Mariotta Haliburton
Encyclopedia
Mariotta Haliburton, Lady Home, was a 16th-century Scottish noblewoman. She varied the spelling of her forename between Mariotta, Marion, and Mary. She is remembered for her defence and negotiation of the surrender of the Castle of Hume
after the Battle of Pinkie
.
Mariotta was the daughter of Patrick Haliburton of Dirleton Castle
and Christine Wawane. She and her sisters Janet and Margaret were Patrick's heirs when he died in 1515. She married George, Lord Home
before 7 April 1529. Their children included;
Mariotta's eldest sister, Janet, married William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven
. Margaret married George Ker of Faldonside. On 22 June 1535, James V of Scotland
confirmed Mariotta and George's ownership of lands forfeited by Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home
in return for their good service against the English enemy.
on Saturday 10 September 1547. Alexander Home was taken prisoner, and George was injured, and while he lay sick in Edinburgh, the English army arrived at Hume on 20 September. Mariotta herself negotiated the surrender of Hume Castle with the Earl of Somerset
. Her instructions were brought to the castle by Somerset Herald
and her sons Andrew and John agreed to surrender. The 78 Scottish soldiers within were allowed to leave, and Andrew handed the keys to the new English captain, Sir Edward Dudley
.
George and her eldest son, Alexander, were taken to England and the Tower of London. Mariotta continued to write to the Earl of Somerset seeking a better deal for her own family and the border people. She complained that people in Scotland said she had given up Hume Castle for money, and marvelled that they thought she could the keep the sober barmkin of Hume against the whole English army, while the whole Scottish nobility could not keep the field. Mariotta told the Earl that she dared not show her husband his letter and the pledges her people had made to England, and asked him to make new agreements that risked only their possessions, not their loyalty to Scotland.
Eventually Alexander was allowed back to Scotland, and soon on Boxing Day
1548, Hume was taken from the English by a night raid. On 28 December Mariotta sent the news from Edinburgh to Mary of Guise
, who had left Holyroodhouse for New Year at Stirling Castle
. By March 1549, Mariotta was back at Hume with a garrison of French and Spanish troops. Now she wrote to Mary of Guise that the troops were disturbing the villagers because they would not pay for their groceries; Mariotta insisted Guise pay the soldiers so they would not trouble the poor folk of Hume. In another letter she advised Guise to maintain discipline amongst the soldiers at this crucial time for the Auld Alliance
;
Mariotta's original letters to Somerset and Guise are kept in the National Library of Scotland
and the Public Record Office
at Kew
. An English eyewitness, William Patten
, described the bloodless siege after Pinkie and Mariotta's role. Jean de Beaugué
, who later joined the French army at the Siege of Haddington, also gave an account of the siege, which praises Lady Home's resolve and emphasises the role her fears for her eldest son may have played in the negotiation.
Hume Castle
Hume Castle is the heavily modified remnants of a late 12th or early 13th century "Castle of enceinte".The village of Hume is located between Greenlaw and Kelso, two miles north of the village of Stichill, in Berwickshire, Scotland....
after the Battle of Pinkie
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
.
Mariotta was the daughter of Patrick Haliburton of Dirleton Castle
Dirleton Castle
Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh...
and Christine Wawane. She and her sisters Janet and Margaret were Patrick's heirs when he died in 1515. She married George, Lord Home
George Home, 4th Lord Home
George Home, 4th Lord Home was a Scottish nobleman. The son of Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home and his wife Nicola Ker, daughter of George Ker of Samuelston, he succeeded his brother, Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home, when he died on October 8, 1516....
before 7 April 1529. Their children included;
- Alexander Home, 5th Lord HomeAlexander Home, 5th Lord HomeAlexander Home, 5th Lord Home was the son of George Home, 4th Lord Home and Mariotta Haliburton. He became Lord Home on the death of his father who was injured in a skirmish with the English two days before the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh.-Marriages:...
. - Andrew Home, Commendator of Jedburgh and RestennethAbbot of JedburghThe Abbot of Jedburgh was the head of the Augustinian canons of Jedburgh Abbey, Roxburghshire. It was founded by King David I of Scotland in 1138, and David's grandson and successor Máel Coluim IV ensured its promotion to the status of abbey before 1156...
. - John Home of Coldenknowes.
- Margaret Home, who married Alexander Erskine of Gogar, mother of Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of KellieThomas Erskine, 1st Earl of KellieSir Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie KG was a Scottish peer.-Biography:Thomas Erskine was the eldest surviving son of Sir Alexander Erskine of Gogar and Margaret Home....
. - two other daughters.
Mariotta's eldest sister, Janet, married William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven
William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven
William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven was a Scottish nobleman. He served as an Extraordinary Lord of Session and Keeper of the Privy Seal.-Life:...
. Margaret married George Ker of Faldonside. On 22 June 1535, James V of Scotland
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
confirmed Mariotta and George's ownership of lands forfeited by Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home
Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home
Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home His mother was Nicholace Ker, a daughter of George Ker of Samuelston, his father the 2nd Lord Home. Alexander Home was found guilty of treason in 1516 and executed....
in return for their good service against the English enemy.
At war
As the war of the Rough Wooing escalated, Regent Arran sent soldiers and guns to help defend their Castle at Hume. The English defeated the Scottish army at Pinkie near MusselburghMusselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
on Saturday 10 September 1547. Alexander Home was taken prisoner, and George was injured, and while he lay sick in Edinburgh, the English army arrived at Hume on 20 September. Mariotta herself negotiated the surrender of Hume Castle with the Earl of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
. Her instructions were brought to the castle by Somerset Herald
Somerset Herald
Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. In the year 1448 Somerset Herald is known to have served the Duke of Somerset, but by the time of the coronation of King Henry VII in 1485 his successor appears to have been raised to the rank of a royal...
and her sons Andrew and John agreed to surrender. The 78 Scottish soldiers within were allowed to leave, and Andrew handed the keys to the new English captain, Sir Edward Dudley
Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley
Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley was an English nobleman and soldier. Contemporary sources also refer to him as Sir Edward Dudley.-Life:...
.
George and her eldest son, Alexander, were taken to England and the Tower of London. Mariotta continued to write to the Earl of Somerset seeking a better deal for her own family and the border people. She complained that people in Scotland said she had given up Hume Castle for money, and marvelled that they thought she could the keep the sober barmkin of Hume against the whole English army, while the whole Scottish nobility could not keep the field. Mariotta told the Earl that she dared not show her husband his letter and the pledges her people had made to England, and asked him to make new agreements that risked only their possessions, not their loyalty to Scotland.
Eventually Alexander was allowed back to Scotland, and soon on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
1548, Hume was taken from the English by a night raid. On 28 December Mariotta sent the news from Edinburgh to Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
, who had left Holyroodhouse for New Year at Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
. By March 1549, Mariotta was back at Hume with a garrison of French and Spanish troops. Now she wrote to Mary of Guise that the troops were disturbing the villagers because they would not pay for their groceries; Mariotta insisted Guise pay the soldiers so they would not trouble the poor folk of Hume. In another letter she advised Guise to maintain discipline amongst the soldiers at this crucial time for the Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that...
;
"Your grace maun be very scherp batht on the Franch men and on the Scottis men, or it will nocht be weill; yet ader (either) to do as aferis to tham or lat it be, they mecht never getin sa gud ane tym. Pardon me that writtis sa hamly to your grace for in gud feth it cumis of gud hart as [any] that loifis bath the honour of Scotland and Frans."
Mariotta's original letters to Somerset and Guise are kept in the National Library of Scotland
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...
and the Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
at Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
. An English eyewitness, William Patten
William Patten (historian)
William Patten was an author, scholar and government official during the reigns of King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I.-Early career:...
, described the bloodless siege after Pinkie and Mariotta's role. Jean de Beaugué
Jean de Beaugué
Jean de Beaugué, was a French soldier who served in Scotland in the 1540s during the war of the Rough Wooing. He wrote a memoir of the fighting which, first published in 1556, is still an important source for historians...
, who later joined the French army at the Siege of Haddington, also gave an account of the siege, which praises Lady Home's resolve and emphasises the role her fears for her eldest son may have played in the negotiation.
Further reading
- Bain, Joseph, ed., Calendar of State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (1898)
- Beaugué, Jean de, History of the Campaigns of 1548 and 1549, (1707) 77-82. Beaugué's account differs from William Patten's, envisaging a scene at Hume.
- Beaugué, Jean de, Histoire de la guerre d'Écosse pendant les campagnes 1548 et 1549, Maitland Club, Edinburgh (1830)
- Cameron, Annie I., ed., The Scottish Correspondence of Mary of Lorraine, Scottish History Society (1927)
- Historical Manuscripts Commission, 12th report part 8; Duke of Athole & Earl of Home, London (1891)
- Meikle, Maureen M., A British Frontier? Lairds and Gentlemen in the Eastern Borders, Tuckwell (2004), 65-66.
- Patten, William, The Expedition into Scotland 1547, London (1548); various reprints, digitised by EEBO.
- Patten, William, edited text of The Expedition in Scotland, 1547, London (1548), in Tudor Tracts, (1903), pp.53-157