Weather - If it rains on the day of
Saint Protais and Gervais, it will rain for forty days after.
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Today in 1566, the future
King James VI of Scotland and I of England was born to Mary, Queen of Scots and
her husband King Henry (aka Lord Darnley), in Edinburgh Castle.
That the child was born
alive and healthy and of a goodly size was no thanks to his father, who, the
previous March, had entered into a pact with certain rebellious nobles to
murder his wife’s private secretary in her presence, with the tacit understanding that if – you know – the Queen (six months pregnant at the time)
somehow – you know – DIED in the
confusion, either directly or by a miscarriage, Henry
would – you know – become king of Scotland in
his own right, instead of merely the queen’s husband.
The murder of Rizzio is
well-known, as is Queen Mary’s escape from almost certain death at the hands of
the rebels (one of whom held a pistol to her stomach and threatened to fire)
and her grueling five-hour ride to safety.
Three months later, again in
command, with the assassins hiding at a safe distance, the queen ceremoniously
entered her well-appointed lying-in chamber in Edinburgh Castle, according to
the use of the time, on the 3rd of June. In the intervening time, as she waited for the birth, she
wrote out her will, summoned her principal nobility (those who had not been
ordered to quit the realm) to come to Edinburgh, took the air within the
precincts of the castle and at least once beyond it (always with an eye out for
those who might return and finish the murderous night of the previous March),
and wrote a preliminary letter to the Queen of England announcing the arrival
of an heir, leaving a blank to be filled with either “son” or “daughter”, as
God would be pleased to grant her.
On Wednesday, the 19th day
of June, between nine and ten in the morning, the queen was safely delivered of
a fair and goodly son, after a long and hard labor which further threatened her already frail health. The blank space in the letter to Elizabeth was filled in,
and between eleven and twelve that morning, Lady Boyne came to James
Melville and told him that their prayers being granted, he must carry Mary's
letter to London with all diligence. "It struck twelve hours," says
Sir James, "when I took my horse, and I was at Berwick that same night.”
King Henry, known better to
us as Lord Darnley, wrote immediately to Mary’s uncle, the Cardinal of Guise:
“From the Castle of
Edinburgh, this 19th day of June, 1566, in great haste. Sir, my uncle,—Having
so favourable an opportunity of writing to you by this gentleman, who is on the
point of setting off, I would not omit to inform you that the queen, my wife,
has just been delivered of a son, which circumstance, I am sure, will not cause
you less joy than ourselves; and also to inform you how, on this occasion, I
have, on my part, as the queen, my said wife, has also on hers, written to the
king, begging him to be pleased to oblige and honour us by standing sponsor for
him, by which means he will increase the debt of gratitude I owe him for all
his favours to me, for which I shall always be ready to make every return in my
power.
So, having nothing more
agreeable to inform you of at present, I conclude, praying God, monsieur my
uncle, to have you always in His holy and worthy keeping.
Your very humble and very
obedt. nephew,
Henry R.
Please to present my
commendations to madame the Dowager de Guise."
At two o'clock the same
afternoon, Henry, attended by his equerry Sir William Standen, came to visit
the Queen and see his child. Knowing, as she did, that her husband was not to be trusted
and even at this hour might endanger the eventual succession of her child by a
petty act of malice, Mary forestalled any possible claim of illegitimacy by
assembling a numerous company in her chambers for the purpose of witnessing the
presentation of her child to her husband for his public affirmation of
paternity. Holding the baby in her
arms and uncovering his face, she presented him to her husband.
"My Lord, God has given
you and me a son whose paternity is of none but you. Here I protest to God, and as I shall answer to Him at the
great day of judgment, this is your son, and no other man's son; and I am
desirous that all here, both ladies and other, bear witness.” In her own spurt of malice, she could not
forbear adding, as Henry kissed
the baby and acknowledged him, “For he is so much your own son that I fear it
may be the worse for him hereafter." A remonstrance from her husband that
she had promised to forgive all and forget all then opened the floodgates of
reproach. "I have forgiven all," she replied "but can never
forget. What if Faudonside's
pistol had shot?—what would have become of him [her son] and me both? or what
estate would you have been in? God
only knows, but we may suspect."
For the rest of the day, and
for several days after, the intelligence was received everywhere throughout
Scotland, with sincere demonstrations of joy. The happy tidings of the safety of the Queen, and the birth
of the Prince of Scotland, were announced by a triumphant discharge of the
castle guns and hailed with unbounded transports of joy in Edinburgh; bonfires
blazed the same night on Arthur Seat and the Calton Hill, which were repeated
on all the beacon stations through the length and breadth of the land.
On the following day, all
the nobility in the town, the civil dignitaries, and a vast concourse of
citizens, went in solemn procession to the church of St. Giles, and offered up
thanksgiving for so signal a mercy shown to the queen and the whole realm. The Protestant divine Spottiswood was
deputed to wait on the queen, and testify to the gladness of the Kirk for the
birth of the Prince, at the same time desiring that he should be baptized after
the manner practised in the Reformed Church. Mary, a staunch Catholic, was determined to have her son
christened according to the rites which had governed the baptism of Scottish
princes for centuries, but she received Spottiswood in her lying-in chamber,
and accepted his congratulations very graciously. In a politic move of
toleration, she placed her son in the arms of the venerable man, who immediately
knelt and delivered a short but very eloquent prayer in behalf of the newborn
heir of Scotland. At the conclusion
of the prayer, Spottiswood playfully addressed the little prince, desiring him
to "say Amen for himself," to which the baby made some little cooing
murmur as if in response to the prayer of the delighted Presbyterian minister.
When the news was conveyed
to England, it was far from being heard with so much satisfaction. Melville
arrived in London four days after leaving Edinburgh and found queen and court
at Greenwich. Everyone knows how
Elizabeth received the news – one minute dancing, the next sinking down in an
excess of emotion exclaiming that the Queen of Scotland was lighter of a fair
son, and that she was but a barren stock.
On the following day, she consented to be godmother to the new prince of
Scotland, and although she could not attend the christening in person, would
send both honorable lords and ladies in her place.
In September, Mary’s infant
son was established in a princely household in Stirling Castle, with the Earl
of Mar as his governor, Lady Mar as his governess, and Lady Reres in charge of
his chamber. A certain Mistress
Margaret Little was his head nurse, with four or five women under her as "keepers of the royal clothes.” Five ladies of distinction were
appointed to the honorable office of "rockers" of the prince's cradle.
For his kitchen, James had a
master-cook, a pastry-cook, a foreman, and three other servitors, also one for
his pantry, one for his wine, and two for his ale-cellar. He had also three valets de chambre, a "furnisher of coals," and five
musicians. For this household there was a fixed allowance of provisions, consisting
of bread, beef, veal, mutton, capons, chickens, pigeons, fish, pottages, wine,
and ale.
The following memorandum written
by Queen Mary concerning the furnishing of the prince’s chamber was found in
David Hay Fleming’s book, Mary
Queen of Scots: from her birth to her flight into England. Fleming notes that “this is
apparently the order for the furnishing of the first nursery of the infant Prince
at Stirling.”
I have provided a
translation below based on the Dictionary of the Scots Language.
"Ane Memoriall of sik
necessaris as are neidfull and requeseit for my Loirde prince chalmer.
First tuay cofferis.
Ten hankis off gold and ten
hankis of silver the fynest that can be gottin. Threttie elnis of fyne camberage.
Four pound of fyne suyng
threide.
Sax pound of secundar threid
in divers sortis.
Fourtie tuay elne of blew
ostage to be ane cuvering of ane bed and ane cannabie to the Laidie Reres.
Sax elnis of plaiding to
lyne the cuvering with.
Tuelf ellis of fustean to be
ane matt and bowster with ane codde.
Tuay stane of woll to put in
the matt.
Ane stane of fedderis to put
in the bowster.
Auchtein elnis of camves to
be the pavilyeas and the cuvering of the pavilyeas.
Five elnis of blankattis.
And the trees of ane bedde.
Tuay skenyeis of girdis to
bind up the bedde.
Thre scoir elnis of small
linnyng to be schetis to the Ladie Reres and the maistres nureis.
Fyftein elne of blew plading
for to mak ane cannabie to the rokaris.
Twentie four elnis of fustean
to mak tuay mattis and tuay bowsteris.
Nyn elne of camves to dowbill
thame.
Four stane of woll to the
tuay mattis.
Tuay stane of fedderis to
the bowsteris.
Threttie sax elnis of camves
to be the tuay pavilyeasis and the tuay cuveringis.
Four skenye of girdis to
bind thame with.
Tuay cuveringis of
tapestrie.
Tuelf elnis of blankattis.
Sax scoir elnis of linnyng
for to serve in my Loirde prince chalmer and to be schetis to the rokaris.
Tuelf elne of rownd cleith
to be schetis to the servandis that lyis on my Loirde prince uter chalmer.
Ane cuvering.
Aucht elnis of camves to be
ane pavilyeas.
Thesaurire, forsamekle as
this memoriall being sein be yow, we chairge yow thatt sik necessaris as ar
contenit in this former memoriall ye caus the sammyn be ansourit incontinent,
becaus the sammyn is requesit and verray neidfull to be had. And this ye feill
nocht to do, but ony delay as ye will mak us thankfull service. Subscrivit with
our hand, at Striuiling Castell, the fyft of September 1566.
Marie R."
Translation:
A Memorandum of such
necessaries as are needful and requisite for my Lord prince’s chamber
First, two coffers.
Ten hanks [as in a coil or loop, like yarn] of gold
and ten hanks of silver, the finest that can be got. Thirty ells of fine cambric.
Four pounds of fine sewing
thread.
Six pounds of second-quality
thread in diverse kinds.
Then material for a bed for Lady Reres:
Forty-two ells of blue serge
to be a covering for a bed and a canopy for [the use of ] the Lady Reres.
Six ells of woolen cloth to
line the covering with [plaiding, a
woolen cloth of which plaids are made]
Twelve ells of fustian to be
a mattress and bolster with one cushion [this
would be the upper mattress]
Two stone of wool to put in
the mattress [a stone being 28-32 lbs]
A stone of feathers to put
in the bolster.
Eighteen ells of canvas to
be the palliasse and the covering of the palliasse [a sack of course cloth which was stuffed with straw, chaff, feathers,
etc., for use as a mattress. For
Lady Reres, this would be the lower mattress]
Five ells of woolen cloth
for blankets. And the wood of one
bed.
Two skeins of banding to
bind up the bed [as in the criss-crossed
rope of a rope-bed]
Sixty ells of fine linen to
be sheets for the Lady Reres and the head nurse.
Then furnishings for two beds for the Rockers, the attendants whose
duty it was to rock a child in its cradle; in the case of royal infants, women
of rank:
Fifteen ells of blue woolen
cloth to make a canopy for the rockers.
Twenty-four ells of fustian
to make two mattresses and two bolsters.
Nine ells of canvas to line
the same.
Four stone of wool to the
two mattresses.
Two stone of feathers to the
bolsters.
Thirty-six ells of canvas to
be the two palliasses and the two coverings.
Four skeins of banding to
bind the same with.
Two coverings of tapestry.
Twelve ells of woolen cloth
for blankets.
One hundred twenty ells of
linen for use in my Lord prince’s chamber and to be sheets for the rockers.
The servitors who slept in the outer chamber were not forgotten:
Twelve ells of round cloth
to be sheets to the servers that lie in my Lord prince’s outer chamber.
A covering.
Eight ells of canvas to be a
palliasse.
Treasurer, forasmuch as you
have seen this memorandum, we charge you to furnish immediately the same
necessities as are contained in this memorandum, because they are requisite and
very needful. Do not fail to do
this, without any delay, if you would give us pleasing service. Signed by our hand at Stirling Castle,
the fifth of September 1566.
Marie R.
Meanwhile, Mary recovered her
health and planned the christening of her son to be held in December, choosing
the names Charles James, James Charles, and his hereditary titles, Prince and
Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles, and
Baron of Renfrew, to be proclaimed three times by heralds, at the sound of
trumpets. ‘Charles’, of course, was in compliment to her brother-in-law Charles
IX of France, one of the godfathers; and ‘James’, because, as she said, her
father and all the good kings of Scotland, his predecessors, had been called by
that name.
Within a year, however, it
all changed. King Henry would be
murdered, Queen Mary forced to abdicate and flee to the ‘protection’ of the
queen of England, and the baby Charles James, James Charles crowned as King
James VI of Scotland.
