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21st January 2014 - Mary Fleming

Ann Matheson

Biggar Probus Club held their first meeting of 2014 on Tuesday 21st January.  The speaker was Mrs Ann Matheson who gave a very interesting and informative talk on Mary Fleming who is part of the history of Biggar.

She was a granddaughter of James IV and a childhood companion of Mary, Queen of Scots.  Mary Fleming’s father was Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming who was Lord Chamberlain of Scotland to King James V.  His principal residence was Boghall Castle at Biggar where he founded the collegiate church in 1545.  He married Janet Stewart who was an illegitimate daughter of King James IV of Scotland and Mary, who was their youngest child, was born in 1542.

Mary’s mother, Lady Fleming, became a governess to the infant Mary, Queen of Scots and Mary was chosen to one of the four companions to the young queen all of whom were called Mary.  They were Mary Beaton, Mary Seton, Mary Livingston and Mary Fleming, hence “The Four Marys”.

In 1547, Lord Fleming, Mary’s father, was killed at the Battle of Pinkie.  The following year, five year old Mary Fleming and her mother accompanied Mary, Queen of Scots to the court of King Henry II of France.

Mary, Queen of Scots was born in 1542, the same year as Mary Fleming.  Her father was King James V of Scotland and Mary was 6 days old when her father died and she thus acceded to the throne.  She spent most of her childhood in France while Scotland was ruled by regents and in 1558 she married Francis, Dauphin of France.  He became King of France in 1559 so Mary was both Queen Consort of France and Queen of Scotland until his death in 1560.  Mary returned to Scotland in August 1561.

When she left, Scotland was largely Catholic, but by the time she returned it had become largely Protestant.   Mary Fleming also returned to Scotland and later in life married the queen’s royal secretary, Sir William Maitland of Lethington, who was many years her senior.  She had two children, a boy James, who later lived in France and Belgium and a daughter, Margaret, who married Robert Ker, 1st Earl of Roxburghe.  After her husband died, Mary was essentially penniless.   The vote of thanks to Ann Matheson was given by Ian Dewar.  The next meeting will be on February 4th when the speaker will be Jim Watt talking about ‘What the railways did for us’.  New members are welcome. 


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