family and homes==