Jean Hepburn
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Jean Hepburn, Lady Darnley, Mistress of Caithness, Lady Morham (died 1599) was a Scottish noblewoman and a member of the Border clan of Hepburn. Her brother was
James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord ...
, the third husband of
Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...
. Jean's first husband was John Stewart, 1st Lord Darnley, an illegitimate half-brother of Queen Mary, which made Jean a double sister-in-law of the queen. Jean married three times. She was also Lady of
Morham Morham, East Lothian, sometimes spelt Moram, Morum, or Morhame in old records, is the smallest (agricultural) parish in Scotland, sandwiched between five other parishes: Haddington, East Lothian, Haddington, Garvald, East Lothian, Garvald, Yester ...
, having received in 1573 the barony of Morham and lands which had belonged to her mother, Lady Agnes Sinclair and was forfeited to the Crown subsequent to her brother, the Earl of Bothwell's attainder for
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
.


Life

Lady Jean Hepburn was born at
Crichton Castle Crichton Castle is a ruined castle near the village of Crichton in Midlothian, Scotland. It is situated at the head of the River Tyne, south of the village of Pathhead, and the same distance east of Gorebridge. Constructed as a tower house in ...
, Midlothian,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, the daughter of
Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell (1512 – September 1556) was the son of Adam Hepburn, Lord Hailes, who died at the Battle of Flodden the year after Patrick's birth. Hepburn was known as the ''Fair Earl''. He owed this more to his look ...
and Lady Agnes Sinclair. Her parents obtained a divorce sometime before 16 October 1543, and Jean's mother was henceforth styled Lady Morham until her death in 1572. Jean's paternal grandparents were
Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell (born c. 1492, died 9 September 1513) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish nobleman, who succeeded his father Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell in 1508. Prior to that, he was known by one of his territorial ...
and Agnes Stewart, and her maternal grandparents were Henry Sinclair, 3rd Lord St. Clair and Margaret Hepburn. Lady Jean was sometimes known as ''Jane'' or ''Janet''. She was sometimes called the "Mistress of Bothwell". In January 1560, the English agent Thomas Randolph wrote that he knew some scandal concerning Jean, 'a mirrie matter, worthe the reporting,' but gave no further detail. Her brother was
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord ...
, who would achieve notoriety as the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He married firstly in February 1566, Lady Jean Gordon, a wealthy
Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...
heiress, who was the sister of
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly (died 19 October 1576), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time. Biography The second son of the 4th Earl, George Gordon was the Sheriff of Inverness from 1556. As Captain of Badenoch, ...
. Bothwell and Jean were divorced on 7 May 1567, and eight days later, he married Queen Mary. On 8 October 1573 at Edinburgh, a
Tack Thermoproteati is a kingdom of archaea. Its synonym, "TACK", is an acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), the first groups discovered. They ...
was made to Jean Hepburn of the lands and barony of
Morham Morham, East Lothian, sometimes spelt Moram, Morum, or Morhame in old records, is the smallest (agricultural) parish in Scotland, sandwiched between five other parishes: Haddington, East Lothian, Haddington, Garvald, East Lothian, Garvald, Yester ...
which had originally belonged to her mother, and had been forfeited to the Crown subsequent to her brother the Earl of Bothwell's
attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...
for treason.


Marriages and children

Jean Hepburn was " handfasted" to Robert Lauder younger of the Bass, on 24 July 1566, but the marriage was not completed. On 4 January 1562, Jean Hepburn married John Stewart, an illegitimate son of King
James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV a ...
by his mistress Elizabeth Carmichael. The wedding was celebrated at
Crichton Castle Crichton Castle is a ruined castle near the village of Crichton in Midlothian, Scotland. It is situated at the head of the River Tyne, south of the village of Pathhead, and the same distance east of Gorebridge. Constructed as a tower house in ...
and the festivities afterwards were hosted by her brother, the Earl of Bothwell. Queen Mary attended the wedding along with her other illegitimate half-brother and chief adviser
James Stewart, Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotl ...
. The English diplomat Thomas Randolph heard there was "much good sport and pastimes". John Stewart was created 1st Lord Darnley that same year. They had three children: *
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell (c. December 1562 – November 1612), was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings aga ...
(December 1562 – 4 November 1613
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, Italy), who married Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter of
David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...
and Margaret Hamilton, by whom he had six children. * Christian Stewart, who was appointed to rock the cradle of
James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
in 1568. * Marjorie Stewart, who married (1) William Sinclair of Underhoull,
Unst Unst (; ) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Shetland Mainland, Mainland and Yell (island), Yell. It has an area o ...
, (2) William Bruce of Symbister John Stewart died in November 1563. Jean Hepburn married secondly John Sinclair, Master of Caithness, by whom she had five children: * George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness (c. 1566 – February 1643), married 29 July 1585 Lady Jean Gordon, daughter of
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly (died 19 October 1576), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time. Biography The second son of the 4th Earl, George Gordon was the Sheriff of Inverness from 1556. As Captain of Badenoch, ...
and Lady Anne Hamilton, by whom he had five children. * Sir James Sinclair, married Elizabeth Stewart, by whom he had four children. * Sir John Sinclair (died after 21 December 1627), married Janet Sutherland, by whom he had one son. * Bessie Sinclair (died after 19 July 1574), married George MccLellan. * Marie Sinclair (died after 20 February 1582), who married Sir John Home of Coldenknowes, their grandson was
James Home, 3rd Earl of Home James Home, 3rd Earl of Home (died 1666) was a Scottish courtier and landowner. He was the son of Sir James Home of Whitriggs and Anne Home, daughter of George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar and Elizabeth Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon of Gight a ...
. In 1567, following the Earl of Bothwell's abduction of Queen Mary to
Dunbar Castle Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the Dunbar Harbour, harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near th ...
where he held her in captivity until she agreed to marry him, Jean Hepburn served as one of the queen's companions along with Janet Beaton, Bothwell's former mistress, and her sister, Margaret Beaton, Lady Reres. The queen was very fond of her former sister-in-law Jean, and gave her presents of a sequined crimson petticoat and a taffeta cloak. Shortly afterwards on 15 May, Queen Mary's disastrous marriage to Bothwell took place, making Jean Hepburn once again the sister-in-law of the queen. Jean and her second husband, the Master of Sinclair, were divorced on 17 July 1575. He died in September 1575 in captivity after being imprisoned by his father following a quarrel. In 1578, Jean married her third husband, Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas, a diplomat and political intriguer. He was involved in the conspiracy to assassinate
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567) was King of Scotland as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, from 29 July 1565 until his murder in 1567. Lord Darnley had one child with Mary, the future James VI of Scotland and I ...
and was present at the
Kirk o'Field The Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Fields (commonly known as Kirk o' Field) was a pre-Reformation collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. Likely founded in the 13th century and secularised at the Reformation, the church's site is now cover ...
on the night of the murder.Fraser, pp. 330, 340, 348–49 In 1581, warned of his impending arrest for complicity in Lord Darnley's murder, he fled from Jean Hepburn's tower-house at Morham to England. On 21 November 1581, he was forfeited by an Act of Parliament. At his trial on 26 May 1586, he was acquitted of the murder. Jean died in 1599 at Caithness. Her will was probated on 27 July 1599.


References

* Antonia Fraser, ''Mary, Queen of Scots'', Dell Publishing Co., Inc., New York, March 1971, originally published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1969 * N. Brysson Morrison, ''Mary, Queen of Scots'', The Vanguard Press, New York, 1960


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hepburn, Jean Year of birth unknown 1599 deaths Nobility from Midlothian 16th-century Scottish nobility 16th-century Scottish women 16th-century Scottish people Daughters of Scottish earls