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

Lord High Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally titled Lord High Chancellor, was an Great_Officers_of_State_(United_Kingdom)#Scotland, Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. The Lord Chancellor was the principal Great Officer of State, the Speake ...

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 in 1510, the son of John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis, by Janet Douglas, second daughter of George, master of Angus. His father died in 1528. Along with his mother, who had ...

, 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, 2 ...

. 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 e ...

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 Inchmichael (Formerly Inchkeith) (from the ) is an island in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, administratively part of the Fife council area. In 2025, Newly appointed Independent Member of the Scottish Parliament in the Mid-Scotland and Fife ...

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 List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

with

Henry Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567) was King of Scotland as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, from 29 July 1565 until his murder in 1567. Lord Darnley had one child with Mary, the future James VI of Scotland and I ...

, 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. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotl ...

. 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 Earl of Bothwell's acquittal on 12 April 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 the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord ...

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 ...

. 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 The second son of the 4th Earl, George Gordon was the Sheriff of Inverness from 1556. As Captain of Badenoch, ...

. 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 (), 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 until the early 16th century; ...

, 14 February 1570. On 30 September 1570 Glamis was appointed an extraordinary lord of session. 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) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort murder of Lord Darnley, Henry Darnley. He was the last of th ...

, 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 Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of north-east Scotland. It is bounded by Abe ...

, and in July he barely escaped capture by Gordon at

Brechin Brechin (; ) is a town 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-Scottish Reformation, Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which contin ...

. 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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. When the question of

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

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

Theodore Beza Theodore Beza (; or ''de Besze''; 24 June 1519 – 13 October 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a disciple of John Calvin and lived most ...

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 seco ...

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 on 17 March 1578 in a street brawl in

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

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 ...

. 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. At the time, several lords had come to Stirling over a power struggle involving

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scot ...

and the keepers of the young James VI.

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 esta ...

. Their children included: * Patrick Lyon, 9th Lord Glamis * 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 a Scottish aristocrat. Family background He was the son of David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus, David, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates i ...

, 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 G ...

Notes

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