James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

(1566–1625), son of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) and Lord Darnley (1546–1567), was crowned

King of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

Adam Bothwell Adam Bothwell, Lord of Session (c.1527, Edinburgh – 1593, Edinburgh), was a Scottish clergyman, judge, and politician. He served as Bishop of Orkney (1559), Commendator of Holyrood House (1570), Extraordinary Lord of Session (1563–4), and as ...

, Bishop of Orkney, in the

Holy Rude Kirk The Church of the Holy Rude (Scottish Gaelic: ''Eaglais na Crois Naoimh'') is the medieval parish church of Stirling, Scotland. It is named after the Holy Rood, a relic of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The church was founded in 11 ...

at Stirling on 29 July 1567.

Abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in the island castle of Lochleven following her surrender at the Battle of Carberry Hill. On 24 July she was forced to sign abdication papers in favour of her son. Her keeper at Lochleven, William Douglas, had a legal paper drawn up on 28 July 1567, which stated that he was not present when the Queen signed this "demission" of the crown and did not know of it, and had offered to convey her to

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

for her son's coronation, which offer she refused.

Preparations

On 26 July messengers were sent to Scotland's burgh towns to announce the coronation and robes were ordered for the infant king. 62 nobles and 13 commissioners for towns signed a band or contract pledging support for James as king, and to defend the Scottish Reformation. Edinburgh's commissioners were

Michael Gilbert Michael Francis Gilbert (17 July 1912 – 8 February 2006) was an English solicitor and author of crime fiction. Early life and education Gilbert was born on 17 July 1912 in Billinghay, Lincolnshire, England to Bernard Samuel Gilbert, a writ ...

, Nicol Edward, and Robert Abercromby. Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling (5900280869)

The

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

asserted their commitment to justice and vengeance against the

Earl of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

for the murder of Lord Darnley by sending the dismembered body parts of his henchman William Blackadder for display at Stirling, Glasgow, Perth, and Dundee. The Scottish lords and Privy Council travelled to Stirling on 27 July bringing the crown, sceptre, and sword, known as the

Honours of Scotland The Honours of Scotland (, gd, Seudan a' Chrùin Albannaich), informally known as the Scottish Crown Jewels, are the regalia that were worn by Scottish monarchs at their coronation. Kept in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle, they date from the ...

, from

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

. James Melville of Halhill was sent to Hamilton to invite the Archbishop of St Andrews and Abbot of Arbroath. They did not come to Stirling, but sent their delegate Arthur Hamilton of Merritoun to make a statement of the rights of James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault and the Hamilton family to the crown of Scotland.

Coronation

Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar brought Prince James down from the castle to the Holy Rude Kirk on the afternoon of 29 July for the three hour ceremony. His mother had been crowned in the chapel in

on 9 September 1543. At the start of the proceedings in the church

Lord Lindsay Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

and Lord Ruthven declared on oath that Mary had "resigned willingly without compulsion." The Earl of Atholl carried the crown of honour, the Earl of Morton, the sceptre, and the Earl of Glencairn carried the sword of honour. Morton pronounced the coronation oath on behalf of James, the traditional ending of the Scottish coronation service. James was anointed with oil. Accounts of the ceremony mention that next Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, anointed the king and the Earl of Atholl placed the crown on his head. The Earl of Mar carried the 13 month old king back to

. The English ambassador,

Nicolas Throckmorton Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (or Throgmorton) (c. 1515/151612 February 1571) was an English diplomat and politician, who was an ambassador to France and later Scotland, and played a key role in the relationship between Elizabeth I of Englan ...

, refused to attend "as these accidents were chanced, and these matters concluded" contrary to Elizabeth's advice and wishes, but he sent his aide and cousin

Henry Middlemore Henry Middlemore (d. 1592) was an English courtier and diplomat. Career He was a younger son of Henry Middlemore of Hawkesley (d. 1549) and Margery Gatacre. His home was at Enfield in Middlesex. He leased the manor from the crown from 1582, includ ...

to Stirling. Throckmorton wrote up Middlemore's account of the ceremony and sent it to Elizabeth I:

my cowsen Henrye Myddlemore retorned from Sterlynge to thys Towne, by whom I understand thynges have passed at Sterlynge as ensueth: The 29th day of July ... the yonge Prince was crowned in the great Churche of Sterlyng by the Bisshop of Orkneye ... Mr Knox preached and tooke a place of the Scrypture forthe of the bookes of the Kynges where Joas was crowned verye yonge to treate on. Some ceremonyes accustomablye used at the Coronation of their Princes were omytted, and many retayned. Th'oath usually to be mynistered to the Kynge this realme at his coronation was taken by the Earl of Morton and the Laird of Dun on the Prynces behalfe.

The coronation robes of crimson and blue velvet were made by

James Inglis James or Jimmy Inglis may refer to: *James Charles Inglis (1851–1911), British civil engineer *James Inglis (evangelist) (1813–1872), American preacher and editor *James Inglis (murderer) (1922–1951), Scottish man executed for murder *James I ...

. The fur trim was provided by Archibald Leche. Three trumpeters, James Savoy, James Weddell, and Ramsay performed at the ceremony. The

Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

and other heralds attended. Messengers were sent to the burghs to proclaim the king. Edinburgh burgh council ordered bonfires in celebration, and inhabitants who failed to contribute were fined. A few days after the coronation, Throckmorton learned that Mary was now confined to more securely guarded lodgings in a tower at Lochleven Castle. David Hay Fleming, ''Mary Queen of Scots'' (London, 1897), 477. James VI and Anne of Denmark were crowned as king and queen consort of England on 25 July 1603.

References

{{Coronation of the British monarch, state=collapsed 1567 in Scotland Court of James VI and I James VI and I Renaissance in Scotland Scottish monarchy James VI Stirling (city)