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| people from northumberland | |
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Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox ( October 8 , 1515 – March 7 , 1578 ) was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl Of Angus , and Margaret Tudor , Queen Dowager of Scotland . Margaret was born at Harbottle Castle in Northumberland . Because of her nearness to the English crown, Lady Margaret Douglas was brought up chiefly at the English court in close association with the future queen Mary I Of England , who remained her fast friend throughout life. She was high in the favour of her uncle, King Henry VIII Of England , but was twice disgraced; first for an attachment to Lord Thomas Howard , who was imprisoned because of his misalliance with Margaret, and died in the Tower Of London in 1537, and again in 1541 for a similar affair with Thomas Howard's half brother Sir Charles Howard, uncle of Queen Catherine Howard . In 1544 she married a Scottish exile, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl Of Lennox (1516-1571), who was regent of Scotland in 1570-1571. During Mary's reign, the countess of Lennox had rooms in Westminster Palace; but on the accession of Elizabeth I , she moved to Yorkshire , where her home at Temple Newsam became a centre for Roman Catholic intrigue. She succeeded in marrying off her son, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley , to Mary I Of Scotland . In 1566 she was sent to the Tower, but after the murder of Darnley in 1567 she was released. She denounced Mary, but was eventually reconciled with her daughter-in-law. In 1574 she again aroused Elizabeth's anger by the marriage of her other son, Charles Stuart, 1st Earl Of Lennox , with Elizabeth Cavendish , stepdaughter of the Earl Of Shrewsbury . She was sent to the Tower, unlike Lady Shrewsbury , but was pardoned after her son's death in 1576. Margaret's diplomacy largely contributed to the future succession of her grandson, James VI Of Scotland , to the English throne. After the death of her son, Charles, she helped care for his daughter, Arbella Stuart . However, she did not outlive him by very long. A few days before her death, she had dined with Robert Dudley, Earl Of Leicester , and this led to rumours that she had been poisoned. There is no historical evidence for this. Although she died in debt, she was given a grand funeral in Westminster Abbey , at the expense of Queen Elizabeth I. The Lennox Jewel , made for Lady Lennox as a memento of her husband, was bought by Queen Victoria in 1842. She is also plays a significant role in the historical fiction series the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett . REFERENCES |
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