Anne Hamilton, Countess of Huntly (c. 1535 – after 17 April 1574), was a Scottish noblewoman and a member of the powerful Hamilton family which had a strong claim to the Scottish crown. Her father
James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Châtellerault, 2nd Earl of Arran ( 1519 – 22 January 1575), was a Scottish nobleman and head of the House of Hamilton. A great-grandson of King James II of Scotland, he was heir presumptive to the Scottish thr ...
, 2nd
Earl of Arran was heir presumptive to the throne of Scotland after
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...
prior to the birth of the latter's son
Prince James in 1566. Anne was the wife of
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly (died 19 October 1576), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time.
Biography
Second son of the 4th Earl, he was Sheriff of Inverness from 1556. As Captain of Badenoch, he was in charge o ...
,
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland.
Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower s ...
and a chief conspirator during the reign of Queen Mary.
In her teens, Anne entered
Marie of Guise
Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...
's household as a
lady-in-waiting and
maid-of-honour
A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts.
Role
Traditionally, a queen ...
.
Family
Lady Anne was born in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in about 1535, the eldest daughter of James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault, 2nd Earl of Arran and
Lady Margaret Douglas. Her paternal grandparents were
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran and 2nd Lord Hamilton (c. 14751529) was a Scottish nobleman, naval commander and first cousin of James IV of Scotland. He also served as the 9th Lord High Admiral of Scotland.
Early life
He was the eldest of ...
, and Lady Janet Beaton, and her maternal grandparents were
James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton, and Catherine Stewart, illegitimate daughter of King
James IV of Scotland by his mistress
Marion Boyd
Phyllis Marion Boyd ( Watt; March 26, 1946 – October 11, 2022) was a Canadian politician in Ontario. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999 who represented the riding of London Centre. She ...
. The Hamiltons were, next to the legitimate royal Stewarts, the noblest family in Scotland, and therefore the strongest claimants to the throne due to Anne's great-grandfather
James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton
James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Laird of Cadzow (c. 1415 – 6 November 1479) was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician.
Early life
James Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton of Cadzow, 5th Laird of Cadzow. He was born at Cadz ...
having been the husband of
Princess Mary Stewart, the sister of King
James III. From the time of the death of
John Stewart, Duke of Albany
John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (8 July 14822 July 1536) was the regent of the Kingdom of Scotland and the count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France.
Early life
John was a son of Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, son of King James II of S ...
in 1536 until the birth of
James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay in 1450; from April 1541 when the infant Rothesay died along with his new-born brother, Arthur until the birth of Queen Mary on 8 December 1542; and then following the death of King
James V on 14 December 1542 until the birth of Queen Mary's son,
Prince James in 1566, Anne's father was the
heir presumptive
An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question.
...
to the
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...
. When Mary abdicated in 1567 in favour of her son James, he once again became next in line to the throne until his own death on 22 January 1575.
Anne had three younger sisters and five brothers, including
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran (1537–1609) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who opposed the French-dominated regency during the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault, sometime regent of S ...
,
John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton
John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton (1540–1604) was the founder of the long line of the marquesses and dukes of Hamilton in Scotland.
Birth and origins
John was born about 1540 in Scotland. He was the third son of James Hamilton and ...
, and
Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley
Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley (3 June 1546 – 3 May 1621) was a Scottish nobleman who fought at the Battle of Langside in 1568 for Mary, Queen of Scots. He is the ancestor of the earls, marquesses and dukes of Abercorn.
Birth and orig ...
. James, who was declared legally insane on 9 April 1562, had aspired to marry Queen Mary, and at one point in 1562, there was a rumour spread throughout the realm that he had planned to abduct her. Although the rumour proved false, the eccentric James would, throughout his life, nurse a neurotic obsession for his royal cousin.
Early life
On the infant Queen Mary's accession to the throne, Anne's father, James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, became
Regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
of Scotland until 1554, when he surrendered the post to Mary's mother
Mary of Guise. Mary of Guise visited France in 1551. On her return in December, Anne was bought magnificent clothes to join Guise's household as a lady-in-waiting and maid of honour. The clothes included; a grey velvet gown; a crimson velvet gown with gold passementerie; four hoods and sets of sleeves; red stockings; with a sponge, a rubbing brush and a pair of knives. Her father had already bought her several fine gowns, all paid for from the royal exchequer.
Anne was ill in March and April 1552. She recovered, perhaps with the help of drugs bought from Guise's apothecary and surgeon costing £20. At this time her servants were Effame Hamilton, Gilbert Ruthven and William Forrester. Effame, who was called Anne's keeper, sewed her clothes and kept the fire in Anne's chamber. Anne's older sister
Barbara Hamilton married Alexander Gordon, Lord Gordon. Lady Gordon and Lady Anne travelled with Mary of Guise to the west of Scotland in March 1553. Lady Anne went to
Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. Today it is under the stewardship of ...
in June. Soon after, their father resigned the regency to Mary of Guise, and thereafter the Crown records no longer documented Anne's expenses.
Marriage and issue
On 12 March 1558, Lady Anne married
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly (died 19 October 1576), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time.
Biography
Second son of the 4th Earl, he was Sheriff of Inverness from 1556. As Captain of Badenoch, he was in charge o ...
, son of
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (151428 October 1562) was a Scottish nobleman.
Life
He was the son of John Gordon, Lord Gordon, and Margaret Stewart, daughter of James IV and Margaret Drummond. George Gordon inherited his earldom and estat ...
and
Elizabeth Keith. He would become one of the chief conspirators in the realm during the reign of Queen Mary.
Anne was described as having '"shown a mettle which outstripped that of her husband". The marriage produced four children:
* Lady Jean Gordon (died after 29 December 1615), married George Sinclair, 5th
Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have ...
, son of John Sinclair, Master of Caithness and
Jean Hepburn, by whom she had five children.
*
George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns.
Biography
The son o ...
(1562 – 13 June 1636), married
Henrietta Stewart
Henrietta Stewart (1573–1642) was a Scottish courtier. She was the influential favourite of the queen of Scotland, Anne of Denmark.
Life
Henrietta Stewart was the daughter of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, favourite of James VI of Scotla ...
(1573–1642), daughter of
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny, (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry, France, was a Roman Catholic French nobleman of Scottish ancestry ...
and Catherine de Balsac, by whom he had seven children, including
George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly
George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly (1592March 1649), styled Earl of Enzie from 1599 to 1636, eldest son of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly by Lady Henrietta Stewart, daughter of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, born at Huntly Castl ...
.
* Alexander Gordon (died January 1622), married Lady Agnes Sinclair.
* William Gordon, a monk.
Anne's husband was warded at
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scotti ...
following his father's rebellion and death in August 1562 at the
Battle of Corrichie
The Battle of Corrichie, also known as the Battle of Corrichy was a battle fought near Meikle Tap, near Aberdeen, Scotland, on 28 October 1562. It was fought between the forces of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, chief of Clan Gordon, agains ...
. His titles and estates were forfeited and his brother John Gordon was executed for treason. George Gordon, as
Sheriff of
Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle ( gd, Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. The present structure is ...
, had refused the queen entry to the fortress which was a royal property. He was pardoned by the queen and put into free ward at Dunbar. His estates and title of
Earl of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existin ...
were restored to him in 1565, following Queen Mary's marriage to
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567), was an English nobleman who was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to both the Scottis ...
. He obtained his full freedom in 1565, and his dignities were formally restored in 1567. He was appointed
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland.
Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower s ...
that same year.
Anne was well regarded by Mary, Queen of Scots, and she was the only Hamilton mentioned in her will made in June 1566 before the birth of
Prince James. In 1567, Anne's husband was part of the confederation of nobles who conspired to
murder of Lord Darnley
The murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, took place on 10 February 1567 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Darnley's lodgings were destroyed by gunpowder; his body and that of his servant were found nearby, appare ...
. The ring-leader of the conspiracy was allegedly
James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell
James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was a prominent Scottish nobleman. He was known for his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third and final husband ...
, George's ally and the husband of his sister,
Jean
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
. George, shortly after Darnley's murder, persuaded Jean to divorce Bothwell enabling him to marry the widowed Queen Mary. He witnessed the marriage contract between the queen and Bothwell, and he was part of the retinue that accompanied the couple on their return to Edinburgh just before their wedding.
Anne's brother
Claud Hamilton led the vanguard of Queen Mary's troops at the
Battle of Langside
The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...
but the royalists were defeated by
Regent Moray's forces. Many of her relatives were slain or taken prisoner in the battle.
[Fraser, pp. 420–421]
Anne Hamilton died sometime after 17 April 1574.
Ancestry
References
# Antonia Fraser, ''Mary, Queen of Scots'', Dell Publishing Co., Inc., New York, March 1971, originally published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1969
# www.thePeerage.com/p2100.htm#20995
# www.Stirnet.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huntly, Anne Hamilton, Countess of
1535 births
Year of death unknown
Date of death unknown
Scottish countesses
Daughters of Scottish earls
16th-century Scottish women
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
16th-century Scottish people