Mary Livingston

In March 1565, Mary Livingston married John Sempill of Beltrees, a son of Robert Sempill, 3rd Lord Sempill (c. 1505–1576), who had been born in England.

The leading preacher of the Scottish Reformation, John Knox, disapproved of Queen Mary's court, and included some remarks on the marriage in his History of the Reformation in Scotland. According to Knox, Sempill was called the "Dancer", and Livingston was known as "Lusty" and pregnant before their wedding. Knox disapproved of grants of lands made by Queen Mary to the couple in 1565 including the barony of Auchtermuchty, rather than given to hard-working administrators.[2][3] The 19th-century writer Agnes Strickland researched the marriage, noting that it was delayed rather than "shame-hastened" as Knox suggested, and had been discussed in autumn 1564.[4]

The marriage was celebrated at Court during the Shrove-Tide feast on 5 March, called "Fasterins Eve" in Scotland, and there was a Masque, for which a painter was paid £12 for making props. The diplomat Thomas Randolph called it the "great marriage of this happie Englishman that shall marrie lustie Livingston." Randolph heard of a plan to invite the Earl of Bedford who was Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed to the wedding because Sempill's mother was English. The Earl of Bedford had not previously visited Edinburgh.[5]

Queen Mary may have given her a present of rubies set in gold for her collar and sleeves.[6] The queen certainly gave her cloth and silver thread for embroidering a gown, a doublet, sleeves, and a skirt, and a bed made from scarlet and black velvet, with embroidered taffeta curtains and silk fringes.[7]

In May 1566 when Queen Mary was pregnant she made inventories of her jewels and wrote who should have them if she died in childbed. Mary Livingston helped her and signed one document, as "Marie Leviston".[8]

After Mary, Queen of Scots went to England in 1568, Livingston retained some of her jewels. She sent them with Robert Melville of Murdocairny to her at Bolton Castle.[9] Her husband, John Sempill was charged by Regent Lennox to return some of the queen's jewels and furs of "martrick" and sable in his wife's keeping, but refused and was imprisoned in Blackness Castle. This fur may have been a zibellino, several were recorded in Mary's inventories.[10] In October 1573 Robert Melville was questioned about any jewels still in her keeping.[11]

Livingston outlived her husband, and as a widow in January 1582 brought a legal action against Robert, Lord Sempill, over the possession of some lands.[12] She received her pension, an "annalrent" in 1589.[13]