(1566 portrait)
Countess of Bothwell On 24 February 1566, Jean, who was a
Catholic, married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, in a
Protestant-rites ceremony apparently celebrated with considerable pomp. Queen Mary, who strongly approved of the match, supplied cloth of silver and white taffeta for Jean's wedding gown, although she had wanted the marriage to have taken place in the Chapel Royal during a
mass. Bothwell, however refused to attend mass on Candlemas day. Her uncle,
Alexander Gordon,
Bishop of Galloway, preached at the ceremony at the court at
Holyroodhouse. The couple held a banquet at
Kinloch's house in the
Canongate. According to
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie there followed five days of jousting and tournaments. Jean was pale-skinned, and had a firm nose, bulbous eyes, and a long clever face which lacked beauty and softness. According to author Antonia Fraser, she had a "cool, detached character warmed by a masculine intelligence, and a great understanding above the capacity of her sex." She was provided with a large dowry by her brother George, and she had an excellent appreciation of the value of her properties. Later she managed to retain her lands, despite the Earl of Bothwell's
attainder. That same year, after much persuasion from her brother, who was Bothwell's ally, Jean agreed to begin divorce proceedings against her husband. The process was made by a team of lawyers including
Edward Henryson and Clement Littill. On 3 May 1567, she was given judgement against Bothwell in the Protestant commissary court on the grounds of his alleged adultery with her maid and seamstress, Bessie Crawford. Bessie was described by Jean's witness as a bonny little woman, 20 years old, black-haired and pale, often wearing a black gown. She had been a servant of Jean's mother and her father was a blacksmith. The adultery occurred at
Haddington Abbey and
Crichton Castle. The marriage was formally annulled on 7 May by the Consistorial Court of St. Andrews presided over by the Catholic Archbishop Hamilton. The annulment was due to Bothwell and Jean not having received a
dispensation for their marriage, although they were within the fourth degree of
consanguinity. Actually a dispensation had been given prior to their marriage by Archbishop Hamilton himself. Eight days later, on 15 May,
Bothwell married Mary, Queen of Scots, whose late husband
Lord Darnley had been
murdered at the Kirk o'Field in mysterious circumstances which implicated Bothwell as having been the chief culprit behind the crime. Jean remained at Bothwell's
Crichton Castle, its mortgage having been redeemed by her own dowry. Following Bothwell and Queen Mary's defeat at
Carberry Hill, Jean abandoned Crichton, and returned to her mother at
Strathbogie Castle. In December, Bothwell's titles and estates, including Crichton Castle, were forfeited by an
act of parliament for treason.
Countess of Sutherland Jean married secondly at
Huntly Castle, on 13 December 1573,
Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland, thus becoming the Countess of Sutherland. Alexander had been married at age fifteen to Barbara Sinclair, daughter of his guardian,
George Sinclair, 4th
Earl of Caithness, after his parents were poisoned at
Helmsdale Castle. Alexander escaped from the Sinclairs to Huntly Castle and began proceedings to divorce Barbara Sinclair. She died in 1573, and they had no children. Jean and Alexander together had seven (or possibly eight) children: • Jane Gordon (born 1 November 1574), in December 1589 married
Huistean Du Mackay, 13th chief of Clan MacKay (1562–1614). •
John Gordon, 13th Earl of Sutherland (20 July 1575 – 11 September 1615), on 5 February 1600 married Agnes Elphinstone, by whom he had five children, including
John Gordon, 14th Earl of Sutherland. • Alexander Gordon, elder, died in infancy. • Adam Gordon, died in infancy. •
Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun (14 May 1580 – March 1654), on 16 February 1613 married Louisa Gordon, by whom he had issue. • Mary Gordon (14 August 1582 – 1605), on 21 February 1598 married David Ross of Balnowgowan • Sir Alexander Gordon of Navisdale (born 5 March 1585) • Possibly another daughter whose name is unknown. She was the first wife of an Alexander Gordon of Aikenhead, believed to be of the
Lesmoir family, who later became known as Alexander Gordon of Salterhill. Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun mentioned above had first purchased Salterhill from the Innes family in 1636. As it is assumed Alexander Gordon of Salterhill acquired that estate through his first wife, she would appear to have been a sister or otherwise near relative of Sir Robert Gordon. This couple is named as the progenitor of many Irish Gordon families such as Ballinteggart and Sheepbridge, as well as their American descendants. Within two years of Jean's second marriage, due to the Earl's increasing ill health, Jean ran the vast Sutherland estates from their base at
Dunrobin Castle. The Earl died on 6 December 1594. From 1598, Jean developed coal mines and
salt pans at
Brora. In 1630 the garden at Dunrobin was described as "planted with all kynd of fruits, hearbs and flowres used in this kingdome, and good store of sfaron, tobacco and rosemarie".
Third marriage Five years later, on 10 December 1599, Jean married her third and last husband, Alexander Ogilvy of Boyne, the widower of
Mary Beaton, one of Queen Mary's celebrated quartet of ladies-in-waiting who had died in 1598. He was the only man Jean had ever truly loved, == In art, fiction, and film ==