by Alison Weir
Nau
Ibid.
CSP Venetian
Ibid.
Nau
Ibid.
Keith
CSP Spanish
Buchanan
Register of the Privy Council
Bishop Leslie to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
Ibid.
Cited by Tytler: Scotland
Bishop Leslie to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
Nau; CSP Spanish. Mary’s instructions are in the archives of Edinburgh University.
Register of the Privy Council
Leslie; Nau
Nau; Leslie
Nau; Leslie
Bishop Leslie to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith; Diurnal of Occurrents
Keith
Diurnal of Occurrents
The building known today as Mary, Queen of Scots’ House was greatly altered and extended in the 17th and 19th centuries, but was restored largely to its 16th-century state in 1986–87.
CSP Scottish
CSP Foreign
Teulet
Papal Negotiations
De Silva states he had learned about what followed in a letter from Mary “dated the 1st instant” (CSP Spanish). Buchanan incorrectly states that Mary received the letter from or about Darnley on 5 November when she was on her way to Kelso, but she did not leave Jedburgh until 9 November, and her messenger, Stephen Wilson, had left for England with news of the Darnley letter around the 8th. Mary must therefore have received the letter on or shortly before 1 November while she was still at Jedburgh.
Buchanan says the letter was from Darnley but it is hardly likely that Darnley would have himself divulged to Mary the information that de Silva states was in it. Armstrong Davison speculated that it had come from the Comte de Brienne, but he did not arrive in Scotland until 2 or 3 November.
CSP Spanish
Ibid., 17 February 1567
CSP Spanish
Labanoff; Papal Negotiations
Fr. Edmund Hay, SJ, to Francis Borgia, Father General of the Society of Jesus, in the archives of the Society of Jesus
Keith
Sir John Neale: Elizabeth I and her Parliaments (2 vols, London, 1953–7)
CSP Foreign
CSP Scottish
CSP Spanish
CSP Foreign
CSP Scottish
Papal Negotiations
Melville
Buchanan: Detectio. A slightly different version appears in the Book of Articles, where it is said that Lady Reres’s purpose was “not altogether unknown to such as attended in the Queen’s company.”
Diurnal of Occurrents; Keith
Keith
12. “UNNATURAL PROCEEDINGS”
Book of Articles
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, 6 December 1566, in Keith
Papal Negotiations
Keith
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, 6 December 1566, in Keith
Cotton MSS. Caligula. The full text is in Keith, Goodall and Mumby: Fall of Mary Stuart.
It was not unusual for two people of the same sex to share a bed when space was at a premium.
Although restored to his title and earldom, Huntly had yet to recover his estates.
Goodall
It was actually drawn up two months before, not three, but after six years it would be natural for Ormiston to be a little inaccurate as to dates. Elsewhere in his confession, Ormiston quotes Bothwell as saying that the matter had been concluded at Craigmillar.
Pitcairn
Register of the Secret Seal; Inventaires; Register of the Privy Seal
The official record is in Cambridge University Library.
Moray’s Answer, dated 19 January 1569 and written by Moray and Cecil in London, is pasted to the back of the Protestation.
CSP Foreign
Nau
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
Sir John Forster to Cecil, 11 December 1566, in CSP Foreign
Melville
Register of the Privy Council
Lennox Narrative
Casket Letter II, in CSP Scottish
Lennox Narrative
CSP Spanish; Teulet
Register of the Privy Council; Keith
Papal Negotiations
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
Keith; CSP Venetian; Diurnal of Occurrents
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
Inventaires; Cotton MSS. Caligula; CSP Foreign. Buchanan later referred only to Mary providing clothing for Bothwell: “The Queen did her best to make Bothwell appear the most magnificently dressed of all her subjects and guests.” He meant to emphasise that she was singling Bothwell out for special favour because he was her lover. This is a typical example of how Buchanan massaged the facts in order to support his denunciation of Mary.
Nau
Ibid.
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
Buchanan
Knox
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
The Elizabethan historian William Camden says that Bedford had been instructed not to acknowledge Darnley as King.
Cotton MSS. Caligula; Nau
Du Croc to Archbishop Beaton, in Keith
Mary to Archbishop Beaton, 20 January 1567, in Labanoff
Ibid.
Register of the Secret Seal; Register of the Privy Seal
Antonia Fraser
CSP Scottish
Ibid.; Bothwell; Bannatyne Miscellany; CSP Foreign
CSP Scottish
Register of the Privy Seal
CSP Scottish
Morton’s confession of 1581, in Holinshed. Buchanan alleges that Darnley left Stirling because his rival Bothwell had been “set up to his face as an object of universal respect,” but this is not corroborated by the other evidence.
Lennox Narrative; Mary to Beaton, 20 January 1567, in Labanoff
13. “THE DAYS WERE EVIL”
Knox; Buchanan
Lennox Narrative
Pearson
CSP Scottish
Inventaires
The skull, which had been removed in 1768 from the vandalised royal vault at Holyrood, is now in the Royal College of Surgeons, London.
Pearson
Knox
CSP Spanish
Keith
Ibid.
Register of the Secret Seal
Ibid.; Keith; Buchanan
This interview must have taken place in the New Year, after Darnley had left Stirling and Mary had returned from Tullibardine. This would have been the first opportunity that Walker had had to speak with her.
Mary to Archbishop Beaton, 20 January 1567, in Labanoff
CSP Scottish
Labanoff
CSP Scottish; Keith
Cabala
Inventaires
Labanoff
CSP Foreign; CSP Scottish; Keith
State Papers in the Public Record Office; CSP Foreign
Nau
Lennox Narrative
Nau
Buchanan says Mary had tried to lull Darnley’s suspicions “by her frequent loving letters,” but this seems unlikely in view of the other evidence.
CSP Scottish
Teulet
Throughout this book, I have quoted the modern English translations of the Casket Letters, except where there are discrepancies in the Scots, French and Latin versions.
CSP Scottish
Mahon: Lennox Narrative
Buchanan
Keith
Birrel says the 13th, the Diurnal of Occurrents the 14th. These two sources often show a discrepancy of one day.
CSP Scottish
The date of the meeting at Whittinghame is not recorded, but it must have been after Maitland left Edinburgh on 17 January. As it was reported by Drury on the 23rd, it must have taken place around 18 or 19 January. For the Whittinghame episode, see CSP Scottish; Morton’s confession of 1581 in Holinshed; Archibald Douglas’s letter to Mary of 1583 in Inventa
ires ; Diurnal of Occurrents; Bannatyne Miscellany; Calderwood
Bothwell
Inventaires
CSP Scottish
CSP Spanish
Holinshed
Inventaires
Nau; his account is corroborated by a letter from Drury to Cecil dated 13 August 1575.
Labanoff
14. “SOME SUSPICION OF WHAT AFTERWARDS HAPPENED”
Diurnal of Occurrents. Birrel; Anderson: Collections; Book of Articles; Moray’s Journal, in Cotton MSS. Caligula
Moray’s Journal, in Cotton MSS. Caligula; Anderson: Collections; Book of Articles
Buchanan
Drury reported she had arrived on the 22nd (CSP Scottish).
Crawford’s Deposition, original MS. in Cambridge University Library, edited copy in CSP Scottish
CSP Spanish; CSP Foreign
CSP Spanish
Cambridge University Library
CSP Scottish; Goodall. After this was read out, Crawford said that the words quoted in his deposition were “the same in effect and substance as they were delivered by the King to him, though not perhaps in all parts the very words themselves.”
CSP Scottish; Labanoff
Lennox Narrative
Ibid.
Moray’s Journal, in Cotton MSS. Caligula
The English version is among the State Papers in the Public Record Office. The only parts omitted here are a few minor irrelevancies. The letter appears here with corrected translations.
The last four words appear only in the Scots, Latin and French versions.
It will be seen that these passages are very similar to Crawford’s Deposition.
The original letter, which was in French, has disappeared, but it is clear from the Scots, French and Latin versions that the English translator has made errors. This has been mistranslated in the English version as “to let blood.”
Another mistranslation: “journée” means “day” in French, not “journey,” which appears in the English version.
The last part of this sentence only appears in the English version.
Labanoff
Probably mistranslated. The word appears as “Devil” in the Scots version and as “yeere” in the English.
Given as “bible” in the English version, which is probably a mistranslation of “billet.”
An obvious mistranslation. It is probably a reference to Darnley’s skin eruptions.
The other versions state that the writer was sitting at the foot of the bed.
This last part of the sentence has next to it in the margin a translation from the original French in Cecil’s own hand, since the English translator has made an error. This sentence does not appear in the Scots version, and may well have caused problems for the Scottish translator also.
In the English version, this word is given as “grief”; all the other versions give “trouble.”
Lang
CSP Scottish
Cited by Mahon: Lennox Narrative
Papal Negotiations
CSP Scottish
Moray’s Journal, in Cotton MSS. Caligula
CSP Venetian
Maitland to Cecil, 8 February 1567, in CSP Scottish
CSP Spanish
CSP Scottish
Keith; Teulet
15. “ALL WAS PREPARED FOR THE CRIME”
Lennox Narrative
Drury to Cecil, 26 January 1567, in CSP Scottish; CSP Venetian ; Buchanan
Book of Articles
Moray’s Journal, in Cotton MSS. Caligula; Lennox Narrative; CSP Scottish
Nau
Book of Articles
Cotton MSS. Caligula
Lord Scrope to Cecil, 28 January 1567, in CSP Scottish
Thomson: Crime of Mary Stuart
Buchanan
Moray’s Journal states 30 January, Birrel 31 January, and the Diurnal of Occurrents 1 February.
Lennox Narrative
CSP Venetian
Melville
Inventaires
Pitcairn; Goodall; Anderson: Collections. Thomas Crawford made a similar deposition (Cambridge University Library).
Lennox Narrative
Ibid.
Mahon: Lennox Narrative
Pitcairn
Book of Articles
CSP Spanish
CSP Venetian
Inventaires
Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
Inventaires; Leslie
Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, cited by Gore-Browne
The buildings and topography of Kirk o’Field were extensively researched by Mahon for his book The Tragedy of Kirk o’Field, a work to which many authors, including myself, are deeply indebted. There is also a contemporary plan of Kirk o’Field, which was drawn up by one of Cecil’s agents hours after Darnley’s murder on 10 February 1567, which is now in the Public Record Office.
The collegiate buildings at Kirk o’Field were later converted into the College of King James and a house for its Principal, and in the late 18th century, the central quadrangle of Edinburgh University and its Hall of the Senate, designed by Robert Adam, were built on the site.
None of the original collegiate buildings remains, but the site of the Prebendaries’ Chamber and the Old Provost’s Lodging lies just inside the right angle created by South Bridge Street and South College Street. Tour guides in the city vaults point out what they say are the remains of the cellars of Darnley’s house and an adjacent close, the cellars being distinguished by Gothic arches, but these are not in the correct location.
Buchanan
Nelson’s deposition in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
Details of all the furniture and hangings in the Old Provost’s Lodging are in Inventaires. Thomas Nelson is the source for the changing of Darnley’s bed (Pitcairn; Goodall; Anderson: Collections).
Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
Nau
CSP Spanish; Leslie
Lennox Narrative
Leslie
Ibid.
Knox
Nau
Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
Lennox Narrative
Ibid.
William Tytler
Lennox Narrative
Ibid; cf. Buchanan
Buchanan
Nau
Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
Buchanan says “three days before the murder.”
Melville
The Indictment of 1568 states Saturday afternoon, the Book of Articles and Paris’s deposition Saturday morning.
Melville
CSP Scottish; Goodall
The English translation appears to be a copy from the original French, and is among the Cecil Papers at Hatfield House. Moray’s Journal, in Cotton MSS. Caligula, states that Mary’s confrontation with Lord Robert and Darnley “conform[ed] to her letter written the night before.”
See Armstrong Davison
The original French copy is in the Public Record Office. This English translation is taken from the Scots version in CSP Scottish.
Inventaires
Papal Negotiations
CSP Spanish
CSP Scottish
Papal Negotiations; reported by Father Hay to Mondovi.
In the Detectio, Buchanan says she had smallpox during pregnancy; in his History, he claims she had a miscarriage.
Lennox Narrative; CSP Venetian. Lennox states that Mary had decided that Darnley should return to Holyrood on 10 February.
In the Register House in Edinburgh.
This house was owned by Mr. John Balfour (Book of Articles), not Sir James Balfour, as is sometimes stated.
Inventaires; Book of Articles; Mondovi to Alessandria, 27 February 1567, in Papal Negotiations
Mondovi to Alessandria, 27 February 1567, in Papal Negotiations
Labanoff. Buchanan says she had a
“fairly large” or “a numerous attendance.” Clernault (Papal Negotiations) states she was accompanied by “all the principal Lords of her court.”
CSP Scottish
CSP Spanish
CSP Venetian
Clernault’s report, in Papal Negotiations
Lennox Narrative
Keith
CSP Scottish
CSP Venetian; Giovanni Correr, the Venetian ambassador in Paris, was informed of this by Moretta.
CSP Venetian (Moretta to Correr); Book of Articles; Lennox Narrative; Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections; Crawford’s deposition in Cambridge University Library; Buchanan: History; untitled ballad on the death of Darnley by Robert Lekprevik of Edinburgh, in CSP Scottish; CSP Spanish—de Silva says Mary gave Darnley “a jewel.”
Lennox Narrative; Buchanan repeats this in his History
Nau
Collector of the Queen’s rents.
Thomas Wilson
Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
CSP Scottish
Buchanan; Thomas Wilson
Mahon: Tragedy of Kirk o’Field
Bothwell
Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
CSP Scottish
Lennox Narrative
Nelson’s deposition, in Pitcairn, Goodall and Anderson: Collections
Buchanan
Nau
16. “MOST CRUEL MURDER”
Additional MSS.; CSP Venetian
Mondovi to Cosimo de’ Medici, in Labanoff; Mondovi to Alessandria, 15/16 March 1567, in Papal Negotiations. Mondovi had received this information from Moretta.
The Privy Council to Catherine de’ Medici, 10 February 1567, in the Sloane MSS.
Buchanan
Mary to Archbishop Beaton, 10/11 February 1567, in Keith; cf. the Seigneur de Clernault in State Papers in the Public Record Office, CSP Scottish and Papal Negotiations
State Papers in the Public Record Office; CSP Scottish; Papal Negotiations
Pitcairn
Sloane MSS.
Ibid.; Keith
Historie of James the Sext
State Papers in the Public Record Office; CSP Scottish; Papal Negotiations
Additional MSS.
Buchanan
Clernault, in State Papers in the Public Record Office, CSP Scottish and Papal Negotiations. According to Buchanan, “the Queen, in great expectation of success, how finely she played her part it is marvellous to tell: for she not once stirred at the noise of the fall of the house, which shook the whole town, nor at the fearful outcries that followed.” Lennox states that, “upon the crack and noise, which the Queen waited for to hear, she went to bed” (Lennox Narrative ). Buchanan says much the same thing elsewhere, and in the Book of Articles claims that the explosion “neither feared nor moved the Queen.”
