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Documents of the Month - September

As part of national Archives Awareness Month www.aamsept2003.com which has the theme of 'Love and Hate', four documents have been selected that focus on James VI of Scotland's ambivalent relationships with four women who were central in his life.

Click here to view PDF of all four documents (614k)

Document 1

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was James' mother. Although lavish celebrations accompanied James' baptism in 1566, the religious and political divisions that were sweeping the country quickly fractured the relationship between the Queen and her son and heir. When the Queen's stepbrother, The Earl of Moray, and others deposed Mary in the name of the infant James, Mary's split from her son became permanent. From his infancy, until Mary's execution when James was twenty, they never met. The possible implication of Mary in the murder of James' father Lord Darnley further obstructed a possible reconciliation.

This document records the fireworks arranged for James' baptism at Stirling Castle in December 1566. The baptism was performed according to Catholic rites and was boycotted by Darnley, the Scottish Protestant Lords and the English ambassador. The religious ceremony was but one part of three days of tournaments, banquets and masques, which had taken four months to prepare. The account shown here records the expenses of John Chisholm, controller of the artillery, for saltpetre, turpentine, quick silver and other substances for the fireworks.

Document 2

A handwritten letter from the young James thanking 'Lady Minny' for a gift of fruit.

Annabella, Countess of Mar provided a surrogate maternal influence during the childhood of James. She was the wife of the Earl of Mar, into whose care James had been placed in March 1567.

The Countess acted as foster mother to the King during his mother's incarceration in England. James clearly appreciated the kindness shown by the Countess, whom he referred to as 'Lady Minny'. As a Protestant and the wife of a leading member of the anti-Bothwell (Mary's third husband) faction in Scottish politics Annabella's influence on young James would have been significant. In 1571, in a letter not reproduced here, Elizabeth I of England wrote to the Countess of Mar commending the work she was doing in raising the future King, whose position with regard to the English succession must, even then, have been on Elizabeth's mind.

Document 3

Anna of Denmark was James' wife, and mother of his eventual successor Charles I. As a king, James must have felt an inherent responsibility to provide a legitimate heir to the Scottish throne. This had been passed down in direct line through seven Stuart monarchs for over 200 years. James chose Anna, daughter of Frederick II of Denmark, as his wife after lengthy negotiations for a Protestant French princess had failed.

Anna was 14 when James married her and her playfulness and love of gaiety, which James originally praised in sonnets and poetry, seem also to have been a source of frustration. In the letter reproduced here, James complains of Anna's determination to go riding whilst pregnant with her first child, Prince Henry. He shows his frustration, blaming Anna's 'wilfulness' on her condition. The letter is written to Robert Bruce (1554-1631). Bruce was directly descended, through a female line, from the Royal Family. He was appointed Extraordinary Privy Councillor to James VI and Moderator of the Church of Scotland twice. He crowned Anna as Queen 17 March 1590, but from 1596 onwards his relationship with the monarchy broke down and he spent most of the rest of his life out of favour at court.

Document 4

Elizabeth I of England has sent several thousand pounds to help finance the wedding of James and Anna. Of course, it was not just the throne of Scotland for which James and his young wife were to provide an heir. James was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I of England through both his father and mother, giving him a strong claim to the English throne once the childless Queen should vacate it.

Elizabeth, however, chose never formally to name a successor and, despite granting the Scottish King generous sums of money, she seems to have been unsure whether she trusted James with her kingdom after her death. Despite his Catholic baptism, James had kept Scotland a nominally Protestant country and pursued generally pro-English policies. However, Elizabethan England had several reservations about his claim to its throne, not least that he was an 'alien' Prince.

This page from the Register of the Privy Council in Scotland reproduces a letter from Elizabeth to James in which she mentions that she has not spared the English treasury in keeping his position safe as she had 'evin frome your birth, a special cair over you, yea als grite as ye had bene oure awne cheild'. This would seem to be more of a turn of phrase than a genuine emotion; however there is little doubt that donating funds to a Protestant monarch in Scotland made political sense, particularly as the situation in Europe was unsettled during the late sixteenth century.

Transcripts:

Click here to view PDF of all four documents (614k)

Document 1 E23/3/45

Expensis maid be Johnne chisholme comptrollar of the
artailzerye wpoun certane nu[m]mer of fyrework[is] Ordanit be the
Quenes majesties, to be maid
and put to execution at the baptisme of hir hienes darrest sone
in striuiling The said expe[n]sis begi[n]ning the xix day of
November 1566 And ending the xxii day of december
nixt eftir following As at mair Lenth is [con]tenit in ev[er]y article of
this p[rese]nt compt

Item in the first payit to James barroun carter
of Lay[th] for his passing out of the said toun to
the castell of du[n]bar, and [ther] fra brocht upoun his
cart to the said toun of lay[th] four barrellis of
ca[n]noun poulder to serve for making of the fyre
work[is] and ane Littill barrel w[ith] bru[n]tstane
and roset to the same affect Ls

Item payit to James Hector ordinar gu[n]nar
send to du[n]bar for getting of the said poulder
be and precept of the Q[uenes] ma[ies]teis to the Laird
of quhitlaw, for his expe[n]sis and horss fee xxiiis

Item payit to michaell gairdner gu[n]nar and
poulder makar in the castell of Edimbur[ch]t
passing from the sami[n] to the toun of Stirviling
for making of fyrework[is] and bying of stuff
to that poirpos togidd[er] for his panes and exp[en]sis
The soume of xl

Item payit to the said James Hector at ane u[thir]
tyme passing towart[is] the Q[uenes] ma[ies]tie than being
in du[n]bar w[i]t[h] Letters to Infome hir hienes of
the proceiding of the foirsaid[is] fyrework co[n]forme
to hir g[race's] precept [thar]upoun And als to require of

Document 2 GD124/10/45

lady minny this is to Schaw you that I have re-
ceiuit your fruite & thankes you theifoir &
is readie for mee quhen ye pleis to send them
& sall gif a few by me as I may & I will
not trouble you further quhill meting quk
sall be as schontlie as I may god willing and
so fair ye weall as I do thks to god.
James R

Document 3 GD1/240/5

M. Robert my wife hes this daye gevin comande to her sevandis to make all
thingis readdie for her ryding againis tysdaye next & sho hes saide to my self
flattelie that sho will ryde & that for the cause that ye uaite of
hou sho is mouid sen youre speiking with her god knawis & not I for
quhen I speirid at her quhat uas betwixt you & her sho saide ye could
tell & walde saye na farther thairfore I praye you cam doune heir
the morne after nune & uairne M. David to be heir lykewayes that
I may speike uith you for I ualde be sorie that sho soulde trauell
In this wether sho being in the cace that sho is thouche to be in quilk
I feir makis her the maire uillfull: farewell
James R

Document 4 PC1/16 - Page 486

The quhilk day, in prescence of the Kingis Majestie and Lordis of Secreit
Counsaill, compeirit personalie Maister Richard Cokburne, keipair of the prevey seill, and produceit and gaif in to his Hienes the letter undirwrittin,
subscrivit be his darrest suster, the Quene of England, concerning the
annuitie promittit to be payit yeirlie to his Majestie, and the richt and
title quhilk his Hienes hes or may pretend to the crowne and kingdome
of England, desiring that the same letter micht be registrat in the buikis
of Secreit Counsale and he exonerit thairof: quhilk desire his Majestie and
the saidis Lordis finding ressounable, hes acceptit and acceptis the same
lettre, exonering him thairof for evir, and ordains the same to be registrat
in the buikis of Secreit Counsaill, and ane Act to be maid thairupoun ad futuram rei memorium. Off the quhilk letter the tennour followis: - Richt
heich, richt excellent and michtie Prince, in our hairtiest maner we
recommend us unto you: - Quhair as of late thair hes passed betuix us, by
mutuall lettres, messageis and ambassageis, mony offeis of singulair gude
will and friendship, and amangis thame ane of most likeloode and force
to have suir continuance, in yielding to contract a firme league mutuallie, both of offence and defence, for everie of us agains all suche without
exception as, for oure professioun and maintenance of Christeane religioun
in oure kingdome, do or sall pretend to molest and disturbe oure esteatis,
ather by practise or force, we have, in consideration heirof, determined to mak sum forder demonstratioun toward you, as to oure darrest bruther
and cousin, offering as you have done to be confederat with us in a
straitar band then hath bene usuallie betuix ony of oure progenitouris.
And thairfoir, as we have had always, evin frome your birth, a special cair
over you, yea als grite as ye had bene oure awne cheild, for your saulftie
in all your troublesum tymes, not having spared our treasure nor the
blude of oure subjectis, nor the displesour of uther Princeis, so meane we
to continew the same cair als lang as we sall find your thankfull
dispositioun and kind accepting of oure favours; and, for a taikin thairof,
considering that God hath endowed us with a Crowne that yeildest moir
yeirlie proffeit to us then we undertand yours doeth to you, by reassoun of
the dissipatioun and evill government thairof of lang tyme befoir your
birth, we have laitlie sent to you a portioun mete for your awne privat use,
thocht not sa large as oure mynd wald yield, bot yit suche as the tyme at
this present permitteth us to do, - being, as yourself can weill consider, of
late yeiris pressed to entir into verie grite and sindrie chargeis for saulftie
of oure awne cuntreyis, and for defence of oure nightbouris, oppressed in
mony pairtis verie neir unto us by thame wiche seik, by oure nichtbouris
ruyne, the generall extirpatioun of the Gospell professed in oure cuntreis
and youris also. Bot yit we hoip in the Lord God, for quhais cause we ar
constrained to entir into sa grite expenssis, that we sall heireftir have
oportunitie always to continew and not to lessen this maner of kyndnes
towardis you, bot rather, as caussall require, to increaseit: wherof by this
oure writing we wald have you to mak ane assuired accompt as long as
your present kyndnes shall appeir to continew towards us. And,
furthermoir, we add heirunto and uthir firme promeis in the worde of a
Quene, - that, as we nevir did willinglie suffir ony act to be attempted
publictlie or privatlie to damnifie or derogat your honour, sa will we nevir
directlie or indirectlie do, or suffir to be done, ony thing that we may latt
or withstand to the dimunitioun, impairing or dirogatioun of ony greatnes,
richt or title, that may be due to you in ony sorte, or in ony tyme
present or future, unless by ony manifest ingratitude (wiche we hope sall
nevir proceid from you) we should be justlie moved and provoked to the
contrarie. And, for your bettir satisfactioun in these tua kyndis of
gratitudes, most deirlie beloved bruthir and cousin, we have comprised
the same in this oure letter, signed with oure awne hand and sealed with
oure previe seal. And so, richt heich, richt excellent and michtie
Prince, oure darrest bruther and cousin, we pray God to have you always
in his blessed keeping. Writtin at oure Manour of Grenewiche, the
Second day of Junii 1586. Sic subscribitur: Your most assuired suster
And cousin, Elizabeth, R.