[MR] Wikipedia: Demise of James Douglas, Earl of Morton

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, especially Fellow Scots:

On this date in 1581, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, met his end on the
Maiden, a Scottish guillotine (which considerably pre-dated the more famous
French machines).

Morton was almost a survivor of the extremely brutal Scottish politics of
the 16th century, as family factions settled old grievances against their
rivals, Protestants and Catholics battled for religious supremacy, and
England constantly meddled in Scottish affairs. Morton, with the Queen's
jealous husband Lord Darnley, was involved in 1566 the brutal murder of
Mary's secretary David Rizzio. Morton soon turned on the unstable Darnley,
and had a hand in his murder weeks later. Morton later turned against Queen
Mary and forced her to sign the abdication document.

>From 1572 to 1578, Morton served as fourth and last regent of King James
VI, and proved to be a capable ruler and administrator. Unfortunately, he
had made many enemies during his rise to power, and stirred up more during
his regency. When James came to his majority, Morton's power began to wane,
though he remained President of the Privy Council. His downfall came when
Morton was arrested for complicity in Darnley's murder. He received no help
from King James (Darney was his father).

The Maiden, said to be the same device upon which Morton met his grim end,
is displayed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

More about Morton is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Douglas,_4th_Earl_of_Morton .

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆