Jean Gordon, Countess of Bothwell
Encyclopedia
Jean Gordon, Countess of Bothwell (1546 – 14 May 1629) was a wealthy Scottish noblewoman and the first wife of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell who became, after his divorce from Lady Jean, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Lady Jean herself had a total of three husbands. Upon her second marriage, she became the Countess of Sutherland
.
, sometimes called Strathbogie, in Aberdeenshire
, the second eldest daughter of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
, the wealthiest and most powerful landowner in the Scottish Highlands
, and Elizabeth Keith
. Her paternal grandparents were John Gordon, Lord Gordon and Margaret Stewart, illegitimate daughter of King James IV
by his mistress Margaret Drummond
, and her maternal grandparents were Robert Keith, Master of Marischal
and Lady Elizabeth Douglas
.
Jean had nine brothers and two sisters, and the family were brought up at Huntly Castle which was modernised during the 1550s. Her father's Highlands estates were so numerous that they approached those of an independent monarch. He became Lord Chancellor of Scotland
in 1546, the year of her birth. However, the Earl was captured at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
in September 1547, and spent some time in England. The earl then followed a complicated political career balancing his and Scotland's international and religious interests. In the Autumn of 1562, Mary, Queen of Scots came to the north to punish the family on the basis of allegations against Jean's brother, Sir John Gordon. At Darnaway Castle
, Mary gave Huntly's title of Earl of Moray
to her own illegitimate half-brother Lord James
, who was the husband of Jean's first cousin, Lady Agnes Keith
. Jean's father slipped away from Huntly Castle, evading the queen's soldier William Kirkcaldy of Grange
, but was defeated by Lord James at the Battle of Corrichie in 1562. At the end of the fight the Earl collapsed and died of apoplexy
on the battlefield. Jean's father was posthumously tried for treason in Edinburgh, where his embalmed body was brought to face parliament
, and his title and lands were thereby forfeited to the crown.
Jean's eldest surviving brother, Lord Gordon
, was spared execution and eventually allowed to succeed the rebel Earl, however, Jean's brother, Sir John Gordon, was executed. As a token of the queen's clemency towards the Huntlys, Jean, her mother, and Lord Gordon were given positions at the royal court. In 1565, Jean's brother, George, was allowed to succeed to his father's titles as the 5th Earl of Huntly, and his lands were restored in 1567.
, married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell in a Protestant-rites ceremony apparently celebrated with considerable pomp. Queen Mary, who strongly approved of the match, supplied the eleven ells of cloth of silver for Jean's wedding gown, although she had wanted the marriage to have taken place in the Chapel Royal during a mass
. Bothwell, however refused to attend mass on Candlemas day. Her uncle, Alexander Gordon, Bishop of Galloway
, preached at the ceremony at the court at Holyroodhouse.
Jean was pale-skinned, and had a firm nose, bulbous eyes, and a long clever face which lacked beauty and softness. According to author Antonia Fraser, she had a "cool, detached character warmed by a masculine intelligence, and a great understanding above the capacity of her sex". She was provided with a large dowry by her brother George, and she had an excellent appreciation of the value of her properties. Later she managed to retain her lands, despite the Earl of Bothwell's attainder
.
At the end of February 1567, Jean became gravely ill and was in peril of dying. In point of fact, one ambassador announced her death.
That same year, after much persuasion from her brother, who was Bothwell's ally, Jean agreed to begin divorce proceedings against her husband. On 3 May 1567, she was given judgement against Bothwell in the Protestant commissary court on the grounds of his alleged adultery with her maid and seamstress, Bessie Crawford. Bessie was described by Jean's witness as a bonny little woman, 20 years old, black-haired and pale, often wearing a black gown. She had been a servant of Jean's mother and her father was a blacksmith. The adultery occurred at Haddington Abbey and Crichton Castle
. The marriage was formally annulled on 7 May by the Consistorial Court of St. Andrews presided over by the Catholic Archbishop Hamilton. The annulment was due to Bothwell and Jean not having received a dispensation
for their marriage, although they were within the fourth degree of consanguinity
. Actually a dispensation had been given prior to their marriage by Archbishop Hamilton himself. Eight days later, on 15 May Bothwell married, as her third husband, the widowed Mary, Queen of Scots, whose late husband Lord Darnley had been murdered at Kirk o'Field, Edinburgh
in mysterious circumstances which implicated Bothwell as having been the chief culprit behind the crime. Jean remained at Bothwell's Crichton Castle
, its mortgage having been redeemed by her own dowry. Following Bothwell and Queen Mary's's defeat at Carberry Hill, Jean abandoned Crichton, and returned to her mother at Strathbogie
Castle. In December, Bothwell's titles and estates, including Crichton Castle were forfeited by an Act of Parliament
for treason.
Jean married secondly at Huntly Castle
, on 13 December 1573, Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland
, thus becoming the Countess of Sutherland. Alexander was previously married to Barbara Sinclair, daughter of his guardian, George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness
; but this relationship had been sour, and ended in divorce when the young Earl of Sutherland came of age, apparently without children.
name="Moray">Shaw, Lachlan. The history of the province of Moray. Oxford, UK: J. Grant, 1827. As it is assumed Alexander Gordon of Salterhill acquired that estate through his first wife, she would appear to have been a sister or otherwise near relative of Sir Robert Gordon. This couple is named as the progenitor of many Irish Gordon families such as Ballinteggart and Sheepbridge, as well as their American descendants.
Within two years of Jean's second marriage, due to the earl's increasing ill health, Jean ran the vast Sutherland estates from their base at Dunrobin Castle
. The earl died on 6 December 1594. Five years later, on 10 December 1599, Jean married her third and last husband, Alexander Ogilvy of Boyne, the widower of Mary Beaton
, one of Queen Mary's celebrated quartet of ladies-in-waiting who had died in 1598. He was the only man Jean had ever, truly loved, as her two previous marriages had been made for political reasons.
Lady Jean Gordon died on 14 May 1629 at Dunrobin Castle
at the age of eighty-three. She was buried in Dornoch
. Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun wrote her into the history of the House of Gordon;
.
Jean appears as a character in Elizabeth Byrd's historical romance, Immortal Queen which is a fictionalised story of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Irish actress Maria Aitken
played the part of Jean Gordon, Countess of Bothwell in Mary, Queen of Scots
, the 1971 film which starred Vanessa Redgrave
in the title role.
Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia. The Earl of Sutherland is also the Chief of Clan Sutherland...
.
Family
Lady Jean Gordon was born at Huntly CastleHuntly Castle
Huntly Castle is a ruined castle in Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly.-History:...
, sometimes called Strathbogie, in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, the second eldest daughter of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:He was the son of John Gordon, Lord Gordon, and Margaret Stewart, daughter of James IV. George Gordon inherited his earldom and estates in 1524 at age 10...
, the wealthiest and most powerful landowner in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, and Elizabeth Keith
Elizabeth Keith, Countess of Huntly
Elizabeth Keith, Countess of Huntly, was a Scottish noblewoman and the wife of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, Scotland's leading Catholic magnate during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1562, Elizabeth encouraged her husband to raise forces against Queen Mary which led to his being...
. Her paternal grandparents were John Gordon, Lord Gordon and Margaret Stewart, illegitimate daughter of King James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
by his mistress Margaret Drummond
Margaret Drummond
Margaret Drummond may refer to:* Margaret Drummond , queen of King David II of Scotland* Margaret Drummond , mistress of James IV of Scotland...
, and her maternal grandparents were Robert Keith, Master of Marischal
Earl Marischal
The title of Earl Marischal was created in the peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland.The office of "Marischal of Scotland" had been held heritably by the senior member of the Keith family since Hervey de Keith, who held the office of Marischal under Malcolm IV and...
and Lady Elizabeth 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...
.
Jean had nine brothers and two sisters, and the family were brought up at Huntly Castle which was modernised during the 1550s. Her father's Highlands estates were so numerous that they approached those of an independent monarch. He became Lord Chancellor of Scotland
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland was a Great Officer of State in pre-Union Scotland.Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal...
in 1546, the year of her birth. However, the Earl was captured at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
in September 1547, and spent some time in England. The earl then followed a complicated political career balancing his and Scotland's international and religious interests. In the Autumn of 1562, Mary, Queen of Scots came to the north to punish the family on the basis of allegations against Jean's brother, Sir John Gordon. At Darnaway Castle
Darnaway Castle
Darnaway 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 the seat of the Earls of Moray ever since. Rebuilt in 1810, it retains the old...
, Mary gave Huntly's title of Earl of Moray
Earl of Moray
The title Earl of Moray has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland.Prior to the formal establishment of the peerage, Earl of Moray, numerous individuals ruled the kingdom of Moray or Mormaer of Moray until 1130 when the kingdom was destroyed by David I of Scotland.-History of the...
to her own illegitimate half-brother Lord James
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, was Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570...
, who was the husband of Jean's first cousin, Lady Agnes Keith
Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray
Agnes 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...
. Jean's father slipped away from Huntly Castle, evading the queen's soldier William Kirkcaldy of Grange
William Kirkcaldy of Grange
Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange , Scottish politician and general, was the eldest son of Sir James Kirkcaldy of Grange , a member of an old Fife family...
, but was defeated by Lord James at the Battle of Corrichie in 1562. At the end of the fight the Earl collapsed and died of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
on the battlefield. Jean's father was posthumously tried for treason in Edinburgh, where his embalmed body was brought to face parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
, and his title and lands were thereby forfeited to the crown.
Jean's eldest surviving brother, Lord Gordon
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly , was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time.-Biography:...
, was spared execution and eventually allowed to succeed the rebel Earl, however, Jean's brother, Sir John Gordon, was executed. As a token of the queen's clemency towards the Huntlys, Jean, her mother, and Lord Gordon were given positions at the royal court. In 1565, Jean's brother, George, was allowed to succeed to his father's titles as the 5th Earl of Huntly, and his lands were restored in 1567.
Countess of Bothwell
On 24 February 1566, Jean, who was a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell in a Protestant-rites ceremony apparently celebrated with considerable pomp. Queen Mary, who strongly approved of the match, supplied the eleven ells of cloth of silver for Jean's wedding gown, although she had wanted the marriage to have taken place in the Chapel Royal during a mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
. Bothwell, however refused to attend mass on Candlemas day. Her uncle, Alexander Gordon, Bishop of Galloway
Bishop of Galloway
The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...
, preached at the ceremony at the court at Holyroodhouse.
Jean was pale-skinned, and had a firm nose, bulbous eyes, and a long clever face which lacked beauty and softness. According to author Antonia Fraser, she had a "cool, detached character warmed by a masculine intelligence, and a great understanding above the capacity of her sex". She was provided with a large dowry by her brother George, and she had an excellent appreciation of the value of her properties. Later she managed to retain her lands, despite the Earl of Bothwell's attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
.
At the end of February 1567, Jean became gravely ill and was in peril of dying. In point of fact, one ambassador announced her death.
That same year, after much persuasion from her brother, who was Bothwell's ally, Jean agreed to begin divorce proceedings against her husband. On 3 May 1567, she was given judgement against Bothwell in the Protestant commissary court on the grounds of his alleged adultery with her maid and seamstress, Bessie Crawford. Bessie was described by Jean's witness as a bonny little woman, 20 years old, black-haired and pale, often wearing a black gown. She had been a servant of Jean's mother and her father was a blacksmith. The adultery occurred at Haddington Abbey and Crichton Castle
Crichton Castle
Crichton Castle is a ruined castle situated at the head of the River Tyne, near the village of Crichton, Midlothian, Scotland. The castle lies two miles south of the village of Pathhead, and the same distance east of Gorebridge, at . A mile to the south-west is Borthwick Castle.-History:In the late...
. The marriage was formally annulled on 7 May by the Consistorial Court of St. Andrews presided over by the Catholic Archbishop Hamilton. The annulment was due to Bothwell and Jean not having received a dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
for their marriage, although they were within the fourth degree of consanguinity
Consanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
. Actually a dispensation had been given prior to their marriage by Archbishop Hamilton himself. Eight days later, on 15 May Bothwell married, as her third husband, the widowed Mary, Queen of Scots, whose late husband Lord Darnley had been murdered at Kirk o'Field, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in mysterious circumstances which implicated Bothwell as having been the chief culprit behind the crime. Jean remained at Bothwell's Crichton Castle
Crichton Castle
Crichton Castle is a ruined castle situated at the head of the River Tyne, near the village of Crichton, Midlothian, Scotland. The castle lies two miles south of the village of Pathhead, and the same distance east of Gorebridge, at . A mile to the south-west is Borthwick Castle.-History:In the late...
, its mortgage having been redeemed by her own dowry. Following Bothwell and Queen Mary's's defeat at Carberry Hill, Jean abandoned Crichton, and returned to her mother at Strathbogie
Strathbogie
Strathbogie may refer to:* Strathbogie, the old name of Huntly in Scotland, and the strath to the south of it.* Strathbogie, Victoria, Australia* Shire of Strathbogie, Victoria, Australia* Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria, Australia...
Castle. In December, Bothwell's titles and estates, including Crichton Castle were forfeited by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
for treason.
Jean married secondly at Huntly Castle
Huntly Castle
Huntly Castle is a ruined castle in Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly.-History:...
, on 13 December 1573, Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia. The Earl of Sutherland is also the Chief of Clan Sutherland...
, thus becoming the Countess of Sutherland. Alexander was previously married to Barbara Sinclair, daughter of his guardian, George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have taken place in favor of Maol Íosa V, Earl of...
; but this relationship had been sour, and ended in divorce when the young Earl of Sutherland came of age, apparently without children.
- Jane Gordon (born 1 November 1574), in December 1589 married Hugh Mackay of Farr, son of Lord Reay.
- John Gordon, 13th Earl of SutherlandEarl of SutherlandEarl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia. The Earl of Sutherland is also the Chief of Clan Sutherland...
(20 July 1575- 11 September 1615), on 5 February 1600 married Agnes Elphinstone, by whom he had five children, including John Gordon, 14th Earl of SutherlandJohn Gordon, 14th Earl of SutherlandJohn Gordon was the 14th Earl of Sutherland. He was married to Lady Jean Drummond. He was appointed by the Parliament of Scotland to the post of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1649 and he held the post until 1660. He is the only Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland to be appointed by the...
. - Alexander Gordon, elder, died in infancy.
- Adam Gordon, died in infancy.
- Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun, 1st BaronetBaronetA baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
(14 May 1580- March 1654), on 16 February 1613 married Louisa Gordon, by whom he had issue. - Mary Gordon (14 August 1582), on 21 February 1598 married David Ross of Balnowgowan, she died in 1605
- Sir Alexander Gordon of Navisdale (born 5 March 1585)
- Possibly another daughter whose name is unknown. She was the first wife of an Alexander Gordon of Aikenhead, believed to be of the Lesmoir family, who later became known as Alexander Gordon of Salterhill. Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun mentioned above had first purchased Salterhill from the Innes family in 1636.
name="Moray">Shaw, Lachlan. The history of the province of Moray. Oxford, UK: J. Grant, 1827. As it is assumed Alexander Gordon of Salterhill acquired that estate through his first wife, she would appear to have been a sister or otherwise near relative of Sir Robert Gordon. This couple is named as the progenitor of many Irish Gordon families such as Ballinteggart and Sheepbridge, as well as their American descendants.
Within two years of Jean's second marriage, due to the earl's increasing ill health, Jean ran the vast Sutherland estates from their base at Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is the seat of the Countess of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie, and approximately south of Brora, on the Dornoch Firth close to the A9 road. Nearby Dunrobin Castle railway...
. The earl died on 6 December 1594. Five years later, on 10 December 1599, Jean married her third and last husband, Alexander Ogilvy of Boyne, the widower of Mary Beaton
Mary Beaton
Mary Beaton was a Scottish noblewoman and an attendant of Mary, Queen of Scots.- Family :Mary was born in 1543, the third of five children of Robert Beaton, 4th Laird of Criech and Joanna Renwall. Mary's mother was one of Marie de Guise's ladies-in-waiting...
, one of Queen Mary's celebrated quartet of ladies-in-waiting who had died in 1598. He was the only man Jean had ever, truly loved, as her two previous marriages had been made for political reasons.
Lady Jean Gordon died on 14 May 1629 at Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is the seat of the Countess of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie, and approximately south of Brora, on the Dornoch Firth close to the A9 road. Nearby Dunrobin Castle railway...
at the age of eighty-three. She was buried in Dornoch
Dornoch
Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
. Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun wrote her into the history of the House of Gordon;
"a vertuous and comelie lady, judicious, of excellent memorie, and great understanding above the capacitie of her sex; in this much to be commended that ... schoe alwise managed her effaris with so great prudence and foresight that the enemeis of the familie could never prevail against her, ... Further shoe hath by her great care and diligence brought to a prosperous end many hard and difficult business, of great consequence appertyning to the house of Sutherland ... Shoe wes dureing her dayes a great ornament to that familie, ..."
In art, fiction, and film
In 1566, the Earl of Bothwell commissioned an artist, whose name is not recorded, to paint miniature portraits of Jean and himself. These were done in oil on copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
.
Jean appears as a character in Elizabeth Byrd's historical romance, Immortal Queen which is a fictionalised story of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Irish actress Maria Aitken
Maria Aitken
Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken is an English actress, writer, producer and director.Aitken was born in Dublin, the daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and socialite Penelope Aitken, whose father was John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby. She is a great-niece of newspaper magnate and...
played the part of Jean Gordon, Countess of Bothwell in Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (film)
Mary, Queen of Scots is a 1971 Universal Pictures biographical film based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Leading an all-star cast are Vanessa Redgrave as the titular character and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth I. In the same year, Jackson played the part of Elizabeth in the TV drama Elizabeth...
, the 1971 film which starred Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
in the title role.
Sources
- Antonia Fraser, Mary, Queen of Scots, Dell Publishing Co. Inc., New York, March 1971, originally published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, (1969)
- Margaret H. B. Sanderson, Mary Stewart's People, Life in Mary's Stewart's Scotland, James Thin, Edinburgh (1987), Chapter 3, Jane Gordon; Countess of Sutherland, 34-53.
- www.the Peerage.com/p10836.htm#108352