[MR] Wikipedia: Earl of Bothwell

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, Especially Fellow Scots,

On this date in 1578, James Hepburn, the Scottish Earl of Bothwell, died a
madman under appalling conditions in a Danish prison.

Always a controversial figure, Bothwell was the 3rd husband of Mary Queen
of Scots. He had been accused of murdering her second husband, Lord
Darnley, though Bothwell was acquitted. Bothwell's marriage to the Queen
divided the country. He was forced to flee to Norway in 1567 during the
ensuing civil war:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hepburn,_4th_Earl_of_Bothwell .

Bothwell had been previously married to Anna Tronds (and apparently still
was), the daughter of a powerful Norwegian family. When Bothwell landed in
Norway, he was arrested at the behest of the Tronds family. Later sent to
Denmark (which ruled Norway at the time), Bothwell spent the rest of his
life chained to a pillar in Dragsholm Castle near Copenhagen.

The Wikipedia article mentions Mary's famous ride from Jedburg to Hermitage
Castle, where Bothwell nearly died from wounds in 1566, but does not
explain the circumstances. Hepburn and a large force of troopers had
imprisoned nearly 300 notorious border reivers in Hermitage Castle, mostly
from the infamous Elliot family. While out on patrol, Bothwell subsequently
came upon "Little Jock" Elliot, a famous felon and all-around bad guy. The
two clashed at arms, and Elliot was nocked from his horse, apparently dead.
As he approached Elliot's body, the wily raider sprang up and wounded
Bothwell severely with a dirk upon which he had been lying. Bothwell's men
took the earl back to Hermitage Castle, only to find the gates barred, and
his castle now held by the former prisoners who had overwhelmed their
guards. After several hours of negotiation, the Elliots and their friends
were freed and the wounded earl allowed back into his own castle. It was a
bad day all around for Bothwell, the Queen's favorite, and worth a couple
of border ballads that still celebrate Little Jock Elliot's cunning and
Bothwell's humiliation.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆