On the Trail of Mary Queen of Scots by J Keith Cheetham sampler

keith cheetham was born in Sheffield in 1937. His boundless enthusiasm
about the life of Mary Queen of Scots was sparked off in 1970
when, as a Member of Sheffield Junior Chamber of Commerce, he was
given the task of organising a Mary, Queen of Scots Festival. In 1974
he was appointed as Sheffield’s first Conference and Tourist Officer. In
1988 Keith set up a unit to market and develop England’s Black
Country as a tourist destination, a post he held until 1997 when he
formed his own tourism consultancy, based in Wolverhampton.
His creative initiatives in the tourist field have gained him wide
recognition. One of his most controversial was in 1982 when he promoted
Mary Queen of Scots by organising a procession along
Edinburgh’s Royal Mile from the Castle to the Palace of
Holyroodhouse. Mary was played by a tourist guide from Sheffield
accompanied by Keith in the role of her longest-serving custodian, the
6th Earl of Shrewsbury. This event attracted wide publicity and Keith
was dubbed by the media ‘the man who sold Mary Queen of Scots to
the Scots’.
A playwright and regular broadcaster on bbc Radio, he is author
of the book Mary Queen of Scots – The Captive Years. He is chairman
of an English branch of the Marie Stuart Society and has helped
many tourist centres with information on Mary Queen of Scots. With
his wide knowledge of Mary and the many sites associated with her
in England, Scotland and France, he tells her story in uncomplicated
style and clarifies many of the myths that have grown up around her.

Books in the Luath On the Trail of series
On the Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie
On the Trail of the Holy Grail
On the Trail of John Muir
On the Trail of John Wesley
On the Trail of King Arthur
On the Trail of Mary Queen of Scots
On the Trail of the Pilgrim Fathers
On the Trail of Queen Victoria in the Highlands
On the Trail of Scotland’s History
On the Trail of Robert Burns
On the Trail of Robert Service
On the Trail of Robert the Bruce
On the Trail of Scotland’s Myths and Legends
On the Trail of William Shakespeare
On the Trail of William Wallace

On the Trail of
Mary Queen of Scots
J. KEITH CHEETHAM
Luath Press Limited
EDINBURGH
www.luath.co.uk

This book is dedicated to my late parents,
Ruth and John Cheetham, who made everything possible for me.
First Edition 1999
Reprinted 2000, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2018
This Edition 2024
isbn: 978-1-913025-11-3
The paper used in this book is recyclable. It is made from
low-chlorine pulps produced in a low-energy, low-emission
manner from renewable forests.
Printed and bound by
Hobbs the Printers Ltd., Totton
Typeset in 10.5 point Sabon
The author’s right to be identified as author of this book under the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 has been asserted.
© J. Keith Cheetham

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain,
Then take, O God, Thy power, and reign.
Henry Hart Milman, 1791-1868

Acknowledgements
During the research, writing and compilation of this book, I have
received an enormous amount of help, guidance and assistance from
many people and organisations. I would like to single out, in particular,
just a few who have given much of their time to help and, without whose
wise counselling, factual information or checking of the manuscript, I
could never have completed the job.
I owe a special debt of appreciation to the following friends in the
Marie Stuart Society – Lilian Cameron, Lola and Norman Cash, Audrey
Cartwright, Joy Childs, Margaret Lumsdaine, Myra McLanaghan,
Ronald Morrison, Julie Pollard, and both Pauline and Syd Whitehead.
For additional information on France, I should like to thank Peter
Wigley, who first opened the doors for my career in the tourist industry,
and John Morgan. For information on Dragsholm Castle in Denmark, I
am indebted to Annette V. Petersen and Niels Christian Ewald; and to
Adrian Durkin on Dudley Castle. Others who have helped include Jill
Fulton, Judith Sleigh, Anne I. Taylor, Roger Gilbride, John Pearson and
Douglas Taylor.
The following bodies have also given me every co-operation –
Churches Conservation Trust; Coventry, Oundle and Stamford Tourist
Information Centres; Historic Scotland; Scottish Tourist Board; Clergy
and Staff of Peterborough Cathedral; Sheffield City Libraries – Local
Studies Section; Staffordshire Record Office; and Wolverhampton
Reference Library.
I am also indebted to earlier authors on the subject, in particular
Lady Antonia Fraser, the Duke of Hamilton and Professor Gordon
Donaldson who have given me inspiration through their own authorative
works.
Finally, I should like to single out my colleague, David Middleton, for
his line drawings; Jim Lewis, cartographer; Catriona Scott, editor; Tom
Bee of RedLetter; and my publishers at Luath Press Limited, Audrey and
Gavin MacDougall, who have given me unstinting support and encouragement.
vi

Contents
Index Map
Map a – Edinburgh Old Town
Map b – Edinburgh, Lowlands and Northern Scotland
Map c – West and South West Scotland and West Cumbria
Map d – Northern France
Map e – Scottish Borders and Northern England
Map f – Central and Southern England
Foreword
Introduction
Family tree of the Royal Houses of Tudor and Stewart
ix
xi
xii
xiv
xvi
xvii
xviii
xxi
xxiii
xxv
chapter 1 Fateful Dynasty 1
chapter 2 Early Years 8
chapter 3 France 18
chapter 4 Queen Consort 29
chapter 5 Scotland Again 40
chapter 6 Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley 57
chapter 7 David Rizzio 73
chapter 8 Murder Most Foul 79
vii

chapter 9 James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell 94
chapter 10 James vi of Scotland 104
chapter 11 England and Captivity 114
chapter 12 The Shrewsbury Years 123
chapter 13 The Ridolfi Plot 134
chapter 14 The Babington Plot 147
chapter 15 Fotheringhay 155
chapter 16 Requiem for a Queen 163
Useful addresses 174
Bibliography 176
viii

INDEX MAP
Map B
Kilometres
0 50 100 150
0 20 40 60 80 100
Miles
Map A
(Edinburgh Old Town)
Map C
Map F
Map E
Map D
ix

Abbreviations
CCT
EH
HS
LT
NTS
NT
The Churches Conservation Trust
English Heritage
Historic Scotland
The Landmark Trust
National Trust for Scotland
National Trust – England
Addresses for the above organisations can be found on pages 174 and 175.
The page number given for each site on the maps which follow is the first page on
which reference is made to the site.
x

HOWE STREET
R
D
C A N O N
E
MAP A Edinburgh Old Town
Ref Page
Ref Page
A1
A1 Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Castle
Castle
HS
HS 34
A2 A2 High High Kirk Kirk of of St. St Giles Giles 45
A3 A3 National National Library Library of of Scotland Scotland 175
A4 A4 Museum of of Scotland 170
A5 Royal Museum of of Scotland 175
A6 John Knox's Knox’s House 45
A7 Canongate Kirk and Cemetery 76
A8 Palace of Holyroodhouse 2
A9 Holyrood Abbey 9
A10 Scottish National Portrait Gallery,
Queen Street 171
HANOVER STREET DUNDAS STREET
ROYAL CIRCUS
MORAY
PLACE
Q U E E N S T R E E T YORK PLACE
A10
CASTLE STREET
CHARLOTTE
ST
ANDREW
SQUARE
G E O R G E S T R E E T
SQUARE
100 200 300 400 500 metres
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 yards
P R I N C E S S T R E E T WATERLOO
P L A CE
I L L
E G E N T R O A D
Calton Hill
T H E
Y H
E
WAVERLEY BRIDGE
M
B
C
B
A
L T O
A
MARKET ST
R O
N
O U N D
EAST MARKET ST
C O
A
A7
ATE
J E F F R E Y ST
C K B URN
G
H I G H S T R E E T
A6
ST
CASTLEHILL
A9
K I N G S S T A B L E S
ST MARY ST
GEORGE IV BRIDGE
T E R R A C E
S T O N
J O H
A8
N
R
O A D
C O W G A
GR A S S M A RK E T
S P I T T A L S T
LOTHIAN ROAD
T E
R O A D
NORTH BRIDGE SOUTH BRIDGE
West Princes Street Gardens
Waverley
Station
The Castle
A1
A3 A2
Palace of
Holyrood
House
O O
H O L Y R
T
E S T P R O W
BREAD ST
D
I V
S D R
North
h
CHAMBERS ST
E E N
Q U
A5
A4
xi

MAP B Edinburgh, Lowlands and North East
B62
B61
B59
B60
Inverness
B58
B57
B56
Elgin
B55
0
Kilometres
10 20 30
0 10 20
Miles
B54
Inverurie
Aviemore
Aberdeen
Newtonmore
Braemar
B53
Banchory
B51
B52
B47
B50
Pitlochry
B48
C1
B23
B24
Glasgow
B22
B25
Stirling
Cumbernauld
Hamilton
B41
B21
B20
Crieff
B42
B26
B43
B40
B39
Falkirk
B19
B18
B46
B27
Perth
B44
B36
B31
B37
B38
B30
Kirkcaldy
Dunfermline
B29
B28
Peebles
F i r t h
o
f
Edinburgh
Dundee
F o r
F i r t h
B17
B1
B2 B7
Livingston B3 B8
B4
B16
B15
Coupar Angus
B34
B45
B14
B35
B33
B32
t h
B6
B5
of Ta y
St Andrews
B10
B49
B9
B11
B13
Galashiels
E4 E2
Dunbar
E1
B12
Berwick-
upon-
Tweed
xii

Edinburgh, Lowlands and North East
Key to Map B
Ref Page Ref Page
B1 Leith/Andrew Lamb’s
House 15
B2 Craigmillar Castle HS 92
B3 Battle of Carberry Hill site 101
B4 Borthwick Castle 63
B5 Cakemuir Castle 100
B6 Crichton Castle 70
B7 Seton House & Collegiate
College HS 85
B8 Lennoxlove 170
B9 Hailes Castle 99
B10 Tantallon Castle HS 92
B11 Dunbar Castle 85
B12 Coldingham Priory 70
B13 Hume Castle 92
B14 Traquair House 88
B15 Neidpath Castle 63
B16 Rosslyn Castle/Rosslyn
Chapel 63
B17 Niddry Castle 109
B18 Linlithgow Palace HS and
Kirk of St Michael 8
B19 Callendar House 65
B20 Craignethan Castle HS 110
B21 Cadzow Castle/Hamilton
Castle 109
B22 Battle of Langside site/
Cathcart Castle 110
B23 Crookston Castle 95
B24 Provands Lordship/
Glasgow Castle 95
B25 Stirling Castle HS /Church
of the Holy Rude/Argyll’s
Lodging HS 13
B26 Alloa Tower NTS 88
B27 Dunfermline Palace and
Abbey HS 69
B28 North Queensferry 50
B29 Rossend Castle 58
B30 Wemyss Castle 68
B31 Lundin Tower 68
B32 St Andrews Cathedral and
Castle HS 44
B33 Earlshall Castle 48
B34 Balmerino Abbey 68
B35 Collairnie Castle 68
B36 Falkland Palace NTS 9
B37 Leslie Castle 47
B38 Loch Leven Castle HS 59
B39 Castle Campbell HS 58
B40 Tullibardine 58
B41 Drummond Castle 95
B42 Innerpeffray Abbey 65
B43 Huntingtower Castle
(Ruthven Castle) HS 65
B44 Perth 45
B45 Dundee 48
B46 Dunkeld 65
B47 Blair Castle 66
B48 Glamis Castle 51
B49 Arbroath Abbey HS 55
B50 Edzell Castle HS 52
B51 Dunnottar Castle 52
B52 Aberdeen 51
B53 Battle of Corrichie site 54
B54 Huntly Castle HS 55
B55 Balvenie Castle HS 54
B56 Elgin Cathedral HS 54
B57 Spynie Palace HS 54
B58 Darnaway Castle 53
B59 Kilravock Castle 53
B60 Inverness 53
B61 Beauly Priory 66
B62 Dingwall 66
xiii

MAP C West and South West Scotland and West Cumbria
B46
B48
B45
C3
Dunoon
C4
C5
e
d
y
Greenock
C2
Dumbarton
B23 B24
Glasgow
Paisley
B23
Largs
B22
Irvine
Troon
Tarbet
C6
Crianlarich
C1
Kilmarnock
East Kilbride
Perth
B43
B44
B34
B41
B42
B35
B40
B36 B31
B39
B37
B38
B25
B30
B26
Kirkcaldy
Stirling
B27
Dunfermline
B29
Dunfermline
Falkirk
B28
Edinburgh
B19
Cumbernauld
B18 B17
B1
B2 B7
B3 Livingston
B4
B21
B16
B20
Lanark
Biggar
B15
Peebles
B14
B5
l
C
Ayr
C7
h
f
o
C8
New Cumnock
C23
F
t
r
i
Girvan
Sanquhar
C22
Moffat
E5
C9
C10
New Galloway
C13
Dumfries
C20
C21
C24
Stranraer
C11
C12
Newton Stewart
Castle Douglas
C15
Kirkcudbright
C14
C16
C17
Carlisle
E6
0
Kilometres
10 20 30
0 10 20
Miles
C18
Workington
C19
xiv

West and South West Scotland and West Cumbria
Key to Map C
Ref
Page
C1 Inchmahome Priory HS 15
C2 Dumbarton Castle HS 17
C3 Inverary Castle 60
C4 Dunoon Castle 61
C5 Toward Castle 61
C6 Eglington Castle 61
C7 Ayr 61
C8 Dunure Castle 61
C9 Ardmillan House 61
C10 Ardstinchar 61
C11 Glenluce Abbey HS 62
C12 Whithorn Priory HS 62
C13 Kenmure Castle 62
C14 St Mary’s Isle 62
C15 Kirkcudbright 62
C16 Dundrennan Abbey HS 111
C17 Port Mary 112
C18 Workington Hall 115
C19 Cockermouth Hall 116
C20 Terregles Castle 62
C21 Lochmaben Castle 75
C22 Drumlanrig Castle 62
C23 Sanquhar Castle 111
C24 Battle of Solway Moss site 9
xv

MAP D Northern France
Ref Ref Page Exeter Page Ref Ref Southampton Page Ref Ref Page
Dover Oostende
D1 D1 Roscoff 18 D11 Anet D11 Anet
23 D20 D20 Villers Côtterets 27
D2 D2 Morlaix Plymouth 19 D12 St D12 Germaine-en-Laye St. Germain-en-Laye 19 D21 D21 Rheims 32 Dunkerque
Calais
D3 D3 Nantes 19 D13 Carrières D13 Carrières
20 D22 D22 Brighton Vitry-le-Francois Vitry-le-François 37
D4 D4 Amboise 33 D14 Meudon D14 Meudon
22 D23 D23 St St. Dizier 37
D29
D5 D5 Chenonceau 22 D15 Notre Dl 5 Notre Dame Dame 27 D24 D24 Joinville 22
Boulogne
D6 D6 Chaumont 32 Cathedral, Cathedral, Paris Paris
D25 D25 Nancy 37
D7 D7 Chambord 19 D16 The D16 Louvre, The Louvre, Paris Paris 26 D26 D26 Beauvais 38
D8 D8 Blois 19 D17 Cathedral D17 Cathedral of St of Denis St. Denis 30 D27 D27 Abbeville 38
Béthune
D9 D9 Orléans 35 D18 Écouen D18 Écouen
170 D28 D28 Fécamp 34
D10 D10 Fontainebleu 23 D19 Chantilly D19 Chantilly
170 D29 D29 Calais 38 Abbeville
D27 Arras
Roscoff
Brest
D1
D2
Morlaix
Kilometres
0 20 40 60 80
0 10 20 30 40 50
Miles
Lorient
St Brieuc
Vannes
St Malo
St Nazaire
Laval
Châteaubriant
Nantes Angers
Cholet
Tours
Fécamp
Quimper Chartres
Alençon
Rennes Mayenne
Redon
Granville
D3
Cherbourg
Bayeux
Caen
Argentan
D28
Le Havre
Lisieux
Le Mans
D4
Amboise
Chenonceaux
D7
Châtellerault
Evreux
D11
D6
D5
Dieppe
Rouen
Paris
D12-D18
D9
D8
Chambord
Blois
Chaumont
Amiens
Beauvais
Chantilly
Louviers
D10
Orleans
Vierzon
D26
Bourges
Villers
Côtterets
D19
Lille
Brugge
Zeebrugge
Antwerp
Gent Bruxelles
St Quentin
Charleville
Mézières
Rheims
La Rochesur-Yon
Chalonssur-Marne
D22
Vitry-le-François
Fontainbleu D23 St. Dizier
Troyes
Joinville
D24
Auxerre
D20
Cambrai
Avallon
D21
Maastricht
Huy
Verdun
Dijon
Eindhoven
Liege
Aachen
Luxembourg
Chaumont Vittel
Langres
Metz
Nancy
D25
xvi

B13
Galashiels
E2 E1
E3
Jedburgh
E4
Hawick
E5
MAP E Scottish Borders and
Northern England
Ref
Page
E1 Kelso Abbey 15
E2 Dryburgh Abbey HS 15
E3 Melrose Abbey HS 15
E4 Jedburgh Abbey HS / Mary
Queen of Scots House 15
E5 Hermitage Castle HS 90
E6 Carlisle Castle EH 116
E7 Lowther Castle 119
E8 Bolton Castle 119
E9 York 120
E10 Temple Newsam House 67
Haydon
Bridge
Newcastle
upon Tyne
E6
Carlisle
Hartlepool
Penrith
E7
Darlington
Middlesborough
Kendal
E8
Thirsk
Ripon
E9
York
Preston
Bradford
E10
Leeds
0
Kilometres
10 20 30
0 10 20
Miles
xvii

MAP Map F Central and Southern England
Manchester
Sheffield
F1
F2
Rotherham
F8
Buxton
F7
Matlock
F5
F6
Chesterfield
F3
F4
Lincoln
Uttoxeter
F12
F16
F13
F10
F11
BIRMINGHAM
Derby
F14
F18
F9
Burtonupon-Trent
F15
Coventry
Nottingham
Leicester
F19
F20
F24
Stamford F23
F21
Oundle
F22
Peterborough
F25
F26
Redditch
Warwick
F17
Stratford-upon-Avon
Milton Keynes
Luton
Oxford
F27
Hatfield
LONDON
O N
F28
0
Kilometres
10 20 30
40 50
0 10 20 30
Miles
xviii

Central and Southern England
Key to Map F
Ref
Page
F1 Sheffield Cathedral/ Sheffield Castle site 124
F2 Sheffield Manor 135
F3 Hardwick Hall NT / Hardwick Old Hall EH 123
F4 Rufford Abbey 141
F5 Dethick 147
F6 Wingfield Manor EH 148
F7 Chatsworth 130
F8 Old Hall, Buxton 139
F9 Derby 172
F10 Tutbury Castle 123
F11 Abbots Bromley 154
F12 Chartley Castle and Manor 150
F13 Tixall Gatehouse LT 152
F14 Burton-upon-Trent 151
F15 Ashby de la Zouch Castle EH 129
F16 Dudley Castle 149
F17 Coughton Court NT 168
F18 St Mary’s Hall, Coventry 129
F19 Leicester 154
F20 Withcote Hall 154
F21 Fotheringhay – site of Castle 154
F22 Talbot Hotel, Oundle 167
F23 Burghley House 164
F24 St Martin’s Church, Stamford 165
F25 Peterborough Cathedral 163
F26 Conington Parish Church CCT 169
F27 Hatfield House 169
F28 Westminster Abbey and London sites 166
x

Foreword
as a boy in sheffield, I was often taken by my parents to visit
my aunt and uncle who lived in Sutherland Road. This was situated
in a steep valley in what was then a heavily-industrialised
area of the east end of the city. Across the valley of the River Don,
on the hillside opposite, stands a building which my father would
always point out to me, saying, ‘That is Sheffield Manor where
Mary Queen of Scots was kept a prisoner!’
The first time I heard that statement, my interest was stirred.
Why should a Queen of Scotland be held prisoner in Sheffield? At
that point, I had only vaguely heard her name in history lessons at
Firs Hill Junior School which I attended. I asked further questions
and, to satisfy my curiosity, my father produced a book on local
history, The Story of Sheffield by John Derry, published in 1915.
It contained a chapter entitled ‘Sheffield’s Historical Prisoner’
which gave a brief account of the Queen of Scots’ life leading up
to her nineteen years of imprisonment in England. The publication
was illustrated with drawings of the various sites where the royal
prisoner was held.
Over the years, my eagerness to discover more about this
famous historical character grew, and it continued in manhood
when, as a member of the local Junior Chamber of Commerce,
I was invited to organise a major civic event. This was to commemorate
the 400th anniversary of the arrival in Sheffield of the
captive Queen of Scots on 28 November 1570. I got together a
number of colleagues and, in the space of ten weeks, we arranged
a Mary Queen of Scots festival.
I got more and more absorbed in research on Mary and it
became an obsession. Looking back, I can confidently claim that
my love affair with Mary Queen of Scots has lasted most of my
life. As her story has unfolded, I have followed her movements
and, in the process, fallen in love with Scotland and its people.
Mary’s tale is a tragic one. It has all the ingredients which
encompass the very essence of an historical thriller – ambition,
greed, power, violence, sex, lust, murder, love and hatred. Throw
xxi

on the trail of mary queen of scots
in a beautiful queen surrounded by dashing beaux, blood-thirsty
criminals and treacherous women, and the cocktail is complete.
The Queen of Scots, from her birth at Linlithgow Palace on 8
December 1542 to the time she met her death by the executioner’s
axe at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587, has fascinated
millions of people down the years. What is so irresistibly magnetic
about her that has attracted so much interest? Apart from her
dynastic destiny and the turbulent events of her lifetime, her death
left many questions unanswered. Most portraits of Mary give her
an ethereal or angelic appearance but they do not really reflect the
truth. Nobody who reads the story of Mary Queen of Scots can
fail to be astonished by some of the foolish, miscalculated and
bloody events which surrounded and involved her.
Mary’s life was one long roller coaster. She moved through a
series of disasters from Scotland to France, back to Scotland again,
and finally to England, where she spent so many long years of
imprisonment at the hands of her royal cousin, Elizabeth, the
English Queen.
This book neither condones nor condemns, and I invite the
reader to join me on a journey where we set out to trace the events
of Mary’s life and, along the way, visit many of the important sites
associated with one of the most beautiful, enigmatic, yet tragic of
queens ever to be recorded in Britain’s history books.
J Keith Cheetham
May 1999
xxii

Introduction
so many questions were left unanswered after the death of
Mary Queen of Scots. Should she have stayed in France after her
first husband, Francis ii, had died? Was she aware of the plot to
murder her second husband, Lord Darnley? Did the Queen of
Scots write the incriminating Casket Letters or were they forgeries?
How could she, a Roman Catholic, have willingly agreed to
take the divorced Earl of Bothwell as her third husband? And how
deep was her involvement in the Babington Plot to murder Queen
Elizabeth and seize the English throne with the help of her
Catholic supporters?
Mary Stuart became Queen of Scots when she was only six
days old and Queen Consort of France in her early teens. She also
had a strong claim on the English throne which was occupied by
Queen Elizabeth. One wonders what might have happened had
England been ruled by Mary Stuart? Undoubtedly, the country
would have reverted to Roman Catholicism as it had done earlier
during the reign of Mary Tudor, half-sister to Elizabeth. For the
story of Mary Queen of Scots is not only about a power struggle
between two Queens – Elizabeth and Mary Stuart – it also had
deep religious implications for the opposing Protestant and
Roman Catholic faiths. In turn, these had repercussions on the
Continent, and after Mary’s death this led to the attempted invasion
of England by the Spaniards in August 1588.
On fleeing from Scotland in 1568, would Mary have been better
returning to France instead of throwing herself on Elizabeth’s
mercy? It was only to prove an escape into further captivity.
Mary’s standing in France had become of no real consequence
when, as Dowager Queen after the death of her first husband,
King Francis ii, she departed for Scotland in 1561. She was hated
at the French court by her mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici,
who seized power through her younger son, Charles ix, when he
inherited the throne on his elder brother’s death. Perhaps Mary
Queen of Scots could have gone into semi-retirement under the
protection of her mother’s relatives, the powerful Guise family, or
xxiii

on the trail of mary queen of scots
confined herself in a convent of some religious order in France. If
she had done the latter, she would undoubtedly have been able to
live out her life in exile.
Had discretion and common sense been two of her attributes,
she might have survived. Unfortunately, they were not, and she
was carried along by the tide of life, forever clutching at straws in
a fight for survival.
It is perhaps ironic that, despite her unsuccessful bid to claim
the English throne, it was her son, James vi of Scotland, who eventually
united the two kingdoms of Scotland and England when he
succeeded Elizabeth in 1603 as King James i of England.
As we chart her progress and follow her trail from her birth at
Linlithgow in 1542 to her death at Fotheringhay in 1587, it is in
places such as the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh Castle,
Stirling Castle, and Bolton Castle in Yorkshire’s Wensleydale that
we best get a lingering sense of the days when the Queen of Scots
passed through their corridors. But there are many more sites,
occupied and unoccupied, intact and ruined where we may follow
in her fascinating footsteps.
xxiv

TUDOR henry vii king of england
Founder of the Tudor Dynasty
m.
elizabeth of york
STUART
henry viii (1491-1547)
m.
(1) Catherine
of Aragon
m.
(2) Anne Boleyn
m.
(3) Jane Seymour
m.
(4) Anne of Cleves
(5) Catherine Howard
(6) Catherine Parr
margaret (1489-1541)
m.
(1) james iv of scotland
(1473-1513)
Stuart Dynasty
m.
(2) Archibald Douglas
6th Earl of Angus
m.
(3) Henry Stewart,
Lord Methven
mary tudor
(1515-1558)
Reigned 1553-1558
elizabeth I
(1533-1603)
Reigned 1558-1603
edward vi
(1537-1553)
Reigned 1547-1553
james v of scotland
(1512-1542)
m.
mary of guise-lorraine
(1515-1560)
Margaret Douglas
m.
Matthew, Earl of Lennox
mary stuart, queen of scots
(1542-1587)
m.
(1) francois ii of france
(1544-1560)
m.
(2) Henry Stuart,
Lord Darnley
(1545-1567)
Lord Charles Stuart,
Earl of Lennox
m.
Elizabeth Cavendish
m.
(3) James Hepburn,
Earl of Bothwell
(1535-1578)
Simplified tree showing relationship between
Mary of Scotland and Elizabeth of England.
james vi of scotland
(later james 1 of england)
(1566-1625)
Arabella Stuart
xxv

Luath Press Limited
committed to publishing well written books worth reading
LUATH PRESS takes its name from Robert Burns, whose little collie Luath
(Gael., swift or nimble) tripped up Jean Armour at a wedding and gave him
the chance to speak to the woman who was to be his wife and the
abiding love of his life. Burns called one of The Twa Dogs
Luath after Cuchullin’s hunting dog in Ossian’s Fingal.
Luath Press was established in 1981 in the heart of
Burns country, and is now based a few steps up the
road from Burns’ first lodgings on Edinburgh’s
Royal Mile.
Luath offers you distinctive writing with a hint of
unexpected pleasures.
Most bookshops in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and parts of Europe either carry
our books in stock or can order them for you. To order
direct from us, please send a £sterling cheque, postal
order, international money order or your credit card details
(number, address of cardholder and expiry date) to us at
the address below. Please add post and packing as follows:
UK – £1.00 per delivery address; overseas surface mail – £2.50 per delivery
address; overseas airmail – £3.50 for the first book to each delivery address,
plus £1.00 for each additional book by airmail to the same address. If your
order is a gift, we will happily enclose your card or message at no extra charge.
Luath Press Limited
543/2 Castlehill
The Royal Mile
Edinburgh EH1 2ND
Scotland
Telephone: 0131 225 4326 (24 hours)
Fax: 0131 225 4324
email: sales@luath.co.uk
Website: www.luath.co.uk
ILLUSTRATION: IAN KELLAS