Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton
Encyclopedia
Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton (born after 1541- died c.1606) was a Scottish noblewoman, being the daughter of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes
as well as a direct descendant of King James II
in her maternal line. She was the wife of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
, who as Laird of Lochleven Castle was the custodian of Mary, Queen of Scots during her captivity from June 1567 until her escape on 2 May 1568. Agnes was Queen Mary's chief female companion throughout her imprisonment; thus it was while Lady Agnes was recovering from childbirth that the queen successfully escaped from Lochleven.
to Denmark (died 28 November 1558), by his marriage to Margaret Crichton, whom he married twice. Agnes had three sisters and two elder brothers, William and Norman Leslie
, Master of Rothes whose rights of inheritance were forfeited as a result of both having been implicated in the murder of Cardinal Beaton in 1546. Her father was also tried and acquitted of the same crime. She had several half-siblings, including Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes
, her father's son by his marriage to Agnes Somerville.
Her paternal grandparents were William Leslie, 3rd Earl of Rothes and Janet Balfour, and her maternal grandparents were William Crichton, 3rd Lord Crichton of Auchingoul and his mistress, Princess Margaret Stewart
, youngest daughter of King James II of Scotland
and Mary of Guelders
.
Agnes's father died in 1558 in Dieppe
, France while on a diplomatic mission.
, a former mistress of King James V of Scotland
. Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the king was James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Regent
of Scotland from 1567 until his assassination in January 1570. Sir William's cousin was another Regent of Scotland James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
. The couple made their home at Lochleven Castle, which was a fortress situated on an island in the middle of the loch
, and where his widowed mother also resided.
Sir William and Agnes together had eleven children:
In June 1567, Queen Mary was imprisoned in Sir William's castle of Lochleven. Agnes became the Queen's chief female companion during her ten and a half months of imprisonment, accompanying her throughout the day and often sleeping in her bedchamber. It was following the birth of Agnes's child when she was recovering from her pregnancy, thus providing Queen Mary with greater liberty, that Mary chose to escape from Lochleven with the aid of Sir William's brother George and a young orphaned cousin named William Douglas who also lived at the castle and may or may not have been the earl's illegitimate son. When Sir William learned of his royal captive's escape, he was so distressed that he attempted to stab himself with his own dagger.
Agnes's seven daughters were said to have been so beautiful that they were known as "the pearls of Lochleven".
In 1586, the earldom of Morton which had been forfeited in 1581 following the execution and attainder of the 4th Earl of Morton for being one of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
's murderers, returned to the Douglas family. In 1588, upon the death of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Morton, Sir William became the 6th Earl of Morton. From that time onward Agnes was styled the Countess of Morton. Sir William received the charter for the earldom on 20 July 1589.
Agnes died sometime around the year 1606, which was the same year her husband died. Among her numerous descendants are included Diana, Princess of Wales
and Camilla Parker-Bowles.
George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes
George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes was a Scottish nobleman and diplomat.George became Earl of Rothes after his father's death at the Battle of Flodden. The title had previously been possesed by his uncle, William Leslie, the 2nd Earl...
as well as a direct descendant of King James II
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
in her maternal line. She was the wife of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton was the son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland. Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the king was James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his...
, who as Laird of Lochleven Castle was the custodian of Mary, Queen of Scots during her captivity from June 1567 until her escape on 2 May 1568. Agnes was Queen Mary's chief female companion throughout her imprisonment; thus it was while Lady Agnes was recovering from childbirth that the queen successfully escaped from Lochleven.
Family
Lady Agnes was born sometime after 1541 in Scotland, the daughter of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes, AmbassadorAmbassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Denmark (died 28 November 1558), by his marriage to Margaret Crichton, whom he married twice. Agnes had three sisters and two elder brothers, William and Norman Leslie
Norman Leslie (soldier)
Norman Leslie , was a 16th-century Scottish nobleman. The leader of the party who assassinated Cardinal Beaton, he was forced to flee Scotland, serving the monarchs of England and France...
, Master of Rothes whose rights of inheritance were forfeited as a result of both having been implicated in the murder of Cardinal Beaton in 1546. Her father was also tried and acquitted of the same crime. She had several half-siblings, including Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes
Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes
Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes, and his third wife Agnes Somerville, daughter of Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan and Elizabeth Carmichael. He succeeded his father as 5th Earl in 1558...
, her father's son by his marriage to Agnes Somerville.
Her paternal grandparents were William Leslie, 3rd Earl of Rothes and Janet Balfour, and her maternal grandparents were William Crichton, 3rd Lord Crichton of Auchingoul and his mistress, Princess Margaret Stewart
Princess Margaret Stewart of Scotland
Margaret Stewart, Princess of Scotland was a Scottish princess of the House of Stewart. She was the younger daughter of King James II and Queen Mary of Guelders, a Dutch princess by birth...
, youngest daughter of King James II of Scotland
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
and Mary of Guelders
Mary of Guelders
Mary of Guelders was the Queen Consort of Scotland as the wife of King James II of Scotland. She served as Regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463.-Background:...
.
Agnes's father died in 1558 in Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
, France while on a diplomatic mission.
Marriage and issue
On 26 November 1554 she married Sir William Douglas, Laird of Lochleven. The contract for their marriage was signed on 19 August 1554. Sir William was the son of Sir Robert Douglas and Margaret ErskineMargaret Erskine
Lady Margaret Erskine was a mistress of King James V of Scotland.She was a daughter of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Margaret Campbell.James V had a number of mistresses in his time, but some accounts describe her as his favourite...
, a former mistress of King James V of Scotland
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
. Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the king was James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Scotland from 1567 until his assassination in January 1570. Sir William's cousin was another Regent of Scotland James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton 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 did manage to win the civil war which had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of...
. The couple made their home at Lochleven Castle, which was a fortress situated on an island in the middle of the loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
, and where his widowed mother also resided.
Sir William and Agnes together had eleven children:
- Christian Douglas of Morton, married firstly Laurence of Oliphant, by whom she had issue; she married secondly Alexander, 1st Earl of Home.
- Robert Douglas, Master of Morton (killed by pirates in March 1585), married Jean Lyon of Glamis, by whom he had two sons, including William Douglas, 7th Earl of MortonWilliam Douglas, 7th Earl of MortonWilliam Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton was a grandson of the 6th Earl of Morton. He was Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, and a zealous Royalist, who, on the outbreak of the Great Rebellion in 1642, provided £100,000 for the cause by selling his Dalkeith estates to the Earl of Buccleuch...
, who in his turn married Lady Anne Keith, by whom he had issue. - James Douglas, Commendator of MelroseMelrose, ScotlandMelrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
, married firstly Mary Kerr, by whom he had issue; secondly Helen Scott, by whom he had issue; and thirdly Jean Anstruther, by whom he had issue. - Sir Archibald Douglas of Kilmour (died 1649), married Barbara Forbes (born 31 January 1560), by whom he had one son.
- Sir George Douglas of Kirkness (died December 1609), married Margaret Forrester.
- Euphemia Douglas of Morton, married Sir Thomas Lyon of Auldbar, Master of GlamisThomas Lyon (of Auldbar)Sir Thomas Lyon, Master of Glammis was a Scottish nobleman and official, Lord High Treasurer of Scotland.-Master of Glamis:...
. - Lady Agnes DouglasAgnes Douglas, Countess of ArgyllAgnes Douglas, Countess of Argyll was a Scottish noblewoman and the first wife of Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll. She was the mother of three of his children, including his heir, Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, the de facto head of the government in Scotland throughout most of...
of Morton (1574- 3 May 1607), on 24 July 1592 married as his first wife Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 7th Earl of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll , also called "Gillesbuig Grumach", was a Scottish politician and military leader.-Biography:...
, the son of Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of ArgyllColin Campbell, 6th Earl of ArgyllColin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was appointed to the Lord Chancellorship of Scotland.-Biography:...
and Agnes KeithAgnes Keith, Countess of MorayAgnes Keith, Countess of Moray was a Scottish noblewoman having been the eldest daughter of William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. She was the wife of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, Regent of Scotland and the illegitimate half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots, making her a sister-in-law of the...
, by whom she had one son and two daughters. - Elizabeth Douglas of Morton, married Francis Hay, 9th Earl of ErrollFrancis Hay, 9th Earl of ErrollFrancis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll , Scottish nobleman, was the son of Andrew, 8th earl, and of Lady Jean Hay, daughter of William, 6th earl...
, by whom she had issue. - Jean Douglas of Morton
- Mary Douglas of Morton, married Sir Walter Ogilvy, 1st Lord Ogilvy of Deskford, by whom she had issue.
- Margaret Douglas of Morton, married Sir John Wemyss of Wemyss.
In June 1567, Queen Mary was imprisoned in Sir William's castle of Lochleven. Agnes became the Queen's chief female companion during her ten and a half months of imprisonment, accompanying her throughout the day and often sleeping in her bedchamber. It was following the birth of Agnes's child when she was recovering from her pregnancy, thus providing Queen Mary with greater liberty, that Mary chose to escape from Lochleven with the aid of Sir William's brother George and a young orphaned cousin named William Douglas who also lived at the castle and may or may not have been the earl's illegitimate son. When Sir William learned of his royal captive's escape, he was so distressed that he attempted to stab himself with his own dagger.
Agnes's seven daughters were said to have been so beautiful that they were known as "the pearls of Lochleven".
In 1586, the earldom of Morton which had been forfeited in 1581 following the execution and attainder of the 4th Earl of Morton for being one of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany , styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland and murdered at Kirk o'Field...
's murderers, returned to the Douglas family. In 1588, upon the death of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Morton, Sir William became the 6th Earl of Morton. From that time onward Agnes was styled the Countess of Morton. Sir William received the charter for the earldom on 20 July 1589.
Agnes died sometime around the year 1606, which was the same year her husband died. Among her numerous descendants are included Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
and Camilla Parker-Bowles.