Elizabeth Barlay or Barlow (died 1518) was an English lady in waiting to
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...
the wife of
James IV of Scotland.
Background
Details of her English family are obscure. She may have been a daughter of John Barlow and Christian Berlay, or their relative. An 18th-century genealogical manuscript claimed that she was a sister of the bishop
William Barlow and the explorer Roger Barlow. Some members of the Barlow family were involved in the rebellion of
Perkin Warbeck. Despite this, she found a place at court and joined the household of Margaret Tudor in England in March 1503. The Barlow genealogical manuscript says this was due to the patronage of Margaret Neville,
Countess of Oxford.
At court in England and Scotland
In England, as a member of the Queen of Scots' retinue, she was given chamlet silk for a gown. In June 1503 she was given a gown of tawny chamlet edged with black velvet, and a kirtle of black wool worsted lined with linen and wool cloth, and linen for smocks and headdresses. "Mistress Zouche" and the chamberer (bedchamber servant) Frances Baptiste received similar clothing. During the journey north, Elizabeth Zouche married
Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare at
Collyweston
Collyweston is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Northamptonshire, about three miles southwest of Stamford, Lincolnshire, on the road (the A43 road, A43) to Kettering. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 ...
, and her sister Elianora Zouche married John Melton, and neither came to Scotland with Margaret Tudor.
The Scottish royal accounts for 1503, 1505 and 1506 include her fee of 50 English shillings for six months. She injured her arm in August 1505 and was attended by the royal
apothecary
''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...
,
John Mossman. In February 1505 the king gave her velvet for a gown, and satin for a summer gown in July 1506. As a
New Year's Day gift in 1507 she was given a pair of rosary beads of gold with a cross costing £62
Scots.
Lady Elphinstone
She married
Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone in August 1507. A charter from James IV of
Innernochty and other lands mentions that she was resolved to stay in Scotland all the days of her life.
In August 1507 Margaret Tudor gave her a velvet and satin gown, a featherbed, bedclothes, and a "verdure" bedcover, probably as a marriage gift
Alexander Elphinstone played a "
Squire of the Black Lady" at the
royal tournament in Edinburgh in 1507. The role was to escort the "Black Lady", possibly played by
Ellen More or Elizabeth Berlay, in her triumphal chair from
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...
to the tournament ground. Elphinstone and his companion William Ogilvy were dressed in outfits of white damask.
Elphinstone and Elizabeth Berlay were made keepers of
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
in succession to
Andrew Aytoun in January 1508. James IV also made them keepers of
Kildrummy Castle
Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is owne ...
. In 1508 they transferred their rights over lands at the Wester town of
Tillicoultry known as Colinstoun to James Schaw of
Sauchie
Sauchie is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth and south of the Ochil Hills, within the council area of Clackmannanshire. Sauchie has a population of around 6000 and is located northeast of Alloa and ...
and his wife Alison Home. In 1513 Kildrummy was regranted to the couple and united with Innernochty into the
Lordship of Elphinstone.
Her two maidens, her attendants, were given 5
French gold crowns each in January 1512, the same gift was given to an African servant of the queen,
Ellen More.
Lord Elphinstone was killed at the
Battle of Flodden in September 1513, along with many other Scottish noblemen, and was succeeded in the lordship by their son Alexander.
Later life
She later married
John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes.
Elizabeth Berlay died in September 1518.
Marriages and children
The children of Lord Elphinstone and Elizabeth Barlow included:
*
Alexander Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Elphinstone
*
Euphemia Elphinstone, who was a mistress of King
James V of Scotland and mother of
Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney. She married John Bruce of Cultmalindie. Her son
Laurence Bruce was the builder of
Muness Castle on
Unst.
According to the genealogy of the Forbes family by Matthew Lumsden, she was the mother of:
[Matthew Lumsden, ''Genealogy of the Family of Forbes'' (Inverness, 1819), p. 12.]
* Arthur Forbes of
Putachie, called Black Arthur, who was killed at the
battle of Tillieangus in 1571
* Jean Forbes (1516-1542), who married (1)
John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl, (2) Alexander Hay of
Delgatie, (3) William Leslie of Balquhain
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, Elizabeth
16th-century Scottish women
16th-century Scottish people
Year of birth unknown
Court of James IV of Scotland
Household of Margaret Tudor
16th-century English women
Elizabeth
English ladies-in-waiting
Ladies of Parliament
1518 deaths