Elizabeth Barlay or Barlow (died 1518) was an English lady in waiting to

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Ma ...

the wife of James IV of Scotland.

Background

Details of her English family are obscure. She may have been a daughter of John Barlow and Christian Berlay, or their relative. An 18th-century genealogical manuscript claimed that she was a sister of the bishop William Barlow and the explorer Roger Barlow. Some members of the Barlow family were involved in the rebellion of Perkin Warbeck. Despite this, she found a place at court and joined the household of Margaret Tudor in England in March 1503. The Barlow genealogical manuscript says this was due to the patronage of Margaret Neville, Countess of Oxford.

At court in England and Scotland

In England, as a member of the Queen of Scots' retinue, she was given chamlet silk for a gown. In June 1503 she was given a gown of tawny chamlet edged with black velvet, and a kirtle of black wool worset lined with linen and wool cloth, and linen for smocks and headdresses. "Mistress Zouche" and the chamberer (bedchamber servant) Frances Baptiste received similar clothing. During the journey north, Elizabeth Zouche married

Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare Gerard FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare (1487 – 12 December 1534; Irish: ''Gearóid Óg Mac Gearailt'', meaning "Young Gerald FitzGerald"), was a leading figure in 16th-century Irish History. In 1513 he inherited the title of Earl of Kildare an ...

Collyweston Collyweston is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, about three miles southwest of Stamford, Lincolnshire, on the road (the A43) to Kettering. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 514. Geography The villa ...

, and her sister Elianora Zouche married John Melton, and neither came to Scotland with Margaret Tudor. The Scottish royal accounts for 1503, 1505 and 1506 include her fee of 50 English shillings for six months. She injured her arm in August 1505 and was attended by the royal

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Amer ...

, John Mossman. In February 1505 the king gave her velvet for a gown, and satin for a summer gown in July 1506. As a New Year's Day gift in 1507 she was given a pair of rosary beads of gold with a cross costing £62 Scots.

Lady Elphinstone

She married Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone in August 1507. A charter from James IV of Innernochty and other lands mentions that she was resolved to stay in Scotland all the days of her life. In August 1507 Margaret Tudor gave her a velvet and satin gown, a featherbed, bedclothes, and a "verdure" bedcover, probably as a marriage gift Alexander Elphinstone played a " Squire of the Black Lady" at the royal tournament in Edinburgh in 1507. The role was to escort the "Black Lady" in her triumphal chair from Edinburgh Castle to the tournament ground. Elphinstone and his companion William Ogilvy were dressed in outfits of white damask. Elphinstone and Elizabeth Berlay were made keepers of Stirling Castle in succession to

Andrew Aytoun Andrew Aytoun (died 1547), was a Scottish soldier and engineer, and captain of Stirling Castle. Aytoun worked for James IV of Scotland, whose reign lasted from 1488 until his death at the battle of Flodden in 1513. He was regarded as a member of ...

in January 1508. James IV also made them keepers of

Kildrummy Castle Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is ow ...

. In 1508 they transferred their rights over lands at the Wester town of

Tillicoultry Tillicoultry ( ; Scottish Gaelic: Tulach Cultraidh, perhaps from older Gaelic ''Tullich-cul-tir'', or "the mount/hill at the back of the country") is a town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Tillicoultry is usually referred to as Tilly by the loc ...

known as Colinstoun to James Schaw of

Sauchie Sauchie is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth and south of the Ochil Hills, within the council area of Clackmannanshire. Sauchie has a population of around 6000 and is located northeast of Alloa and ...

and his wife Alison Home. In 1513 Kildrummy was regranted to the couple and united with Innernochty into the Lordship of Elphinstone. Her two maidens, her attendants, were given 5 French gold crowns each in January 1512, the same gift was given to an African servant of the queen,

Ellen More Ellen or Elen More () was an African servant at the Scottish royal court. There are records of clothing and gifts given to her, although her roles and status are unclear. Some recent scholarship suggests she was enslaved. She is associated with a ...

. Lord Elphinstone was killed at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

in September 1513, along with many other Scottish noblemen, and was succeeded in the lordship by their son Alexander.

Later life

She later married

John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes (died 1547) was a Scottish landowner. He was the son of William Forbes, 3rd Lord Forbes and Christian Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly. He became Lord Forbes after the death of his brother Arth ...

. Elizabeth Berlay died in September 1518.

Marriages and children

The children of Lord Elphinstone and Elizabeth Barlow included: * Alexander Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Elphinstone * Euphemia Elphinstone, who was a mistress of King

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and du ...

and mother of

Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney and Lord of Zetland (Shetland) (spring of 1533 – 4 February 1593) was a recognised illegitimate son of James V, King of Scotland, and his mistress Eupheme Elphinstone. Robert Stewart was half-brother to Ma ...

. She married John Bruce of Cultmalindie. Her son Laurence Bruce was the builder of Muness Castle on

Unst Unst (; sco, Unst; nrn, Ønst) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of . Unst ...

. According to the genealogy of the Forbes family by Matthew Lumsden, she was the mother of:Matthew Lumsden, ''Genealogy of the Family of Forbes'' (Inverness, 1819), p. 12. * Arthur Forbes of Putachie, called Black Arthur, who was killed at the battle of Tillieangus in 1571 * Jean Forbes (1516-1542), who married (1)

John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl (1507–1542) was the son of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl and Lady Janet Campbell, a daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll and Elizabeth Stewart. The Scottish chronicle writer Robert Lindsay of P ...

, (2) Alexander Hay of Delgatie, (3) William Leslie of Balquhain

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, Elizabeth 16th-century Scottish women Year of birth unknown Court of James IV of Scotland Household of Margaret Tudor 16th-century English women English ladies-in-waiting Ladies of Parliament 1518 deaths