![Mary Stuart Queen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Mary_Stuart_Queen.jpg)
The wardrobe of
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 Scot ...
, was described in several contemporary documents, and many records of her costume have been published.
Clothes for a queen
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) lived in France between 1548 and 1560 and clothing bought for her is particularly well-documented in the year 1551. Her wedding dress in 1558 was described in some detail. More detailed records of her costume survive from her time in Scotland, with purchases recorded in the royal treasurer's accounts and wardrobe accounts kept by
Servais de Condé Servais de Condé or Condez (employed 1561-1574) was a French servant at the court of Mary Queen of Scots, in charge of her wardrobe and the costumes for masques performed at court.
Varlet of the Wardrobe
He was usually referred to as Servais or ...
. Inventories were made of her clothing and
her jewellery during her time in Scotland and after she
abdicated
Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...
and went to England. Details of her costume on the day of her execution at
Fotheringhay
Fotheringhay is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northamptonshire, England, north-east of Oundle and around west of Peterborough. It is most noted for being the site of Fotheringhay Castle, Fotheringhay (or Fotheringay ...
in 1587 were widely reported and circulated in manuscript.
Few details of known of Mary's clothes in infancy in Scotland, except that Margaret Balcomie, or Malcomy, had an allowance of soap and coal to warm the water to wash her linen. In 1548 her mother,
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...
, asked her envoy
Henri Cleutin
Henri Cleutin, seigneur d'Oisel et de Villeparisis (1515 – 20 June 1566), was the representative of France in Scotland from 1546 to 1560, a Gentleman of the Chamber of the King of France, and a diplomat in Rome 1564-1566 during the French Wars o ...
to buy
cloth of gold
Cloth of gold or gold cloth (Latin: ''Tela aurea'') is a fabric woven with a gold-wrapped or spun weft—referred to as "a spirally spun gold strip". In most cases, the core yarn is silk, wrapped (''filé'') with a band or strip of high conten ...
for a gown for her, from the merchants who served the French court. In France in 1551, her clothes were embroidered with jewels, a white satin skirt front and sleeves featured 120 diamonds and rubies, and coifs for her hair had gold buttons or rubies, sewn by her tailor Nicolas du Moncel. She wore
farthingale
A farthingale is one of several structures used under Western European women's clothing in the 16th and 17th centuries to support the skirts in the desired shape and enlarge the lower half of the body. It originated in Spain in the fifteenth c ...
s, and danced in masques (with the French governess
Françoise d'Humières Françoise d'Humières, Dame de Contay, née ''de Contay'' (circa 1489-1557), was a French court official; she served as Governess of the Children of France from 1546 to 1557.
Françoise d'Humières was the daughter of Charles de Contay, sénéchal ...
) in costumes made with lightweight silver and gold fabrics decorated with silver and gold metallic spangles. These were a type of
sequin
A sequin () is a small, typically shiny, generally disk-shaped ornament.
Sequins are also referred to as paillettes, spangles, or ''diamanté'' (also spelled ''diamante''). Although the words sequins, paillettes, lentejuelas, and spangles can ...
called ''papillotes'' in French.
In 1554 her governess
Françoise d'Estainville, Dame de Paroy, wrote to Mary of Guise asking permission to buy two diamonds to lengthen one of Mary's headbands with rubies and pearls. She also wanted to buy a new gown of cloth-of-gold for Mary to wear at the wedding of
Nicolas, Count of Vaudémont (1524–1577), and Princess Joanna of
Savoy-Nemours (1532–1568) at
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...
. This new costume was intended to emulate the fashion adopted by the French princesses of the blood,
Elisabeth of Valois
Elisabeth of France or Elisabeth of Valois ( es, Isabel de Valois; french: Élisabeth de France) (2 April 1545 – 3 October 1568) was Queen of Spain as the third spouse of Philip II of Spain. She was the eldest daughter of Henry II of France ...
and
Claude of France (1547–1575)
Claude of France (12 November 1547 – 21 February 1575) was a French princess as the second daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici, and Duchess of Lorraine by marriage to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine.
Biography
Claude was ...
. In a letter to her mother, Mary mentions a pair of embroidered sleeves that were being made for her in Scotland.
Some of Mary's Scottish coinage was designed by
John Acheson, who visited the court in France in 1553. Coins including the gold ryal show her in profile, wearing a caul or hairnet with two jewelled bands. Several sets of these bands appear in her
jewel inventories listed in French in pairs as ''bordures'' or ''brodures'', the ''bordure de touret'' at the forehead and the longer ''bordure d'oriellette'' over the head. In England, the equivalent accessories for
French hood
The French hood is a type of woman's headgear that was popular in Western Europe in the 16th century.
The French hood is characterized by a rounded shape, contrasted with the angular "English" or gable hood. It is worn over a coif, and has a bla ...
s were called upper and nether billiments.
Mourning clothes in white and black
After her first husband
Francis II of France
Francis II (french: François II; 19 January 1544 – 5 December 1560) was King of France from 1559 to 1560. He was also King consort of Scotland as a result of his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1558 until his death in 1560.
He ...
died in 1560, Mary wore a form of mourning called ''deuil blanc'', involving a white pleated
cambric
Cambric or batiste, is a fine dense cloth. It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often gl ...
veil. Her portrait was drawn by
François Clouet
François Clouet (c. 1510 – 22 December 1572), son of Jean Clouet, was a French Renaissance miniaturist and painter, particularly known for his detailed portraits of the French ruling family.
Historical references
François Clouet was born in ...
, and reproduced in several painted versions made after her death. The paintings indicate either a dark blue or green gown, not present in the drawing. Mary discussed her image as a woman in mourning with the English ambassador
Nicholas 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 ...
in the context of sending her portrait to Queen Elizabeth. Throckmorton's letter suggests she was not wearing the ''deuil'' when they spoke in August 1560. She also wrote a poem on her portrait, image, ''deuil'', and her pale violet cheek. The verse may be a response to the courtier poet
Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme
Pierre de Bourdeille (, – 15 July 1614), called the seigneur et abbé de Brantôme, was a French historian, soldier and biographer.
Life
Born at Bourdeilles in the Périgord, Brantôme was the third son of the baron François de Bourde ...
, who wrote of her snow white complexion merging with the white ''deuil''.
In September 1561 tailors and "boys" made black mourning "dule" riding cloaks and skirts for
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 Scot ...
, and her 15 ladies to wear at her
Entry to Edinburgh. Mary wore black Florence serge, the other costumes were made from 50 ells of cheaper black stemming.
The royal accounts for November 1561 mention the women of the household transitioning into a "second mourning", or perhaps receiving their second allowance of black velvet mourning clothes. In December 1561, Mary solemnly observed the anniversary of her husband's death with Obertino Solaro, Monsieur de Moret, the ambassador of Savoy. The English ambassador,
Thomas Randolph, noted that the Scottish nobles at court did not wearing mourning "dewle" for the day. One "dule weid" mourning outfit comprised a large veil and seven components or pieces of "black crisp of silk".
In April 1562, Randolph wrote about plans for Mary's interview with Elizabeth in England, and he thought the Scottish party would be dressed in black cloth, to suit Mary's wearing of mourning clothes and also save money. At the end of May, Mary invited the Hepburn or
Cockburn Laird of Ormistoun, the
Earl of Cassilis
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
, and others to come the borders for the meeting of the queens. They were instructed that her "whole train will be clad in dule, therefore address you and such as will be in your company in like sort". The meeting (at York) was cancelled. Mary made a progress to Aberdeen and
Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle ( gd, Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. The present structure is ...
instead.
Mary incorporated mourning clothes into the ceremony when she married Lord Darnley on 29 July 1565. She entered the chapel of Holyroodhouse wearing "a great mourning gown of black" with a hood, a costume said to resemble her dress at her first husband's funeral. After the wedding and mass, she went to her bedchamber and courtiers unpinned these garments, and her ladies put on her new costume. There were three wedding rings, a gold ring with a rich diamond and red enamelling was perhaps the principal. Her costume and its solemn removal was described by Thomas Randolph in a letter to the
Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837.
Early creations ...
:
She had on her backe the greate murning gowne of blacke, with the greate wyde murning hood, not unlyke unto that whiche she woore the deulfull daye of the buriall of her husbonde ... there n her chamberbeinge required according to the solemnitie to off her care, and leave asyde these sorrowful garments ... she suffreth them that stood by, every man that could approve, to tayke owte a pyne, and so being committed unto her ladies, changed her garments.
Mary's mourning clothes after the death of
Darnley
Darnley is an area in south-west Glasgow, Scotland, on the A727 just west of Arden (the areas are separated by the M77 motorway although a footbridge connects them). Other nearby neighbourhoods are Priesthill to the north, Southpark Village to ...
in February 1567 required 24 papers of pins. The fabric was black serge of Florence, with some black plaid, the skirt and sleeves were silk chamlet lined with taffeta, the headdresses were linen and camerage (
cambric
Cambric or batiste, is a fine dense cloth. It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often gl ...
). Florian Broshere, the tapestry worker and embroiderer, draped her bed and hanged the chapel at Holyrood with fine French black.
Clothing in the inventories and treasurer's accounts
During Mary's adult reign in Scotland, purchases of textiles for her clothes and payments for tailors appear in the accounts of the
Lord Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...
. Her mother, Mary of Guise, as Regent (1554-1560) had paid for her clothes from her own French incomes. Mary had a wardrobe as a department of her household, with several officers and artisans including tailors and embroiderers, and the "tapissiers" who looked after tapestry, beds, and furniture with her ''menusier'', the household carpenter or upholsterer. In March 1566 she rewarded her French embroiderer, Pier Veray, with the lucrative position of clerk of the customs of Edinburgh, an office taken from a suspect in the murderer of
David Riccio
David Rizzio ( ; it, Davide Rizzio ; – 9 March 1566) or Riccio ( , ) was an Italian courtier, born in Pancalieri close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts di San Paolo e Solbrito ...
. There were workers outside the household too, mostly in Edinburgh, including the Flemish shoemaker
Fremyn Alezard and the furrier Archibald Leche. Servais de Condé, a valet of the chamber, kept a written record in French tracking the use of the more expensive fabrics. A broadly similar record of fabrics used by Mary of Guise from 1552 to 1554 also survives. In this example from July 1564, black velvet was given to Mary's tailor Jehan de Compiegne to make a purse for kerchiefs:
Plus a Jehan de Conpiegne i quartier de veloux noyr pour faire une grand bource pour la Royne lequelz fert a metre les mouchoy.
More, to Jehan de Compiegne, a quarter of black velvet to make a big purse for the queen, which she carries to hold kerchiefs.
Some linen ''mouchoirs'' in the inventories may have been handkerchiefs, while others appear to be head coverings. Other linen items include pairs of ''callesons'' or ''caleçons'', linen hose or stockings or
undergarment
Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...
s which were also made for the fool known as La Jardiniere.
Inventories of Mary's clothes written in French survive in the
National Archives of Scotland
The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe ...
and were printed by
Joseph Robertson in 1863. This is an example of a skirt, with a note that it was given to the queen's favourite
Mary Beaton
Mary Beaton (1543–1598) was a Scottish noblewoman and an attendant of Mary, Queen of Scots. She and three other ladies-in-waiting (Mary Livingston, Mary Fleming and Mary Seton) were collectively known as "The Four Marys".
Family
Mary was bo ...
:
Une vasquyne de satin cramoysy enrechye d'une bande d'ung passement d'argent faict a jour et borde d'ung passement d'argent.
Au moy de Fevvrier la Royne donne laditz vasquine a Mademoysel de Beton.
This was one of fifteen embroidered skirts with passementerie listed in 1562. There were six plain skirts, and fifteen skirts of cloth of gold or silver. A cloth of gold skirt with matching sleeves was given to
Magdalen Livingstone
Magdalen Livingstone (floruit 1560–1613) was a Scottish courtier. She was a favoured lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, and later belonged to the household of Prince Henry.
Mary, Queen of Scots
She was a daughter of Alexander Livingston, ...
for her wedding. A skirt of cloth of silver was unpicked in 1566 for fabric to dress a bed. Mary had several skirts made to match doublets, in silk camlet, velvet, and satin. Mary wore skirts over a shaped
farthingale
A farthingale is one of several structures used under Western European women's clothing in the 16th and 17th centuries to support the skirts in the desired shape and enlarge the lower half of the body. It originated in Spain in the fifteenth c ...
, these were lined or doubled with taffeta, and their bell-shaped form stiffened with "girds" of
whale baleen. In December 1563 the tailor Jacques de Senlis reworked an old black velvet skirt that had belonged to Mary of Guise into a new style for the queen.
The account mention furnishings and beds, and a variety of accessories including velvet collars for the queen's little dogs, "les petitz chiens de la Royne". The
Scots language
Scots ( endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots). Most commonly ...
and older French vocabulary in the inventories of Mary, Queen of Scots can be difficult to read and interpret. Some help is given by the original cross-referencing numbers which were printed in the 19th-century editions. French and Scots language entries for the same item can be compared, in many cases giving insightful contemporary translations. The letter "H" seen in the inventories refers to items confiscated from
Huntly Castle
Huntly Castle is a ruined castle north of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the rivers Deveron and Bogie meet. It was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly. There have been four castles built on the site that hav ...
, and a letter "S" means an item was at
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 ...
.
Notes added to the inventories record gifts of clothing that Mary made from her wardrobe to favourite aristocrats, courtiers, and women of her household. She gave a skirt to the "little daughter of her laundress", Margaret Douchall who later followed her mother into royal service and married
Jerome Bowie
Jerome Bowie (died 1597) was a servant of James VI of Scotland as a sommelier, in charge of the purchase and serving of wine.
Family backgound
Jerome Bowie's family was from Stirling. His father is thought to have been Andrew Bowie, a gunner emp ...
, a servant in the wine cellar.
Costumes were given to household servants. In March 1567 five pages and seven lackeys were provided with riding cloaks of black stemming, pourpoints (doublets), and Mantua-style bonnets and hats by the tailor John Powlett. The list of fabrics survives in French and Scots. The smart and uniform appearance of these servants, visible when Mary travelled, greatly contributed to the impression of royal magnificence. These black clothes were the official mourning for the death of Lord Darnley.
Masque clothes and special costumes
Mary wore her crown and robes for state ceremonies, including the first day of the
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...
on 26 May 1563. Her robes were later described as a "rob ryall of purper velvot embroiderit about with gold, furrit with spottit armenis (
ermine) and a band about". Scottish monarchs had robes for their coronations and for Parliament. When
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 ...
came to Scotland for his coronation in 1633 he had the old Parliament robes of
James IV
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...
refurbished and perfumed for his use. In March 1566, Mary's tailor Jehan de Compiegne made her headdresses of cloth of silver to wear in Parliament, presumably when not wearing the crown.
Costumes were made by Mary's tailor Jacques de Senlis (or Seulis) for dancers and lute players who performed for Mary and the court during a wedding at
Castle Campbell
Castle Campbell is a medieval castle situated above the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. It was the lowland seat of the earls and dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, from the 15th to the 19th century, and was visited ...
on 10 January 1563. They were dressed as shepherds in white taffeta with purses or satchels made of white damask. Mary and her court wore
Highland clothes in
Argyll
Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
and during visits to the north and Inverness. In June 1563 the court prepared "Hyeland apparell" for the progress to Argyll and
Inveraray
Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...
. Mary would wear a "marvellous fair" costume which had been a gift from
Agnes Campbell
Lady Agnes Campbell (1526–1601) was the daughter of The 3rd Earl of Argyll and his wife, Lady Jean Gordon, daughter of The 3rd Earl of Huntly. She was likely born at Inveraray Castle. Her sister, Elizabeth, married The 1st Earl of Moray, an ...
the wife of
James MacConel or MacDonald of
Dunyvaig.
The French author Brantôme claimed to have seen Mary in
Highland costume. He said she looked like a goddess, as her beauty transformed such costume, as anyone who had seen her portrait in such clothes would agree. Such a portrait, if it ever existed, does not survive. Brantôme, like other French writers of the period, writes of the "barbarous fashions of the savages of her country".
Locally made woollen tartan or plaid was bought in Inverness. These cloths may not have closely resembled modern
tartan
Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...
fabrics. Some "Highland" items appear in inventories, perhaps relating to these progresses, or used as masque costume. Among Mary's smocks or shirts, called "sarks", were four English
blackwork
Blackwork, sometimes historically termed Spanish blackwork, is a form of embroidery generally worked in black thread, although other colours are also used on occasion, as in scarletwork, where the embroidery is worked in red thread. Originating ...
sarks and a "hieland syd sark of yallow lyning pasmentit with purpour silk and silver". Changing clothes to cross regional boundaries was traditional. Randolph, the English ambassador, joked about having to wear a yellow "safferon shyrte or a hylande pladde" if he went to Argyll.
A masque in December 1563 involved three large blue velvet Swiss bonnets and wigs. There was also a blue velvet bonnet for
Nichola the Fool, and
Mademoiselle Rallay
Mademoiselle Rallay or Madame Raylie (fl. 1561 – d. 1585) was a Scottish courtier. She served as chamberwoman and then lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots. She was described as one of Mary's favorites. She should not be confused with her ni ...
was given canvas to fashion wigs. The occasion may have been her twenty-first birthday, where she tired herself with "dancing over long". Mary's tailor Jehan de Compiegne made costumes from orange "changing" or shot taffeta for a
masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...
in February 1565 at
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...
, with a smaller costume in the same fabric for a young girl at court. The English ambassador
Thomas Randolph said the Shrove Tide banquets of February 1564 at the Scottish court were great as those given at a royal wedding. The queen's ladies wore white and black at one banquet, and verses were recited as the courses were brought in by gentlemen wearing black and white. Mary seems to have emulated the fashion of other courts by dressing herself and her ladies in black and white for the masque, echoing colours adopted by
Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and family' ...
.
Male costume
![Mercat cross, Broad Street - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Mercat_cross%2C_Broad_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2723359.jpg)
For a masque to entertain a French ambassador, Jacques de Angennes, seigneur de Rambouillet, the tailor Jehan de Compiegne made six costumes decorated with flames made of cloth of gold reused from old cushion covers. During the masque the queen's ladies, "cled in men's apperrell", presented 8 Scottish
dirks or daggers to the French guests, with black velvet scabbards embroidered with gold. The ambassador stayed in Edinburgh's
Canongate
The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...
, and subsequently a number of local women were slandered as prostitutes and said to have visited him dressed in men's clothes.
On Easter Monday in April 1565 Mary and her ladies dressed like "bourgeois wives" and walked up and down the steep streets of
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, collecting contributions for a banquet. Thomas Randolph's report of this Easter dressing-up custom, possibly associated with
Hocktide
Hocktide, Hock tide or Hoke Day is a very old term used to denote the Monday and Tuesday in the second week after Easter. It was an English medieval festival; both the Tuesday and the preceding Monday were the Hock-days. Together with Whitsuntide ...
, reveals that the clothes worn by ladies at court were notably different from the costume worn by merchant's wives or other women living and working in Scotland's burgh towns, probably both in terms of fabrics and style. Mary celebrated Easter at
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 ...
this year, not in Edinburgh. She had compared herself to a "bourgeois wife" in February 1565 while staying in a merchant's house in St Andrews, keeping a small household with little ceremony, and no cloth of estate, the canopy used above a throne. Mary is said to have danced around the Market Cross of Stirling in "homely sort" about a month after the birth of Prince James.
On 5 September 1566 Mary ordered fabrics for the household of her son, the future
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
, at
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 beds and bedding for
Margaret Beaton, Lady Reres and the gentlewomen appointed as rockers of the prince's cradle. Taffeta was bought to make costumes for the
masque at James' baptism. In January 1567 the tailor Jehan de de Compiegne was given clothes including a black "Almain" or German-style cloak. In February the jester George Styne or Stevin had a costume made of blue
kersey, and in March
Nichola the fool had new linen. 10
ell
An ell (from Proto-Germanic *''alinō'', cognate with Latin ''ulna'') is a northwestern European unit of measurement, originally understood as a cubit (the combined length of the forearm and extended hand). The word literally means "arm", and ...
s of linen were bought for lining Mary's bathtub, and canvas for bathing was delivered to
Toussaint Courcelles.
On the night that Lord Darnley was
killed by an explosion at the
Kirk o'Field
The Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Fields (commonly known as Kirk o' Field) was a pre-Reformation collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. Likely founded in the 13th century and secularised at the Reformation, the church's site is now covered ...
, Mary attended the wedding banquet and masque for her servant
Bastian Pagez
Bastian Pagez was a French servant and musician at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. He devised part of the entertainment at the baptism of Prince James at Stirling Castle in 1566. When Mary was exiled in England, Bastian and his family continue ...
and Christily Hog. Darnley's father, the
Earl of Lennox
The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty.
Ancient earls
The first earl ...
later produced a narrative of events which says that some witnesses said Mary was dressed in men's clothing on that night, "which apparel she loved oftentimes to be in, in dancings secretly with the King her husband, and going in masks by night through the street".
In conflict
When Mary was at
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
in September 1562 she said, after seeing the armed guard return from watch at night, that she regretted she "was not a man to know what life it was to lie all night in the fields, or to walk upon the causeway with a
jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
and a knapschall (helmet), a Glasgow
buckler
A buckler (French ''bouclier'' 'shield', from Old French ''bocle, boucle'' 'boss') is a small shield, up to 45 cm (up to 18 in) in diameter, gripped in the fist with a central handle behind the boss. While being used in Europe since an ...
, and a broad sword".
After the murder of Lord Darnley, when Mary seemed likely to marry 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 ...
,
William Kirkcaldy of Grange
Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation but ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the c ...
wrote to the
Earl of Bedford
Earl of Bedford is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England and is currently a subsidiary title of the Dukes of Bedford. The first creation came in 1138 in favour of Hugh de Beaumont. He appears to have been degraded fr ...
, an English diplomat, that Mary did not care if she lost France, England and Scotland for Bothwell's sake, and she had said she would go with him to the world's end in a white petticoat;
sho caris not to lose France Ingland and her owne countrie for him, and sall go with him to the warldes ende in ane white peticote or she leve him.
A report written by the Captain of
Inchkeith
Inchkeith (from the gd, Innis Cheith) is an island in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, administratively part of the Fife council area.
Inchkeith has had a colourful history as a result of its proximity to Edinburgh and strategic location for u ...
,
Robert Anstruther, and a chronicle called the ''Diurnal of Occurrents'', mention that Mary wore male clothing on her ride from
Borthwick Castle
Borthwick Castle is one of the largest and best-preserved surviving medieval Scottish fortifications. It is located south-east of Edinburgh, to the east of the village of Borthwick, on a site protected on three sides by a steep fall in the gro ...
to
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scott ...
in 1567, and she is sometimes said to have been disguised as a page. Mary wore a short red petticoat at knee-length at Dunbar the next day before the
battle of Carberry Hill
The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on 15 June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A number of Scottish lords objected to the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, after she had married the Earl of Bothwell, ...
. Anstruther's report written in French describes another item, but the words appear to be illegible. According to
George Buchanan
George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...
, Mary changed into a short skirt at
Fawside Castle on the morning of 15 June 1567 before the battle of Carberry. She left some clothes behind in a chest, including a gown of black "estamet" (stemming) embroidered with grains of jet, a crimson chamlet dress, a plaid, a great cloak, and a hat embroidered with gold and silver, with a panache. The black gown was "faict a la souvaige", perhaps meaning Highland fashion.
An English soldier and border official,
William Drury
Sir William Drury (2 October 152713 October 1579) was an English statesman and soldier.
Family
William Drury, born at Hawstead in Suffolk on 2 October 1527, was the third son of Sir Robert Drury (c. 1503–1577) of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshi ...
, heard another description of Mary's costume at this time, that she was dressed in "after the attire and fashion of the women of Edinburgh, in a red petticoat tied with points, a partlet, a velvet hat, and muffler". The partlet, worn over the shoulders, does not frequently appear in the queen's inventories.
Abdication and England
![Lochleven Glassin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Lochleven_Glassin.JPG)
Clothes and sewing thread for embroidery were sent to Mary in her prison at
Lochleven Castle
Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–1 ...
. On 17 July 1567 she requested the services of an embroiderer to draw patterns for her, to "draw forth such work as she would be occupied about". At this time, according to
Nicholas 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 ...
, Mary thought she was seven weeks pregnant with Bothwell's child. On 3 September 1567 Mary wrote to
Robert Melville to ask Servais de Condé to send silk thread and sewing gold and silver, doublets and skirts of black and white satin, a red incarnate doublet, a taffeta loose gown, clothes that she had asked Lady Livingstone to send, and clothes for her maidens. Mary also wanted camerage (
cambric
Cambric or batiste, is a fine dense cloth. It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often gl ...
) and linen, and two pairs of sheets with black thread for embroidery, and needles and a mould (cushion) for net-work called
"rasour" or "réseau", a bed cover, and dried plums and pears. Some of the request was fulfilled by new purchases by her half-brother
Regent Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his ...
in October. Green and black cloths, black and coloured silk thread, and hanks and silver and gold thread were bought for Servais de Condé to take to Mary.
A memorandum written in French survives of textiles and thread sent to Mary at Lochleven,
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
, and
Bolton Castle
Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England (). The nearby village of Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was da ...
. Mary escaped from Lochleven on 2 May 1568, her disguise involved a borrowed red dress and changing her hairstyle so she looked like a local woman. Usually, Mary's hair was elaborately dressed by
Mary Seton
Mary Seton (1542 – 1615) was a Scottish courtier and later a nun. She was one of the four attendants of Mary, Queen of Scots, known as the Four Marys. She was a sister at the Convent of Saint Pierre les Dames in Reims at the time of her death.
...
. Three days after her escape, her French cook Estienne Hauet (Stephen Hewat) and his wife Elles Boug packed four silk gowns, two velvet gowns, a chamlet gown, a satin partlet, and other items in a chest to send to the queen wherever she might be. After
Langside
Langside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde, and lies east of Shawlands, south of Queens Park, west of Cathcart and north of Newlands. The district is residential and primarily middle-class, ...
,
John Gordon of Lochinvar
Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar and Kenmure (died 1604), was a Scottish courtier, landowner, and supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots.
He was the son of Sir James Gordon of Lochinvar and Margaret Crichton. On 20 August 1547 his sister Janet Gordon (die ...
gave her clothes. When Mary arrived in England, "her attire was very mean", and she had no change of clothes. She wrote to Elizabeth from
Workington
Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207.
Loca ...
on 17 May 1568, saying she had not changed her clothes since her escape, as she had been travelling by night.
Carlisle Castle
At
Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle is a medieval stone keep castle that stands within the English city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1093 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over ...
,
Francis Knollys was impressed by the hairdressing skills of
Mary Seton
Mary Seton (1542 – 1615) was a Scottish courtier and later a nun. She was one of the four attendants of Mary, Queen of Scots, known as the Four Marys. She was a sister at the Convent of Saint Pierre les Dames in Reims at the time of her death.
...
, who Mary said was the "finest busker, the finest dresser of a woman's head and hair that is to be seen in any country". Knollys wrote "among other pretty devices, yesterday and this day she did set such a curled hair upon the Queen, that was said to be a periwig that showed very delicately, and every other day lightly ... she hath a new device of head dressing, without any cost, and yet sets forth a woman gaily well". Mary had received clothes "of black colour" by 28 June 1568, and Knollys sent to Edinburgh for more of Mary's clothes, as "she seemeth to esteem not of any apparyll other than hyr owne".
Andrew Melville of Garvock
Andrew Melville of Garvock (died 1617) was a Scottish courtier and servant of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Family background
Andrew Melville was a younger son of John Melville of Raith in Fife and Helen Napier of Merchiston. His older brother James M ...
came to Carlisle bringing three gowns. The first consignment of clothes from Lochleven Castle to arrive in England for Mary proved inadequate, and she complained to Knollys that in three coffers sent by
Regent Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his ...
there was only one gown of taffeta, the rest only cloaks, saddle cloths, sleeves, partlets, coifs, and "such like trinketts".
Queen Elizabeth apparently hesitated to send her some of her own clothes, but did send 16 yards of black velvet, 16 yards of black satin and 10 yards of black taffeta, a gift interpreted by the costume historian
Janet Arnold
Janet Arnold (6 October 1932 – 2 November 1998) was a British clothing historian, costume designer, teacher, conservator, and author. She is best known for her series of works called ''Patterns of Fashion'', which included accurate scale sewin ...
as a hint that Mary ought to be in mourning clothes. Mary's secretary
Claude Nau Claude Nau or Claude Nau de la Boisseliere (d. 1605) was a confidential secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, in England from 1575 to 1586. He was involved in coding Mary's letters with cipher keys.
Career
Nau was a successful lawyer practicing in Pa ...
mentions the receipt of this gift of textiles at Carlisle, packed in a small box and in shorter lengths than specified in Elizabeth's warrant. The Spanish diplomat,
Guzmán de Silva, seems to have reported this particular gift to
Phillip II as an unsuitable present for a queen comprising two old chemises, some black velvet, and a pair of shoes.
Francis Knollys sent Richard Graham ''alias'' Garse Ritchie, a servant of
Lord Scrope, to bring more of Mary's clothes from Lochleven. He brought five cart loads and four laden horses to
Bolton Castle
Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England (). The nearby village of Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was da ...
on 20 July 1568. He went back to Scotland, where Regent Moray gave him a reward of 50
French crowns and a parcel of new clothing and costume fabric for his half-sister including; grey and black taffeta, black velvet, thread for stitching, jet buttons, and 12 pairs of leather shoes. Mary wanted Garse Richie to fetch her "jewels", the furs with gold mounts known as
zibellini
A zibellino, flea-fur or fur tippet is a women's fashion accessory popular in the later 15th and 16th centuries. A zibellino, from the Italian word for "sable", is the pelt of a sable or marten worn draped at the neck or hanging at the waist, or ...
, from
John Sempill of Beltrees
John Sempill (c. 1540–1579) was a Scottish courtier and husband of Mary Livingston, one of the Four Maries who grew up with Mary, Queen of Scots.
Career
John Sempill was a son of Robert Sempill, 3rd Lord Sempill and Elizabeth Carlyle.
Lord Sem ...
but Moray would not allow this. Mary received her portable sounding alarm clock or chiming watch from Lochleven, kept in a purse of silver and grey réseau work which she may have made herself. She set up an old cloth of estate from Scotland above her chair in the Great Chamber at Bolton Castle, asserting her royal status.
Tutbury Castle
A consignment of furnishing was sent to
Tutbury Castle
Tutbury Castle is a largely ruined medieval castle at Tutbury, Staffordshire, England, in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster and hence currently of King Charles III. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. People who have stayed in the castle i ...
for Mary in January 1569 from the English great wardrobe and "removing wardrobe" and from the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
. This included a group of tapestries, verdure tapestry bedcovers, bedding, and chairs and stools covered in crimson cloth of gold and other rich fabrics, and 2000 hooks and two hammers to hang the tapestry. Some hangings were sent to Tutbury from Sheffield by
Bess of Hardwick
Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series ...
, the Countess of Shrewsbury. Chambers were "hanged" with tapestry for Lady Livingstone and her husband, and for
Mary Seton
Mary Seton (1542 – 1615) was a Scottish courtier and later a nun. She was one of the four attendants of Mary, Queen of Scots, known as the Four Marys. She was a sister at the Convent of Saint Pierre les Dames in Reims at the time of her death.
...
. There was tapestry for three rooms of Mary's apartment, the great bedchamber, her own bedchamber, and the chamber for her grooms. Mary arrived at Tutbury on 4 February 1569 and her French tailor Jacques and the tapestry worker and embroiderer Florian rejoined her household.
The
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...
described her at Tutbury in March 1569, working at embroidery and making designs with
Bess of Hardwick
Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series ...
, Lady Livingstone, and Mary Seton. This was an innocent domestic activity, unlikely to result in conspiracy and sedition: "this Queen continueth daily resort unto my wife's chamber, where with the Lady Leviston and Mistress Seton, she useth to sit working with the needle, in which she much delights, and in devising of works, and her talk is altogether of indifferent trifling matters, without any sign of secret dealing or practice". The surviving results of their collaboration are known as the
Oxburgh Hangings
The Oxburgh Hangings are needlework bed hangings that are held in Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, England, made by Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick, during the period of Mary's captivity in England.
Embroidery and the queen
The hangings were ...
. In a letter of 10 September 1570, Mary mentioned that her servant
Bastian Pagez
Bastian Pagez was a French servant and musician at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. He devised part of the entertainment at the baptism of Prince James at Stirling Castle in 1566. When Mary was exiled in England, Bastian and his family continue ...
devised or "invented" pieces of work, embroidery patterns, to cheer her up.
There were rumours that Mary would try to escape from captivity in April 1571. One plan was that she should pretend to fall ill while dancing. When she was carried to bed a companion in her clothes would take her place. Mary would escape, dressed as a man, and ride away. Another plan was that she would slip away during a hunt, leaving a companion dressed in her riding clothes. Again, Mary would find an opportunity to change into male clothing and ride away with a messenger. A third plan was for the queen to cut her hair and smear her face with filth, like a "turnbroche", a boy who turned a spit over the kitchen fire. Mary seems not to have attempted escape by such methods.
Mary had clothes sent to her from France. In November 1572 she wrote to the French ambassador
Mothe-Fénelon from Sheffield, hoping he could ask her mother-in-law
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...
to buy linen for herself and her ladies. A shopping list drawn up in 1572 by her tailor, Jehan de Compiegne, for Jean de Beaucaire, Seigneur de Puiguillon, gives an idea of clothes and textiles obtained from Paris. She may have imported similar goods during her years in Scotland, utilising her French income, although similar goods were available in Edinburgh merchants' booths. The lengths of fabrics were specified for some garments, robes of Florence serge, and doublets of satin lined with taffeta. The order included Milan-style points or ''fers'', and points of jet, an apparently ready-made velvet Spanish-style gown, stockings, shoes, velvet and leather slippers, plain and embroidered handkerchiefs, and other items. The purchases were packed in two coffers or ''bahuts'' and shipped in May to the French ambassador Mothe-Fénélon in London to forward to Mary at
Sheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been ...
. The clothes had not reached her by 10 June, so Mary wrote to Mothe Fénélon about the missing coffer her tailor had brought to London. Mary seems to have made a similar order in April 1573.
Mary made a will when she was at
Sheffield Manor
Sheffield Manor Lodge, also known as Sheffield Manor or locally as Manor Castle, is a lodge built about 1516 in what then was a large deer park southeast of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, to provide a country retreat and further accommodat ...
in February 1577. She wanted the executors who would arrange for her funeral to have her large bed of "cramoysi brun" embroidered velvet, her tapestries of the Story of Aeneas and the Story of Meleager, a table nef, and a suite of wall hangings of cloth of gold and violet velvet. She bequeathed an old bed of violet velvet to a French servant Baltassar Hully. Ten years later, the "cramoysi brun" bed was described as "old purple velvet, embroidered with cloth of silver and flowers, with curtains of purple damask, and a covering of serge furred with fox".
Making gifts for Queen Elizabeth
In 1574 Mary embroidered an incarnate or crimson satin skirt with silver thread using materials bought in London by the ambassador,
Mothe Fénélon. She had sent him a sample of the silk required. She soon wrote for more incarnate silk thread, better quality thinner silver thread, and incarnate taffeta for the lining. Mothe-Fénélon presented the finished item to Elizabeth on 22 May, with a declaration of friendship, and reported to
Charles IX of France
Charles IX (Charles Maximilien; 27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574) was King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II in 1560, and as such was the penultimate monarch of the ...
that the gift was a success.
Presumably hopeful of an audience at the English court, Mary asked the
Archbishop of Glasgow
The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of the ...
, her contact in Paris, to send
coif
A coif () is a close fitting cap worn by both men and women that covers the top, back, and sides of the head.
History
Coifs date from the 10th century, but fell out of popularity with men in the 14th century."A New Look for Women." Arts and H ...
s embroidered with gold and silver and the latest fashion in Italian ribbons and veils for her hair. She hoped that one of the French tailors who had served her in Scotland, Jean de Compiegne, would come to her at Sheffield.
Although she had few helpers for delicate work, Mary planned making more gifts for Elizabeth, including a "coiffure with the suite" and some lacework, "ouvrages de réseul". She asked Mothe Fénélon for advice on what Elizabeth would like best, and asked him to send lengths of gold
passementerie
Passementerie (, ) or passementarie is the art of making elaborate trimmings or edgings (in French, ) of applied braid, gold or silver cord, embroidery, colored silk, or beads for clothing or furnishings.
Styles of passementerie include the tas ...
, braids called "bisette", and silver spangles or
oes Oes or owes were metallic "O" shaped rings or eyelets sewn on to clothes and furnishing textiles for decorative effect in England and at the Elizabethan and Jacobean court. They were smaller than modern sequins.
Making and metals
Robert Sharp obta ...
which she called ''papillottes''. Elizabeth remained cautious of Mary's gifts, and was reluctant to try some sweets which Mothe Fénélon offered her as a gift from the brother of the chancellor of Mary's dowry, for fear of poison.
William Cecil had written a memorandum for the safety of Elizabeth, advising caution with gifts of scented clothing and
perfumed gloves.
Mary gave Elizabeth a skirt front or ''devant de cotte'' in July 1576, made in her household, and followed up with an embroidered casket and a headdress. She wrote that if the skirt pleased Elizabeth she could have others made, even more beautiful. Mary asked Elizabeth if she would send the pattern of the high necked bodice she wore, "un patron d'un de voz corps a haut collet" for her to copy.
Mary provided clothes for some of the women in her household. When she was at
Worksop Manor
Worksop Manor is a Grade I listed 18th-century country house in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire. It stands in one of the four contiguous estates in the Dukeries area of Nottinghamshire. Traditionally, the Lord of the Manor of Worksop may assist a B ...
in September 1583, she wrote to "Bess Pierpont", who was at home with her family. Mary was having a black gown made for her and had ordered her a "garniture", presumably of wire-work and jewellery, from London.
Clothes remaining in Edinburgh Castle, 1578
While Mary was England, and her son
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
was growing up at
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 ...
, a substantial remainder of Mary's wardrobe and the furnishings of her palaces were locked up in
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. ...
. An inventory was made in March 1578, written in the
Scots Language
Scots ( endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots). Most commonly ...
, including her "gownes, vaskenis, skirtis, slevis, doublettis, vaillis, vardingallis, cloikis". The inventory exists in two copies, one in the
National Archives of Scotland
The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe ...
and another in the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
. The taking of this inventory was described in the chronicle attributed to
David Moysie
David Moysie () was a Scottish notary public, known as the author of the ''Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, 1577–1603''.Also Moise, Moyses, Mosey.
Life
He was by profession a writer and notary public. A notarial attestation of a lease by hi ...
.
Among the hundreds of items; "a Highland kirtle of black stemming embroidered with blue silk" was related to the black gown found in Mary's chest at Fawside, and a pair of white canvas shepherd's kirtles were remnants from a masque performed at
Castle Campbell
Castle Campbell is a medieval castle situated above the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. It was the lowland seat of the earls and dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, from the 15th to the 19th century, and was visited ...
in 1563 at the wedding of
Lord Doune
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 a ...
. There were items of costume from court revelries and masques including feathers, golden shields, headdresses of silver, and "Egyptian" hats made of red and yellow fabrics. Accessories included; "huidis, quaiffis, collaris, rabattis, orilyeitis (fronts of hoods), napkins, caming cloths, covers of night gear, hose, shoes, and gloves". At least 36 pairs of her velvet shoes remained in Edinburgh Castle "of sundry colours passmented with gold and silver stored in Edinburgh Castle. These had probably been made for her by
Fremyn Alezard.
In a coffer there was a set of dolls called "pippens" with their miniature wardrobe of farthingales, sleeves, and slippers. The dolls may have been intended for play, or used as fashion dolls disseminating patterns for creating new outfits. In a treatise on collecting printed in 1565, Samuel Quiccheberg noted that princesses and queens sent each other dolls with details of foreign clothing. Mary's tailor Jacques de Senlis updated the dolls' costumes with grey damask and silver cloth in September 1563. The dolls are listed in the inventory with miscellaneous items which appear to be a remainder of her
cabinet of curiosities. A cabinet room at
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...
had been fashioned for Mary by her valet
Servais de Condé Servais de Condé or Condez (employed 1561-1574) was a French servant at the court of Mary Queen of Scots, in charge of her wardrobe and the costumes for masques performed at court.
Varlet of the Wardrobe
He was usually referred to as Servais or ...
in September 1561, the walls lined with fabic called "Paris green". The work was financed with a loan from the banker and textile merchant
Timothy Cagnioli Timothy Cagnioli (floruit 1540–1590) was an Italian merchant and banker in Scotland.
Cagnioli was active in Edinburgh during the Regency of Mary of Guise and the personal reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. As a merchant he supplied luxury fabrics use ...
.
There were sixty pieces of canvas marked up for embroidery, including a canvas bed valance, "drawin upoun paper and begun to sew", with nine pieces of sewing canvas, some drawn and some undrawn. Some pieces of half finished embroidery included the arms of House of Longueville, and had belonged to Mary of Guise, whose first husband was the
Duke of Longueville
Duke of Longueville (''Longueville-sur-Scie'') was a title of French nobility, though not a peerage of France.
History
The title was created in 1505 by King Louis XII of France for his first cousin once removed, François d'Orléans, Count of D ...
.
The 1586 inventories
An inventory of Mary's wardrobe was made at
Chartley Castle
Chartley Castle lies in ruins to the north of the village of Stowe-by-Chartley in Staffordshire, between Stafford and Uttoxeter (). Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned on the estate in 1585. The remains of the castle and associated earthworks a ...
on 13 June 1586, written in French. The main headings are:
* Gowns or ''robes'', including;
** A black velvet gown with a tail, embroidered with pearls, lined with black taffeta, with pearl buttons on the front and on the sleeves
** Another gown of
crêpe
A crêpe or crepe ( or , , Quebec French: ) is a very thin type of pancake. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: ''sweet crêpes'' () or ''savoury galettes'' (). They are often served with a wide variety of fillings such as cheese, ...
, embroidered with jet, the bodice lined with white satin
** Another gown of black satin, lined with black taffeta, two velvets passements at the front
* Skirts or ''vasquines''
** Another skirt of black taffeta, banded, lined with taffeta
** Another of black satin, lined with black taffeta, with two bands of velvet
passementerie
Passementerie (, ) or passementarie is the art of making elaborate trimmings or edgings (in French, ) of applied braid, gold or silver cord, embroidery, colored silk, or beads for clothing or furnishings.
Styles of passementerie include the tas ...
at the front
** Another of white satin, lined with white buckram, banded with beads of jet
* Doublets called ''pourpoincts''
** Another of white satin, with taffeta cordons on the sleeves
* Doublets called ''juppes''
** A jupe of "cramoisy brun" velvet with bands of black passementerie, lined with "brune" taffetta. This garment accords with a description of Mary's costume on the day of her execution given by
Adam Blackwood
Adam Blackwood (1539–1613) was a Scottish author and apologist for Mary, Queen of Scots.
Early life
He was born in 1539 in Dunfermline, Scotland, to William Blackwood and Helen Reid. The great-nephew of Robert Reid, Bishop of Orkney (1541-1 ...
, and the "iuppe de velours cramoisy brun" mentioned in ''La Mort de la Royne D'Escosse'' (1588).
** A jupe of crimson figured satin, with four bands of blue silk and silver passementerie, with fringes of the same, lined with white taffeta
* Cloaks or ''manteaux''
* Tapestries and cloths of estate
** A dais or cloth of estate of violet silk, embroidered with the arms of Scotland and Lorraine.
** Another cloth of estate of "cramoisy" brown velvet, barred with silver passementerie.
* Other items in the wardrobe coffers
** The bodice of a velvet gown with a high collar, with sleeves embroidered with passementerie and jet
** A garniture or ornament for a gown with bands of pearls on black velvet
![Mary, Queen of Scots - A catte - Google Art Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Mary%2C_Queen_of_Scots_-_A_catte_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
A further inventory was made at Chartley on 18 May of needlework in the keeping of
Renée Rallay ''alias'' Mademoiselle de Beauregard. This includes 102 flowers worked in
petit-point, 124 birds, and another 116 birds cut-out, 16 four-footed beasts including a lion attacking a wild boar, 52 fish, and other works of embroidery intended for a bed and a cloth of estate. Another paper (in two parts) in French describes the devices on Mary's bed, the embroidered
emblem
An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint.
Emblems vs. symbols
Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...
s with Latin mottoes. Embroidery was a lifelong hobby and passion for Mary. She used designs from
emblem
An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint.
Emblems vs. symbols
Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...
books and illustrations from the natural history works of
Conrad Gesner
Conrad Gessner (; la, Conradus Gesnerus 26 March 1516 – 13 December 1565) was a Swiss physician, naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist. Born into a poor family in Zürich, Switzerland, his father and teachers quickly realised his tale ...
. A ginger "catte" based on a woodcut of Gesner's may have been intended to represent Elizabeth I. A design with the Latin motto ''Virescit Vulnere Virtus'' (virtue grows strong by wounding) seems to signal her will and ambition to survive her rival.
In August 1586, possibly while Mary was taken to
Tixall
Tixall is a small village and civil parish in the Stafford district, in the English county of Staffordshire lying on the western side of the Trent valley between Rugeley and Stone, Staffordshire and roughly 4 miles east of Stafford. The populat ...
, an inventory was made of her jewels and silver plate in the keeping of
Jean Kennedy. Some fabrics were in the keeping of
Elizabeth Curle. There is also a short list of items stolen from Mary in 1586. The circumstances are unclear. The list includes a gold pincase to wear on a girdle, enamelled white and red, doublets of russet satin and canvas, a black velvet cap with a green and black feather, and three embroidered mufflers or
scarves
A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of differ ...
of which two were black velvet. Three "carcanet chains" or necklaces were embroidered with gold and silver.
The August 1586 inventory includes some linen and canvas for embroidery, and a bed of work of "rezel", ''le lict d'ouvraige de rezel''. This was probably the same "reseau" network that Mary had crafted at Lochleven. The bed curtains were described again in English as "furniture for a bedd, of network and holland intermixed, not half finished".
After Mary's execution in February 1587 a list of her belongings, jewellery and apparell, in the possession of various members of her household was made. Jean Kennedy, Renée Rallay, Gillis Mowbray, and Mary Pagez, the daughter of
Bastian Pagez
Bastian Pagez was a French servant and musician at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. He devised part of the entertainment at the baptism of Prince James at Stirling Castle in 1566. When Mary was exiled in England, Bastian and his family continue ...
, each held several items from the queen's wardrobe. Renée Rallay had the queen's embroidery silks. Some pieces, including the black velvet gown set with pearls were said to have been earmarked by Mary to be sold by her Master of Household,
Andrew Melville of Garvock
Andrew Melville of Garvock (died 1617) was a Scottish courtier and servant of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Family background
Andrew Melville was a younger son of John Melville of Raith in Fife and Helen Napier of Merchiston. His older brother James M ...
, to cover the expenses of the return of servants to Scotland.
Some of Mary's things were sent to Scotland, and in April 1603, the secretary 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
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...
,
William Fowler noted some of the emblems or devices
embroidered on the curtains of Mary's bed at
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...
.
Mary's execution
A narrative of Mary's execution on 8 February 1587 by "R. W.", Robert Wingfield, mentions her costume as she left her bedchamber; "her borrowed hair" a wig, and on her head she had a dressing of
lawn
A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...
edged with
bone lace, a
pomander
A pomander, from French ''pomme d'ambre'', i.e., apple of amber, is a ball made for perfumes, such as ambergris (hence the name), musk, or civet. The pomander was worn or carried in a vase, also known by the same name, as a protection against in ...
chain and an "Agnus Dei" about her neck, a Crucifix in her hand, a pair of beads (a rosary) at her girdle, with a golden cross at the end of them. She had a veil of lawn fastened to her caul bowed out with wire, and edged round about with bone lace. Her gown was of black satin painted, with a train and long sleeves to the ground, with acorn-shaped buttons of jet and pearl. She had short or half sleeves of black satin, over a pair of sleeves of purple velvet. Her kirtle was of figured black satin, her petticoat upperbody unlaced in the back of crimson satin, and her petticoat skirt of crimson velvet, her shoes of Spanish leather with the rough side outward, a pair of green silk garters, her nether stockings of
worsted
Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, for ...
were coloured watchet (sky blue),'Watchet', M. Channing Linthicum, ''Costume in the Drama of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries'' (Oxford, 1936), pp. 28-9. clocked with silver, and edged on the tops with silver, and next by her leg, a pair of white
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
hose.
The two executioners disrobed her, with her two women (Jean Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle) helping, and then she laid the crucifix upon a stool. One of the executioners took the Agnus Dei from her neck, and she laid hold of it, saying she would give it to one of her women. Then they took off her chain of pomander beads and all her other apparel. She put on a pair of sleeves with her own hands. At length, she was unattired and unapparelled to her petticoat and kirtle. Anything touched by the queen's blood was burnt in hall's chimney fire.
A version of the execution narrative written in the
Scots Language
Scots ( endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots). Most commonly ...
mentions the burning of the executioners' clothes or anything touched by her blood; "all thingis about hir, belonging to hir, war takin from the executionaris and nocht sufferet so mutche to have ther aprones befor they war weshed, the blodie clothes, the blok, and quhatsumever
hatsoeverellis war burnt in the chalmer".
Mary mentioned in a letter to the Bishop of Glasgow on 6 November 1577 that she had been sent "chaplets" or rosaries, and an "Agnus Dei" from Rome. These may be the items mentioned in the narrative of the execution. Another account of the execution, written by a Catholic writer, mentions that she wore a gown of black satin with French-style embroidery of black velvet. A gown of this description was listed at Chartley and after the execution. This writer does not mention the disrobing or any red clothes. A 19th-century historian
James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude ( ; 23 April 1818 – 20 October 1894) was an English historian, novelist, biographer, and editor of ''Fraser's Magazine''. From his upbringing amidst the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, Froude intended to become a clergy ...
conjectured that the "blood-red" costume, mentioned in Wingfield's account, was extraordinary and deliberate or "carefully studied". Red petticoats were not uncommon in Elizabethan England, and physicians such as
Andrew Boorde
Andrew Boorde (or Borde) (''c.'' 1490April 1549) was an English traveller, physician and writer.
Life
Born at Borde Hill Garden, Boords Hill, Holms Dale, Sussex, he was educated at the University of Oxford, and was admitted a member of the Cart ...
thought that red clothes promoted health benefits. Recent writers suppose that Mary wore red to suggest an affiliation to martyrdom, since the colour may represent martyrdom.
A glove at
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...
Museum is said to have been her gift to
Marmaduke Darrell
Marmaduke Darrell or Darrel or Dayrell (died 1632) was an English courtier, accountant, and naval administrator.
Darrell's estates were at Fulmer in Buckinghamshire.
He was a Clerk of the Avery to Elizabeth I. Darrell kept an account of the ex ...
at Fotheringhay. He was an English administrator of her household. The leather glove is embroidered with coloured silks and silver thread, and lined with crimson satin.
The French ambassador in Edinburgh, Monsieur de Courcelles, bought black fabric from
Henry Nisbet
Henry Nisbet of Dean (floruit 1570–1608) was a Scottish merchant and Provost of Edinburgh.
Life
Nisbet was a textile merchant and clothier. In 1587 he supplied the French ambassador Monsieur de Courcelles with violet crimson cloth for his at ...
for mourning clothes for himself and his household including
bombazine
Bombazine, or bombasine, is a fabric originally made of silk or silk and wool, and now also made of cotton and wool or of wool alone. Quality bombazine is made with a silk warp and a worsted weft. It is twilled or corded and used for dress-materi ...
for doublets, and dyed
Beauvais
Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris.
The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous ...
serge Serge may refer to:
*Serge (fabric), a type of twill fabric
*Serge (llama) (born 2005), a llama in the Cirque Franco-Italien and internet meme
*Serge (name), a masculine given name (includes a list of people with this name)
*Serge (post), a hitchi ...
for his men, "sairg de Beauvois tainct en soye pour habiller votre gens en dueil".
[William Boyd, ''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 9 (London, 1915), p. 414 no. 350.]
See also
*
Jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots
The jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587), are mainly known through the evidence of inventories held by the National Records of Scotland. She was bought jewels during her childhood in France, adding to those she inherited. She gave gifts o ...
*
Scottish Royal tapestry collection
References
{{Reflist
External links
Alison Rosie: Wardrobe of a Renaissance Queen: Mary’s Clothing Inventories''The Dolls of Mary Queen of Scots'', Historic Environment Scotland, 2019Shopping for Mary, Queen of Scots in 1548: Documents from the National Library of ScotlandManuscript account of the expenses of the royal children, 1551, (French), BnF Fr. 11207The Prison Embroideries of Mary, Queen of Scots: V&ATexts of the inventories of Mary, Queen of Scots texts with suggested translation: Elizabethan costume database, Drea Leed
Mary, Queen of Scots
16th century in Scotland
16th-century fashion
Early Modern Scotland
Scottish monarchy
Edinburgh Castle
British royal attire
Scottish clothing
Material culture of royal courts