Catherine Douglas, later Catherine "Kate" Barlass, was a historical figure who tried to prevent the assassination of King James I of Scotland

James I of Scotland

James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...

 on February 20, 1437. She was a lady-in-waiting

Lady-in-waiting

A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...

 to his queen, Joan Beaufort

Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland

Joan Beaufort was the Queen Consort of Scotland from 1424 to 1437 as the spouse of King James I of Scotland. During part of the minority of her son James II , she served as the Regent of Scotland....

.

She was a member of the powerful Clan Douglas

Clan Douglas

Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...

. Her mother was a daughter of David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford

David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford

David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford was a Scottish peer who was created Earl in 1398. Many historians believe that Lindsay was also the organiser for the Battle of the Clans at Perth in 1396. Additionally, Lindsay was a noted jousting champion who fought the English champion Lord Welles in a...

 and his wife Elizabeth Stewart

Elizabeth Stewart, Countess of Crawford

Elizabeth Stewart, Princess of Scotland was a daughter of Robert II of Scotland and Euphemia de Ross. She was born between 1356 and 1370, well after her parents' marriage on 2 May 1355. Her brothers were David Stewart, Earl of Strathearn and Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, and her half-brother was...

 daughter of Robert II

Robert II of Scotland

Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...

, making her a first cousin once removed of the King.

Legend has it that during the King's stay at a Dominican

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

 chapterhouse

Chapter house

A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....

 in Perth

Perth, Scotland

Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...

, a group of men led by Sir Robert Graham came to the door searching for the King in order to kill him. The King's Chamberlain

Chamberlain of Scotland

Holders of the office of Lord Chamberlain of Scotland are known from about 1124.It was ranked by King Malcolm as the third great Officer of State, called Camerarius Domini Regis, and had a salary of £200 per annum alloted to him...

, Robert Stewart, Master of Atholl

Robert Stewart, Master of Atholl

Robert Stewart, Master of Atholl was a Scottish nobleman of royal descent. He was the grandson of Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl, and the great-grandson of Robert II of Scotland. He was executed, along with his grandfather and other Scottish noblemen on 26 March 1437, for his role in the murder...

, aware of the plot against his life, had taken the precaution of removing the bolt from the door of the room in which James and his queen

Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland

Joan Beaufort was the Queen Consort of Scotland from 1424 to 1437 as the spouse of King James I of Scotland. During part of the minority of her son James II , she served as the Regent of Scotland....

 were staying.

James fled into a sewer tunnel as the queen and her ladies quickly replaced the floorboards to hide his location. Catherine sprang to the door and placed her arm through the staples to bar the assassins' entrance. However, they forced the door open anyway, breaking Catherine's arm, and discovered and killed the King. From that point on, according to the story, Catherine took the surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 of "Barlass".

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...

 recounted the story of Catherine Douglas in verse in 1881, under the title "The King's Tragedy". This poem contains the line "Catherine, keep the door!" - possibly the origin of the idiom

Idiom

Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...

atic phrase "Katy, bar the door!" (a warning of the approach of trouble).