Mary's Return
On 5 December 1560, François, the young King of France, died, leaving
Mary a widow, and she soon saw that the best of her few options was to
go back and govern her native land. She arrived at Leith on Tuesday 19
August 1561, returning to a country which had undergone a pro-protestant
religious revolution in the meantime. The Reformation was not consolidated
in Scotland and the nation was deeply divided. Despite this, Mary was
received in the capital with joy and great ceremony. The 'Diurnal of Occurrents',
a 16th-century chronicle of Scottish events, contains what seems to be
a contemporary description of the festivities. It's notable that the children
of Edinburgh were given the religiously controversial parts of the display.
One child gave Mary Protestant translations of the Bible and the Psalms,
which in the words of Catholic courtier Lord Herries 'were scarce savourie
to her', and it was the 'bairns in the cairt' with the Queen's present
who gave her a speech about getting rid of the mass before singing a psalm
at her.
- Upoun the secund day of September lxi [1561] the quenes grace
- Upon the second day of September 1561 the queen's grace
- maid hir entres in the burgh of Edinburgh on this maner. Hir hienes
- made her entry to the burgh of Edinburgh in this manner. Her highness
- depairtit of Halyrudhous, and raid be the lang gait on the north syid
- left Holyroodhouse and rode by the long street on the North side
- of the said burgh, unto the tyme scho come to the castell, quheir wes
- of the burgh, until she came to the castle, where a gate was
- ane yet maid to hir, at the quhilk scho accumpaniit with the maist
- made for her. There she was accompanied by the most
- pairt of the nobilitie of Scotland except my lord Duke
- part of the nobility of Scotland except for the Duke and
- [Chateauherault] and his sone, come in and raid up the castell bank
- his son [the Hamiltons]. They rode up the castle bank and
- to the castell, and dynit thairin; and quhen sho had dynit at tuelf
- dined in the castle and at noon, after she had dined, her
- houris, hir hienes come furth of the said castell towart the said burgh,
- highness came out of the castle towards the burgh. At her
- at quhilk depairting the artailyerie schot vehementlie. And thairefter,
- departure the artillery shot loudly. After that as she
- quhen sho was rydand down the castellhill, thair met hir hienes ane
- was riding down the castle hill, an
- convoy of the young mene of the said burgh, to the nomber of fyftie,
- escort of about fifty of the young men of the burgh met her highness.
- or thairby, thair bodeis and theis coverit with yeallow taffateis, thair
- Their bodies and thighs were covered with yellow taffeta. Their arms
- armes and leggs fra the kne doun bair, cullorit with blak in the maner
- and legs from the knee down were bare, coloured black as though they
- of Moris, upon thair heidis blak hattis, and on their faces blak
- were moors. They had black hats upon their heads and black masks on their
- visouris, in their mowthis rings, garnesit with intellable precious
- faces, in their mouths were rings decorated with innumerable precious
- staneis, about thair neckkis, leggis and armes infynit of chenis of gold;
- stones. About their necks, arms and legs were uncountable chains of gold.
- togidder with saxtene of the maist honest men of the toun, cled in
- Together with 16 of the most notable men of the town, clad in
- velvot gownis and velvot bonettis, berand and gangand about the paill
- velvet gowns and bonnets, they bore and accompanied the canopy of cloth
- under the quhilk her hienes raid; quhilk paill wes of fyne purpour
- under which her highness rode. The canopy was of fine purple
- velvet lynit with reid taffateis, freinyiet with gold and silk; and efter
- velvet lined with red taffeta, fringed with gold and silk. Behind them
- thame wes ane cart with certane bairnes, togidder with ane coffer
- was a cart with some children, together with a coffer in which was the
- vquhairin wes the copboard and propyne quhilk suld be propynit to hir
- cupboard [a special piece of furniture for displaying plate] and the gift
- hienes; and quhen hir grace come fordwart to the butter trone of the
- which was to be presented to her highness [costly plate]. Then the queen
- said burgh, the nobilitie and convoy foirsaid precedand, at the quhilk
- came on to the Butter Tron [a public weighing machine and by extension the
- butter trone thair was ane port made of tymber, in maist honourable
- marketplace in which one stood] of Edinburgh, preceded by the nobility
- maner, cullorit with fyne cullouris, hungin with syndrie armes; upoun
- and her escort. At the tron was a gate made of timber, in the most stately
- the quhilk port thair wes ane cloud opynnand with four levis, in the
- fashion, coloured with fine colours, hanging with various heraldic devices
- quhilk wes put ane bony barne. And quhen the quenes hienes was
- and over the gate was a cloud which opened in four pieces, in the cloud
- cumand throw the said port, the said cloude opynnit, and the barne
- was a pretty child. When the queen's highness was coming through the
- discendit doun as it had bene ane angell, and deliverit to hir hienes the
- gate, the cloud opened and the child descended as if it had been an angel
- keyis of the toun, togidder with ane bybill and ane psalme buik,
- and delivered to her highness the keys of the town, together with a bible
- coverit with fyne purpourit velvot; and efter the said barne had
- and psalm book, covered with fine purple velvet. After the child had made
- spoken some small speitches, he deliverit alsua to hir hienes thre
- some small speeches, he delivered three documents to her highness, the
- writingis, the tennour thairof is uncertane. That being done, the barne
- nature of which is uncertain. When that was done the child went
- ascendit on the cloud and the said cloude stekit; and therefter the
- up on the cloud and the cloud closed. After that the queen came down to
- quenis grace come doun to the tolbooth, at the quhilk was [ ]
- the Tolbooth, at which was a [ ]
- upoun two skassattis, ane abone and ane under that; upon the under
- upon two scaffolds, one above and one under it, on the bottom one was
- was situat ane fair wirgin, callit Fortoune, under the quhilk was thrie
- a fair maiden representing Fortune, beneath whom were three fair
- fair virgynnis, all cled in maist precious attyrement, callit [ ] justice
- maidens all clothed in the most precious garments called [ ] justice and
- and policie. And efter ane litill speitche maid thair, the quenis grace
- policy. And after a little speech made there, the queen's grace came to the
- come to the croce, quhair thair was standand four fair virgynnis, cled
- burgh cross, where four fair maidens clothed in the most heavenly
- in maist hevenlie clething, and fra the quhilk croce the wyne ran out
- clothing were standing. From the cross wine poured out abundantly at the
- at the spouttis in greit abundance; thair wes the noyis of pepill casting
- spouts, there could be heard the noise of people throwing down the
- the glassis with wyne. This being done, our soverane ladie come to the
- glasses with wine. This being done, our sovereign lady came to the
- salt trone, quhair thair wes sum spekaris; and efter ane litill speitche,
- Salt Tron, where there were some speakers and after a little speech,
- thai brunt upoun the skasset maid at the said trone, the maner of ane
- they burnt the representation of a sacrifice upon the scaffold made at that
- sacrifice; and swa that being done, sho depairtit to the nether bow,
- tron. That being done, she left for the Nether Bow
- quhair thair wes ane uther skasset maid, havand ane dragoun in the
- where there was another scaffold made with a dragon in it
- samyn, with some speiches; and efter the dragoun wes brynt, and the
- and more speeches. After the dragon was burnt, the
- quenis grace hard ane psalme song, hir hienes past to hir abbay of
- queen heard a psalm sung. Her highness then went to the abbey of
- Halyrudhouse with the said convoy and nobilities; and thair the
- Holyroodhouse with her escort and the nobles. There the
- barins quhilk wes in the cairt with the propyne maid some speitche
- children in the cart with the gift made a speech about
- concernyng the putting away of the mess and thairefter sang ane
- abolishing the mass and after that sang a
- psalme; this being done, the cart come to Edinburgh, and the said
- psalm. This being done the cart came to Edinburgh and the notable
- honest men remaynit in hir utter chalmer, and desyred hir grace to
- men of the burgh remained in her outer chamber and desired her grace to
- ressave the said copebord, quhilk wes double ourgilt; the price wes
- receive the cupboard which was double gilded and worth
- 2,000 merkis; quha ressavit the samyne, and thankit thame thairof.
- 2,000 marks. She received it and thanked them and so the notables
- And sua the honest men and convoy come to Edinburgh.
- and the escort returned to Edinburgh.
A Diurnal of Remarkable Occurrents that have passed within
the Country of Scotland since the death of King James the Fourth,
ed. T. Thomson, Bannatyne Club, 1833.