Mariotta or Maryon or Marion Haliburton, Lady Home (circa 1500–circa 1563) was a 16th-century Scottish noblewoman. She varied the spelling of her forename between ''Mariotta'', ''Marion'', and ''Mary''. She is remembered for her defence and negotiation of the surrender of

Hume Castle ' , partof = , location = Hume, Berwickshire, Scotland , image = Hume Castle - geograph.org.uk - 812984.jpg , image_size = , caption = , map_type = Scotland Scottish Borders , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = Shown within Scotland Scot ...

after the

Battle of Pinkie The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...

when the castle was surrounded by an English army. Afterwards she continued to struggle for the rights of her people at the village of Hume in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

, writing both to the English commander and the Scottish leader.

Family

Mariotta was the daughter of Patrick Haliburton of

Dirleton Castle Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 13th century, and it was abandoned by t ...

and Christine Wawane. She and her sisters Janet and Margaret were Patrick's heirs when he died in 1515. She married George, Lord Home before 7 April 1529. Their children included; *

Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home (died 1575) was a Scottish nobleman and Warden of the Eastern March. Early life Alexander Home was the son of George Home, 4th Lord Home and Mariotta Haliburton. He became Lord Home on the death of his father who wa ...

. * Andrew Home, Commendator of Jedburgh and Restenneth. * John Home of Coldenknowes (Cowdenknowes). * Margaret Home, who married

Alexander Erskine of Gogar Alexander Erskine of Gogar (died 1592) was a Scottish landowner and keeper of James VI of Scotland at Stirling Castle. Career Alexander was a son of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Lady Margaret Campbell, a daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd ...

, mother of

Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie (1566 – 12 June 1639) was a Scottish peer. Biography Thomas Erskine was the eldest surviving son of Sir Alexander Erskine of Gogar and Margaret Home, a daughter of George Home, 4th Lord Home and Mariotta Ha ...

. * two other daughters. Mariotta's eldest sister, Janet, married

William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven (died December 1552) was a Scottish nobleman. He served as an Extraordinary Lord of Session and Keeper of the Privy Seal. Life The 2nd Lord Ruthven was the son of William, Master of Ruthven (who was known as Li ...

. Margaret married George Ker of Faldonside. On 22 June 1535,

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 James IV of Sco ...

confirmed Mariotta and George's ownership of lands forfeited by

Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home (died 1516) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, Chamberlain of Scotland and Warden of the Eastern March. He fought at the Battle of Flodden where his forces defeated the English right wing before the Scottish army ...

in return for their good service against the English enemy.

At war

As the war of the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...

escalated,

Regent Arran A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

sent soldiers and guns to help defend their Castle at Hume. The English defeated the Scottish army at Pinkie near

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

on Saturday 10 September 1547. Alexander Home was taken prisoner, and George was injured, and while he lay sick in Edinburgh, the English army arrived at Hume on 20 September. Mariotta herself negotiated the surrender of Hume Castle with the

Earl of Somerset Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

. Her instructions were brought to the castle by

Somerset Herald Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. In the year 1448 Somerset Herald is known to have served the Duke of Somerset, but by the time of the coronation of King Henry VII in 1485 his successor a ...

and her sons Andrew and John agreed to surrender. The 78 Scottish soldiers within were allowed to leave, and Andrew handed the keys to the new English captain, Sir Edward Dudley. George and her eldest son, Alexander, were taken to England and the Tower of London. Mariotta continued to write to the Earl of Somerset seeking a better deal for her own family and the border people. She complained that people in Scotland said she had given up Hume Castle for money, and marvelled that they thought she could the keep the ''sober barmkin'' of Hume against the whole English army, while the whole Scottish nobility could not keep the field. Mariotta told the Earl that she dared not show her husband his letter and the pledges her people had made to England, and asked him to make new agreements that risked only their possessions, not their loyalty to Scotland. Eventually Alexander was allowed back to Scotland, and soon on

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

1548, Hume Castle was taken from the English by a night raid. On 28 December Mariotta sent the news from Edinburgh to

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

, who had left

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 ...

for New Year 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 ...

. She wrote that her son Andrew Home had taken part in the successful assault, with John Home of Coldenknowes and John Haitlie of

Mellerstain Mellerstain House is a stately home around north of Kelso in the Borders, Scotland. It is currently the home of the 14th Earl of Haddington, and is a historical monument of Scotland. History The older house or castle at Mellerstain included ...

. She claimed that if more men had joined her son they could have expelled the English from Kelso. By March 1549, Mariotta was back at Hume Castle. Now she wrote to Mary of Guise that the troops were disturbing the villagers because they would not pay for their groceries; Mariotta insisted Guise pay the soldiers so they would not trouble the poor folk of Hume. In another letter she advised Guise to maintain discipline amongst the soldiers at this crucial time for the

Auld Alliance The Auld Alliance ( Scots for "Old Alliance"; ; ) is an alliance made in 1295 between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England. The Scots word ''auld'', meaning ''old'', has become a partly affectionate term for the long-lasting a ...

;

"Your grace maun be very scherp batht on the Franch men and on the Scottis men, or it will nocht be weill; yet ader (either) to do as aferis to tham or lat it be, they mecht never getin sa gud ane tym. Pardon me that writtis sa hamly to your grace for in gud feth it cumis of gud hart as nythat loifis bath the honour of Scotland and Frans."

In a letter to Guise written at Home Castle on 28 March 1549 she mentions a Spanish captain called the "Mour", "as sharp a man as rides". She hopes that Mary of Guise will be a "good Princess" to him and other captured Spanish soldiers. The man called the "Mour" is understood to be of African origin, and has been identified with a soldier named

Pedro de Negro Pedro de Negro or Pedro Negro (died 1551) was a Spanish soldier who fought for Henry VIII of England and Edward VI of England in France and Scotland. Career and knighthood Pedro de Negro commanded calvalrymen armed with muskets during the war betw ...

. Mariotta's original letters to Somerset and Guise are kept in 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 ...

and the

Public Record Office The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was m ...

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

. An English eyewitness, William Patten, described the bloodless siege after Pinkie and Mariotta's role. Patten cited a French proverb, that the siege was ended by a 'talking castle, and a woman who listens.'

Jean de Beaugué Jean de Beaugué, was a French soldier who served in Scotland in the 1540s, during the war of the Rough Wooing. He wrote a memoir of the fighting which, first published in 1556, is still an important source for historians. Much of the book concerns ...

, who later joined the French army at the

Siege of Haddington The sieges of Haddington were a series of sieges staged at the Royal Burgh of Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, as part of the War of the Rough Wooing, one of the last Anglo-Scottish Wars. Following Regent Arran's defeat at the battle of Pi ...

, also gave an account of the siege, which praises Lady Home's resolve and emphasises the role her fears for her eldest son may have played in the negotiation.

Legacy

Mariotta's grandson,

Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home Sir Alexander Home of that Ilk, 1st Lord Home ( – ) was in 1448 Sheriff Deputy for Berwickshire, and was made a Lord of Parliament on 2 August 1473. He is an ancestor of the Earls of Home. Family Alexander Home's father, Sir Alexander Home of t ...

married

Mary (Dudley) Sutton Mary (Dudley) Sutton, Countess of Home (1586–1644), was a landowner, living in England and Scotland. Early years and marriage Mary (Dudley) Sutton, born 2 October 1586, was the eldest daughter of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (d. 1643) and ...

a granddaughter of Edward Dudley the English captain of Hume. In 1617 this Anglo-Scottish marital union was celebrated by her kinsman and poet

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 ...

in the ''Muses Welcome to the High and Mighty Prince James''. Godscroft pictured the marriage as an epitome of the union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland, writing that Mary Dudley's hand now restored the houses and castles formerly destroyed in border warfare.''Muses Welcome'', (Edinburgh 1617), p. 14: Se
Dana Sutton, ed., and trans., ''Lusus Poetici'', (1639)
/ref>

Family

At war

Legacy

References

Further reading