Patrick Bellenden of Stenhouse

He was a younger son of Thomas Bellenden of Auchnoule and Agnes Forrester. The family name is sometimes spelled "Ballentyne". His older brother was the Justice Clerk, John Bellenden. He married Katherine Kennedy in Perth in April 1563. She was the widow of Henry Sinclair of Strom and Brough and may have been a daughter of Hugh Kennedy of Girvanmains. John Bellenden's wife was Hugh's daughter Barbara Kennedy.^[2][3]

The family had links to Orkney, and Patrick obtained lands in the parish of Stenness in July 1563. He was described as the laird of Stenhouse or Stanehouse. He also obtained property in the parish of Evie.^[4] In 1565, he became Sheriff (or Sheriff Depute) of Orkney.^[5]

Patrick Bellenden took on a role as a factor or administrator for George Bellenden, chantor of Glasgow and vicar of Dunrossness in Shetland. He would receive income from the ecclesiastical property from Olave Sinclair of Havera and pass it on to his brother John Bellenden, who acted as George Bellenden's "procurator general".^[6] He also had role in connection with crown revenue as "clerk of the coquet" for Edinburgh, connected with customs. This sometimes paid him a fee via the "thirds of benefices".^[7]

Several legal records mention the involvement of Patrick Bellenden in the murder of David Rizzio at Holyrood on 9 March 1566. A narrative account rapidly compiled by two English officials, Thomas Randolph and the Earl of Bedford, mentions that he threatened Mary, Queen of Scots, with a pistol called a "dagge".^[8] They wrote that Mary herself had said this:

one Patricke Balentine brother to the Justice Clerke, who also her Grace saythe offered a dagge agaynste her belly with the cocke downe.^[9][10]

At the same time, Andrew Ker of Faldonside drew his dagger and threatened the queen. Both Ker and Bellenden were said to have entered the Queen's apartments with Lord Darnley, whose rooms were below Mary's in the tower built by her father James V of Scotland. However, Randolph and Bedford noted some uncertainty. They wrote that Lord Ruthven would not confirm the "verity" of what they heard about Ker and Bellenden, and "assured us of the contrary".^[11]

Other sources say it was Bellenden who drew his dagger. Anthony Standen, a servant of Darnley, later wrote that he was present and disarmed Patrick Bellenden who held a dagger to Mary's left side.^[12][13] Standen struggled with Bellenden and the Earl of Morton thrust him out of the chamber. Standen wrote that another man held a snaphance pistol "to her belly" which failed to fire. Standen noted that Patrick was a servant of Lord Ruthven.^[14][15]

According to Lord Herries' Memoirs, Ker's pistol refused to fire and Mary spoke to Darnley and "William Stainley" following the birth of Prince James mentioning that Ker's pistol might have injured her and her child. "Stainley" may be identified as Standen, or an English squire who had joined him in Darnley's entourage. Retha Warnicke finds this reported conversation unlikely. Antonia Fraser suggests that both Bellenden and Ker brandished pistols in the royal presence. Lord Herries' Memoirs mistakenly claims that Bellenden was caught and executed with Henry Yair.^[16][17]