Person:Marion Montgomery (1)

Marion Montgomerie

William Semple, 2nd Lord Sempill married, thirdly, Marion Montgomerie, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie of Hazelhead, widow of Thomas Craufurd of Auchenames, who had died in 1541; she survived Lord Sempill, and married, thirdly, between 31 August 1553 and 20 December 1556, John Campbell, 2nd of Skipness. On 3 April 1554 his widow’s estate was granted to Hugh Cunynghame of Walterston, for the slaughter of Gilbert Rankin, and on 8 November 1555 she came into the Queen’s will for supporting her servants in this and various other offences. By his first wife only he had issue:-

• The Scots Peerage by Paul, James

Page 535 thru 537 – William Semple, 2nd Lord Sempill, as the son and heir apparent of Sir John Semple, 1st Lord Sempill, was witness along with his father on 13 Mar 1501-2. After his father’s death litigation between him and his step-mother Margaret Crichton, "of Ruthvendeny" took place regarding their rights in the estate of Sir John Semple, 1st Lord Sempill. On 8 Sep 1525 a summons of treason was served upon the Earl of Cassillis, Lord Sempill and others. On 21 Jun 1526 Parliament directed summons of treason to be raised against the Earl of Eglinton, Lord Smpill and others. He was one of the Privy Council of King James V of Scotland, and Justiciary and Bailie of the regality of Paisley. He purchased the lands of Previk, in Ayrshire, 12 Feb 1522-23, from John Crawford of Previk, whose son raised an action, in 1538-39, for reduction of the sale as having been obtained by force; and the lands of Auchinfour and others, in the parish of Inverkip, from Sir James Hamilton of Fynnart on 31 Aug 1529. William Semple, 2nd Lord Sempill was, on 26 Feb 1534, acquitted of being art and part in the slaughter of William Cuningham, 2nd of Craigends and one of his servants who had been killed in a family quarrel 11 August 1533 by his brother Gabriel Semple, 1st Baron Sempill of Cathcart and Ladymure. The killing was part of a long and on-going family Montgomery & family Cuningham Feud. On 30 Jul 1535 John, Lord Lyle, and his servant were denounced for unlawfully putting letters to execution agains Lord Sempill, demanding caution for being art and part in the slaughter of John Crawford of Previk, etc. He was one of the jury at the trial of Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, accused of conspiring the slaughter of the King, etc., 17 Jul 1537. He, and others, had a remission on 18 Mar 1540 for all crimes committed prior to this date except treason. He had charters of confirmation of the lands of Fernynes, Eliotstoun, Glasford, etc., 17 Mar 1539-40; of Beltrees, which he had purchased in 1541 from John Stewart, Dalmuir, etc., 4 Oct 1545; and of Drumry on the 18th of the same month. As a second sub-treaty of the Treaty of Greenwich, King Henry VIII of England took the opportunity of the regency to propose marriage between Mary (later Mary, Queen of Scots) and his own son, Prince Edward (later Edward VI of England), hoping for a union of Scotland and England. William Semple, 2nd Lord Sempill was one of those who assented to the match betwixt Mary (later Mary, Queen of Scots) and Prince Edward of England 25 Aug 1543 (later Edward VI of England). William Semple, 2nd Lord Sempill, died at Edinburgh on 3 Jun 1552. He married, first, before 20 Jul 1517, Margaret Montgomerie, said to be eldest daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton, and by her had issue as aftermentioned. He married, secondly, prior to 12 Feb 1522-23, Elizabeth, daughter of John Arnot of Arnot. She was alive 18 Mar 1538-39. He married, thirdly, Marion Montgomerie, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 'of Hazelhead', widow of Thomas Craufurd of Auchenames, who had died in 1541; she survived Lord Sempill, and married, thirdly, between 31 Aug 1553 and 20 Dec 1556, John Campbell, 2nd of Skipness. On 3 Apr 1554 his widow’s estate was granted to Hugh Cunynghame of Walterston, for the slaughter of Gilbert Rankin, and on 8 Nov 1555 she came into the Queen’s will for supporting her servants in this and various other offences. By his first wife only he had issue:-

• Castle Levan

In 1547 Castle Levan was sold to the Semple family.

• A history of the county of Renfrew from the earliest times, by Metcalfe, William M.

William Semple, 2nd Lord Sempill appears to have been thoroughly well supported by his wife, Marion. William Semple, 2nd Lord Sempill died 03 Jun 1552. On November 8, 1555, widow Marion Montgomerie was charged with a number of serious offence's, and having no defense, she "came in the Queen’s will for consenting to the slaughter of Gilbert Rankin in Lecheland, committed by the servants of the said Lady, March 17, 1553, under silence of night: and for approving the cruel hurting and wounding of John Fynne and mutilation of his arm, and the hurting and wounding of John Roger in sundry parts of his body, to the effusion of his blood, committed at the same time, by resetting of her servants, who had committed the said crimes, red-hand, that same night, within the Castle Levan, immediately after the perpetration thereof: and also for approving of the taking and apprehending of Humphrey Malcolmson and Archibald Scherare, they being conducted by her servants in the same night to the Castle Levan, seeing she received them into her said Castle, also, for the incarceration and subjection of the said persons in the aforesaid Castle by the space of twenty-four hours, without food or drink ; thereby usurping the Queen’s authority."

Marion Montgomerie was sentenced to death for the murder of her tenants, by Mary of Guise, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, but later the sentence was commuted to house arrest. When her husband John Campbell, 2nd of Skipness had returned home from military service and had learned of Marion's crimes, he was so appalled to hear of his wife's behavior that he imprisoned her and starved her to death at Castle Levan.

1.   Metcalfe, William Musham. A history of the county of Renfrew from the earliest times: with a map of the county. (Paisley [Scotland]: A. Gardner, 1905)
   Chapter 11.

   Chapter XI - Feuds - William Lord Semple appears to have been thoroughly well supported by his wife, Marion Montgomery. Some time after his death, on November 8, 1555, she was charged with a number of serious offences, and having no defence, she “ came in the Queen’s will for consenting to the slaughter of Gilbert Rankin in Lecheland, committed by the servants of the said Lady, March 17, 1553, under silence of night: and for approving the cruel hurting and wounding of John Fynne and mutilation of his arm, and the hurting and wounding of John Roger in sundry parts of his body, to the effusion of his blood, committed at the same time —by resetting of her servants, who had committed the said crimes, red-hand, that same night, within the Castle of Laven, immediately after the perpetration thereof: and also for approving of the taking and apprehending of Humphrey Malcolmson and Archibald Scherare, they being conducted by her servants in the same night to the Castle of Laven, seeing she received them into her said Castle : also, for the incarceration and subjection of the said persons in the aforsaid Castle by the space of twenty-four hours, without food or drink; thereby usurping the Queen’s authority."

2.   Semple, William Alexander. Genealogical History of the Family Semple: From 1214 to 1888. (Hartford, Connecticut: Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., 1888)
   Page 11.

   William, Second Lord Semple, the eldest son of the first lord, was one of the Privy Council of James the Fifth, and Lord Justiciary and heritable Bailie of the Regality of Paisley. He was one of those who assented to the match betwixt Queen Mary and Prince Edward of England, August 25, 1543, and died in 1548. In 1547, he purchased from John Bruntschells, the last of the family of Bruntschells of that ilk, the estate of Bruntschells (a corruption of Burnt shields), in the parish of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire. His Lordship married, first, Lady Margaret Montgomery, eldest daughter of Hugh, first Earl of Eglintoun, by the Lady Helen Campbell, daughter of Archibal, Earl of Argyll, and by her had issue: Robert, David, Helen, Mary…
   He married, secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Arnot, of Arnot; thirdly, Marian, daughter of Hugh Montgomery of Hazellhead, without issue.

3.   Lundy, Darryl. The Peerage: A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe.

   Wives of William Sempill, 2nd Lord Sempill:
   
   1ST WIFE Margaret Montgomerie, eldest daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton. ALL OF WILLIAM SEMPILL'S CHILDREN ARE FROM HER.
   
   2ND WIFE Elizabeth Arnot
   
   3RD WIFE Marion Montgomerie, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie of Hazelhead. Widow of Thomas Craufurd of Auchenames. After William Sempill, 2nd Lord Sempill's death, Marion remarried to John Campbell, 2nd of Skipness.

4.   Paul, James Balfour. The Scots peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's ‘Peerage of Scotland’ containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom, with armorial illustrations. (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1904-1914).

   Page 535 thru 537 – William, second Lord Sempill, as the son and heir apparent of John, Lord Sempill, was witness along with his father on 13 March 1501-2. After his father’s death litigation between him and his step-mother took place regarding their rights in the estate of the first Lord Sempill. On 8 September 1525 a summons of treason was served upon the Earl of Cassillis, Lord Sempill and others. On 21 June 1526 Parliament directed summons of treason to be raised against the Earl of Eglinton, Lord Smpill and others. He was one of the Privy Council of King James V., and Justiciary and Bailie of the regality of Paisley. He purchased the lands of Previk, in Ayrshire, 12 February 1522-23, from John Crawford of Previk, whose son raised an action, in 1538-39, for reduction of the sale as having been obtained by force; and the lands of Auchinfour and others, in the parish of Inverkip, from Sir James Hamilton of Fynnart on 31 August 1529. Lord Sempill was, on 26 February 1533-34, acquitted of being art and part in the slaughter of William Cunyngham of Craigends and one of his servants who had been killed in a family quarrel. On 30 July 1535 John, Lord Lyle, and his servant were denounced for unlawfully putting letters to execution agains Lord Sempill, demanding caution for being art and part in the slaughter of John Crawford of Previk, etc. He was one of the jury at the trial of Jonet Douglas, Lady Glamis, accused of conspiring the slaughter of the King, etc., 17 July 1537. He, and others, had a remission on 18 March 1540 for all crimes committed prior to this date except treason. He had charters of confirmation of the lands of Fernynes, Eliotstoun, Glasford, etc., 17 March 1539-40; of Bultrees, which he had purchased in 1541 from John Stewart, Dalmuir, etc., 4 October 1545; and of Drumry on the 18 of the same month. He was one of those who assented to the match betwixt Queen Mary and Prince Edward of England 25 August 1543. He died at Edinburgh on 3 June 1552. He married, first, before 20 July 1517, Margaret Montgomery, said to be eldest daughter of Hugh, first Earl of Eglintoun, and by her had issue as aftermentioned. He married, secondly, prior to 12 February 1522-23, Elizabeth, daughter of John Arnot of Arnot. She was alive 18 March 1538-39. He married, thirdly, Marion, daughter of Hugh Montgomery of Hazelhead, widow of Thomas Crawford of Auchinames, who had died in 1541; she survived Lord Sempill, and married, thirdly, between 31 August 1553 and 20 December 1556, John Campbell of Skipnish. On 3 April 1554 his widow’s escheat was granted to Hugh Cunynghame of Walterston, for the slaughter of Gilbert Rankin, and on 8 November 1555 she came into the Queen’s will for supporting her servants in this and various other offences. By his first wife only he had issue:-

5.   Marion Montgomerie, in Lundy, Darryl. The Peerage: A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe.