The eldest son of the judge and poet Sir Richard Maitland, Sir William was born at Lethington, now Lennoxlove and rose to become Secretary to State to Marie de Guise and Mary Queen of Scots. A man of great wit and learning, he was educated at St Andrews and the French court. Joining the Reformers in 1556, he became closely allied with Lord James Stewart and, by the time Queen Mary returned, they had complete control of the Scottish government. He was instrumental in arranging Darnley’s murder and persuading Mary to marry Bothwell. The 42-year-old widower married Mary Fleming one of the queens’ four Maries. He died in 1573 either of a wasting disease or poison. ©️ Marie Macpherson 2024