KIRKCALDY OF GRANGE, SIR WILLIAM (c. '573), Scottish politician, was the eldest son of Sir James Kirk caldy of Grange (d. 1556). Sir James was lord high treasurer of Scotland from 1537 to 1543 and was a determined opponent of Cardinal Beaton, in whose murder (1546) he was assisted by William Kirkcaldy. In July 1547 he was captured by the French and sent as a prisoner to Normandy, whence he escaped in 155o. He was employed in France as a secret agent by Edward VI., being known as Corax; and later he served in the French army. The sentence passed on Kirkcaldy for his share in Beaton's murder was removed in 1556, and he returned to Scotland in 1557. He was one of the leaddrs of the lords of the congregation in their struggle with the regent, Mary of Lorraine. He opposed Queen Mary's marriage with Darnley, and was forced to seek refuge in England (1566). Returning to Scotland, he was ac cessory to the murder of Rizzio, but he had no share in that of Darnley; and he was one of the lords who banded themselves together to rescue Mary after her marriage with Bothwell. After
the fight at Carberry Hill the queen surrendered to Kirkcaldy, and he was mainly responsible for her defeat at Langside. After the murder of Murray Kirkcaldy ranged himself definitely among the friends of the imprisoned queen. Defying the regent Lennox, he began to strengthen the fortifications of Edinburgh castle, of which he was governor, and which he held for Mary, and early in 1573 he refused to come to an agreement with the regent Morton because the terms of peace did not include a section of his friends. After this some English troops arrived to help the Scots, and in May 1573 the castle surrendered. Strenuous efforts were made to save Kirkcaldy from the vengeance of his foes, but they were unavailing; he was hanged on Aug. 3, 1573.
See Sir James Melville, Memoirs, ed. T. Thomson (Edinburgh, 1827) ; J. Grant, Memoirs and Adventures of Sir W. Kirkcaldy (Edin burgh, 1849) L. A. Barbe, Kirkcaldy of Grange (1897) ; and A. Lang, History of Scotland, vol. ii. (1902).