Christina Stewart, 4th Countess of Buchan

Christina Stewart, Countess of Buchan in her own right, succeeded her grandfather, John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Buchan, in 1551. In that year she was, as heir to her father, enfeoffed in the lands, jurisdictions, and offices enumerated in her grandfather's charter of 1547. She was only three years of age at her mother's death, and was placed under the guardianship of Margaret Erskine, wife of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven.

In January 1549/50, though Christina was only a young child, a contract of marriage was arranged between her and James Stewart, afterwards Earl of Moray and Regent, the son of Lady Douglas by King James V, which gave him possession of her lands. Notwithstanding this he married another lady, and Christina was married to Moray's uterine half-brother, Robert Douglas, second son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven. In his wife's right Robert Douglas became 5th Earl of Buchan and Sheriff of Banff.

In 1574 they obtained a charter of the family estates, heritable offices, and the Earlshill in conjunct fee, with remainder to the heirs-male of the marriage, heirsfemale, heirs of the body of the Countess, and finally, to the nearest lawful heirs of the Earl. Her husband, as Earl of Buchan, took a prominent part in the political movements made in the minority of James VI, and he supported the Regent Moray in opposition to the “Loyalists,” who favored Mary, Queen of Scots. After the Regent's assassination in 1570, he was one of the four lords to whom the government of the country was committed in name of the King.

They had one son and three daughters:

• James Douglas, 6th Earl of Buchan.
• Christian, married to Richard Douglas, brother of William Douglas of Whittinghame.
• Mariota, married to Alexander Irvine of Drum.
• Elizabeth, married, in 1592, to Andrew Fraser of Muchals, and had issue.

The Earl of Buchan died at Mills of Drum, near Aberdeen, 18 August, and the Countess at Aberdeen 20 September 1580.

References

• 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. Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1904.