Anne Gordon, Countess of Moray (1590–1640) was a Scottish aristocrat. Castle Stuart - geograph

She was a daughter of

George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns. Biography The son ...

and

Henrietta Stewart Henrietta Stewart (1573–1642) was a Scottish courtier. She was the influential favourite of the queen of Scotland, Anne of Denmark. Life Henrietta Stewart was the daughter of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, favourite of James VI of Scotlan ...

. In 1607 she married James Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray (died 1638). Her father had been implicated in the murder of his father,

James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray James Stewart, 2nd Lord Doune, ''jure uxoris'' 2nd Earl of Moray (c. 1565 – 7 February 1592), was a Scottish nobleman. He was murdered by George Gordon, Earl of Huntly as the culmination of a vendetta. Known as the Bonnie Earl for his good ...

. The marriage was planned by

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 ...

in February 1603 as an act of reconciliation. As Lady Moray, she lived at

Darnaway Castle Darnaway Castle, also known as Tarnaway Castle, is located in Darnaway Forest, southwest of Forres in Moray, Scotland. This was Comyn land, given to Thomas Randolph along with the Earldom of Moray by King Robert I. The castle has remained t ...

, and at nearby

Castle Stuart Castle Stuart is a restored tower house on the banks of the Moray Firth, about northeast of Inverness. The land the castle was built on was granted to the 1st Earl of Moray by his half-sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, following her return to S ...

(or "Castle Stewart") which she and her husband built. She argued with a neighbouring landowner over rights to lime for the building works in 1618. She also resided at the Moray family lodgings in Elgin and Leith. Anne Gordon was a friend of Margaret Seton, Countess of Seaforth, her neighbour at the

Chanonry Chanonry Point (Scottish Gaelic: ''Rubha na Cananaich'') lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, Scotland. Lighthouse An active lighthouse situated at ...

, and she frequently visited her relations at the Bog o'Gight, now known as

Gordon Castle Gordon Castle is a country house located near Fochabers in the parish of Bellie in Moray, Scotland. It was the principal seat of the Dukes of Gordon and was originally called Bog-of-Gight. The six-storey medieval tower dates from 1498 and in th ...

. Some details of her expenditure can be found in the papers of Earls of Moray. John Taylor the Water Poet visited the Earl and Countess at Darnaway in 1618, enjoying four days of "good cheere in all variety". She died at Elgin on 19 January 1640. Her children included: *

James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray (c. 1611 – 4 March 1653) was a Scottish nobleman and landowner. He was the son of James Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray and Lady Anne Gordon, a daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly and Henrietta Stewa ...

.''Scots Peerage'', vol. 6 (Edinburgh, 1909), p. 320. * Margaret or Mary Stuart (died 1662), who married on 24 April 1640, James Grant of Freuchie (1616-1663) * George Stuart

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Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 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. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

1590 births 1640 deaths