![Huntly Castle, detail of front inscriptions](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Huntly_Castle%2C_detail_of_front_inscriptions.jpg)
Henrietta Stewart (1573–1642) was a Scottish courtier. She was the influential favourite of the queen of Scotland,
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
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...
.
Life
Henrietta Stewart was the 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 ...
, favourite 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 hi ...
, and Catherine de Balsac. On 16 June 1581 the king gave Henrietta the right to award the marriage of the
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 existing ...
, which was forfeited to the crown. Their marriage contract was made in 1586, while she was in France, and James VI granted the Duke of Lennox 5000
merks
The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...
to organise her transport from France.
Henrietta, her sister
Marie
Marie may refer to:
People Name
* Marie (given name)
* Marie (Japanese given name)
* Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973
* Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...
and her brother
Ludovic
Ludovic is a given name and has also been a surname.
People with the given name A
* Ludovic Albós Cavaliere (born 1979), Andorran ski mountaineer
* Ludovic Ambruș (born 1946), Romanian wrestler who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics
* Lud ...
came back to Scotland from France in November 1583 with their mother to see James VI. The two sisters returned in June 1588 and were lodged in Edinburgh at the town's expense.
Marriage and masque
On 21 July 1588, Henrietta married
George Gordon, Earl of Huntly, at
Holyroodhouse
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh ...
. Before the wedding the couple were made to declare their (Protestant) faith, without which the minister
John Craig would not declare the banns.
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 hi ...
wrote a masque to be performed at the wedding celebrations. The king sent requests to lairds, like
Robert Murray of
Abercairny
Abercairny is an estate in the Scottish region of Perth and Kinross. It had the distinction of a short visit by Queen Victoria 12 September 1842, when she wished to see the mansion house, then under construction. The estate, owned by the Moray f ...
, for "venison, wild fowls, fed capons" for the feasts. The celebrations involving "plays and masquerades" lasted two or three days.
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell
Francis may refer to:
People
*Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
* Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
* Rural ...
gave her a chain of pearls and hair garnishings. There was "great triumph, mirth, and pastime."
As was customary in Scotland, after her marriage she did not change her name, but continued to sign letters and documents as "Henriette Stuart". Her sister, Marie Stewart, became a lady-in-waiting in the household of
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
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...
in December 1590 at Henrietta's request, which increased Henrietta's access at court. She married 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. The ...
in December 1592. Their younger sister Gabrielle was a nun in France at Glatigny, but a scheme for her to marry Hugh Montgomerie, 5th
Earl of Eglinton in 1598 came to nothing.
After the murder of the
Earl of Moray
The title Earl of Moray, Mormaer of Moray or King of Moray was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until 1130 th ...
by the
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the most powerful Scottish clans. The Gordon lands once spanned a large territory across the Highlands. Presently, Gordon is seated at Aboyne Castle, Aberdeenshire ...
at
Donibristle
Donibristle ( sco, also Dunibirsle) was a house and estate in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Only the wings of the house remain, within the modern settlement of Dalgety Bay. They are now protected as a category A listed buil ...
in February 1592, James VI allowed her to stay at court, and gave her and her followers legal protection.
In February 1593 King James came north to punish and subdue the earls of Huntly, Angus, and Erroll for plotting on behalf of the Catholic faith but they went into hiding. Henrietta and
Elizabeth Douglas, Countess of Erroll
Elizabeth Douglas, Countess of Erroll (died 1631) was a Scottish aristocrat.
Elizabeth was the youngest daughter of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton and Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton. Morton had seven daughters, alleged to have been called ...
came to him at Aberdeen and he allowed them to keep their houses and estates. She was at court in May 1593 with a "greater train and busier heads than are thought fit" according to the English diplomat
Robert Bowes. He and some of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
tried to persuade James VI to send her away. On 31 May she accompanied the queen and her sister the Countess of Mar to Leith to inspect the ship of the Danish ambassadors
Niels Krag
Niels Krag (1550-1602), was a Danish academic and diplomat.
Krag was a Doctor of Divinity, Professor at the University of Copenhagen, and historiographer Royal.
Mission to Scotland
In August 1589 the Danish council decided that Peder Munk, Breide ...
and
Steen Bille
Steen Bille (1565–1629) was a Danish councillor and diplomat.
He was the son of Jens Bille and Karen Rønnow, and is sometimes called "Steen Jensen Bille". His father compiled a manuscript of ballads, Jens Billes visebog.
As a young man Bille ...
at
Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
.
In June 1593 Robert Bowes argued the king should send her from court. A Scottish ambassador
Sir Robert Melville sent to London would be able report this action to Queen Elizabeth, who would approve of it. Henrietta Stewart went to Leith and intended to go north to
Carneborough near Strathbogie. However, she came back to court in September 1593 at the invitation of the queen, first 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 ...
, and it was supposed Anne of Denmark had invited her to please the king. Henrietta Stewart was pregnant at this time.
Henrietta came to be a favourite of the queen, Anna of Denmark, and exerted an influence over her which became controversial. Henrietta was known to be a fervent Catholic, and the friendship between her and Anne was politically sensitive and developed into a cause for conflict between the king and the queen. It also brought Queen Anne negative publicity and exposed her to criticism from the Scottish church. Henrietta Stewart is speculated to have played a part in Queen Anne's rumoured secret Catholic conversion. When she parted from the court in April 1594, the disapproving English ambassador Robert Bowes wrote that the queen gave her gifts that were "liberal and exceeding the common order and proportion used here."
Seeking audience at court
Henrietta was able to further her husband's cause at court even when he was forfeited, except in June 1594 when James expressly forbade her attendance. She defied his order, and came to Leith and visited Anne of Denmark at
Holyroodhouse
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh ...
in "base array", disguised as a servant, on a day when the king had gone to
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 ...
to see the building work on the new Chapel Royal.
James VI told the English ambassador
Robert Bowes that "by evil advice the Queen was drawn lately to give over-great countenance to the Countess of Huntly". The king suggested that problems were partly caused by friction between some members of his
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
and the council appointed to manage the queen's estates.
Bowes realised that Huntly and his factions depended on the Countess interceding for them. She was able to give the king and
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
a petition for the restoration of the Huntly lands. The Queen helped, and when it was refused asked for the lands to be given to her. Bowes was able to search the registers to check that such a document had not been issued.
James VI comes to Huntly Castle
On 6 July 1594 James VI ordered
Robert Melville to tell her to leave Edinburgh, and she went to
Seton Palace and took a ship to Aberdeen. At Huntly Castle, the Earl was confidently building a new hall and gallery.
At the end of October 1594 James VI came to Huntly Castle to demolish or slight the building.
David Foulis wrote to
Anthony Bacon that the Countess of Huntly watched the demolition and was not allowed to have an audience with the king to plead her case. The kirk minister
Andrew Melville
Andrew Melville (1 August 1545 – 1622) was a Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European continent to study at Glasgow and St. Andrews.
He was born at Baldovie, on 1 August 154 ...
was present and urged James VI to blow the castle up.
The king placed the castle and estates in the hands of Sir John Gordon of
Pitlurg, but on 9 November 1594 he requested that Pitlurg should not take up her rental incomes. Her brother, the Duke of Lennox, was the left as the king's lieutenant at
Elgin, declared that she was his enemy because her husband had not left Scotland, and she would not get her "living" or landed income unless she came south.
Lord Gordon at Court
The ministers of the
Kirk of Scotland petitioned the king in March 1595 that she and the
Countess of Erroll should be forced to live in or near Edinburgh. They also requested that her son, Lord Gordon, should be kept by the king.
In October 1596 pressure was exerted on her and her husband to convert from Catholicism by taking away her eldest son
Lord Gordon. He was delivered to Anna of Denmark to be brought up at court and sent to the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
as a pupil of
Robert Rollock
Robert Rollock (c. 15558 or 9 February 1599) was Scottish academic and minister in the Church of Scotland, and the first regent and first principal of the University of Edinburgh. Born into a noble family, he distinguished himself during ...
. Anna of Denmark bought him clothes including a velvet coat and a belt with a little dagger.
David Moysie
David Moysie () was a Scottish notary public, known as the author of the ''Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, 1577–1603''.Also Moise, Moyses, Mosey.
Life
He was by profession a writer and notary public. A notarial attestation of a lease by hi ...
wrote that Henrietta's representations to a
Convention of the Estates
The Convention of Estates of Scotland was a sister institution to the Scottish Parliament which sat from the early sixteenth century. Initially it was only attended by the clergy and nobles, but the burgh commissioners were later added. The Conve ...
were twice rejected. On 19 October 1596 Henrietta's representatives presented her signed seven-point offer to the Synod of the Presbyteries of
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
Between 1975 ...
at
Elgin on behalf of her husband, undertaking to assist the Protestant ministry and to eject Jesuits from his company.
In favour again
She was a godmother to
Princess Elizabeth at her christening on 28 November 1596, attended the birth of
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...
at
Dalkeith Palace
Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 on the site of the ...
in December 1598, and held
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
at his christening in 1600. It was noted in November 1600 that she was "chiefest" in favour with Anna of Denmark.
At the ceremony of the Riding of the Parliament in Edinburgh in January 1598, she and Anna of Denmark and the
Countess of Erroll rode to
Mercat Cross and watched the symbolic restoration of the forfeited earls of
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
,
Erroll and Huntly, by the
Lyon King of Arms to the sound of trumpets. It was said that the queen had so much favour to Henrietta and the Countess of Erroll that sometimes she shared a bed with one or the other.
In April 1601 two male servants of the Marquess of Huntly were banished from Edinburgh for life for hearing the mass, and Henrietta Stewart was requested to remove from her company two female servants Margaret Wood and Barclay who had heard mass. She was 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 ...
on 24 December 1602 seeing
Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to:
People
*Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father
*Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460)
*Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...
and her sister, the Countess of Mar, and both sisters travelled to
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...
the next day.
In March 1609 the Venetian ambassador in London,
Marc' Antonio Correr
Marc' Antonio Correr (1570-1638) was a Venetian nobleman and ambassador at the Stuart court.
He was chosen to replace Zorzi Giustinian as ambassador in London in 1608. His letters give an insight into international politics and court life.
In Ma ...
heard that she had written to Anne of Denmark to intercede with King James for her husband, who was imprisoned in Scotland as a Catholic. James replied to Henrietta that Anne would not interfere with royal orders.
She died on 2 September 1642 in Paris. She was buried at Lyon where her mother was buried.
Her name is carved in stone across the upper storey of
Huntly Castle
Huntly Castle is a ruined castle north of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the rivers Deveron and Bogie meet. It was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly. There have been four castles built on the site that hav ...
in 20-inch letters, in equal prominence to her husband's.
Surgundo and Cherina
An anonymous author of the late 1590s composed an epic poem 'Surgundo: The Valiant Christian' which features George Gordon and Henrietta as Surgundo and Cherina. Many names in the poem are simple anagrams, her father, the Duke of Lennox, was Prince Exonill, Thulyne is Huntly, and so on. Verses in praise of Henrietta include:
But O Cherina, dare I be so bold
To aim at thy perfections yet untold
When as Apollo, father of the arts
Upon a time to try his daughter's parts
Sets the nine maids of memory at strife
To paint pure virtue's picture to the life
...
Cherina, O, Cherina is my theme.
Family
It was reported that she had a son in February 1590. Her children included:
* Anne Gordon, who married
James Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray
James Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray ( 1581 – 6 August 1638) was the son of James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray.
Early years
Moray was only around the age of 11 when his father was murdered and within mon ...
.
* Elizabeth Gordon, who married
Alexander Livingston, 2nd Earl of Linlithgow
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants li ...
in 1611.
* Mary Gordon, who married
William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus (1589–1660) was a Scottish nobleman.
Life
Master of Angus
William Douglas was the eldest son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and his Countess, Elizabeth Oliphant, elde ...
.
*
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 ...
, and Earl of Enzie.
* Francis Gordon (d. 1620)
* Adam Gordon of Aboyne, and later of
Auchindoun
Auchindoun Castle is a 15th-century L-Plan tower castle located in Auchindoun near Dufftown in Banffshire, Scotland.
History
While there is evidence of prehistoric or Pictish earthworks in the grounds of the castle, the remains most visible tod ...
* Laurence Gordon, died at Huntly aged 20
* Jean Gordon, who married
Claud Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane
Claud Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane ( – 1638) was the founder of the Strabane branch of the Hamiltons. He died relatively young at about 32 and his wife, Jean Gordon, married Sir Phelim O'Neill, one of the leaders of the 1641 reb ...
* John Gordon,
Viscount of Melgum, who married
Sophia Hay, a daughter of
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll (30 April 156416 July 1631) was a Scottish nobleman. A convert to Catholicism, he openly conspired with the king of Spain to try to unseat the Protestant Queen Elizabeth.
Biography
He was the son of Andrew Hay, ...
and
Elizabeth Douglas. He died in the fire at
Frendraught Castle
Frendraught CastleCoventry, Martin (1997) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Goblinshead. p.184 or House is a 17th-century house, about east of Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and west of Largue, on the site of a 13th-century castle.
History
The ori ...
in 1630.
[''Records of Aboyne'' (Aberdeen, 1894), p. 526.]
References
* Ruth Grant, in Elizabeth L. Ewan, Sue Innes, Sian Reynolds, Rose Pipes,
Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women' (Edinburgh, 2018), pp. 411–412.
* Susan Dunn-Hensley,
Anna of Denmark and Henrietta Maria: Virgins, Witches, and Catholic Queens'
* Ruth Grant, 'Friendship, politics and religion: George Gordon, Sixth Earl of Huntly and King James VI, 1581–1595', Miles Kerr-Peterson & Steven Reid, ''James VI and Noble Power'' (Abingdon, 2017), pp. 57–90.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Henrietta
1573 births
1642 deaths
Scottish ladies-in-waiting
Scottish royal favourites
Huntly
Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlemen ...
16th-century Scottish women
17th-century Scottish women
Scottish Roman Catholics
Daughters of British dukes
Household of Anne of Denmark