James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c.
1525 –
June 2, 1581), was the last, and arguably the most successful, of the four
regents of
Scotland during the minority of King
James VI. However he met an unfortunate end: during his time as regent he introduced the
maiden, a primitive
guillotine, to
Scotland, and he was eventually executed by it himself.
He was the second son of Sir
George Douglas of Pittendriech. Before 1543 he married Elizabeth (d. 1574), daughter of
James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton. In
1553 James Douglas succeeded to the title and estates of his father-in-law, and in 1563 he became
Lord Chancellor of Scotland. Though his sympathies were with the reformers, he took no part in the combination of
Protestant reformers in 1565, but he headed the armed force which took possession of
Holyrood palace in, March
1566 to effect the
assassination of
Rizzio, and it was to his house that the leading conspirators adjourned while a messenger was sent to obtain
Queen Mary's signature to the "bond of security."
The queen, before complying with the request, escaped to
Dunbar, and Morton and the other leaders fled to
England. Having been pardoned, Morton returned to Scotland early in 1567, and with 600 men appeared before
Borthwick Castle, where the queen after her marriage with Bothwell had taken refuge. He was present at the remarkable conference at
Carberry Hill, and he also took an active part in obtaining the consent of the queen at
Lochleven to an
abdication. He led the army which defeated the queen's forces at
Langside in 1568, and he was the most valued
privy counsellor of the
Earl of Moray during the latter's brief term of office as
regent. On the death of the
Earl of Mar (
October 28, 1572), Morton, who had been the most powerful noble during this regency, and also during that of the
Earl of Lennox, at last reached the object of his ambition by being elected regent. In many respects Morton was an energetic and capable ruler. He effected at
Perth, in February 1573, with the aid of
Elizabeth of England's envoy, a pacification with
George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly, the Hamiltons and the Catholic nobles who supported Mary. Only
Edinburgh Castle held out, and this, aided by English
artillery, he succeeded in taking after a brave resistance by
Kirkcaldy of Grange and
Maitland of Lethington.
The ensuing execution of these men, the bravest and the ablest Scotsmen of that age, put an end to the last chance of Mary's restoration by native support. But while all seemed to favour Morton, there were under-currents which combined to procure his fall. The
Presbyterian clergy were alienated by his leaning to
Episcopacy, and all parties in the divided Church by his seizure of its estates.
Andrew Melville, who had succeeded to the leadership of
Knox, was more decided than Knox against any departure from the Presbyterian model, and refused to be won by a place in Morton's household. As well as the pressure from the Presbyterians,
Colin Campbell, Earl of Argyll and
John Stewart, Earl of Atholl, both leading
Roman Catholics and members of the the Queen's party in league with
Alexander Erskine, governor of
Stirling Castle and the custodian of young King James, received such widespread support, that Morton had no option but to resign his Regency.
He surrendered Edinburgh Castle,
Holyrood Palace, the
Great Seal and the
Honours of Scotland, retiring to
Lochleven, where he busied himself in laying out gardens. But his ambition could not deny itself another stroke for power. Aided by the young
earl of Mar, he got possession of
Stirling Castle and the person of the king.
Civil war was avoided only by the influence of Sir
Robert Bowes, the English
ambassador. A nominal reconciliation was effected, and a
parliament at Stirling introduced a new government. Morton, who secured an
indemnity, was president of the council, but Atholl remained a privy councillor in an enlarged council with the representatives of both parties. Shortly afterwards Atholl died of
poison, it was said, and suspicion pointed to Morton. His return to power was brief, and the only important event was the
prosecution of the two Hamiltons, who still supported Mary and saved their lives by flight to England. The final fall of Morton came from an opposite quarter.
In September
1579 Esmé Stuart, the king's cousin, came to Scotland from
France, gained the favour of James by his courtly manners, and received the lands and
earldom of Lennox, the custody of
Dumbarton Castle, and the office of
chamberlain. One of his dependants,
Captain James Stuart, son of
Lord Ochiltree and brother-in-law of Knox, had the daring to accuse Morton at a meeting of the council in Holyrood of complicity in the murder of
Darnley, and he was at once committed to custody. Some months later Morton was condemned by an
assize for having taken part in that crime, and the verdict was justified by his confession that Bothwell had revealed to him the design, although he denied participation in its execution. He was condemned to death by
Hanging, drawing and quartering, a fate commuted to decapitation by King James. He was executed on the 2nd of June 1581. The method of his execution was the "maiden" — a
guillotine he had himself brought from
Halifax, England, having been "impressed by its clean work". His corpse remained on the Scaffold for the following day, until it was taken for burial in the
Common grave at
Greyfriars Kirkyard. His head however remained on a spike outside the
Tolbooth of Edinburgh for eighteen months until it was ordered to be reunited with his body in December 1582.
Morton's final resting place is marked with a small sandstone post incised only with the initials "J.E.M." for James Earl of Morton.
The attainted
earldom of Morton passed by charter at his death to a grandson of the 3rd earl,
John Maxwell, 7th Lord Maxwell (1553-1593), who had previously claimed the title. In 1586, however, the attainder was rescinded in favour of
Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus, a nephew of the 4th earl.
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