Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley

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Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley Page 74

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.”

 

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