The four Marys
Preserved but no longer current.
Mary Beaton (or Bethune), Mary Livingston (or Leusori), Mary Fleming (or Flemyng), and Mary Seaton (or Seyton); called the "Queen's Marys," that is, the ladies of the same age as Mary, afterwards Queen of Scots, and her companions. Mary Carmichael was not one of the four, although introduced in the well-known ballad.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The four Marys” mean?
Mary Beaton (or Bethune), Mary Livingston (or Leusori), Mary Fleming (or Flemyng), and Mary Seaton (or Seyton); called the "Queen's Marys," that is, the ladies of the same age as Mary, afterwards Queen of Scots, and her companions. Mary Carmichael was not one of the four, although introduced in the well-known ballad.
Is “The four Marys” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.