Historical Notes
Aubigny sur Nère has a fascinating connection with the Scottish Stuart family and has come to be known as La Cité des Stuarts. The town of Haddington played a significant role in the sixteenth century, cementing the Franco-Scottish alliance through the Treaty of Haddington. In addition to this, Lennoxlove House near Haddington is associated with Aubigny and the Stuarts. The historical notes that follow give some background to these links.
The Hundred Years' War and the Stuart Connection in Aubigny
In 1419, during The Hundred Years' War, the English owned more than half of France. The future King Charles VII of France, trapped by the English near Bourges, asked the Scots for help. The Regent of Scotland sent a huge army under Sir John Stuart and the English were defeated, but the Scots suffered heavy casualties. In 1423, as a reward for their help in a time of need, Sir John Stuart and his successors were granted the town of Aubigny and the surrounding lands.
For more than 200 years, the Stuart family continued to serve Aubigny and France, especially during its military campaign in Italy at the beginning of the 16th century. During the 17th century the Seigneurie of Aubigny passed to Charles II's mistress, Louise de Kerouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, who lived there for 50 years.
After her death it passed to the first Duke of Richmond and Lennox, the illegitimate son of Charles II and Louise de Kerouaille. As the years went by the Dukes of Richmond and Lennox spent less and less time in their French estates and neglected their duties there. As a result of their lack of interest and the French Revolution, in 1812 Aubigny sur Nère was confiscated and became French again.
The Treaty of Haddington
During the so called "Rough Wooing" period in the first half of the sixteenth century, Scotland was under constant attack from the English and in 1548 Haddington was captured. However, Mary of Guise, the widow of James V and mother of the young Mary (later Queen of the Scots), enlisted French help. French troops were soon sent to Haddington to assist Scottish troops laying siege to the town. On the 7th July 1548, Mary of Guise called a meeting of the Scots Parliament and the Treaty of Haddington was signed, by which Mary's marriage to the young Dauphin of France, François, was concluded.
The Lennoxlove connection
Lennoxlove estate, just outside Haddington, also links Haddington to the Stuarts. Frances Stuart, the daughter of Walter, 2nd Lord Blantyre, was known as "La Belle Stuart". She moved in Court circles but managed to resist the advances of King Charles II and other admirers. In 1667, she eloped with Charles, 6th Duke of Lennox, with whom she was deeply in love, and who also happened to hold the title of the Seigneur d'Aubigny. Tragically, however, he drowned soon after the marriage.
Towards the end of her life, Frances Stuart Duchess of Lennox, purchased the Estate and Castle of Lethington which she bequeathed to her cousin, the 5th Lord Blantyre with the instruction that he should re-name the Castle "Lennox's love to Blantyre", hence todays name: Lennoxlove.
Visitors to Lennoxlove can see portraits of the 6th Duke of Lennox and "La Belle Stuart" as well as furniture given to her by her ardent admirer King Charles II.