#Callendar House

[gmanweatherreport]

My guys having fun in the sun since summer's soon to end

[ulrichgebert]

In der Musicalfassung von The Secret Life of Bees im berühmten, kleinen Almeida zeigen sich natürlich auch Abgründe der amerikanischen Seele, mit ihren Sklaven waren sie ja auch nicht weniger zimperlich als bei der Aneignung von Territorien der Ureinwohner, zaubern aber diesmal einen Theaterabend (bzw. Nachmittag) von außerordentlicher Schönheit daraus, in bester Musicaltradition lassen sie sogar May überleben (zu unserer Verwunderung, wo wir doch so wohlbereitet kamen, vgl. hier, mit Handlungsübersicht....), sind aber erfolgreich in der Kitschvermeidung und Spring Awakening- und American Psycho- Komponist Duncan Sheik findet noch mal zu einem ganz anderen, neuen musikalischen Tonfall, das ist auch schön. Die Lily auf dem Bild ist nicht Eleanor House, die fabelhafte Zweitbesetzung, die wir sahen, von der leider keine Photos gibt.

[thoughts-of-the-unheard]

i just finished reading infinity alchemist by kacen callendar and boy oh boy, i loved this book, i think it has high potential to become a new big popular series, it just came out in february but i saw a lot of two star reviews on goodreads, mostly from people who flat out state that they didnt finish the book (which, for me, means you dont get an opinion on it) and as someone who actually did read the whole thing, i very much recommend it,

basically everyone is capable of alchemy on some level but some are better then others and in order to do the cool stuff, you need a license, but its a rigged system, so ash learns in secret instead, he meets ramsey, a deal is struck, hijinks ensue, theres trouble and danger, some people die, some people are saved, callum is a steady hand, and the book ends leaving you wondering

its what i feel to be a true young adult book, touching on adult themes without being explict, ie fade to black moments, or dancing around it, ie velvet wrapped steel,

theres a lot of good representation in the book between race, sexuality, and gender and none of it felt forced or shoved in my face, i did know it was likely polyam going in and i fear that mightve been a sort of turn off for some people

a lot of complaints i saw were about pacing issues and how it wrapped up too easily and i think thats quickly dissolved when you know theres a second book in the works because yes the big bad was dealt with, crisis averted, etc. but you get that bigger, badder vibe at the end, hinting at the next book i assume, so, not everything Did wrap up easily,

the magic system was fairly easy to follow but i do wish we had spent more time with ash learning because i thought it was interesting but i also think it would help readers understand some things more

there was a map and a list of the houses and what they do, ie guards vs merchants, but, like above, i wish there was also a list of the alchemy tiers because all i mainly caught about the tier system was the higher the level, the harder the magic and the more regulated it gets and then that ash can do tier four no problem, i want to know how many tiers there are and what exactly is in each one

all in all, this was not a perfect book but it was still a very good one, and, from my understanding, the authors introduction to ya fantasy, id give it a strong 9.8/10 because there are definitely things missing that i feel wouldnt strengthened the story but as far as a first book goes, regardless of genre introduction, i think it did very well, and ive read far worse books with far higher goodreads scores

mildly unimportant but i did see similarities between ash woods and simon snow which i thought were cool, kacen mightve taken inspiration (i truly have no idea) and that might bother some people but it was still fun for me to see

[wormwoodandhoney]

#8 for the bookworm questions, please

8. Favorite queer fiction book(s): this is such a big ask! i read a TON of books that feature queer characters or are by queer authors from across genres. just some that i haven't mentioned lately that i've really enjoyed across genres are the last binding series from freya marske (fantasy), king and the dragonflies by kacen callendar (middle grade), in the dream house by carmen maria machado (memoir), clap when you land by elizabeth acevedo (contemporary ya).

[pridepages]

Books Read on PridePages

Under the cut: find all the writing I’ve done on books I’ve read so far. (up to date as of 9/15/24).

Below is the Master List of all the books I’ve read and written about on Pride Pages.

WLW Books:

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur 

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur 

The Monster of Her Age by Danielle Binks

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal by Grayson Daly

Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

Undergrounder by J.E. Glass

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake 

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone 

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar 

In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae

Youngblood by Sasha Laurens

I Await the Devil’s Coming by Mary MacLane

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta 

Godslayers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Out of Character by Jenna Miller

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk 

Sunshine and Blood by Roxie Randall

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

The Comedienne’s Guide to Pride by Hayli Thomson

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner 

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn 

City of Vicious Night by Claire Winn

MLM Books:

This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed 

Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Last Call: a True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green 

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall

In the Case of Heartbreak by Courtney Kae

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

In Deeper Waters by FT Lukens 

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson 

Heartstopper (vol 1-4) by Alice Oseman 

This Winter by Alice Oseman 

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (bonus: “Snow for Christmas”)

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (second post)

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

The Problem With Perfect by Philip William Stover

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter Napkins and Other Distractions by MA Wardell

Mistletoe and Mishigas by MA Wardell

Teacher of the Year by MA Wardell

Asexual/Aromantic Books:

I Am Not Your Chosen One by Evelyn Benvie

Aces Wild by Amanda Dewitt 

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Trans/NonBinary Books:

Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callendar

Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver 

Glitter and Concrete by Elyssa Maxx Goodman

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Spell Bound by FT Lukens

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore 

Outlawed by Anna North

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Queer Books:

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo 

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Who We Are in Real Life by Victoria Koops

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

[cbsxreader]

Christmas headcanons?

Happy holidays!

Ight let's get the aussie into the holiday spirit

What Christmas with him is like

He gets really annoyed at Christmas being hyped up in November, mainly because he doesn't really care about holidays.

"Bloody hell, can't people just wait a few weeks?..."

So don't expect that he'll want to go to the mall or any place where there are tons of people.

Except, if you go on a shopping spree and you need help with your things, he'll be there, as long as you promise to get him something as well.

Will fight for you, if you and an another person just so happen to want the same exact thing and it's the only one left.

And once again, he hates the cold, so don't even try to get him outside.

But, if you're really into house decorating, Christian will make your home into the most decorated house you will ever see.

He does get himself tangled in the lights though.

Will insist on getting the biggest christmas tree you can fit in your home.

And even if he doesn't really know how to decorate it, being clueless about composition or contrasts, he does try his best, just to see you happy.

Takes a mistletoe with him everywhere, so he can cheekily kiss you anytime he wants.

When it comes to gifts, he doesn't really expect much, but when it comes to you, oh boy, get ready for a literal pile of gifts.

Speaking of gifts, if you ask him, he'll prepare an advent callendar for you, giving a gift to you each day.

It's blatantly obvious he loves the taste of gingerbread, even though he denies it.

"Christian, have you seen the gingerbread house?"

"Wot?" He asked. After seeing his beard, which was covered in crumbs and frosting, your question was anwered.

"Nevermind."

He doesn't really like christmas movies and you spend almost an hour trying to find a movie he'll agree to watch with you.

And after you finally choose a movie, you both end up cuddling and falling asleep in the first 30 minutes.

(I also think it wouldn't be perfect, for example, somewhere inbetween your holiday celebrations, he accidentaly starts a fire in the house or something, but quickly deals with it)

Happy holidays!

[awalktothecoast]

Day 5

Falkirk to Linlithgow. Today was another cool and overcast day- if it cracked 63 I’d be surprised. It was our shortest day at 12 1/2 miles. We figured we would have plenty of time to explore both Callendar House in Falkirk and Linlithgow Palace in Linlithgow.

Callendar House is a 14th century French chateau styled house that was built in Callendar Park which also has a section of the Antonine Wall. It was a beautiful park w gardens - Many members of the noble Livingstone family lived there over 200+ years. Mary, Queen of Scots, was born up the way in Linlithgow Palace but spent much time at Callendar House.

The Callendar House kitchen has been filmed recently in the show Outlanders. I think some other rooms in the house have also been filmed.

A walk along the Union Canal and over the Avon Aqueduct. The aqueduct is 86 feet high and the view over the fence down to the Avon River is impressive but also a bit scary.

And then finally into Linlithgow, where Mary, Queen of Scots was born and lived for the first seven months of her life. Mary became queen at 6 days old. Her father King James V died a week after her birth.

The Palace had a devastating fire in 1746 but even before then it had already fallen into disrepair as the King had moved his court to London. The views were extraordinary and the fireplaces were many and vast.

[scotianostra]

Callendar House

📸davidmccordphotography on Instagram

[gmanweatherreport]

The two very specific items i imagined jiynt havibg in their house a framed picture of a pear and a callendar of a dog running for a ball in beautiful summer scenery happened to both be items in the sims god

[priapusintheshrubbery]

archimaps:

Inside the drawing room of Callendar House, Scotland

[mysterybob]

I never thought I would live long enough to see some of my work in a museum. (at Callendar House) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl9ZshPr-1I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[aloneinstitute]

Callendar House in Falkirk 😍

[bellafayegarden]

Callendar House, Scotland

[theartofangirling]

thank you to @asanctumofstarfish for even more queer middle grade recommendations!

Aldridge - Deephaven - nonbinary mc (supernatural mystery!)

Arlow - Almost Flying - lesbian? Mc

Arlow - The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet - lesbian mc

Bigelow - Hazel’s Theory of Evolution - two moms, unstated aro/ace mc

Bildner - A High Five for Glenn Burke - gay mc

Blake - The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James - bi girl mc

Bunker - Zenobia July - trans girl mc

Callendar - Hurricane Child - lesbian mc

Callendar - King and the Dragonflies - gay mc

Forman - Frankie and Bug - trans boy sc

Gino - George/Melissa - trans girl mc

Hernandez - Sal & Gabi Break the Universe - ace mc

Holt - Redwood and Ponytail - lesbian mcs

Horne - Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One - lesbian mc

Johnson - Ellie Engle Saves Herself - lesbian? mc

Kate - One True Wish - nonbinary mc

Leali - The Civil War of Amos Abernathy - gay mc

Levithan - Answers in the Pages - gay mc

Lockington - In the Key of Us - lesbian? Mcs (INCLUDES SH)

Lucas - Thanks a Lot, Universe - gay mc

Lukoff - Different Kinds of Fruit - nb sc, trans parent

Lukoff - Too Bright to See

Melleby - Camp Quiltbag - lesbian mc, nonbinary mc, uses neopronouns

Melleby - In the Role of Brie Hutchens - lesbian mc

Nuanez - Birdie and Me - GNC sc

Ormsbee - Candidly Cline - lesbian mc

Oshiro - You Only Live Once, David Bravo - gay mc

Pancholy - The Best At It - gay? mc

Pancholy - Nikhil Out Loud - gay mc

Polonsky - Spin With Me - nonbinary mc

Reese - Every Bird a Prince - aro mc, ace/pan sc

Sass - Ellen Outside the Lines - autistic she/they mc, gay sc, nonbinary sc

Shappley - Joy, to the World - trans girl mc

Sloan - To Night Owl, From Dogfish - two dads/remarriage

Stead - The List of Things That Will Not Change - gay parent/remarriage

Symes-Smith - Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston - nonbinary mc

Taylor - The Language of Seabirds - gay mc

Thompson - The Best Liars in Riverview - nonbinary mc

Thompson - The House that Whispers - trans boy mc

Van Otterloo - The Beautiful Something Else - nonbinary mc

part 1 of the 2023 version of this post: middle grade books!

part 2: young adult books | part 3: adult books

this is a very incomplete list, as these are only books I've read and enjoyed. not all books are going to be for all readers, so I'd recommend looking up synopses and content warnings. feel free to message me with any questions about specific representation!

list of books under the cut ⬇️

the tea dragon society by k. o'neill

mooncakes by suzanne walker and wendy xu

the witch boy by molly knox ostertag

the deep and dark blue by niki smith

the magic fish by trung le nguyen

the hidden oracle by rick riordan

strangeworlds travel agency by l.d. lapinski

ellie engle saves herself by leah johnson

ivy aberdeen's letter to the world by ashley herring blake

hurricane season by nicole melleby

ana on the edge by a.j. sass

the ship we built by lexie bean

the pants project by cat clarke

[logi1974]

Laird Hasenbär in Schottland Tag 3 Teil 1

Lairds and Ladies!

Was war es heute Morgen kalt und trübe. Gerade einmal 14 Grad und alles grau. Dazu noch ein fieser Wind. Bäh! Wir halten uns in-doors auf und gehen erst einmal ins Museum.

Nur gerade einmal knapp 2 Kilometer von unserer Unterkunft entfernt liegt das Callendar House. Da bietet sich doch ein Besuch geradezu an.

Das Callendar House ist ein Herrenhaus, das sich heute im Stil eines französischen Schlosses präsentiert und dessen Ursprünge bis in das 14. Jahrhundert zurück reichen.

Obwohl der französische Stil, den wir heute sehen, erst 1877 erbaut wurde, stammt das Turmhaus tatsächlich bereits aus dem Jahr 1345.

Viele berühmte Persönlichkeiten haben hier im Laufe der Jahrhunderte gewohnt, darunter Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell und natürlich auch Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Das imposante Herrenhaus befindet sich im historischen Callendar Park, der 170 Hektar umfasst und einen Teil des Weltkulturerbes Antoniuswall aus dem Jahr 142 n. Chr. enthält.

Das Haus beherbergt mehrere Ausstellungen über die Geschichte der Callendar Ländereien von der Römerzeit über die jakobitische Ära bis zur Gegenwart.

Im 12. Jahrhundert war das Gebiet die Heimat der Thanes of Callendar, aber der Besitz wurde schließlich aufgegeben. Dann, im 14. Jahrhundert, gewährte König David II. Sir William Livingston die Besitzurkunde für die Ländereien.

Andrew, der 5. Lord Livingston, war während ihrer Kindheit der Vormund von Mary Queen of Scot, und der Vertrag zwischen Mary und dem französischen Dauphin wurde im Callendar-Haus unterzeichnet. Livingstons Tochter war sogar die Trauzeugin von Queen Mary.

Alexander Livingston, der 1. Earl of Linlithgow, wurde von James I beauftragt, seine Tochter Prinzessin Elizabeth zu erziehen.

Obwohl die Livingstons Adlige unter der englischen Krone waren, stellte sich die Familie auf die Seite der Stuarts, als James II. gezwungen war, nach Frankreich zu fliehen.

Die Livingstons waren als Jakobiten bekannt und waren sowohl an den jakobitischen Aufständen von 1715 als auch von 1745 beteiligt.

Im Jahr 1746 beherbergte Lady Anne Livingston Bonnie Prince Charlie vor der Schlacht von Falkirk in ihrem Haus. Aber nach der Niederlage der Jakobiten in der Schlacht von Culloden wurde ihr Ehemann, der 4. Earl of Kilmarnock, wegen Hochverrats enthauptet.

Ihr Sohn James Hay blieb dann bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1778 auf dem Anwesen.

Später wurde es 1783 von William Forbes aufgekauft und zu dem Schloss umgebaut, das es heute ist. 1963 erwarb der Falkirk Burgh Council das Haus und es wird jetzt vom Falkirk Community Trust betrieben, der es als Museum betreibt.

Es ist kein Geheimnis, dass der “Outlander-Effekt” der Fernsehserie den Tourismus in bestimmten Gegenden Schottlands erhöht hat, und das Callendar House ist eine davon.

Interessant ist, dass das Callendar House das Interesse an ihrer georgianischen Küche seit den Dreharbeiten voll verinnerlicht hat. 

Natürlich zeigen auch Bilder die Szenen der hier stattgefundenen Dreharbeiten, als der fiese Duke of Sandringham von den Helden der Serie einen Kopf kürzer gemacht wurde.

Seitdem wurden viele von Outlander inspirierte Aktivitäten eingeführt, an denen Fans der Serie teilnehmen können und damit erleben können, wie die Küche damals funktionierte. Man kann sogar vom 18. Jahrhundert inspirierte Rezepte im Tearoom probieren!

Die Georgian Kitchens sind im Museum für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich und in der Küche sind Kochbücher und Rezepte zur Zubereitung von Gerichten aus der georgianischen Zeit zu sehen.

Auch im Sommer bleibt es in diesem riesigen Raum mit Steinböden ziemlich kühl. Das war jedoch bei den vielen Feuern, die quasi rund um die Uhr Hitze verbreiteten, sicherlich kein Nachteil. Die Temperaturen müssen mörderisch gewesen sein.

Die Feuer im Gang zu halten war keine leichte Aufgabe, dazu immer wieder ausräumen, säubern und wieder anzünden. Das war schwere Arbeit, die die Bediensteten täglich verrichten mussten.

Über den Feuerstellen gab es einen Spieß mit einem Flaschenzugsystem, um das Fleisch zu drehen, anstatt dass jemand dort hockte und drehen musste. Für die damalige Zeit wirklich außergewöhnlich fortschrittlich.

Viele der Anwesen, wie Callendar, hatten ihre eigenen Gärten und nutzten die Kanalsysteme, um auch Produkte zu importieren.

Zu dieser Zeit gab es einen florierenden Zuckerhandel und der Geschmack der Speisen begann viel süßer zu werden. Der Adel aß fruchtige Gerichte und zuckerhaltige Leckereien wie Lebkuchen. Oder man nippte an würziger heißer Schokolade, die der letzte Schrei war.

Von Queen Elizabeth I. ist überliefert, sie habe sich ihre Zähne sogar mit Honig geputzt.

In der Folge führte dies zu extremen Zahnproblemen. Leider war die Zahnhygiene damals noch sehr unterentwickelt und “medizinische” Eingriffe beschränkten sich auf das Ziehen der Zähne.

Im zweiten Stock des Herrenhauses befindet sich die Druckerei von Thomas Johnston. Es ist ein Nachbau einer Druckerei aus dem 18. Jahrhundert. Dort kann man sich in die damaligen Techniken des Druckens einweisen lassen.

Auch hier haben sich die Macher der Serie Outlander bedient , um Jamies Druckerei aus der Staffel 3 so realistisch wie möglich darzustellen.

Außer de interaktiven Musemsbereichen gibt es auch viele Displays zu erkunden. Diese Displays geben einen Überblick über die Geschichte des Callendar House, von der Römerzeit bis zur Gegenwart. 

Außerdem gibt es eine Ausstellung zeitgenössischer Kunst und auch kulturelle Ausstellungen, die das Leben in der Gegend von Falkirk zeigen. Dazu gibt es eine große Bibliothek mit einem Archiv.

Ein beliebter Zwischenstopp für Einheimische in Falkirk sind die Teestuben im Callendar House. Ohne Vorbestellung kann man auf eine Tasse Kaffee (oder Tee) und ein paar leichte Snacks vorbeischauen. Für den kompletten Afternoon Tea ist eine Reservierung jedoch zwingend erforderlich.

Der Souvenirladen im Callendar House war überraschend groß und hatte jede Menge Souvenirs im Angebot. Die Dame am Empfang war äußerst bemüht - wenn auch extrem schwer zu verstehen - und stattet die Besucher auf Nachfrage gerne mit kostenlosen Broschüren und Karten aus.

Nachdem sich die Besucher im Callendar House umgesehen haben, lohnt es sich ebenfalls das Gelände des Callendar Park zu erkunden.

Man bekommt nicht nur einen schönen Blick auf das Schloss, sondern kann bei dem Spaziergang auch einen Teil der berühmten Antoninusmauer aus dem 2. Jahrhundert besichtigen. Dazu später mehr ...

Es gibt einen Teich, der hier natürlich “Loch” heißt, mit etlichen Wasservögeln, die sofort zutraulich ankommen und auf eine milde Gabe hoffen.

Wie es bei den Eigentümern von Herrenhäusern und Schössern üblich war, man gab sich gerne weit gereist, so hat auch dieser Park eine stattliche Anzahl an exotischen Bäumen und Pflanzen aufzuweisen.

Neben Mammutbäumen, die hoch hinausragen, finden sich etliche Exemplare der  Libanon-Zeder und viele weitere Bäume und Pflanzen in den Gartenanlagen.

Überraschenderweise ist der Besuch des Callendar House KOSTENLOS. Für Fußkranke gibt es einen Seiteneingang, der auch Rollstuhlfahrern den Zugang ermöglicht. Ein Aufzug wurde ebenfalls installiert mit dem man alle Stockwerke erreichen kann.

Das Callendar House ist täglich von 10:00 bis 17:00 Uhr geöffnet. Die Georgian Kitchens sind jedoch nur von Donnerstag bis Montag und da auch erst ab 11:00 Uhr geöffnet. Die perfekte Aktivität für schlecht Wetter Tage.

Nach der Besichtigung von Castle und Garten waren wir durchgefroren. An einem Stand im Schloßpark kauften wir uns ein paar Kuchenstückchen, die wir allerdings nicht wie die wettererprobten Schotten an den Picknicktischen aßen, sondern mit in die Ferienwohnungen nahmen. 

Anschließend machten wir ein prima Mittagsschläfchen und als wir wieder aufwachten, sah die Welt (und das Wetter) schon wieder ganz anders aus!

[weavingthetapestry]

9th September 1543- Coronation of Mary I of Scotland

On 9th September 1543, the coronation of Mary I of Scotland took place in the Chapel Royal of Stirling Castle. An infant of barely nine months, she had been recognised as the kingdom’s next monarch at just six days old, after the premature death of her father King James V, leaving no other legitimate heirs of his body. She had been described as queen of Scotland in most official government documents since, but her official coronation was preceded by nine months of political intrigue and tension, culminating in a double-edged triumph for the faction led by her mother, Mary of Guise, and Cardinal Beaton.

The little queen had been resident in Stirling for just over a month. At the end of July 1543, her mother, the dowager queen Mary of Guise, supported by Cardinal Beaton along with the Earls of Huntly, Argyll, Lennox, Bothwell, Sutherland, Menteith, lords Erskine, Ruthven, Fleming, Crichton, Drummond, Lisle, Hume, the bishops of Moray, Orkney, Galloway, Dunblane, and several thousand others, had finally succeeded in removing her from her birthplace in the palace of Linlithgow. This was achieved in the face of opposition from the Governor of Scotland, James Hamilton, Earl of Arran. Arran was the infant queen’s 27 year old cousin and the official head of the Scottish government as regent and the next in line to the throne. As he was then pursuing a pro-English policy, and also had reason to view both the dowager queen and Cardinal Beaton as rivals, in early 1543 he had had the Cardinal arrested and forbade Mary of Guise to leave Linlithgow for the greater protection of Stirling. However, following the Cardinal’s escape and the return of the Earl of Lennox from France in 1543, the opponents of the Governor (or at least the opponents of his policy in favour of an alliance with England) gathered an army and marched on Linlithgow. After several days of stalemate and negotiation, with the army sitting outside the palace walls, Arran had been forced to climb down and allow the little queen and her mother to leave.

The sudden flitting of the queen was an even greater source of displeasure to Henry VIII of England when he heard of it, as the English king had not only wished to marry her to his son the Prince of Wales, but had also wanted the queen to be kept in England until the marriage could take place. This would have served as a useful means of keeping the Scots in check, and anyway, despite their promises, he certainly did not trust her French mother to follow through with the English marriage, much less the wily pro-French and militantly Catholic Cardinal Beaton. Linlithgow would have suited Henry better as then there was at least a chance that one of the Scottish nobles he had attempted to suborn, or even an English invasion, would have been able to abduct the young queen from the beautiful, yet low-lying and relatively unprotected lochside palace. Stirling Castle was another matter entirely: perched on its high rock with a commanding view of the surrounding country, its Renaissance embellishments had not diminished its status as a formidable fortress, the veteran of many bitter Anglo-Scottish conflicts. Nevertheless, Henry VIII could live in hope. The Treaty of Greenwich might yet be ratified to his satisfaction, and the Scottish nobles who favoured alliance with the English king, whether for political or religious reasons, had managed to bring the Governor Arran round to his point of view, which lent their policy official authority.

(An engraving of the Earl of Arran in his later years,  and probably his most famous picture, which tends to obscure the age he was when he became Regent. Not my picture)

But any plan which rested on the consistent cooperation of the chronically indecisive Governor Arran could hardly be called secure. The Governor was already under pressure from his half-brother John Hamilton, Abbot of Paisley, an ardent Catholic who had recently returned from abroad and set about putting the fear of god into his pliable younger sibling over Arran’s recent support of Protestantism. Meanwhile the mood of the country was also shifting, and the English alliance was becoming increasingly unpopular, not least due to the disturbing effects of religious unrest in Scotland and Henry VIII’s not so thinly veiled intimidation tactics. Arran’s allies soon had reason to become wary of his behaviour and watched his movements closely. On 1st September 1543, the English Ambassador Sir Ralph Sadler wrote to his king and said of the Governor that, “he abides not long in one mind, and Sir George Douglas tells me that he much fears the Governor’s revolt, now that things grow to extremity, and that there is a great likelihood that this division will not be ended nor exterminated but by the sword. The Governor is so afraid, of so weak spirit, and faint hearted, that (...) he fears he will never abide the extremity of it, but will rather slip from them and beastly put himself into the hands of his enemies, to his own utter confusion.”

The Earl of Arran’s anxiety was perhaps understandable. He might have feared for his position as governor if the Stirling lords decided to choose a different governor at the coronation, as the event could serve as a major political coup for Cardinal Beaton and the dowager queen. Or perhaps it was the presence of the Earl of Lennox at Stirling which disturbed Arran as Lennox had a rival claim to be next in line to the throne. Perhaps, indeed, as Marcus Merriman argues, Arran was acting with uncharacteristic farsightedness, seeing that the collapse of the English marriage was inevitable almost immediately after the queen’s removal to Stirling, and yet delaying his defection long enough to put off English invasion until the harvest had been brought in and the best time for campaigning had passed. Although Arran ratified the Treaty of Greenwich which promised Queen Mary’s hand to Henry VIII’s son on 25th August 1543, this was to be the high watermark of his active support for the English alliance. Despite the English king’s last-ditch offer of a marriage between his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, and Arran’s son, and despite the careful watch set by his former allies and the blandishments of his own wife Margaret Douglas, Arran changed sides in the first week of September. On Monday 3rd September, he slipped away to Blackness Castle on the Forth, claiming that his wife was in labour there. But the next morning Arran departed from the castle again, leaving Margaret weeping tears of rage at his inconstancy, and he soon covered the ten miles or so to Lord Livingston’s residence at Callendar House, on the edge of Falkirk. There he met with the wily Cardinal Beaton and the Earl of Moray (the infant queen’s uncle), and after long discussion accompanied them back to Stirling that night. 

(An eighteenth century copy of a portrait of David Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews and Cardinal. Not my picture)

With the Governor’s ‘revolt’ accomplished, there was much to be discussed between Arran and his new, if not exactly beloved, allies. Arrangements had to be made for the secure keeping of the queen’s person during her time at Stirling, and also for the bairn’s coronation which was set for the coming Sunday, the 9th of September. Letters were sent to those recalcitrant Scottish nobles who- whether for reasons of religion, sound policy, or personal gain- had favoured the English marriage, asking them to attend the coronation. And there was spiritual work to be done as well: the lords at Stirling having agreed that Arran was “accurst” , it was determined that he should do penance for his previous flirtation with Protestantism. This was performed on Saturday the 8th of September in Stirling Greyfriars, when the earls of Bothwell and Argyll held the ‘towel’ over the humbled Governor’s head as the Cardinal and other bishops solemnly absolved him of his sin.

The coronation was due to take place early the next day, and the inner close of Stirling Castle must have been a hub of activity that September morning. The Chapel Royal, in which the event was to be held, stood on the north side of the close, forming a quadrangle with the King’s Old Buildings to the west, the magnificent Great Hall constructed by James IV to the east, and the mint-new royal palace (begun by Queen Mary’s father James V and to be completed by her mother over the next few years) standing to the south. The Chapel itself stood a little to the south of the current chapel (built by Mary’s son James VI in 1594) which now occupies the spot. It had been founded by James IV in 1501 and would witness several royal christenings and other notable events over the course of its short history. Perhaps most poignantly, it had also been the site of the coronation of Mary’s father James V, almost thirty years earlier in September 1513. This was the so-called ‘Mourning Coronation’ and the king on that occasion had also been little more than an infant. Had anyone called to mind this other coronation thirty years later, they might also have realised that the 9th of September 1543 was itself a significant date, being the thirtieth anniversary of the disastrous Battle of Flodden. This battle had caused the death of the new queen’s grandfather King James IV (also the Earl of Moray’s father and Huntly’s grandfather), her uncle Alexander Stewart who was one of Cardinal Beaton’s predecessors as Archbishop of St Andrews, the grandfathers of the earls of Lennox and Argyll, the father of the Earl of Bothwell, and countless other Scots of all classes. If anyone noticed this singularly inauspicious date however, it does not seem that it was allowed to throw a sombre shadow over proceedings.

(The only view I could find of most of the Inner Close of Stirling Castle- James V’s palace is to the right, James IV’s Great Hall in the centre, and on the left can be seen parts of the current Chapel Royal, built in 1594 by Mary’s son James VI almost on the same site as the Chapel Royal where she was crowned. Not my picture.)

Not much is known about the details of the coronation itself, which took place around ten o’clock in the morning, once the assembled lords and ladies had filed into the Chapel Royal. The Treasurer’s Accounts are unusually silent about the occasion, though it was probably carried out with as much propriety and careful observance of etiquette as was possible given the circumstances. We do know that Cardinal Beaton presided over the ceremony, and that the Earl of Arran bore the Crown, the Earl of Lennox the sceptre, and the Earl of Argyll the sword. These precious royal items- now known as the Honours of Scotland and still to be seen in Edinburgh Castle- each had their own story. The sceptre and sword had been gifted to King James IV by two separate popes, while the crown was of dubious but likely ancient origin (give or take a few meltings) possibly stretching back to the days of Robert Bruce, and it had been refashioned as recently as 1540 on the orders of Mary’s father. A heavy crown for a bairn, it was probably held above her head. There is a tradition that the infant queen cried all through the ceremony but otherwise the coronation went off without a hitch. 

In terms of coronation festivities, it must be said that even when taking into account the natural bias of the English ambassador, and the fact that he was not at the coronation himself (being unable to stray far from his house in Edinburgh without fear of the mob), it is hard to disagree with his assertion that Queen Mary was crowned, “with such solemnity as they do use in this country, which is not very costly”. There were to be no ceremonial entries, no elaborate pageantry such as had been planned for the coronations of James V’s consorts in the 1530s. As with most other recent Scottish coronations, which had a funny little knack of coming at the worst possible moment to kings who had hardly reached knee height, simple dignity was probably the order of the day. The late-sixteenth century writer Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie does state that the guests retired after the coronation and occupied themselves in dancing and merry-making however, so possibly there was more cheer than the records indicate. 

There was also no escaping from the harsh reality of the political situation. This coronation had been a political triumph for Cardinal Beaton and Mary of Guise and their supporters, but there were notable absences, not least the Earls of Glencairn, Cassilis and Angus, Lord Maxwell and the other lords still considered to be of the ‘English’ party. And there would have to be a reckoning with the king of England as well, especially after the Treaty of Greenwich was finally overturned by the Scottish parliament in December 1543. The events of 1543 would lead to the devastating period of Anglo-Scottish warfare which is nicknamed ‘the Rough Wooing’, and as a result of this, within five years of her coronation, the Queen of Scots was sent away from her kingdom to the safety of France. She would not return for thirteen years.

(Mary I in childhood, as painted by Clouet. Not my picture)

Selected references:

Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland

“Acts of the lords of council in public affairs, 1501-1554: Selections from the Acta dominorum concilii”, ed. R.K. Hannay

“Scottish Correspondence of Mary of Lorraine”, ed. Annie Dunlop

“Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic of the Reign of Henry VIII”, Volumes 17 and 18, ed. James Gairdner and R. H Brodie.

“The Hamilton Papers”, Vol. II, ed. Joseph Bain

The various histories of John Leslie, George Buchanan, Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie and John Knox- all of which can be found online but as only Lindsay was really useful, forgive me for not citing them properly here

“Mary of Guise”, by Rosalind Marshall

“Mary Queen of Scots”, by Antonia Fraser

“The Rough Wooing”, by Marcus Merriman

“Glory and Honour”, by Andrea Thomas

“Life of Mary Queen of Scots”, by Agnes Strickland (I hate admitting it but I do have to credit her)

And others