Mary Beaton
Encyclopedia
Mary Beaton was a Scottish noblewoman and an attendant of Mary, Queen of Scots.
's ladies-in-waiting
. Her aunt, Janet Beaton
was a mistress of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who would in 1567, become the third husband of Queen Mary.
In 1548, at the age of five, Mary Beaton was chosen by Marie de Guise to accompany her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, to France. She, along with three other girls who also accompanied the Queen, became known as the "Four Marys."
. At the time of the courtship, in 1564, Randolph was 45 and Mary was 21. Randolph was Queen Elizabeth
's English Ambassador to the Scottish court, and wanted Mary Beaton to spy on her mistress for him, which she refused to do. Mary Beaton eventually married Alexander Ogilvy of Boyne in April of 1566, having one son, James, born in 1568. Little else is known of her life.
She died in 1598 at the age of 55.
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 GuiseMary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
's ladies-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...
. Her aunt, Janet Beaton
Janet Beaton
Janet Beaton, Lady of Branxholme and Buccleugh was an aristocratic Scottish woman. She was a mistress of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell....
was a mistress of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who would in 1567, become the third husband of Queen Mary.
In 1548, at the age of five, Mary Beaton was chosen by Marie de Guise to accompany her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, to France. She, along with three other girls who also accompanied the Queen, became known as the "Four Marys."
Marriage
Mary, described as having been pretty and plump, with fair hair and dark eyes, attracted the attentions of an older man, Thomas RandolphThomas Randolph (diplomat)
Thomas Randolph was an English ambassador serving Elizabeth I of England. Most of his professional life he spent in Scotland at the courts of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her son James VI. While in Scotland, he was embroiled in marriage projects and several upheavals...
. At the time of the courtship, in 1564, Randolph was 45 and Mary was 21. Randolph was Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
's English Ambassador to the Scottish court, and wanted Mary Beaton to spy on her mistress for him, which she refused to do. Mary Beaton eventually married Alexander Ogilvy of Boyne in April of 1566, having one son, James, born in 1568. Little else is known of her life.
She died in 1598 at the age of 55.
Resources
- The four Marys: the Biography
- St Andrews: Noble order of Royal Scots
- Antonia Fraser, Mary, Queen of Scots, Dell Publishing Co., Inc. New York, March 1971