02 June 2022
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On 2 June 1581, James Douglas, Earl of Morton, was executed. ...
James Douglas, Earl of Morton, was executed on 2 June 1581 on the Maiden, a form of guillotine which he himself had imported from France.
Morton was one of four regents during the childhood of King James, the son of Mary Queen of Scots. In 1580, Morton was accused of being complicit in the murder of Mary's estranged husband the Lord Darnley and was sentenced to death. After his execution, Morton's body was buried in an unmarked grave at Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard, and his head was displayed on a pike as a warning to others.
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