240 BOTHWELL Duke, her husband, escaping to the north, and thence by Orkney and Shetland to Norway, where, in the Castle of Draxholm, after 8 years' imprisonment, he d. s.p. legit., 14 Apr. ifyS.Q The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, his widow, 8 Feb. 1586/7, nearly 20 years after their ill-starred marriage, is a matter of History. V. 1 58 1 I. Francis Stewart, Commendator of Kelso, s. and h. to of John S., Prior of Coldinghame (one of the illegit. sons 1 592. of James V, by Jean, da. of Patrick. (Hepburn), Earl of BoTHWELL and Lord Hailes [S.] abovenamed, and only sister of James, the last Earl), sue. his father in 1563, about Nov., having probably been b. in that year. He was, 16 June 1 581, in consideration of his maternal descent, cr. EARL OF BOTHWELL AND LORD HAILES [S.]. Lord Admiral of Scotland 1583-91. In 1586 he was one of the com- missioners to treat with England, and, with the Duke of Lennox [S.] was Joint Gov. of the Realm in 1589. He was accused of witchcraft, and imprisoned 2 June 1591, but making his escape on the 22nd, was on the 25th forfeited. On 27 Dec. following he endeavoured to seize the King at Holyrood, and was attainted by Act of Pari. 12 July 1592, whereby all his honours were ^^ forfeited" Another attempt to seize the King at Falkland, on the 1 7th of that month, was nearly successful, and a year later, on 24 July 1593, he forced himself into the Royal presence and obtained a promise of all his demands, which promise the Nobles in convention, 7 Sep. 1593, at Stirling, absolved the King from keeping. On 3 Apr. 1594, Bothwell again appeared with 500 horse, but effected nothing, and fled to England, and thence to France, Spain, and Italy, where, at Naples, he lived in poverty and infamy for some 1 2 years, casting horoscopes, and doing conjuring tricks for a livelihood.C') He m., before i July 1592, Margaret, widow of Sir Walter Scott, of Buccleuch (who d. 17 Apr. 1574), ist da. of David (Douglas), Earl of Angus [S.], by Margaret, da. of Sir John Hamilton, by whom he had (besides 3 daughters) 3 sons who were excluded by the attainder from inheriting his (*) " An unmannerly, unlettered, unscrupulous scamp, whose coarse profligacy was notorious, and whose coarse badinage was unmeet for the ears of modest women. That he had the strength and daring of a Border thief need not be doubted." {Mary Stuart, by John Skelton, 1893). He appears to have been an exceptionally turbulent, conscienceless, self-seeking ruffian. Two Scottish peers (the Earl of Bothwell and Lord Lovat) and one English one (Lord JefiFreys) are among the Twelve Bad Men whose lives were edited by T. Seccombe, in 1894. V.G. C^) Before engaging in treasonable practices, he appears to have made over his ex- tensive estates in the counties of Berwick, Edinburgh, Haddington, and Dumfries, including the vast Lordship of Liddisdale, the Lordship of Hailes (the ancient posses- sion of the Hepburn family), to his wife's son, Sir Walter Scott (afterwards cr. Lord Scott of Buccleuch [S.]), hoping for assistance from him. Though some of these estates were restored to his son (see note "a" on following page) the Lordship of Lid- disdale remained in the family of Scott.
