Jane, Janet, or Jean Kennedy (died 1589) was a companion of

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 ...

, during her captivity in England. Jane was perhaps a daughter of Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis.

Servant of the captive queen

After the

battle of Carberry Hill The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on 15 June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A number of Scottish lords objected to the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, after she had married the Earl of Bothwell, ...

, Jane waited on Mary at

Lochleven Castle Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296– ...

where Mary was confined and signed abdication papers. Varying accounts mention her jumping from a wall while practising for the Queen's escape, or leaping from a window to join the Queen as she fled the island, and helping row the boat to

Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are conn ...

. Stories of Kennedy's role at Lochleven were publicized by Nicolas Caussin in ''La Cour Sainte'' (Paris, 1664). In England, Jane was listed as a "maid" in Queen Mary's household at

Tutbury Castle Tutbury Castle is a largely ruined medieval castle at Tutbury, Staffordshire, England, in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster and hence currently of King Charles III. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. People who have stayed in the castle ...

in October 1569, her name recorded by a French scribe as "Gin Cannate." At

Sheffield Castle Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been ...

, in 1571, she was listed as a "maid of the chamber." The

Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...

wrote to William Cecil about a suspected servant called Martin, mentioning he seemed to be forming a relationship with "Jane Kenyte, the Scottish queen's woman". Shrewsbury made him swear on the Bible to have no further dealings with her. In 1586, at Chartley Manor, Jane, described a Gentlewoman of the Queen's chamber, was responsible for Mary's jewels. An inventory of the jewels and silver in Jane's keeping was made when Mary was taken to

Tixall Tixall is a small village and civil parish in the Stafford district, in the English county of Staffordshire lying on the western side of the Trent valley between Rugeley and Stone, Staffordshire and roughly 4 miles east of Stafford. The populat ...

for a fortnight and her possessions searched. Jane was also in charge of linen and laundry. At

Fotheringhay Castle Fotheringhay Castle, also known as ''Fotheringay Castle'', was a High Middle Age Norman Motte-and-bailey castle in the village of Fotheringhay to the north of the market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire, England (). It was probably founde ...

, Jane Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle helped Mary onto the scaffold and Jane tied her blindfold. Jane and Elizabeth had been chosen for this duty by Mary herself. The two ladies are featured and named in the ''Blairs Memorial Portrait'' of Mary Queen of Scots; Jane holds a white cloth. Another version of the picture is in the Royal Collection.

After Mary

At the funeral of Queen Mary at

Peterborough Cathedral Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Pau ...

on 1 August 1587, her ladies joined the procession in this order; Barbara Moubray, Christine Hog (the wife of

Bastian Pagez Bastian Pagez was a French servant and musician at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. He devised part of the entertainment at the baptism of Prince James at Stirling Castle in 1566. When Mary was exiled in England, Bastian and his family continu ...

), Renée du Raullay, Marie Pagez, Jane Kennedy, and Susannah Kirkcaldy. Jane Kennedy collected two beds from Mary's belongings, one for the

Duchess of Guise Lady of Guise Non hereditary, 950–? Elder House of Guise, ?–1185 House of Avesnes, 1185–1244 House of Châtillon, 1244–1404 House of Valois-Anjou, 1404–1417 Countess of Guise House of Valois-Anjou, 1417–1425 House of L ...

, the other for Madame de Châlons. She told the Spanish ambassador

Bernardino de Mendoza Bernardino de Mendoza (c. 1540 – 3 August 1604) was a Spanish military commander, diplomat and writer on military history and politics. Biography Bernardino de Mendoza was born in Guadalajara, Spain around 1540, as the son of Don Alonso Su ...

that she had blindfolded Mary at the execution, as she had precedence of birth before Elizabeth Curle. Mendoza was considering if she should have a pension from Spain. He wrote that her ship was driven back to Portsmouth by a storm. Jane Kennedy returned to Scotland from France in January 1588. She talked to James VI for two hours about Mary's last days and told his courtiers about the execution. King James was sad and pensive and had no supper that day. She married Andrew Melville of Garvock. Garvock is near to Dunfermline. Andrew was a brother of the diplomats

James Melville of Halhill Sir James Melville (1535–1617) was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer, and father of the poet Elizabeth Melville. Life Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith, in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason ...

and Robert Melville. In 1568 he had brought a gold chain to Mary when she was imprisoned in

, which she had left with the goldsmith James Mosman to make into a necklace. He became the master of Mary's household in England. Andrew and Jane were placed in joint custody of Mary's remaining jewels and silver plate. Mary had asked Andrew to take some of her belongings back to Scotland and her son

King James VI 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 ...

after her execution, including portraits of her ancestors and a piece of unicorn horn. Andrew Melville was detained in England for a time after Mary's execution, and James VI asked his ambassador Archibald Douglas to secure his release. Douglas found that Melville was already free.

Loss of the ferry boat

Jane and her servant Susannah Kirkcaldy were drowned on the 7 or 8 September 1589 crossing the

river Forth The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Gaelic name for the upper reach of t ...

between Burntisland, where the Melvilles held

Rossend Castle Rossend Castle is a historic building in Burntisland, a town on the south coast of Fife, Scotland. History A keep, known as the Tower of Kingorne Wester, was in existence on the site from 1119. It was later referred to as Burntisland Castle, a ...

, and

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 ...

. The ferry boat was "midway under sail, and the tempest growing great carried the boat with such force upon a ship which was under sail as the boat sank presently." Jane had been summoned by James VI to await the arrival 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 from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

, who was then expected to arrive at Leith. The ferry boat sank after colliding with another vessel during the storm, and the sailors of the other boat, William Downie, Robert Linkhop, and John Watson of Leith were put on trial for the deaths of sixty passengers in January 1590. The outcome of the trial is not recorded. The loss of the ferry boat in stormy weather with all but two of the passengers was subsequently blamed on

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

. In the following year people from

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable ...

were made to confess to raising the storms and incriminate Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell. According to the account of the witch trials in the tract ''

Newes from Scotland ''Newes from Scotland - declaring the damnable life and death of Dr. Fian, a notable sorcerer'' is a pamphlet printed in London in 1591, and likely written by James Carmichael, who later advised King James VI on the writing of his book '' Daemon ...

'', Agnes Sampson confessed to causing the storm by sinking a dead cat into the sea near Leith. In later years the disaster came to be blamed on an error of the sailors, said to be drunk in calm weather by a writer in 1636, who added that £10,000 of goods and jewels were lost.

Andrew Melville of Garvock

Andrew Melville continued to serve as a Master of the Royal Household. He was given £200 to buy clothes to attend the coronation of Anne of Denmark. In 1591 he was on hand to protect the King at Holyroodhouse when he was surprised by Francis, Earl of Bothwell. Andrew, who lived on the north side of Holyrood close, armed himself and entered the palace through the

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

using a secret passage. In July 1594 he and his brothers entertained the Danish and German ambassadors who had arrived for the baptism of Prince Henry. He remarried to Elizabeth Hamilton and James VI gave a ring to his wife at the christening of their child in 1594. In 1600 they had a daughter, Janet, and a son Andrew in 1603, and John in 1604. He died in 1617. In January 1624 his daughter Anna married Sir James Murray of Tippermuir, known as the compiler of a miscellany of verse. His son George married the widow of the king's servant David Drummond.

In fiction

In Friedrich Schiller's play '' Maria Stuart'', Jane, as "Hanna Kennedy" is portrayed as Mary's nurse, and Andrew is "Melvil." Strickland, Agnes, ''Lives of the Queens of Scotland'', vol. 7 (London, 1858) pp. 507-8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Jane 16th-century Scottish people 1589 deaths Court of Mary, Queen of Scots Deaths by drowning in the United Kingdom Year of birth unknown Scottish ladies-in-waiting Witchcraft in Scotland