Jean Fleming, Countess of Cassilis (1553/4–1609) was a Scottish noblewoman and courtier at the court of James VI of Scotland, and a survivor of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

Biography

Jean Fleming was born in 1553/4, daughter of James Fleming, 4th Lord Fleming and Barbara Hamilton, a sister of Lord John Hamilton and Claude Hamilton. Upon Lord Fleming's death, his title and estates passed to her uncle

John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming (1529–6 September 1572), was a Scottish nobleman and a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots. Life He was the son of Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming, lord high chamberlain, by his wife Johanna or Jonet Stewart, nat ...

, and Jean Fleming had to resort to action in the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of m ...

to secure a share of the inheritance. She married John Maitland, then

Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal. The office has re ...

and later

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 ...

, on 16 January 1583 and she was then called "Lady Thirlestane". He was 11 years older than her. The couple had two children, Anne, born in 1590 and who died in 1609, and John Maitland, a judge who became President of the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

and of Privy Council. In December 1587 the poet William Fowler dedicated his '' Triumphs of Petrarke'' to her, and a woman "E. D.", perhaps Elizabeth Douglas of Temple-Hall (

Ormiston Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about . The village was the first planned village in Scotland, founded in 1735 ...

), contributed two sonnets in her praise.

Lady Chancellor

Jean Fleming shared in her husband's work as Chancellor of Scotland. An English visitor at the Scottish court, Thomas Fowler, wrote that she was "a wise woman and half chancellor when he is at home." The goldsmith and royal financier

Thomas Foulis Thomas Foulis ( fl. 1580–1628) was a Scottish goldsmith, mine entrepreneur, and royal financier. Thomas Foulis was an Edinburgh goldsmith and financier, and was involved in the mint and coinage, gold and lead mining, and from May 1591 the receip ...

made two accounts of money for the mint received from "Lady Thirlestane." The first of the "Lady Chancellaris" accounts commenced on 20 June 1589, and the second began on 1 August 1590. Fleming herself received an amethyst ring. She accounted large sums of money, some of it connected with the reception of the royal bride,

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 ...

. The account, held by the

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...

, includes a payment to

Alexander Oustean Alexander Oustean or Oustian or Austin (died 1604) was a Scottish tailor and member of Edinburgh burgh council. Career He became a burgess of Edinburgh on 26 May 1560. He was Deacon of Crafts and Craft Councillor in 1582. Oustean undertook a varie ...

, a wealthy Edinburgh tailor who supported the royal marriage. In February 1590 she was pregnant as a newsletter noted, "The Lady Chanceller feeles the motion of a barne within her weam." In May 1590 she may have greeted the new queen of Scotland Anne of Denmark at the Shore of Leith, with the Countess of Mar, Lady Seton, Lady Boyne, and Lady Dudhope. Her daughter Anne was baptised on 12 July 1590. She managed to make an enemy of Anna of Denmark by remarking in her hearing of Anna's supposed relationship with

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 Mu ...

, who had been imprisoned for witchcraft in connections with events around the marriage of Anne and James, and whose trajectory from this point forwards was escape, exile, forfeiture and death. The queen wrote a letter mentioning her accusation that she was complicit with the Earl of Bothwell. In September and October 1592 Maitland and his wife were at

Greenlaw Greenlaw is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish situated in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills on Blackadder Water at the junction of the A697 and the A6105 in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. At the 2001 United Kingd ...

with the

Provost of Lincluden Lincluden Collegiate Church, known earlier as Lincluden Priory or Lincluden Abbey (the name by which it is still known locally), is a ruined religious house, situated in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire and to the north of the Royal Bu ...

and at Kenmure and

Drumlanrig Drumlanrig (Scottish Gaelic: ''Druim Lannraig'') is a settlement in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which is best known for nearby Drumlanrig Castle. The earliest record for Drumlanrig is from 1384, spelled ''Drumlangryg''. There are a number o ...

with

John Gordon of Lochinvar Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar and Kenmure (died 1604), was a Scottish courtier, landowner, and supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the son of Sir James Gordon of Lochinvar and Margaret Crichton. On 20 August 1547 his sister Janet Gordon (die ...

. Fleming then visited the court. Maitland was allowed to return to court in September 1593, but the English ambassador Robert Bowes mentioned the queen's continuing antipathy towards her, "she cannot hitherto well brook his wife". She was again in the queen's favour by February 1595.

Countess of Cassilis

On Maitland's death on 3 October 1595 the king sent Sir George Home with his letter to Thirlestane to comfort her. Jean was left a rich widow. In November 1597, she married

John Kennedy, 5th Earl of Cassilis John Kennedy, 5th Earl of Cassilis (1575 – 14 November 1615) was a Scottish peer, the son of Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of Cassilis and Margaret Lyon. He succeeded to the titles of 7th Lord Kennedy and 5th Earl of Cassillis on 14 December 1576 ...

, some 22-years her junior, becoming Countess of Cassillis. The age disparity aroused considerable scornful comment in the Scottish court, but Jean's wealth ensured the continued status of the couple. It was said, "she was past bairns bearing, and he was a young man not past 23 years." Cassilis had considered marrying another woman, Jean Cunningham, a daughter of the

Earl of Glencairn Earl of Glencairn was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1488 for Alexander Cunningham, 1st Lord Kilmaurs (created 1450). The name was taken from the parish of Glencairn in Dumfriesshire so named for the Cairn Waters which ru ...

. She died soon after the wedding, leaving a note blaming Cassilis for breaking their betrothal. This led to a quarrel between the Cunningham and Kennedy families. The bankrupted royal financiers

Robert Jousie Robert Jousie (or Joussie or Jowsie or Jossie; died 1626) was a Scottish merchant, financier, and courtier. Life Jousie was a cloth merchant based in Edinburgh with a house on the High Street or Royal Mile. He became an exclusive supplier of fa ...

and

owed her £2,333 Scots in 1598. Kennedy was offered a post as Treasurer in 1599, but declined, fearing the cost of the appointment in terms of anticipated loans to a needy James VI. On 22 February 1600 Fleming and Cassilis hosted James VI at

Thirlestane Castle Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wate ...

. In 1602 she was contrasted with the Catholic Lady Livingstone as "a lady without all religion". As part of the marriage contract of her daughter Anna Maitland and the Master of Winton, Jean Fleming rebuilt

Winton Castle Winton Castle is a historic building set in a large estate between Pencaitland and Tranent in East Lothian, Scotland. The castle is situated off the B6355 road approximately north of Pencaitland at . The castle is still a private residence, ...

for the couple, and the

Earl of Winton The title Earl of Winton was once created in the Peerage of Scotland, and again the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is now held by the Earl of Eglinton. The title was first bestowed on Robert Seton, 8th Lord Seton. His descendants held it unt ...

owed her 2,000

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 ...

for this. Lady Cassilis and her son had rights over the town of Leith, and the burgh council of Edinburgh negotiated to buy the "reversion of the superiority of Leith from her. She received 10,000

. Kennedy was imprisoned twice in 1604 for doing violence to Jean, the first incident involving him dragging her from court before witnesses. 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 ...

described the offence as "unmanerlie insolence". King James advised the

to protect her financial interests from her husband. During this period it was alleged that Hector Ferguson of Letterpin had ambushed Jean Fleming and servants between the Inch of Galloway and Maybole, and chased her to

Maybole Castle Maybole Castle is a 16th-century castle located on High Street in Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Originally built for the Earls of Cassillis, it is an L-shaped construction with Victorian two-storey extensions. It is associated with a lege ...

.''Register of the Privy Council of Scotland'', vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1895), p. 411. Jean Fleming died in Edinburgh after a period of illness on 23 June 1609 and is buried in

St Mary's Collegiate Church, Haddington The Collegiate Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Church of Scotland parish church in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland. Building work on the church was started in 1380, and further building and rebuilding has taken place up to the present da ...

References

External links

A satirical poem on the marriage of Jean Fleming and John Maitland by Hercules RollockBridging the Continental Divide, University of Glasgow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassilis, Jean Fleming, Countess of 1550s births 1609 deaths Scottish noblewomen Cassilis Ladies of Parliament Violence against women in Scotland Witchcraft in Scotland Daughters of barons 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish people 16th-century Scottish women 17th-century Scottish women