Jean Gordon; as depicted at Dunrobin Castle
Jean Gordon; as depicted at Dunrobin Castle
Lady Jean Gordon was the sister of George, the fifth Earl of Huntly. Her father was George, the fourth Earl of Huntly, who had died strangely at Corrichie. She was described as 'a good, modest, virtuous woman, and the Bishop of Norwich thought she was 'an excellent, noble lady'. Her second son, no noted feminist, described her as 'a vertuous and comlie lady, judicious, of excellent memorie, and of great understanding above the capacitie of her sex'.[1] She was certainly a canny lady, with a keen ability to preserve herself and her fortune.
She is usually described as a life-long Catholic, although at the time Protestant commentators appeared to think otherwise, for example the Marshall of Berwick says she is a 'proper and vartuous jentylwoman' and a Protestant. This is probably because at the time of her second marriage to the Catholic Earl of Sutherland, she partook in Mass and was charged with harbouring Jesuits. It seems that she was able to believe whatever was expedient.
Her first love was Alexander Ogilvie of Boyne, described as 'a tedious fool'. She was a favourite of Mary, Queen of Scots, who encouraged her to look favourably upon James Hepburn, fourth Earl of Bothwell, when he asked for her hand. She was swayed either by Mary, her brother, or her own ambition, to accept him. Her dowry was used to redeem 'the town and mains of Crichton, with the house, tower and fortress of the same' name. These properties were signed over to her for her lifetime in the wedding contract, along with a sum of money. Her wedding dress was sewn from material given by the Queen by Old Lady Huntly's sewing-maid, Bessie Crawford. The wedding took place on 24th February 1566 under the Protestant rite at Bothwell's insistence.[2]
But the marriage was not a happy one - Jean mourned openly for her lost love, who had now married Mary Beton, one of the Queen's four 'Maries'. Bothwell, meanwhile, had taken Bessie Crawford as a mistress. When Jean heard about this she was incensed, and Bothwell had to sign over Nether Hailes Castle and houses to her for her lifetime to appease her. This seems to have worked, and the couple were noted to be living amicably together by both George Livingston and Cuthbert Ramsay.
At the beginning of February 1567 Jean became seriously ill, and it was rumoured that she had died of poisoning. Luckily for Bothwell's postumous reputation, she recovered and lived for a further sixty two years. This did however mean that he needed to be divorced to marry Mary Queen of Scots. Jean began divorce proceedings on 26th April 1567. .
It was rumoured that Janet Beton would claim that her prior handfasting to Bothwell made Jean's marriage invalid. Jean was infuriated at this, and stopped proceedings, stating that she would 'die with the name of Lady Bothwell'. So Bothwell changed his plans and Jean's divorce suit used the grounds of his adultery with Bessie Crawford. On 3rd May 1567 she got her divorce and was free to marry wherever she wished.
In addition, Bothwell had the marriage annulled, on the grounds on consanguinity, no papal dispensation having been obtained. Now Jean knew as well as he did that this was untrue, she even had a copy of the dispensation, and took it with her when she married again. However, she made no move to stop the illegal annullment. The transfer of Nether Hailes was confirmed by letters patent issued under the Great Seal following Bothwell's marriage to the Queen. To Jean;s credit, she hung onto these estates all her life, avoiding their confiscation when his other possessions were forfeit.
Jean held Crichton for Bothwell until her brother deserted him when he was declared outlaw. She then returned to her mother's home at Strathbogie, declaring that she would never have anything more to do with her ex-husband.
It may well be that she inadvertantly did have a hand in his fate, as it is possible that she was the author of the third or 'Medea' Casket Letter.
In 1573 Jean remarried at Strathbogie. Her groom was Alexander, the twelfth Earl of Sutherland, with whom she had a family of five sons and two daughters. Because the Earl of Sutherland was a sickly sort of person, she managed all his affairs, taking care of his house, family and business. She started coal mines on the banks of the Brora and ran salt-pans on his estate, turning in a profit. It is possible that the Earl of Sutherland was hen-pecked, but on the whole Jean was well thought of.
When both Mary Beton and the Earl of Sutherland (he died in 1594) were dead, Jean finally married Alexander Ogilvie.
She died at Dunrobin on 14 May 1629, aged eighty-four and having outlived all her husbands[2]. Her remains were interred in the Cathedral of Dornoch, the family burial place.
References
[1] Gordon, Sir Robert; A Geneological History of the Earldom of Sutherland, from its Origin to the Year 1630 (Edinburgh, 1813)
[2] Robertson J (ed); ‘The Inventories of Mary Queen of Scots’. (Bannatyne Club, 1863)