Lady Janet Bethune, Countess of Arran

JANET BETHUNE (aka JONETE BETOUN) Countess of Arran

According ro Darryl Lundy's Peerage, Janet Bethune is the daughter of Sir David Bethune of Creich and his wife Janet Duddingston. Darryl Lundy's Peerage In his account of the Hamilton family, Sir James Balfour Paul identifies her as: Janet Beaton, said to be the daughter of Sir David Beaton of Creich, widow od Sir Robert Livingstone of Easter Wemyss and Drumry, who was killed at Flodden. The Scots Peerage, iv, page 360

First Marriage

Janet Beaton married Sir Robert Livingstone of Easter Wemyss and Drumry. He was killed at Flodden.The Scots Peerage, iv, page 360

On 19 May 1508 Roberto Levingstoun de Drumry, militi, had a charter of confirmation under the Great Seal of Scotland for the lands of East and West Wemyss and others in Wemysschire. He and his wife Jonete Betoun are said to hold the eastern portion of Lochorschire in conjunt fee and liferent. Register of the Great Seal of Scotland,1424-1513, charter number 3229 on page 690

Second Marriage

Janet Beaton married James, Earl of Arran, lord Hamilton. According to Sir James Balfour Paul, the marriage banns were published on 2, 9 and 11 November 1516 and they were married before 23 Novemver 1516. The Scots Peerage, iv, page 360

On 23 November 1516 Jacobo Comiti Aranie dom. Hammiltoun and Jonet Betoun his wife had a charter issued under the Great Seal of Scotland which confirmed their possession of various lands in the barony of Kynnele and sheriffdom of Linlithgow. The earl of Arran and his wife are said to hold these lands in conjunct fee and liferent. Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, A.D. 1513-1546, charter number 117 on page 25

Comment

I believe that the image of Janet Beaton on this site (and subsequently copied to many other sites) is of a later woman of the same name as the only other place I have seen this image on the intenet is on the following site: De Reyes, Dioses y Heroes

This Janet Beaton was born about 30 years after Janet Beaton who married Robert Livingston and doesn't seem to have lead quite a colourful life as the latter Janet who was:

"Janet Beaton, Lady of Branxholme and Buccleugh (1519–1569) was an aristocratic Scottish woman. She was a mistress of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. She had a total of five husbands. One of her nieces was Mary Beaton, one of the four ladies-in-waiting of Mary, Queen of Scots, known in history as the four Marys. In her lifetime, she was accused of having been a witch. Janet was immortalised as Sir Walter Scott's Wizard Lady of Branxholm in his celebrated narrative poem "Lay of the Last Minstrel"."

See We Relate: Janet Beaton

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 6 2021, 2:32:00 UTC