James VI and I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
(1566–1625), King of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, died on 27 March 1625 at
Theobalds
Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace) in the parish of Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire, was a significant stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries. Set in extensive parkland, it was a r ...
, and was buried at
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
on 7 May 1625.
At Theobalds
![Charles I (1625)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Charles_I_%281625%29.jpg)
Although King James had become increasingly infirm, he continued to ride and hunt. In December 1624,
Oliver Browne, an upholsterer and furniture maker, provided six portable chairs to use at the hunt, and six special chairs to lift him to and from his bed.
The King's final illness included a fever, described as a "tertian ague". He was attended by a physician,
William Paddy, who came to Theobalds on 25 March, and told him the end was near. When King James was on his deathbed at Theobalds, it was said that
Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham
Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham (née Beaumont; c. 1570 – 19 April 1632) is perhaps best known as the mother of the royal favourite Sir George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. She was the daughter of Anthony Beaumont of Glenfield, Le ...
had arranged for his treatment with a plaster or
poultice
A poultice, also called a cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth and placed over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body. It can be used on wounds, such as cuts.
'Poultice ...
applied to his chest, stomach, and wrist. This angered his Scottish-born physician John Craig who rebuked her. For his speeches to the Countess, Craig was ordered to leave court. The
Earl of Kellie
The title Earl of Kellie or Kelly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1619 for Sir Thomas Erskine, who was Captain of the Guard and Groom of the Stool for James VI. It is named after Barony of Kellie in Fife, Scotland. Since 1875, i ...
, a Scottish courtier, described the rumour and the
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham.
...
's anger at it:
There has something fallen out here much disliked, and I for myself think much mistaken, and that is this. My Lord of Bukkinghame wishing mutche the Kings healthe caused splaister to be applyed to the Kings breast, after which his Majesty was extremely sick, and with all did give him a drink or syrup to drink; and this was which has spread such a business here and discontent as you would wonder, and Doctor Craig is now absented from court and Harry Gibb of the bedchamber is quarrelled for it (blamed), and my Lord Buckingham so incensed".
Buckingham's doctor, John Remington, is known to have attended James at Theobalds in March 1625. He gave the Duke's servant and barber John Baker a recipe for a drink called a julep or
posset
A posset (also historically spelled poshote, poshotte) was originally a popular British hot drink made of milk curdled with wine or ale, often spiced, which was often used as a remedy.
The original drink became extinct and the name was revived ...
. After the king's death, Remington and other physicians including
Matthew Lister
Matthew Lister (born 1992) is a British slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 2008 to 2015, predominantly in the C2 class with Rhys Davies.
He won two bronze medals in the C2 team event at the ICF Canoe Sl ...
disputed the provenance and composition of a medical plaster found on the body. Subsequently,
George Eglisham amplified rumours by publishing the ''
Forerunner of Revenge'', a pamphlet blaming Buckingham and his doctors for hastening the king's death.
James died on Sunday 27 March at
noon
Noon (or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for meridiem, literally 12:00 noon), 12 p.m. (for post meridiem, literally "after noon"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour clock) or 1200 ( military time).
Sola ...
.
King Charles was proclaimed at the gate of Theobalds by the
Knight Marshal
The Knight Marshal is a former office in the British Royal Household established by King Henry III in 1236. The position later became a Deputy to the Earl Marshal from the reign of King Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846.
The Kni ...
,
Edward Zouch
Sir Edward Zouch of Woking (died 1634) was a courtier to English kings James and Charles I, a masque actor, and Knight Marshal of the King's Household.
He was the son of Sir Willam Zouch or Zouche. His mother's name is not known.
Career Marria ...
. The Earl of Kellie advised that proclamations should speak of the "
King of Great Britain
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 Bailiwi ...
", rather than putting one nation of the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
first, as in "England and Scotland" or "Scotland and England". The proclamation sent for reading at the
Mercat cross of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
accordingly referred to the "late King of Grite Britane, France and Ireland". A messenger was sent to
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
Elizabeth Stuart (19 August 159613 February 1662) was Electress of the Palatinate and briefly Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Frederick V of the Palatinate. Since her husband's reign in Bohemia lasted for just one winter, she is called the Win ...
, at
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
with money and black cloth to place her household in mourning.
A commission of Earls met in the council chamber at
Whitehall Palace
The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. H ...
to determine the detail of the funeral and processions. After an autopsy, the king's coffin was placed on a carriage at Theobalds and brought to Denmark House on the
Strand
Strand may refer to:
Topography
*The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a:
** Beach
** Shoreline
* Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida
Places Africa
* Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa
* Strand Street ...
in the early hours of the morning. A torchlight procession through the streets of London was spoiled by foul weather.
Denmark House
![Jan Kip - Somerset House - B1977](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Jan_Kip_-_Somerset_House_-_B1977.14.18272_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art.jpg)
The aristocrats at court were expected to follow the cortège from Theobalds or await the arrival of the body at
Somerset House, then known as Denmark House. Instead, the Earls of
Roxburghe and
Morton Morton may refer to:
People
* Morton (surname)
* Morton (given name)
Fictional
* Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3''
* A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise
* A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...
went out of London to make merry with
Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford
Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford ( Harington; 1580–1627) was a major aristocratic patron of the arts and literature in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, the primary non-royal performer in contemporary court masques, a letter-writer, and a ...
at
Moor Park. This "absurdity" caused comment and remark.
The body of King James lay in state at Denmark House. The rooms were draped with black cloth and the coffin covered with black velvet. A lifelike wooden effigy of the king was placed on top, dressed in royal robes. The room was lit with six silver candlesticks that Prince Charles had bought in Spain in 1623.
The King's former servants watched at Denmark House, and they became anxious that they might lose their positions and lodgings. It was thought that Charles would keep them on and let his old servants go. Easter Day was April 17. There was plague in London and Dover.
John Donne preached at Denmark House on 26 April, in the Great Hall, as there was no chapel in the building. Two days before the funeral, the effigy was moved into a second space within Denmark House, the Great hall with a bay window, which was now decorated and draped in black like a funerary chapel, and Charles attended while the body was placed in the presence chamber.
Charles I stayed at
Whitehall Palace
The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. H ...
where the chapel was draped with black cloth like the rooms at Denmark House. The Duke of Buckingham stayed in an adjacent room. Charles began to enforce stricter etiquette at the palace than his late father. Lucy, Countess of Bedford, compared the new formality to the court of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
.
Holyrood Palace
In Scotland, rooms at
Holyrood Palace were also draped with symbolic black cloth. The cloth was supplemented with wall paintings by James Warkman. In 1626 the cloth was given to the keepers of the palace and Warkman painted over the black decoration, but traces remain behind later panelling.
Funeral at Westminster
Black mourning cloth was provided for 9,000 people to attend the funeral. A number of servants, gunners, and former members of the household of
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...
petitioned the committee for an allowance of mourning livery, including Robert and
John Wood who had kept the king's
cormorants
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven gen ...
for 16 years. The hearse used in the Abbey was designed by
Inigo Jones. A second fully articulated effigy for the Abbey was made by
Maximilian Colt. Colt had made a wax
death mask
A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits. It ...
of the king's face at Theobalds to model these effigies. The wigs for the effigies were made by Daniel Parkin. The faces were painted by Colt and
John de Critz, who also provided heraldic
funerary hatchment
A funerary hatchment is a depiction within a black lozenge-shaped frame, generally on a black ('' sable'') background, of a deceased's heraldic achievement, that is to say the escutcheon showing the arms, together with the crest and supp ...
s and banners for Denmark House and the Abbey.
James VI and I was buried at Westminster Abbey on the evening before the funeral.
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
was the chief mourner on the day of the state funeral. He walked from Somerset House to the Abbey. As the king's effigy was placed in Inigo Jones's hearse or catafalque in the choir of Abbey, the Catholic ambassadors left the building.
John Williams,
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.
The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...
, gave a two-hour sermon.
John Chamberlain wrote that "all was performed with great magnificence, but the order was very confused and disorderly". He heard the ceremony cost over £50,000.
A diplomat from Tuscany, Alessandro Antelminelli ''alias'' Amerigo Salvetti of
Lucca
Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.
Lucca is known as one ...
, described the procession from Denmark House and the funeral. Williams (whose sermon was published) and Donne both discussed King James as ''Rex Pacificus'' a peacemaking king, and a modern
Solomon.
There was no monument for James at the Abbey, although he commissioned monuments for
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
, his mother
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...
, and his own English-born daughters
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
and
Sophia. The place of his interment was rediscovered by
Dean Stanley
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, (13 December 1815 – 18 July 1881), known as Dean Stanley, was an English Anglican priest and ecclesiastical historian. He was Dean of Westminster from 1864 to 1881. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he w ...
in February 1869 in the vault containing the coffins of
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...
and
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which mark ...
. The body of his wife,
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...
, had been buried nearby on 13 May 1619. The antiquary
John Dart
John Dart (died 1730) was an English lawyer and cleric, known as an antiquary and man of letters.
Life
Initially an attorney, but not successful in the profession, Dart obtained a title for holy orders. In 1728, he was presented by the master ...
saw a labelled urn containing the embalmed organs of Anne of Denmark in 1718, which he thought had been moved in 1674 during the reburial of the
Princes in the Tower
The Princes in the Tower refers to the apparent murder in England in the 1480s of the deposed King Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. These two brothers were the only sons of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville sur ...
. A similar urn for King James was not found in 1869.
Attendants at the funeral
The chief mourner was Charles I. His supporters were the Earls of
Arundel and
Rutland. His train was carried by the
Duke of Lennox
The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lenno ...
, the
Marquess of Hamilton, the
Earl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh (pronounced 'Denby') is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1622 for William Feilding, 1st Viscount Feilding, a courtier, admiral, adventurer, and brother-in-law of the powerful Duke of Buckingham. The title is ...
, and Lords
Maltravers and
Strange. The king's two attendants were
Robert Kerr of the bedchamber and
James Fullerton
James Herd Fullerton (April 9, 1909 – March 3, 1991) was an American ice hockey coach and referee. In 1992 he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Early years
Fullerton learned to play hockey at Beverly High School (class ...
,
Groom of the Stool. There were 14 Earls as assistants to the chief mourner.
The
Earl of Nithsdale
Earl of Nithsdale was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1620 for Robert Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell, with remainder to heirs male. He was made Lord Maxwell, Eskdale and Carlyle at the same time. The title of Lord Maxwell had be ...
was an Earl Assistant. The other Scottish earls at the ceremony, not among the "close mourners", included;
Linlithgow
Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...
,
Home,
Wigton
Wigton is a market town in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies just outside the Lake District in the borough of Allerdale. Wigton is at the centre of the Solway Plain, between the Caldbeck Fells an ...
,
Tullibardine Tullibardine is a location in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, which gives its name to a village, a castle and a grant of nobility.
The village of Tullibardine is a settlement of approximately forty dwellings about southwest of Perth. It lies in the ...
, Roxburghe, Kellie,
Buccleuch Buccleuch may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places Australia
* Buccleuch County, an administrative division in New South Wales, Australia
* Buccleuch, South Australia, a small locality and railway station
* County of Buccleuch, an administrative division in ...
,
Melrose,
Annandale, and
Lauderdale
Lauderdale is the valley of the Leader Water (a tributary of the Tweed) in the Scottish Borders. It contains the town of Lauder, as well as Earlston. The valley is traversed from end to end by the A68 trunk road, which runs from Darlington to ...
.
[''Progresses of James I'', vol. 4 (London, 1828), p. 1048.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Death and funeral of James VI and I
1625 in England
James VI and I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
James VI and I
James VI and I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
Westminster Abbey