Kirkcaldy of Grange, William (c. 1520–1573)

Scottish soldier and politician. Although he was a convert early in life to Protestantism, he later championed the cause of Mary Queen of Scots and was put to death for defending Edinburgh Castle against Protestant forces led by James Morton.

As a young man, Kirkcaldy assisted in the murder of Cardinal Beaton (1546) at St Andrews in 1546, but was made a prisoner of the French when they stormed the town in revenge. Once in France, he escaped, served with distinction in the French army, and returned to Scotland in 1557. He was still an advocate of the Reformation, and found himself opposed to Mary Queen of Scots. He was implicated in the murder of her secretary David Rizzio, and joined the revolt of the nobles against her and her third husband James Bothwell. In league with Morton, he defeated their forces at Carberry Hill and Langside in 1567. But at this point, he distanced himself from his former ally and took Mary's part. Following her abdication, Kirkcaldy and the royalist faction stoutly defended Edinburgh Castle, but were finally forced to surrender in June 1573, whereupon he was publicly executed.