John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis (died 1578) was a Scottish nobleman, judge and

Lord High 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 ...

Life

He was the eldest son of

John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis (1558) was a Scottish nobleman. Life He was born about 1521, the son of John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis, by Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, Janet Douglas, second daughter of George, master of Angus. His father died in 1528. Alo ...

, by his wife, Janet Keith, daughter of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal, and sister of

William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal (died 7 October 1581) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. Family background and career William Keith was the son of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of John Douglas, ...

. He succeeded as

Lord Glamis Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

on the death of his father in 1558. His name first appears in the list of members of the privy council at a meeting of 22 December 1561. On 10 September 1563 the island of

Inchkeith Inchkeith (from the gd, Innis Cheith) is an island in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, administratively part of the Fife council area. Inchkeith has had a colourful history as a result of its proximity to Edinburgh and strategic location for u ...

was committed to his charge. Glamis supported the marriage 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 Scot ...

with

Henry Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567), was an English nobleman who was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI and I, James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to b ...

, and took part in the roundabout raid against

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland, James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent ...

. At the time of the murder of Darnley he was in Edinburgh, but may have had no knowledge of the conspiracy. He signed the

Ainslie Tavern Bond The Ainslie Tavern Bond (also known as the "Ainslie Band", or the "Ainslie Tavern Band") was a document signed on about 20 April 1567 by a number of Scottish bishops and nobles. The bond approved the James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, Earl of ...

for the marriage of

James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was a prominent Scottish nobleman. He was known for his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third and final husband ...

to the queen; but later joined the association for the overthrow of Bothwell and the protection of the young king

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 ...

. On 16 February 1569 he was appointed one of a committee for the pursuit of

George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly (died 19 October 1576), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time. Biography Second son of the 4th Earl, he was Sheriff of Inverness from 1556. As Captain of Badenoch, he was in charge o ...

. He was one of those who voted against the queen's divorce, 31 July 1569, and assisted with other seven noblemen in bearing the body of the Regent Moray at his funeral to

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...

, 14 February 1570. On 30 September 1570 Glamis was appointed an

extraordinary lord of session Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session in Scotland from 1532 to 1762, and were part of the historical judiciary of Scotland. When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President, 14 ...

. After Moray's death he became a close associate of his kinsman

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had b ...

, whom in 1571 he accompanied on an embassy to England, in order to defeat proposals to restore Queen Mary to the throne. On 18 June 1572 he was ordered with other northern nobles to proceed against Adam Gordon of Auchindown, who had invaded

The Mearns ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, and in July he barely escaped capture by Gordon at

Brechin Brechin (; gd, Breichin) is a city and former Royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which continues today ...

. On 2 September 1573 he and other barons of the north signed a band of allegiance to Morton, now Regent, and he was thought to be one of the most loyal of his supporters. On the death of

Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll (1532/1537 – 12 September 1573) was a Scottish nobleman, peer, and politician. He was one of the leading figures in the politics of Scotland during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the early par ...

he was appointed to succeed him as Lord chancellor of Scotland on 8 October 1573. Like many Scottish aristocrats, Glamis was often short of money, and seems to have regularly borrowed from the Edinburgh lawyer John Shairp of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. When the question of

episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

was occupying the attention of the lords of the congregation, Glamis corresponded with

Theodore Beza Theodore Beza ( la, Theodorus Beza; french: Théodore de Bèze or ''de Besze''; June 24, 1519 – October 13, 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformatio ...

on the subject in 1575, and Beza wrote the treatise ''De triplici Episcopatu'', prompted by some of his queries. After the complaint of

Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll (c. 1542– October 1584) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was appointed to the Lord Chancellorship of Scotland. Biography He was the eldest son of Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll and his sec ...

to the young king of 4 March 1578, regarding Morton's overbearing demeanour, Glamis joined with other noblemen in advising Morton's resignation, and was one of a deputation sent to ask him to resign. In consenting, Morton is supposed to have taken influenced by Glamis's advice.

Death

Glamis was accidentally killed in a street brawl in

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 ...

between his followers and those of

David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford (1547?–1607) was a Scottish nobleman and privy councilor. Life He was the eldest son of David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford, by Margaret, daughter of Cardinal Beaton and Marion Ogilvy, and was born about 15 ...

. He was shot through the head, and

David Hume of Godscroft David Hume or Home of Godscroft (1558–1629) was a Scottish historian and political theorist, poet and controversialist, a major intellectual figure in Jacobean Scotland. It has been said that "Hume marks the culmination of the Scottish humani ...

ascribed his death to his height.

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 ...

composed a Latin epigram to him.

Hercules Rollock Hercules Rollock ( fl. 1577–1599), Edinburgh schoolmaster and writer of Latin verse. He was born in Dundee, and an elder brother of Robert Rollock. He graduated at the University of St Andrews, was regent at King's College, Aberdeen, and then sp ...

wrote a Latin epitaph.

Family

He married Elizabeth Abernethy, sister of

Alexander Abernethy, 6th Lord Saltoun Alexander Abernethy, 6th Lord Saltoun (died 1587) was a Scottish landowner and courtier. He was the son of William Abernethy, 5th Lord Saltoun (d. 1543), and Elizabeth Hay daughter of John Hay, 2nd Lord Hay of Yester (d. 1513). The Abernethy estat ...

. Their children included: *

Patrick Lyon, 9th Lord Glamis Patrick Lyon, 1st Earl of Kinghorne (1615) was a Scottish landowner. Patrick Lyon was the son of John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis and Elizabeth Abernethy, only daughter of Alexander Abernethy, 6th Lord Saltoun. His father was killed in 1578 by a gunsho ...

* Jean Lyon, married first to Robert Douglas younger of Lochleven, Master of Morton. Their children included

William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton (1582 – 7 August 1648) was a grandson of the 6th Earl of Morton. He was Treasurer of Scotland, and a zealous Royalist. Life He was the son of Robert Douglas, Master of Morton, and Jean Lyon, daughter of ...

. Secondly she married

Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton (15554 August 1588) was the son of David, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates in 1558, being brought up by his uncle, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, a Presby ...

, and thirdly

Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie (died 5 June 1607) was a Scottish nobleman. His death is the subject of the ballad ''Lord Spynie''. Early life Lindsay was the fourth son of David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford, by his wife Margaret Beaton, d ...

.Victoria Carr, 'The Countess of Angus's Escape', in Julian Goodare, ''Scottish Witches and Witch-Hunters'' (Palgrave, 2013), p. 35. * Elizabeth Lyon, married to

Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray (died 1612), known most of his life as Patrick, Master of Gray, was a Scottish nobleman and politician during the reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland. Early life Patrick Gray, the son of Patrick Gr ...

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Glamis, John Lyon, 8th Lord Year of birth missing 1578 deaths Scottish feudal barons Extraordinary Lords of Session Lord chancellors of Scotland Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) 16th-century Scottish peers Clan Lyon