Margaret Winstar

Margaret Vinstarr (fl. 1590–1600), was a Danish or German courtier in Scotland to Anne of Denmark commemorated by the ballad "The Laird o Logie" for rescuing her imprisoned lover. A gentlewoman at the Scottish court of Anne of Denmark Margaret Vinstarr's family background is unclear, and her family name was written in various forms in Scotland, including "Wencksternis", "Winster", and "Vinkstarn". The family name "Venstermand" has been suggested. Robert Bowes noted that she was descended from a wealthy Danish family. She was a favoured courtier of Anne of Denmark, whose Scottish household included ladies in waiting and servants from Denmark and the northern states of Germany. She may have came Scotland with the diplomat Paul Knibbe in July 1591, when two gentlewomen left to return to Denmark. The two departing courtiers were probably Sophia Kaas and Cathrina Skinkel who had attended Anne of Denmark's coronation. Anne of Denmark bought clothes for her, and the accounts show that she accompanied the queen when she went out riding.