Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran

## Mary Stewart

Countess Consort of Arran

Lady Elizabeth Boyd

**Mary Stewart** (C. 1154 - 1175) was the eldest daughter of Alexander I of Scotland and Margaret of England alongside her twin-sister Joan Stewart. When Mary was 14, she was betrothed to William Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran and a year later she was married in Edinburgh Palace. When Mary was 17 years old after the birth of her second child, her brother David I of Scotland was suspicious that Mary was plotting to overthrow him and make her husband King of Scotland, which proved to be true, Mary and William plotted to capture and murder Alexander and crown William King. Mary was arrested in Boyd Castle while pregnant with her final child, her death warrent was signed, and Mary was beheaded the year after her husband in 1175 at age 21. She was buried in Holyrood Abbey, but reburried in westminister abbey in 1609.

## Early Life

Mary Stewart was born in 1154 in Edinburgh as the eldest daughter of Alexander I of Scotland and Margaret of England. She was born the twin of Joan Stewart, and during her birth her mother was being held prisoner, Mary was considered a disapointment as she was not a son, but she was beloved by her father and mother. Mary was educated in dance, music, and poetry. Mary was considered very beautiful after her younger sister Isabella Stewart. Mary was raised in Edinburgh Castle as a worthy bride, her parents first thought of a marriage between Mary and the the eldest son of Louis VIII of France, but the marriage did not work as Agnes of Merania was seen as a better match. Isabella had a happy childhood and was close to her younger sisters. When she was 10 years old, she moved from Edinburgh to Moray were she moved to Moray Castle.

## Marriage

When Mary was 14, she was betrothed to William Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran who would prove to be Mary's future downfall, William Boyd was 46 but very handsome but unmarried for all his life. Mary instantly fell in love with him and they were married in Edinburgh Palace. Mary moved to Arran House which her husband lived with his sister Lady Anne Boyd, the Boyd family was originally King's of the former kingdom of Alba which was destroyed in C. 583. Mary adored her husband and gave birth to her first child Lady Margaret Boyd. She gave birth to her son William Boyd when she was 16.

## 1171 Plot

When Margaret was 17, her mother Margaret was murdered by the Earl of Orkney. Sense her father was already dead, her younger brother David I of Scotland acsended the throne of Scotland. Mary Stewart. Mary started the plot to overthrow her brother and make William King of Scotland, Lady Anne Boyd, William, and some other nobles were apart of the plot and everyone apart of the plot made there way to the Isles of Arran to prepare, Mary had a plot to poison David and his wife and poison her little brother Alexander, 1st Earl of Fife and the rest of her brothers to make her husband King of Scotland. Mary then allied herself with Richard the Lionheart who was the King of England and the enemy of David of Scotland. Mary then made another smart move by allying herself with the King of Dublin and the Countess of Gloucester and the Earl of Lancaster. Mary started by kidnapping her brother the Earl of Moray and strangling him to death. But Mary was not done with her plot, but in 1173, David began questioning the high traffic in Arran, and why many nobles and kings were going there, he hired a spy to search Arran Castle while Mary was invited to Scotland for some tea.

## Arrest and imprisonment

The Spy discovered a hidden room blocked with a bookshelf according to the Ambassador from England to Scotland. Behind the bookshelf were papers of the plot and its plans, he also discovered poison on the table. He instantly wrote back to David I of Scotland and showed him the papers, Mary was instantly arrested and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle along with her husband, Lady Anne Boyd, and some other nobles. Mary's husband was put on trail along with Lady Anne Boyd whom were both found guilty, Lady Anne was spared as the King fell in love with her great beauty, but William Boyd was sentenced to death and waited his death in Edinburgh Tower (Which was close to Edinburgh Castle.) Mary was put on trial next.

## Trial

Mary was put on Trial in mid 1174 while pregnant with her final child, she was unsurprisingly found guilty of murder, treason. Mary was not allowed any lawyers nor defense attorneys. Mary was only 19 when she was convicted and she broke down in tears when she heard she would be sentenced to death, she had to be dragged into her cell where she was told her husband had been privately beheaded in the royal court and her son was created Earl in the guardianship of David, she was also swiftly alerted a "Princess Mary" that she would be beheaded in the same spot the next day, she was shown her husband's decapitated head along with many other decapitated heads who were apart on the plot. Mary begged for mercy and tried 16 times each 10 minutes to restore her punishment for life imprisonment in Edinburgh Hall. But the guards refused her request, while crying in bed, a priest entered the room with her daughter and son, the priest then hugged Mary and gave her a necklace of the cross to wear to her execution, Mary hugged her 2 children, and her youngest child at midnight was brought to her by Lady Alexandra Arnott, who was Mary's childhood best friend. Mary did not sleep as she was so distraught about her execution.

## Execution

In the early hours of the morning Mary was already awake, as she had been through-out the night. A servent gave Mary her breakfast and she was prepared swiftly for her execution, she put on the necklace gifted to her by the priest, and the maids dressed Mary in a black gown with a black head-dress, her 5 year old daughter had to be restrained from entering Mary's room, Mary with tears in her eyes was walked from Edinburgh castle to the royal court were her execution was awaiting, the maids took Mary's head-dress and replaced it with a monmouth cap. Then a mask was tied to her head, she was then bent down and prayed. The Swords men then swiftly cut Mary's head off which her head was presented to the King of Scotland, it was then re-attached to her body and swiftly buried in Holyrood abbey, in 1609, during the reign of James I of England, he reburried Mary in westminister abbey along with 61 other people (Including her husband and children.) The current Duke of Hamilton (Who also holds the title of Earl of Arran) is related to Mary Stewart.