Despite Controversy, Edinburgh Salutes Mary, Queen of Scots

Scottish historical circles are indignant that the British Post Office has refused to issue a commemorative postage stamp to mark the 400th anniversary in 1987 of the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.

The grounds for the Post Office Board’s decision is that the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, still arouses controversy. Certainly, while she lived and for long afterward, historians have argued as to how far Mary was responsible for the tragic, often bizarre events that marked her reign.

Some events were beyond her control. It was unfortunate for Mary that she was a staunch Roman Catholic at a time when both Scots and English supported the reformed Protestant religion. Unlucky for her, too, that she was heir to the English throne, because during her long imprisonment Mary became involved in Catholic plots against Queen Elizabeth I of England and that led to her execution.

Controversial or not, in 1987 Scotland intends to celebrate the tragic queen’s memory in style, with plays, pageants and banquets, exhibitions and lectures, all on the theme of Mary’s life.

Like a Soap Opera

Mary’s life had all the ingredients of a 16th-Century soap opera. She was married three times, and was only 18 when she was first widowed. Her second husband was a jealous man who was implicated in the brutal murder, in her presence, of Mary’s favorite secretary. He in turn was murdered in mysterious circumstances, and Mary came under suspicion. The Scottish nobleman whom many believed was responsible for the crime then abducted Mary, and he became her third husband.

That was the last straw as far as her Scottish subjects were concerned. Mary was forced to abdicate in favor of her infant son, and she was imprisoned. (Her son became James VI of Scotland and later James I of England).

She escaped and raised an army but was defeated in battle. She escaped again, this time to England, where she was imprisoned for 19 years, accused of plotting with Roman Catholic conspirators against her cousin, Elizabeth I of England, and finally she met her death on the scaffold, a death that she faced with courage and dignity.

In spite of her follies and misfortunes, Mary was greatly loved, for she had charm in abundance. She was attractive, lively and warm-hearted, and inspired life-long devotion in courtiers and servants. Maybe she would have charmed her cousin, the Queen of England, but the two never met.

Outdoor Pursuits

Mary enjoyed outdoor pursuits such as hunting and golf, which endeared her to Scotsmen. She loved dancing, billiards and backgammon and other popular pastimes. An aura of romance about Mary lingered after her death.

Scots this year will be recalling events in the life of a queen who spent only six years of her adult life as a reigning monarch in Scotland. From the age of 6 to 18 Mary lived with her mother’s family, the powerful Guise clan, in France, where her first marriage was to her childhood sweetheart, Francis, heir to the French throne.

Castles and palaces where Mary lived or visited during her time in Scotland are mounting special displays, exhibitions and banquets throughout the anniversary year, re-enacting scenes that took place in them four centuries ago.

Linlithgow Palace is to be the site of a festival Aug. 15-23. Mary was born there on Dec. 8, 1542, and became queen at 6 days old on the death of her father, James V. Medieval banquets are scheduled for Aug. 20-22 in the Great Hall, seating 200 people each night. Guests will be served with food and entertainment as in Mary’s time.

During that August week Chiari’s play, “Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotland,” will be performed. The play was first presented at the 1954 Edinburgh Festival. Tickets and further information about these events are available from the Secretary, Linlithgow Festival Link, 8 Burgess Hill, Linlithgow, Scotland.

Fifteenth-Century Stirling Castle, where Mary was crowned at age 9 months, will celebrate the anniversary of her coronation with a banquet on Sept. 5. It is to be a re-enactment of the original coronation banquet as far as possible, and it is hoped that descendants of guests at the 1543 banquet will attend this year. Tickets also will be available to other guests. Contact David Wyles, Tourist Information Centre, Dumbarton Road, Stirling, Scotland (phone Stirling 75019) for price and other details.

Stirling Youth Theater

During the Stirling Festival July 25-Aug. 6 six performances of a play featuring Mary’s time in Stirling Castle will be staged. They will be given by Stirling Youth Theater in the Chapel Royal where Mary was crowned.

The castle, which is far from being a ruin and has much of historic interest, will host a play in September on the life of Mary, together with a coronation theme.

At the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh a plaque marks the spot where David Riccio, Mary’s Italian secretary, was murdered. If you take a tour of the palace the guide will fill you in on the gory details. The palace is the present queen’s official residence whenever she comes to Scotland and therefor will be closed from June 15 to July 7. It will also be closed May 11-27 for the General Assembly. At other times Holyroodhouse is open 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. weekdays and 10:30-4:30 Sundays (with restricted hours during winter months).

There are relics of Mary in Holyroodhouse, including some embroideries. One of them, worked while she was a prisoner in England, portrays Queen Elizabeth as a cat and Mary as the unlucky mouse. An adaptation of this embroidery as a tapestry kit has been on offer to readers of the Scotsman newspaper, and embroidery enthusiasts have eagerly taken it up.

Embroidery was one of Mary’s favorite hobbies, especially during her long imprisonment. Next summer Scone Palace near Perth will show a display of embroidery made by Mary and her ladies-in-waiting while imprisoned on Loch Leven, immediately after her abdication. The exhibit will be open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from April 17 to Oct. 12.

Re-Enactment of Escape

Niddry Castle in West Lothian, where Mary spent the night after escaping from Loch Leven, is to be the setting in early May for a re-enactment of that episode. Because he sheltered the queen, Lord Seton forfeited his estates, though he was pardoned later. The date of the re-enactment in May was not set at the time of writing. To attend, contact Peter Wright, 93 Tippetknowes Road, Winchburgh, West Lothian EH52 6UN, Scotland.

Castle Being Restored

The castle is derelict but it is in the process of being restored, by its new owner, Peter Wright, an Edinburgh community worker, into a home for himself, his wife and three children. The restoration work is being supported by the National Trust for Scotland and because of this, there will still be public access to the historic ground floor rooms after the Wrights move in.

The castle is open to the public on Sundays, giving visitors an opportunity to see how a medieval castle is being transformed into a modern home.

Dunbar Castle was another residence that sheltered Mary in a time of trouble. She escaped there with her second husband, Lord Darnley, after Riccio’s murder and was taken there again after her abduction by the Earl of Bothwell.

Dunbar Castle’s picturesque ruins are where the young John Muir played as a child, before emigrating to the United States to become one of America’s most famous conservationists and preserver of Yosemite as a national park. No doubt he and his friends enacted the dramatic Scottish episodes in their games.

Craigmillar Castle, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, is another ruin with many memories of Mary, who enjoyed it as her country retreat. The district around the castle is still known as Little France.

More Historic Houses

Inveraray Castle in Argyll, Mary’s House in Jedburgh, Castle Campbell in Dollar and Falkland Palace in Fife are just a few of the historic houses in Scotland associated with the queen that are open to the public. Most of these will be visited during study tours by bus, organized by the Extra-Mural Department, University of Edinburgh, under the title “Royal Progresses of Queen Mary.” These are recommended for visitors who would enjoy a more scholarly approach to the Queen Mary anniversary, plus seeing some of Scotland’s most interesting old houses.

Day tours on April 23 and 30 and May 14 and 21 will visit four areas. The April 30 itinerary includes Stirling Castle, May 14 includes Dunbar Castle and both Linlithgow Palace and Niddry Castle will be visited on May 21.

The university’s extra-mural department will also conduct two longer tours. May 5-8 a four-day tour retraces Mary’s steps in her punitive expedition against the Earl of Huntly in 1562. Accommodations will be at hotels in Montrose and Elgin. May 26-27 there will be a tour to Galloway, staying overnight in Newton-Stewart.

Contact the Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University of Edinburgh, 11 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW, to book any of these tours. The four-day tour costs $170; prices for the shorter tours were not set at time of writing but are likely to be $75 for the two-day and overnight, and $10 for the one-day tours.

Lack of Sanitation

If you have ever wondered why medieval kings and queens had so many residences and traveled between them so regularly, it was because of the lack of sanitation. These large houses, with retinues of servants, had to be vacated periodically so that they might be thoroughly cleaned. Mary’s house in Jedburgh has an example of the kind of primitive toilet used 400 years ago. Known as the “Lang Drap,” it was solely for the use of women.

Two major exhibitions in Edinburgh will commemorate the 1987 anniversary. From July through September the Scottish Record Office at Register House on Princes Street will present “The Queen and the Scots” with documents from Scotland’s national archives. Also in July the National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street will show portraits, jewelry, furniture and other objects connected with Mary, in “Celebration of Mary, Queen of Scots.”

The Scottish Tourist Board at 23 Ravelston Terr., Edinburgh EH4 3EU, can supply details of anniversary events and tours.

Although there will not be a special postage stamp, visitors to Scotland will be able to buy a pictorial aerogram issued by the Scottish Post Office Board to commemorate Mary’s death.