FlemingClans.com

"Scotland's Fleming Clan: a Genealogical History" - coming in 2027!

Person Page 332

Family Explorer

Margaret ("the witch") Fleming, Countess of Atholl

b. 1532, d. 1586

Birth

Margaret ("the witch") Fleming, Countess of Atholl, was born in 1532.1
She witnessed the birth of King James Stewart, VI of Scotland and I of England, on 19 June 1566 in Edinburgh Castle.2,3

Parents

FatherSir Malcolm ("the Brave") Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming (b. 14 January 1494, d. 10 September 1547)
MotherJanet ("la Belle Écossaise") Stewart, Lady Fleming (b. 17 July 1502, d. 20 February 1562)

Family life

Thomas Erskine, Master of Erskine, Commendator of Dryburgh, and Margaret ("the witch") Fleming, Countess of Atholl, were married in 1549.3 She and John ("the Fair") Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl, entered into a marriage contract circa 1 April 1557.4

Child with Robert Graham, Master of Montrose (d. 1547)

SonJohn Graham, 3rd Earl of Montrose+ (b. 1548, d. 9 November 1608)

Partner with Thomas Erskine, Master of Erskine, Commendator of Dryburgh (d. 1551)

Children with John ("the Fair") Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl (d. 25 April 1579)

DaughterGrizel Stewart, wife of David Lindsay, 11th Earl Crawford
DaughterMary Stewart, wife of Francis Hay 9th Earl Erroll
SonJohn Stewart, 5th Earl of Atholl (b. 1563, d. September 1595)
DaughterLady Jean Stewart (b. circa 1580)

Working life

Property

Margaret ("the witch") Fleming, Countess of Atholl, possessed had a charter of John Cunningham of Drumquhassle providing her dowry of 100 pounds annually from the lands of Drumquhassle on 1 March 1548 at Stirling in Drumquhassle.910 She possessed had a Bond of Relief of terce of Kelly by the Master of Erskine to James Gordon, at hands of Margaret Fleming, widow of Thomas, Master of Erskine on 19 October 1553.11 She possessed had a confirmatory charter of the queen to the charter of 1 Mar 1548 on 2 January 1555 in Drumquhassle.912,4,413 She possessed had a liferent in these lands (not Barochan in Renfrewshire) in 1569 in Barochan.14 She possessed had a liferent interest in barony of Fos, with the mills, woods, fisheries, parts, pendicles, tenants, tenements, and freeholder services thereof, the lands of Inverquhaddon, the lands of Boespik, the lands of Trimafour, the lands of Auchillis and Dalchandoch, the lands of Dalnafardoch, the lands of Blairfettie, the lands of Kirktoun de Strowen, with the brew thereof, Balleyene and Carrik, the forests of Glengarie, the lands of Balnacard, Balnavart, Craignuisk, and Drumnacarth on 7 September 1579 in Barony of Fos.15 She possessed had a liferent interest in Edinglassie, Ardbrek, Auchloncartie, Edinville, Kynnynvie, Towiemoir, Towiebeg on 7 September 1579 in Edinglassie, Ardbrek, Auchloncartie, Edinville, Kynnynvie, Towiemoir, Towiebeg.15 She possessed had liferent to the Barony of Rettray plus Inverchroskie and Chapeltown and parts of Murtclarie, Dalrylleane, Dalma, Leanoch, Petcurrane, Pitbrane, Glengl;eneth, Kynnard, Glenschie on 7 September 1579 in Barony of Rettray plus Inverchroskie and Chapeltown and parts of Murtclarie, Dalrylleane, Dalma, Leanoch, Petcurrane, Pitbrane, Glengl;eneth, Kynnard, Glenschie.15 She possessed liferent in 1580 in Baronies of Botrophin, Bocharme and Aberlour.16 She possessed liferent in 1580 in Barony of Fos and more.175,18 She possessed fell into debt in 1583.3

Death

Margaret ("the witch") Fleming, Countess of Atholl, died in 1586 at age ~54.3

Citations

  1. [S2] Various contributors, "Wikipaedia," database, Commons, Wikipaedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/: online 8 November 2023), Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Stewart,_Lady_Fleming.
  2. [S2] Various contributors, "Wikipaedia," database, Commons, Wikipaedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/: online 10 November 2023), Mary, Queen of Scots at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots.
  3. [S2] Various contributors, "Wikipaedia," database, Commons, Wikipaedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/: online 11 November 2023), Margaret Fleming, Countess of Atholl at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Fleming,_Countess_of_Atholl.
  4. [S111] Joseph Robertson, Editor, Inventaires de la Royne Descosse Douairiere de France: Catalogues of the Jewels, Dresses, Furniture, Books and Paintings (Edinburgh: The Bannatyne Club, 1863), p li, note 2; online image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/inventairesdela00robegoog/page/n8/mode/2up?q=fleming : viewed 12 May 2025.
  5. [S28] Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh: T and A Constable, 1911), vol viii, Fleming Earl of Wigtown pages 519 - 558.
  6. [S51] Raphael Holinshed, Holinshed's Chronicle, 1587 edition edited by Abraham Fleming (London: Henry Denham, 1587), Scotland, vol v, p 558, https://archive.org/details/chroniclesofengl05holiuoft/page/558/mode/2up; online image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/firstsecondvolum00holi/page/n1/mode/2up?q=fleming : accessed 18 February 2025.
  7. [S5] William Hunter, Biggar and the House of Fleming: an account of the Biggar District, Archeological, Historical and Biographical, second edition (Edinburgh: William Paterson, 1867), p 519-20.
  8. [S111] Joseph Robertson, Editor, Inventaires de la Royne Descosse Douairiere de France: Catalogues of the Jewels, Dresses, Furniture, Books and Paintings (Edinburgh: The Bannatyne Club, 1863), p xlvi, note 4; online image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/inventairesdela00robegoog/page/n8/mode/2up?q=fleming : viewed 12 May 2025.
  9. [S43] Scotland Court of Exchequer, editor, Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum: The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland (Edinburgh: General Register House, 1912), vol iv, ch 1018, p 228; online image, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101038096846&seq=7&q1=flemyng : accessed 12 April 2025.
  10. [S136] Robert Kerr Hannay, Editor, Acts of the Lords of Council in Public Affairs: 1501-1554 (Edinburgh: General Register House, 1932), p 580; online image, HathiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.30000047600931&seq=7&q1=fleming : viewed 20 June 2025.
  11. [S58] Edinburgh, National Records of Scotland, "Online Catalogue," National Records of Scotland (https://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue: viewed 25 September 2025), GD3 3018, 19/10/1553, Bond of Relief of terce of Kelly by the Master of Erskine to James Gordon, at hands of Margaret Fleming, widow of Thomas, Master of Erskine.
  12. [S17] Francis J Grant (Ed), Charter Chest of the Earldom of Wigtown: 1214-1681 (Edinburgh: James Skinner & Company for the Scottish Record Society, 1910), Charter 108.
  13. [S43] Scotland Court of Exchequer, editor, Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum: The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland (Edinburgh: General Register House, 1912), vol iv, ch 1805, p 456; online image, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101038096846&seq=7&q1=flemyng : accessed 13 April 2025.
  14. [S58] Edinburgh, National Records of Scotland, "Online Catalogue," National Records of Scotland (https://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue: viewed 25 September 2025), GD22 1A/3/6/9, 1569, Tack by William, Earl of Montrose and Dame Margaret Fleming, his daughter in law.
  15. [S44] Scotland Court of Exchequer, Rotuli scaccarii regum Scotorum: The Exchequer rolls of Scotland (Edinburgh: General Register House, 1878), vol 20, p 553-4; online image, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://archive.org/details/rotuliscaccariir01scot/page/n9/mode/2up : accessed.
  16. [S44] Scotland Court of Exchequer, Rotuli scaccarii regum Scotorum: The Exchequer rolls of Scotland (Edinburgh: General Register House, 1878), vol 21, p 46-47; online image, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://archive.org/details/rotuliscaccariir01scot/page/n9/mode/2up : accessed.
  17. [S44] Scotland Court of Exchequer, Rotuli scaccarii regum Scotorum: The Exchequer rolls of Scotland (Edinburgh: General Register House, 1878), vol 21, p 29-30; online image, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://archive.org/details/rotuliscaccariir01scot/page/n9/mode/2up : accessed.
  18. [S43] Scotland Court of Exchequer, editor, Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum: The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland (Edinburgh: General Register House, 1912), vol v, ch 290, p 95; online image, Internet Archive, archive.org (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101038096846&seq=7&q1=flemyng : viewed 14 April 2025.
Click on any citation number above to view details of the source document and, possibly, access an image of the source.
ContextCh forebears
Last Edited 25 September 2025
Site published by James Michael Fleming. The About page has my contact details.
Site updated on 9 November 2026 at 4:53 PM; 1,081 people
Page created by John Cardinal's GedSite v5.12  |  Based on a design by growldesign.co.uk