Anne Lyon (née Murray), Countess of Kinghorne (1579 – 27 February 1618), was a Scottish courtier said to be the mistress of James VI of Scotland.
[5] A Dutch ambassador to Scotland in August 1594, Walraven III van Brederode, who attended the baptism of Prince Henry, mentioned that she or her sister was a lady in waiting to Anne of Denmark.
[7] Anne of Denmark paid for updates to her wardrobe in October 1594, giving her a new bodice and sleeves, and silver "cordons" to embroider an existing gown.
This identification comes from a letter and two poems written by the king, or composed in a similar manner to his verse,[9] given the titles (in some manuscripts) "A Dreame on his Mistris My Ladie Glammis" and "A Complaint on his Mistres absence from Court".
[13] The "Dream" poem (first line: Whill as the silent shaddie night) includes the imagery of gifts of an empty gold locket (a "tablet") and an amethyst.
The locket is the "chasteness", the chastity of the king's mistress, and her wandering thoughts are like the trails of decorative enamel on the case – in the Scots language "traling scores of amelinge blaks".
[20] Carey's letter shows that Anne Murray was known as the king's mistress in London, and perhaps the poem "A Dreame on his Mistres" had circulated in manuscript at the English court.
[29] The king and queen planned to come to the wedding banquet on 1 June, to be celebrated with "great triumph" at Stirling Castle, but Anne of Denmark was rumoured to have suffered a miscarriage.
James VI invited the Earl of Mar to join him at merry making at Gask in July 1595 and this was probably the "in-fare" feast for the wedding.
The marriage was of political significance in Scotland, controversially arranged by the Earl of Mar, whose mother Annabell was a Tullibardine Murray, without the knowledge of Patrick's uncle, the Master of Glamis.
[34][35] John Colville wrote about the marriage of "Mestres Annas", as "A mariage laitlie contracted heir betwix the young Lord Glammes and Tillibarn his dochter will walkin (waken) again the greif betwix .a (Mar) and .h (Master of Glamis), for .h (Glamis) is marveluislie displesed tharwith".
Dr Tobias Matthew, Bishop of Durham wrote of the "king's affection to the Lady Morton's daughter", and that she might be connected with the Earl of Bothwell's schemes, and draw a person of "greater estate" into Elizabeth's devotion.