Agnes (Douglas) Douglas Lady Livingston (abt. 1495 - abt. 1548)

Born about 1495 in Morton, Dumfriesshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1548 at about age 53 in France [uncertain]

Biography

Agnes Douglas was born a daughter of John Douglas, second Earl of Morton, and his wife Janet Crichton. She was likely born about 1495 and married, Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston, c. 1515, as his second wife.^[1]

She had died c. 1548 when he was in France, with Mary, Queen of Scots, as he remarries about this date.

They had three sons and six daughters:^[1]

1. John Livingston, Master of Livingston, to whom, along with his wife Janet Fleming, daughter of Malcolm Fleming, third Lord Fleming, a charter was granted, 20 May 1546, on the resignation of his father, of half of the barony of Culter in Lanarkshire (these were the lands mentioned above close to the Fleiming lands and thus a consolidation of the estates), and the lands of Bogton, Easter Pettintoskane, and Livilands in Stirlingshire. He was killed at the battle of Pinkie Cleuch, 10 September 1547, leaving no issue. His widow married, secondly (contract 24 May 1560), John Sandilands of Calder, who died before May 1567 with issue; thirdly, before November 1567, David Craufurd of Kerse.
2. William Livingston, who will succeed his father, in 1551, as 6th Lord Livingston.
3. Thomas Livingston, of Haining, a property which he acquired by marriage with Agnes Crawfurd, elder daughter and co-heiress of William Crawfurd of Haining, who bore him seven sons and two daughters. He was the ancestor of the Livingstons of Haining. On 4 January 1551 he received a grant to himself and Agnes Crawfurd, his spouse, of half of the barony of Manuel on the resignation of Mr. Alexander Livingston of Dunipace, with remainder, failing male heirs, to the second male heir of William Livingston, Lord Livingston, not being himself Lord Livingston, and heirs-male of his body, whom failing, to William Livingston, son of Henry Livingston in Falkirk, and his heirs-male, whom failing, to Alexander Livingston, natural son of the deceased Mr. James Livingston, rector of Culter, and heirs-male of his body, whom failing, to the nearest heir of William Livingston, Lord Livingston. Thomas Livingston of Haining seems to have remarried for his second wife, before 1582, Elizabeth, widow of Forrester, who in that year is called Elizabeth Forrester, Lady Haining. Thomas Livingston was alive in 1606.
4. Elizabeth Livingston, married (dispensation 31 January, and marriage 3 February, 1544) to John Buchanan of that Ilk.
5. Janet Livingston, married, before 1 July 1547, to Sir Alexander Bruce of Airth. She died 4 October 1599.
6. Mary Livingston, one of the four Mary's to Mary, Queen of Scots. She married, on Shrove Tuesday 6 March 1565 (contract 3 March) to John Sempill, younger son of Robert, Lord Sempill. As one of the Queen's Maries her marriage was celebrated with great magnificence at the Queen's expense. Three days after the wedding, by a grant dated 9 March 1564-65, in recognition of the long and continual faithful service of Mary's brother (William), Lord Livingston, and herself on the one part, and of John Sempill on the other part, during all the "youth-heid" and minority of the Queen, and to knit them together in lawful marriage with provision of a reasonable living for their estate, the young couple were infeft in the lands of Over Drumdelgie and others, forfeited by George Gordon, sometime Earl of Huntly, and in special security and warrandice in the lands of Auchtermuchty in Fife and Stewarton in Ayrshire, the Little Cumbrae in Bute, and Yethie, Blawarthill, and King's Meadow of Renfrew, together with an annualrent from the lands of Ballincrieff in the sheriffdom of Edinburgh. On the restoration of the Earl of Huntly the Parliament, held on 16 April 1567, approved of the ratification of the grant to Marie Livingston and her husband of the lands held by them in warrandice and of their infeftment in them de novo. When Queen Mary made her will in prospect of her confinement in June 1566, an inventory of her jewels was drawn up by Marie Livingston and Margaret Carwood, and this inventory, subscribed by the Queen and "Marie Leuiston" has been preserved. Opposite each article is written in the Queen's handwriting the name of the person to whom she bequeathed it in the event of her infant dying with herself, and Mary Livingstone, along with her sister Magdalen, and her sister-in-law Lady Livingston, are among the legatees. A payment out of the feu-maillis of the Little Cumbrae, dated 30 July 1583, shows that Mary Livingston survived her husband, who died in April 1579.
7. Magdalen Livingston, also a Maid-of-honour to Queen Mary, was married, 7 January 1562, to Arthur Erskine of Blackgrange, a younger brother of John, Earl of Mar. Magdalen received a handsome present from the Queen on the day after her marriage, and in the Queen's will there was bequeathed to "Leuiston la jeusne" (jeune - younger; which she was called to distinguish her from her sister Mary, Leuiston laisnee, le aîné - senior) a watch ornamented with twelve rubies and two large sapphires with a pearl pendant at the end. Arthur Erskine died, without issue, before 14 January 1570, and in 1577 his widow married Sir James Scrymgeour of Dudhope. This marriage exceedingly displeased Queen Mary, then a prisoner in England, and in a letter to the Archbishop of Glasgow, dated 31 August 1577, she says it is her wish, until she is better informed, that what she had ordered as a gift to Magdalen should not be sent to her.
8. Helen Livingston. She married, contract dated 13 March 1553, James Wetherspune, younger of Brighouse.
9. Marion Livingston. She married, contract 30 October 1558, James Ogilvy of Findlater.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Paul, James Balfour, Sir, 1846-1931 :"The Scots Peerage : Founded On Wood's Ed. Of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage Of Scotland; Containing An Historical And Genealogical Account Of The Nobility Of That Kingdom : Free Download, Borrow, And Streaming : Internet Archive". 2021. Internet Archive.Alexander 5th Lord & Agnes Douglas, Vol V, pps 436-9