George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly (died 19 October 1576), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland and major conspirator of his time.
[4][5] He allied himself with James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was married to his sister Jean, and joined Queen Mary at Dunbar after Rizzio's murder in 1566.
In return, Regent Moray would give the Earl and his followers a remission for all their crimes against the King since 11 June 1567, and promised an Act of Parliament to forgive his role as 'pretended Lieutenant to the Queen's Grace' between August 1568 and March 1569.
[6] After this temporary submission, continuing the Marian civil war, he gained possession of Edinburgh Castle, held a parliament, and captured Regent Lennox at Stirling.
One piece, a gold garnishing for the queen's hair set with rubies, diamonds and pearls was returned to Regent Morton by Huntly's servant Alexander Drummond of Midhope in August 1573.
An eyewitness description of his death, compiled by Richard Bannatyne, describes how he suffered a stroke, or a collapse caused by food-poisoning, while playing football.
After the Earl died, a number of alleged supernatural events occurred, beginning with the sudden collapse of one of the servants.