Anne Lyon (née Murray), Countess of Kinghorne (1579 – 27 February 1618), was a Scottish courtier said to be the mistress of

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

Fair Mistress Anne Murray

Anne Murray was a daughter of

John Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, Master of the King's Household and Catherine Drummond, daughter of David, 2nd Lord Drummond. Her name was sometimes written "Agnes", in correspondence and in anonymous verses in her praise which include anagrams such as the acrostic sonnet "AMAGEMURNSAYAM", and a sonnet with the anagram "AGE MURNES AYE". Her sister Lilias Murray married John Grant of

Freuchie Freuchie is a village in Fife, Scotland, at the foot of the Lomond Hills, and near Falkland. The nearest major town is Glenrothes located 4 miles to the south. The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic, ''fraoch'', meaning heather. This Fife ...

in June 1591.

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

and

John Wemyss of Logie John Wemyss younger of Logie, (1569-1596), was a Scottish courtier, spy, and subject of the ballad " The Laird o Logie", beheaded for plotting to blow up a fortification at Veere in the Netherlands Life John Wemyss was a brother or son, the fam ...

attended the wedding at

Tullibardine Tullibardine is a location in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, which gives its name to a village, a castle and a grant of nobility. The village of Tullibardine is a settlement of approximately forty dwellings about southwest of Perth. It lies in the ...

, and performed in a masque. On the same day the

Earl of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

escaped from

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

. A Dutch ambassador in 1594,

Walraven III van Brederode Walraven III van Brederode (1547–1614) was a Dutch aristocrat and diplomat. He was a son of and Margaretha van Doerne, and became Lord Van Brederode on the death of his father in 1584. He married Gulielma van Haeften. Scotland in 1594 He was ...

, mentioned that she or her sister was a lady in waiting to

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

. One of her brothers was killed at

battle of Glenlivet The Battle of Glenlivet was a Scottish clan battle fought on 3 October 1594 near Glenlivet, Moray, Scotland. It was fought between Protestant forces loyal to King James VI of Scotland who were commanded by Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argy ...

on 3 October 1594. Anne of Denmark paid for updates to her wardrobe in October 1594, giving her a new bodice and sleeves, and silver "cordons" to embroider an existing gown. The record suggests that Anne Murray was then a member of the queen's household. Anne Murray was said to be the mistress of King James VI. This identification comes from two poems written by the king, given titles "A Dreame on his Mistres My Ladie Glammis" and "A Complaint on his Mistressis Absence from Court". Her husband's aristocratic title was "Lord Glamis". The "Complaint" poem compares her absence from court to a garland missing its flower, and a button or a jewel, a "chatton" missing its gemstone (lines 50-51);

The court as garland lacks the cheefest floure
The court a chatton toome that lacks her stone
(modernised)
The court is a garland missing her chiefest flower
The court is an empty button that lacks her gemstone.

Her absence, perhaps due to the forthcoming marriage, will transform the court to

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

, a kind of hell; "Since by thy absence heaven in hell is changed: And we as Divells in Plutoes court are ranged" (lines 41-2). The "Dream" poem includes the imagery of gifts of an empty gold locket, a "tablet" and an

amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that ...

. In the dream, the amethyst with its traditional healing powers will encourage the king's unswerving devotion. The locket is the "chasteness", the chastity of the king's mistress, and her wandering thoughts are like the trails of enamel on the case. On one leaf of the case there is a picture of a naked man sheltered from the sun in a green forest. This image represents the pleasure his mistress's singing voice brings the court. The other leaf shows the sun amidst the stars, as his mistress is the first among the ladies of the court. Inside the locket there is an image of cupid with his bow, but as yet, no picture of the king's mistress. By these two dream tokens the king imagines their love is knit together until cut by the fate "Atrope",

Atropos Atropos (; grc, Ἄτροπος "without turn") or Aisa, in Greek mythology, was one of the three Moirai, goddesses of fate and destiny. Her Roman equivalent was Morta. Atropos was the oldest of the Three Fates, and was known as "the Inf ...

. A letter from John Carey, son of

Henry Carey Henry Carey may refer to: *Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon (1526–1596), politician, general, and potential illegitimate son of Henry VIII *Henry Carey, 1st Earl of Dover (1580–1666), English peer *Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth (1596–1661), ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census re ...

to Cecil, 10 May 1595, discussing her marriage calls her "fayre Mistris Ann Murray the Kinges Mistris". Carey's letter shows that Anne Murray was known as the king's mistress in London, and perhaps the poem "A Dreame on his Mistres" had circulated in manuscript at the English court.

Marriage

In May 1595, she married Patrick Lyon, 9th Lord Glamis who would later become the

Earl of Kinghorne Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

, at

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

. In

early modern Scotland Scotland in the early modern period refers, for the purposes of this article, to Scotland between the death of James IV in 1513 and the end of the Jacobite risings in the mid-eighteenth century. It roughly corresponds to the early modern perio ...

married

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

did not usually adopt their husband's surnames. Lyon was the son of

John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis (died 1578) was a Scottish nobleman, judge and Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. Life He was the eldest son of John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis, by his wife, Janet Keith, daughter of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal, and si ...

and Elizabeth Abernethy. James VI bought Anne Murray, his rumoured mistress, a trousseau of clothes, including a three-tailed gown of cloth of silver which she probably wore on her wedding day. The king and queen planned to come to the wedding banquet on 1 June, to be celebrated with "great triumph" at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

, but Anne of Denmark was ill again, rumoured to have suffered a miscarriage.

Roger Aston Sir Roger Aston (died 23 May 1612) of Cranford, Middlesex, was an English courtier and favourite of James VI of Scotland. Biography Aston was the illegitimate son of Thomas Aston (died 1553). Scottish sources spell his name variously as "Ascheto ...

wrote that the banquet was to be held at the Countess of Mar's new house in Stirling, perhaps

Mar's Wark Mar's Wark is a ruined building in Stirling built 1570–1572 by John Erskine, Regent of Scotland and Earl of Mar, and now in the care of Historic Scotland. Mar intended the building for the principal residence of the Erskine family in Stirlin ...

, followed by celebrations at Gask, the house of the Laird of Tullibardine. John Carey thought the wedding was held at

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...

, and some sources following Carey's letter state the wedding took place in June at Linlithgow. Anne of Denmark set out from Linlithgow to Stirling on 30 May for the banquet but fell ill after her horse was unruly. Neither James VI or

attended the wedding because Anne was ill at Linlithgow. She was thought to be pregnant. James VI invited the

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. T ...

to join merry making at Gask in July 1595 and this was probably the "in-fare" feast for the wedding. Before the wedding, Anne Murray was said to be trying to make the wedding a peaceful occasion to bring together factions at court. The marriage was of political significance in Scotland, controversially arranged by the

, whose mother Annabell was a Tullibardine Murray, without the knowledge of Patrick's uncle, Thomas Lyon, Master of Glamis. The Master of Glamis wanted Patrick to marry a sister of the Laird of Cessford. Mar's actions were part of his feud with the

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 st ...

, John Maitland of Thirlestane. John Colville wrote about the marriage of "Mestres Annas", "A mariage laitlie contracted heir betwix the young Lord Glammes and Tillibarn his dochter will walkin (waken) again the greif betwix .a (Mar) and .h (Master of Glamis), for .h (Glamis) is marveluislie displesed tharwith". Colville felt that whatever the facts were, the Master of Glamis thought that Mar had practiced to his prejudice. At

Blair Castle Blair Castle (in Scottish Gaelic: Caisteil Bhlàir) stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, ...

a spade from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

is said to have been a gift from Patrick Lyon to Anne Murray in 1594.

James VI and the Seven Pearls of Lochleven

In 1593 James VI was linked with a member of the Lyon family, Euphemia Douglas, daughter of Sir William Douglas of Lochleven,

Earl of Morton The title Earl of Morton was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the courtesy title for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton. ...

and Agnes Leslie. She married the Master of Glamis in 1586. She and her sisters were sometimes called the " Seven Pearls of Lochleven". She may then have been known as "Lady Glamis". Dr

Tobias Matthew Tobias Matthew (also Tobie and Toby; 13 June 154629 March 1628), was an Anglican bishop who was President of St John's College, Oxford, from 1572 to 1576, before being appointed Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1579 to 1583, and Matthew ...

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

wrote of the "king's affection to the Lady Morton's daughter", and that she might be connected with the Earl of Bothwell's schemes, and draw a person of "greater estate" into Elizabeth's devotion. In a second letter Matthew mentioned a mystery concerning the "king's love", Lady Morton's daughter and the contents of a letter intercepted by Bothwell concerning the succession to the English throne intended for a person of "great estate". Euphemia Douglas however, was not the king's mistress mentioned in Carey's letters, and it also possible that Matthew's story concerned another of the seven Douglas of Lochleven sisters.Westcott, ''New Poems by James I of England'', p. 79.

Family

The children of Anne Murray and Patrick Lyon, 1st Earl of Kinghorne included: * James Lyon (d. August 1641) * Patrick Lyon (rumoured along with his brother Frederick and sister Anne to be children of King James VI and I) * Frederick Lyon (d. 1660) * Anne Lyon (d. 8 February 1637), who married

William Hay, 10th Earl of Erroll William Hay, 10th Earl of Erroll PC (before 1597 – 7 December 1636) was a Scottish nobleman. Biography He was the eldest son of Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll by his third wife, Lady Elizabeth, daughter of William Douglas, 6th Earl ...

. * Jean Lyon (d. 2 February 1618) * John Lyon, 2nd Earl of Kinghorne (13 August 1596 - 12 May 1646) She died on 27 February 1618.

References

Sources and external links

The Peerage .com

Allan Westcott, ''New Poems by James I of England'' (New York, 1911).

J. Bain, ''Calendar of Border Papers'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1894).

J. Bain, ''Calendar of Border Papers'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1894).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Anne 1579 births 1618 deaths Mistresses of Scottish royalty

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

Kinghorne 16th-century Scottish women 17th-century Scottish women 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish people Daughters of Scottish earls

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 ...