Joan of Scotland, Countess of Morton

Primary Sources

1463/4. (7 Jan.) St. Peter's, Rome. (f. 175.)
To the bishop of St. Andrews. Mandate to absolve James Douglas, lord of Dalketh and Morton, and Janet (Joneta) Stewart, of his diocese, from sentence of excommunication incurred by contracting marriage per verba legitime de presenti, by the persuasion of the late James king of Scots, they not being ignorant that they were related in the second and third degrees of kindred, and by having offspring, enjoining penance, and thereafter, and after temporary separation, to dispense them to contract marriage anew and remain therein, decreeing legitimate the offspring already born, and that to be born of the said marriage. Oblate nobis.

'Lateran Regesta 594: 1463', in Calendar of Papal Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland: Volume 12, 1458-1471, ed. J A Twemlow (London, 1933), pp. 204-206. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-papal-registers/brit-ie/vol12/... [accessed 22 September 2017].

Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton

Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton,[a] also called Joanna (c. 1428–aft. 16 October 1486), was the daughter of James I, King of Scotland, and the wife of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton. She was known, in Latin, as the muta domina [mute lady] of Dalkeith.

Born in Scotland c.1428,[b] she was the third daughter of James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort.[1] Joan had two older brothers, including the future King of Scotland, James II, and five sisters.[1] She had “the misfortune to be deaf and dumb”,[2] and was known as muta domina or “the mute lady”.[3] Joan was reported to have used sign language to communicate, even in public (although it was considered at that time to be impolite).[4]

Joan was originally contracted to marry James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus on 18 October 1440, but he died (without issue) in 1446 before the marriage could take place.[5] In 1445 she was sent to France and did not return home to Scotland until 1457.[c][2] She had been promised in marriage to the Dauphin of France but the marriage did not take place, probably due to her inability to articulate.[d][6] Joan married James Douglas, 4th Baron Dalkeith before 15 May 1459, who at the time of their marriage was raised to the peerage as the first Earl of Morton.[7] They were granted a dispensation on 7 January 1463-4 for being consanguineous in the second and third degrees.[8] Joan and her husband James were both aware of their close relationships but were persuaded to marry by her brother King James II of Scotland and applied for the dispensation to legitimize their marriage.[e][8] The Countess Joanna died in 1493, predeceasing her husband, James, by several months.[2]

The Earl and Countess of Morton were buried together in the choir of the parish church of St. Nicholas Buccleuch, known as the Dalkeith Collegiate Church, in Dalkeith, south of Fife and east of Edinburgh, in Midlothian, Scotland.[9] Known as the Morton Monument, their tombs are covered with their stone effigies, complete with their armorial bearings.[f] This is believed to be the world’s oldest image of a known deaf person.[4] The choir is now in the ruins, leaving the tombs out in the open, where, in a few centuries, the elements have erased their faces. Their hands, pressed together in prayer, were likely to have been destroyed during the Reformation. Today, as one of the visitors remarked, “[o]nce crisply carved and detailed with heraldic devices”, the tombs have “the look of sand sculptures after the tide has washed in and retreated”.[4] Due to their historical value, in 2005 a team of volunteers and preservationists created a protective canopy over their effigies.[4][10]

Together Joan and her husband James had four children:

• Sir John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton (bef. 1466- bef. 1515),[11] killed at the Battle of Flodden[12]
• James, (d. aft. 1480) appeared in several writs 1466-1480.[2]
• Janet, married bef. 1 February 1480–81 to Sir Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell.[2]
• Elizabeth, mentioned in a charter of 1479 after which nothing further is known of her.[2]

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Scotland,_Countess_of_Morton

_______________________

Joan's effigy on the Morton Monument in Dalkeith, Scotland is said to be the world's oldest image of a known deaf person. Joan was born deaf and reportedly used sign language in public, which was thought to be scandalous behavior during the Fifteenth Century.

Joan married James Douglas, 4th Baron Dalkeith before 15 May 1459, who at the time of their marriage was raised to the peerage as the first Earl of Morton. They were granted a dispensation on 7 January 1463-4 for being consanguineous in the second and third degrees. Joan and her husband James were both aware of their close relationships but were persuaded to marry by her brother King James II of Scotland and applied for the dispensation to legitimize their marriage.

Together Joan and her husband James had four children:

1. Sir John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton (bef. 1466- bef. 1515),[11] killed at the Battle of Flodden[12]
2. James, (d. aft. 1480) appeared in several writs 1466-1480.[2]
3. Janet, married bef. 1 February 1480–81 to Sir Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell.[2]
4. Elizabeth, mentioned in a charter of 1479 after which nothing further is known of her.[2]

links

• The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Vol. VI, ed. James Balfour Paul (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1909), p. 356
• DEAF WITHOUT LIMITS - DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PIONEERS CDSS Office of Deaf Access
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Beaufort,_Queen_of_Scotland
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Douglas,_1st_Earl_of_Morton
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Douglas,_2nd_Earl_of_Morton
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Hepburn,_1st_Earl_of_Bothwell
• http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY%20LATER.htm#Jam...

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• Joanna (Jean) Stewart1,2,3,4,5,6
• F, #2934, b. circa 1428, d. between 16 October 1486 and 1490
• Father James I Stewart, King of Scotland7,8 b. c 25 Jul 1394, d. 21 Feb 1437
• Mother Joan Beaufort7,8 b. 1398, d. 15 Jul 1445
• Joanna (Jean) Stewart was born circa 1428 at of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.6 She married James Douglas, 1st Earl Morton, 3rd Lord Dalkeith, Ambassador to France & Castile, son of James Douglas, 2nd Lord Dalkeith and Elizabeth Giffard, before 15 May 1459; They had 2 sons (Sir John, 2nd Earl of Morton; & James) and 2 daughters (Janet, wife of Patrick Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell; & Elizabeth).5,6 Joanna (Jean) Stewart and James Douglas, 1st Earl Morton, 3rd Lord Dalkeith, Ambassador to France & Castile obtained a marriage license on 7 January 1464; Date of Dispensation, being related in the 2nd and 3rd degrees. Joanna (Jean) Stewart died between 16 October 1486 and 1490.5,6
• Family James Douglas, 1st Earl Morton, 3rd Lord Dalkeith, Ambassador to France & Castile b. c 1425, d. bt 22 Jun 1493 - 22 Oct 1493
• Children
  • Janet Douglas+ d. b 21 Feb 1491
  • James Douglas3
  • Sir John Douglas, 2nd Earl Morton, 4th Lord Dalkeith+5,6 b. b 1466, d. bt 19 Jul 1511 - Sep 1515
• Citations
• 1.[S11568] The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, by George Edward Cokayne, Vol. IV, p. 40.
• 2.[S11572] The Lineage and Ancestry of H.R.H. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, by Gerald Paget, Vol. II, p. 395.
• 3.[S147] Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, 1938 ed., by Sir Bernard Burke, p., 1788.
• 4.[S11563] The Scots Peerage, Vol. I, edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, p. 19.
• 5.[S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 579-580.
• 6.[S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. I, p. 658.
• 7.[S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 577-578.
• 8.[S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. I, p. 655-656.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p98.htm#i2934 _________________________
• Joan Stewart1
• F, #105328, b. circa 1428, d. after 16 October 1486
• Last Edited=7 Apr 2013
• Joan Stewart was born circa 1428.2 She was the daughter of James I Stewart, King of Scotland and Lady Joan Beaufort.1,3 She and James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus were engaged on 18 October 1440.3 She married James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton, son of James Douglas, 2nd Lord of Dalkeith and Elizabeth Gifford, before 15 May 1459.2 She died after 16 October 1486.2 She was buried at Dalkeith Church, Midlothian, Scotland.2
• Joan Stewart also went by the nick-name of 'The Dumb Lady'.3 From before 15 May 1459, her married name became Douglas. As a result of her marriage, Joan Stewart was styled as Countess of Morton before 15 May 1459.
• Children of Joan Stewart and James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton
  • 1.Lady Janet Douglas+1 d. b 1490
  • 2.James Douglas2 d. a 1480
  • 3.Lady Elizabeth Douglas2 d. a 1479
  • 4.John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton+2 b. b 1466, d. bt 8 Nov 1511 - 26 Nov 1513
• Citations
• 1.[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 238. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
• 2.[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 231. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families.
• 3.[S323] Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1904), volume I, page 19. Hereinafter cited as The Scots Peerage.
• From: http://thepeerage.com/p10533.htm#i105328 ____________________________
• JAMES Stewart, son of ROBERT III King of Scotland & his wife Annabel Drummond (Dec 1394-murdered Perth 21 Feb 1437). John of Fordun’s Scotichronicon (Continuator) names "Jacobum regem" as son of "Robertus tertius"[1264]. He became Duke of Rothesay 10 Dec 1404 after receiving from his father all lands belonging to the office of Steward of Scotland[1265]. A prisoner in France 1406-1424. He succeeded his father in 1406 as JAMES I King of Scotland.
• m (2 or 13 Feb 1424) as her first husband, JOAN Beaufort, daughter of JOHN Beaufort Earl of Somerset & his wife Margaret de Holand of the Earls of Kent (-15 Jul 1445). A late 15th century/early 16th century manuscript names “Johamem aliter Henricum comitem Somersecie qui cito moritur, Thomam qui moritur, Edmundum ducem Somersecie, Joh[anname reginam Scotorum et Margaretam comitissam Devoni]” as the children of “Johannes Bowfurth comes Somersecie”[1266]. The Julius B II Chronicle records the marriage in Feb 1424 of “Sir James Styward kyng of Scotland” and “dame Joan the duchesse douhter of Clarence goten by her ffirst hosbond the Erle of Somersete”[1267]. She married secondly James Stewart "the Black Knight of Lorn".
• King James I & his wife had eight children:
  • 1. Lady MARGARET Stewart (1424-Châlons-sur-Marne, Cathédrale Saint-Etienne 16 Aug 1445, bur Abbaye de Saint-Laon, Vienne). m (contract Perth, Scotland 19 Jul 1428, contract Chinon, Indre-et-Loire 30 Oct 1428, Cathédrale de Tours 24 Jun 1436) as his first wife, LOUIS de France Dauphin de Viennois, son of CHARLES VII King of France & his wife Marie d'Anjou (Bourges, Bishop's palace 3 Jul 1423-Château de Plessis-les-Tours, La Riche, Indre-et-Loire 30 Aug 1483, bur Notre-Dame de Cléry, Loiret). He succeeded his father in 1461 as LOUIS XI King of France.
  • 2. Lady ISABEL Stewart (Autumn 1426-[13 Oct 1494/5 Mar 1499]). Betrothed (contract 19 Jul 1441, ratified 29 Sep 1441) to JEAN VI Duke of Brittany, son of JEAN V "le Vaillant" Duke of Brittany & his third wife Infanta doña Juana de Navarra (Château de l'Hermine, near Vannes, Morbihan 24 Dec 1389-manoir de La Touche, near Nantes 29 Aug 1442, bur Tréguier, Cathédrale Saint-Tugdual). He died before the religious ceremony. m (30 Oct 1442) as his second wife, FRANÇOIS I Duke of Brittany, son of JEAN VI Duke of Brittany & his wife Jeanne de France (Vannes 11 May 1414-Château de l'Hermine, Vannes 17 Jul 1450, bur Redon Abbaye de St Sauveur, Ille-et-Vilaine).
  • 3. Lady JOAN Stewart ([1428]-after 16 Oct 1486). She was deaf and dumb, known as "the dumb lady of Dalkeith". She lived in France from Aug 1445 to Spring 1458[1268]. m (before 15 May 1459) JAMES Douglas Earl of Morton, son of JAMES Douglas of Dalkeith & his wife Elizabeth Gifford of Sheriffhall (-[22 Jun/22 Oct] 1493).
  • 4. ALEXANDER Stewart (16 Oct 1430-young). Duke of Rothesay.
  • 5. JAMES Stewart (16 Oct 1430-Roxburgh 3 Aug 1460, bur Holyrood). John of Fordun’s Scotichronicon (Continuator) names "Jacobum secundum regem qui nunc est" as son of "Jacobum secundum"[1269]. He succeeded his father in 1437 as JAMES II King of Scotland.
  • - see below.
  • 6. Lady ELEANOR Stewart (Dunfermline 1433-Innsbruck 20 Nov 1480, bur Stams). m (12 Feb 1449) as his first wife, SIGISMUND "der Münzreiche" Archduke of Austria, Graf von Tirol, son of FRIEDRICH IV "mit den leeren Tasche" Duke of Austria, Graf von Tirol & his second wife Anna von Braunschweig-Lüneburg (Innsbruck 26 Oct 1427-Innsbruck 4 Mar 1496, bur Stams).
  • 7. Lady MARY Stewart (-20 Mar 1465, bur Sandenburg, ter Veere, Zeeland). She was granted the Earldom of Buchan, probably on her marriage, thereby becoming Ctss of Buchan[1270]. m (ter Veere, Zeeland 1444) as his first wife, WOLFART van Borselen, son of HENDRIK van Borselen Comte de Grandpré & his second wife Jeanne van Halewijn (-Ghent 29 Apr 1487, bur Sandenburg, ter Veere, Zeeland). Earl of Buchan, de iure uxoris. He succeeded his father in 1474 as Comte de Grandpré. Governor of Holland, Zeeland and Friesland 1477-1480[1271].
  • 8. Lady ANNABEL Stewart . The marriage contract between "Lodovico di Savoia figlio secundogenito del Duca Lodovico" and "Anabella figlia del Re Giacomo di Scozia" is dated 14 Dec 1444[1272]. m firstly (contract 14 Dec 1444[1273], 14 Dec 1447, divorced 1458) as his first wife, LOUIS de Savoie Comte de Genève, son of LOUIS Duke of Savoy & his wife Anne Pss of Cyprus (5 Jun 1436-château-monastère de Ripaille 16 Jul 1482). m secondly (before 10 Mar 1460, divorced 24 Jul 1471) as his second wife, GEORGE Gordon, son of ALEXANDER Gordon [formerly Seton] Earl of Huntly & his second wife Elizabeth Crichton (-Stirling [8 Jun] 1501, bur Cambuskenneth). He succeeded his father in 1470 as Earl of Huntly.
• From: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTLAND.htm#Joandiedafter16Oct1486 _______________________________
• Morton, Earl of (S, 1457/8)
• 2b. James Douglas of Dalkeith, declared to be of unsound mind by Act of Parliament 1441 (d. betw. 8 Sep 1456 and 14 Mar 1457/8), mar. Elizabeth Giffard (d. after 8 Sep 1456), dau. of James Giffard of Sheriffhall, and had issue:
  • 1c. James Douglas of Dalkeith, later 1st Earl of Morton
• 3b. Henry Douglas of Dalkeith .... etc.
• James [Douglas], 1st Earl of Morton
• born
• mar. bef. 15 May 1459 his first cousin once removed the Princess Jean (b. c. 1428; d. 16 Oct 1486), 3rd dau. of James I, King of Scotland, by his wife Lady Joan Beaufort, 1st dau. of John [Beaufort], 1st Earl of Somerset
• children
  • 1. Sir John Douglas, later 2nd Earl of Morton
  • 2. James Douglas (d. after 1480)
  • 1. Lady Janet Douglas (dspm. bef. 21 Feb 1490/1), mar. bef. 1 Feb 1480/1 as his first wife Patrick [Hepburn], 1st Earl of Bothwell, and had issue
  • 2. Lady Elizabeth Douglas (d. after 1479)
• died bef. 22 Oct 1492
• created 14 Mar 1457/8 Earl of Morton
• suc. by son
• note created Earl of Morton in contemplation of his marriage with the King's daughter; Ambassador to France and Castile 1491
• John [Douglas], 2nd Earl of Morton
• born bef. 1466
• mar. bef. Aug 1493 Janet Crichton, dau. of Patrick Crichton of Cranston-Riddel
• children
  • 1. Hon James Douglas, later 3rd Earl of Morton
  • 2. Hon Richard Douglas (d. after 17 Oct 1564), mar., and had issue
  • 1. Lady Elizabeth (Beatrice?) Douglas, mar. bef. 8 Jan 1505/6 Hon Robert Keith, styled Lord Keith (dvp. bef. 22 Apr 1525), 1st son and heir ap. of William [Keith], 2nd Earl Marischal, by his wife Lady Elizabeth Gordon, 3rd dau. by his third wife of George [Gordon], 2nd Earl of Huntly, and had issue
  • 2. Lady Agnes Douglas, mar. as his second wife Alexander [Livingston], 5th Lord Livingston, and had issue
• died betw. 8 Nov 1511 and 26 Nov 1513
• suc. by son
• note knighted c. 1469; Ambassador to England 1494; attended the Princess Margaret of England on her arrival in Scotland 1503
• From: http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/ - SEARCH - Douglas _____________________________
• Bothwell, Earl of (S, 1488 - forfeited 1567)
• Patrick [Hepburn], 2nd Lord Hailes later 1st Earl of Bothwell
• son and heir of Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes (by his wife Helen Home, sister of Alexander [Home], 1st Lord Home, and dau. of Sir Alexander Home of Home), 1st son and heir ap. of Patrick [Hepburn], 1st Lord Hailes
• born
• mar. (1) bef. 1 Feb 1480/1 Lady Janet Douglas (dspm. bef. 21 Feb 1490/1), 1st dau. of James [Douglas], 1st Earl of Morton, by his wife the Princess Jean, 3rd dau. of James I, King of Scotland
• children by first wife
  • 1. Lady Jane Hepburn (d. after 10 May 1558), mar. bef. 25 Jan 1506/7 George [Seton], 3rd Lord Seton, and had issue
  • 2. Lady Margaret Hepburn (dsps. 1513), mar. 26 Jun 1509 as his first wife Archibald [Douglas], 6th Earl of Angus
• mar. (2) after 21 Feb 1490/1 Lady Margaret Gordon, 5th dau. of George [Gordon], 2nd Earl of Huntly, by his second wife .... etc.
• From: http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/ - SEARCH - Hepburn _______________________
• Name Joan (The Dumb Lady) Stewart
• Born Abt 1428
• Gender Female
• Died Aft 16 Oct 1486
• Buried Dalkeith Church
• Father James I Stewart King of Scotland, b. Dec 1394, Dunfermline Palace, Fife, Scotland , d. 21 Feb 1436-1437, Murdered In Monastry Of The Friars Preachers, Perth (Age ~ 42 years)
• Mother Joan (of Somerset) Beaufort, b. Abt 1406, d. 15 Jul 1445, Dunbar Castle (Age ~ 39 years)
• Family 1 James (3rd Earl of Angus) Douglas, d. 1446
• Married 18 Oct 1440
• Family 2 James (1st Earl of Morton) Douglas, d. 1493
• Married Bef 15 May 1459
• Children
  • 1. John (2nd Earl of Morton) Douglas, b. Bef 1466, d. 1513 (Age ~ 47 years)
  • 2. Janet (of Morton) Douglas, d. Yes, date unknown
  • 3. James Douglas, d. Yes, date unknown
  • 4. Elizabeth Douglas, d. Yes, date unknown
  • 5. Janet\Elizabeth Douglas
• From: http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/famgen/getperson.php?personID=I3923... ____________________________________

Death

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109916600/joan-douglas shows 22 June 1498
• There is a cast aluminium plate located adjacent to their effigies: THE MORTON MONUMENT … The Earl died in c1493 and the Countess in c1498.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Stewart%2C_Countess_of_Morton: “The Countess Joanna died in 1493, predeceasing her husband, James, by four months.” [2]
  • 2. The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Vol. VI, ed. James Balfour Paul (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1909), p. 356
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stewart-1199 “ Joan died on 22 June 1493, just four months before her husband.[5]
  • 5. Cokayne, George Edward. The Complete Peerage; or, A history of the House of lords and all its members from the earliest times. London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd. (1936), vol. 9, p. 287.
  • Douglas Richardson states that Joan was living 16 Oct 1486 but died before 1490.[1] Alison Weir concurs that Joan died sometime after 16 October 1486 but notes only that she was buried in Dalkeith Church and does not hazard a guess as to the date of her death.[3] It is not certain what source Cokayne's information is based upon.
  • 1. Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), vol. 1, p. 659 BRUS 12.iii. Joan Stewart.
  • 3. Weir, Alison. Britain's Royal Families. London: The Bodley Head (1989), p. 231.