The hope of the presbyterian clergy that the return of the banished lords would effect a change in the ecclesiastical policy of the king was not fulfilled. The Master of Glamis advised that it was not expedient to sound out the king, who favoured
episcopacy, on reform of the kirk. On 14 December 1586, Glamis, as the representative of his house, and
David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford, by one of whose followers the eighth Lord Glamis had been slain, gave mutual assurances to each other; and on 15 May 1587 they walked arm in arm before the king to and from the banquet of reconciliation at the Market Cross of Edinburgh. The feud between the two families remained, however, very much as it was before; and the king in November 1588 took the captaincy of the guard from Glamis and giving it to
Alexander Lindsay, the Earl of Crawford's uncle. Glamis was offended, and a scene took place between him and
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell. To prevent the quarrel proceeding further, Bothwell was commanded to ward within
Linlithgow Palace, and Glamis within
Edinburgh Castle, for arming his followers in the city. Shortly afterwards the captaincy of the guard was transferred to
George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. Glamis was present with the king in the
Tolbooth when the intercepted letters, revealing the treasonable communications of the
Earl of Huntly and others with Spain, were opened and read. In April 1589 Glamis was surprised by Huntly at
Meigle, and chased to his house of
Kirkhill. On refusing to surrender, the house was set on fire on 10 April, and he was carried captive to the north, via
Glamis Castle. The "indignity" done to the Master of Glamis greatly angered the king. Huntly considered shipping him to the
Duke of Parms in the
Spanish Netherlands as a heretic against the Catholic faith and favourer of the English. On the appearance of the king with a force at Aberdeen, Huntly set him free on 22 April. This rebellion is generally known as the Riad of the
Bridge of Dee. The favour in which he was held at court since the queen's accession began to arouse the jealousy of the chancellor
John Maitland of
Thirlestane. Maitland complained that he supped at
Leith with the outlawed Earl of Bothwell in June 1591, and his hereditary enemy, Lord Spynie, was thereupon empowered to apprehend him. Spynie was unsuccessful, but Glamis was shortly afterwards committed to
Blackness Castle, and then warded beyond the
River Dee. Soon after, the chancellor Maitland was compelled to retire from court. In February 1593 he joined in the pursuit of the Earl of Bothwell at
Penicuik. The Master fell from his horse breaking three ribs. On 8 March 1593 he was appointed extraordinary lord of session, and on the 28 March he was admitted an ordinary lord and sat till 28 May. One of the conditions of agreement between Bothwell and the king, in August 1593 was that Glamis as well as the chancellor should retire from court till November. At a convention held at Stirling in September this agreement was renounced, and Glamis and others returned to court. Shortly afterwards Glamis and Maitland were reconciled. In February 1595-6 the eight commissioners of the exchequer, known as
Octavians, were appointed, but Glamis declined to resign his office of treasurer, and he had ultimately to be compensated by a gift of £6000. From this time Thomas ceased to take a prominent part in public affairs. In August 1598 James VI was angry that the Master of Glamis and Lord Home and the Laird of Cessford had joined for some purpose, and it was noted that he had frequent meetings with
Anne of Denmark, and his wife, Euphemia Douglas was in favour with the queen. James VI instructed his lawyer
Thomas Hamilton to deprive the Master of Glamis of his place as a Lord of Session in May 1599 for reasons of non-residence and also because he was "declared at the horn" for debts in several places. He died 18 February 1608. On learning of his decease, the king is said to have exclaimed, 'that the boldest and hardiest man of his dominions was dead.' ==Family==