Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston
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Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston of Callendar PC (c. 1500–1553) was the guardian of Mary, Queen of Scots, during her childhood.
Livingston was born c. 1500 in Callendar, Falkirk, Scotland.[1] He was the eldest surviving son of Agnes (née Hepburn) Livingston and William Livingston, 4th Lord Livingston of Callendar, and succeeded his father to the title of Lord Livingston in about 1518. Among his siblings was younger brother William Livingston, Captain of the Royal Castle of Kirkwall, and younger sister, Margaret Livingston, who married John Hay, 4th Lord Hay of Yester.[2]
His paternal grandparents were James Livingston, 3rd Lord Livingston, and Agnes (née Houston) Livingston.[3] His maternal grandparents were Alexander Hepburn of Whitsome (third son of Patrick Hepburn, 1st Lord Hailes) and Janet (née Napier) Hepburn, daughter of Sir Alexander Napier of Merchiston. His maternal uncle was James Hepburn, the Bishop of Moray.[2]
Career
In 1522, Livingston was a commander of the Scottish forces against England. He served as an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 1542,[4] and as one of the eight Lord Keepers of Mary, Queen of Scots in her infancy. Lord Livingston became Joint Custodian of the Queen Mary in about 1543. He was paid £813 for keeping the infant queen in Linlithgow Palace before she moved to Stirling Castle in July 1543, where he was also her keeper.[5] He served as Privy Councillor in 1545.[2]
When Queen Mary went to France in 1548, following her betrothal to the Dauphin, Francis II, Livingston accompanied her, and remained there until he died.[6]