Linlithgow Would Know

by Angelyn Schmid

Linlithgow Palace, Scotland

Burned out and abandoned in 1746. So what's the attraction?

Some will argue Linlithgow is the sole remaining witness to the moment Scotland began her irrevocable journey toward union with England. It was the night of April 23, 1567 at this palace when the Crown of Scotland forever lost its sacred value and became a naked pawn to be sold by the nobles who should have served it.

The night James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, plotted to kidnap Mary, Queen of Scots. But Bothwell and Mary were lovers, were they not? Did they not plan her abduction in advance, secretly, so that they might retreat to Dunbar Castle, thus paving the way for their marriage. Aye?

If walls could talk they would tell of a plan so secret that others knew of it.

Earlier that day of April 23rd, Mary's father-in-law wrote a letter. He was the Earl of Lennox, parent of her murdered husband, Lord Darnley. His letter communicated a curious warning to his wife, the formidable Margaret Douglas, daughter of Margaret Tudor. He advised her that Bothwell was about to kidnap their sovereign, the Queen of Scots.

In far away England, that perennial servant to the House of Tudor, William Cecil, advised: "Scotland was a quaqmire. Nobody seems to stand still; the most honest desire to go away; the worst tremble with the shaking of their conscience."

Yet April 23rd had begun so innocently. That morning Mary kissed her son good-bye in Stirling, not knowing she would never see him again. She planned to journey as far as Edinburgh, but had to stop along the way, at the place she was born--Linlithgow. She could travel no farther, for the pain in her side that had plagued her since girlhood had become insupportable. Some said then it was an ulcer, some say today it was a genetic malady called porphyria.

But all might have passed unnoticed except that there was another following her. Bothwell approached Linlithgow now cloaked in darkness and rode into the palace courtyard while the moon was high. Mary's retinue had since retired, but perhaps in her pain the Queen remained awake. Perhaps she might receive him where he could ask for her hand in marriage. Again.

She was awake, but she refused to see him. So her Lieutenant of the Borders had to be satisfied with an audience before her loyal Catholic retainer, George Gordon, Earl of Huntly. Huntly was a Highlander and also Bothwell's brother-in-law, with some regret over giving his sister Jean to this Lowlander he began to suspect of treason. Bothwell minced no words. He wanted help to kidnap the Queen. One can imagine Huntly's dismay, and his adamant refusal.

How I would have loved to hear how Bothwell tried to convince a man, whose sister he now planned to divorce, to give him aid. To give him the assistance necessary to overcome the Queen's guard so she may be carried off and married by force. That is the scenario I always think of when visiting this ruined palace. Because Linlithgow would know.

And it is so important to know. Had the Queen cooperated with Bothwell, as the Casket Letters would have us believe, there was surely no need to involve his wife's brother in the matter. Moreover, would Bothwell have been sent away? He was, forced to retire to Calder castle some distance southeast of Edinburgh.

The next day, Mary left Linlithgow for Edinburgh and was met by Bothwell's forces six miles west of the city. From thence forward, she lost control of her crown and her destiny.

It was not Carberry, or even Fotheringhay, that was the scene of Mary's last day as Queen of Scotland.

For Linlithgow would know.

Angelyn

Like history? Fall in love with it! Check out my blog at http://www.angelynschmid.com/ on history and romance.

Oldest Building in Edinburgh: St. Margaret’s Chapel

By Nicole North

When I visited Edinburgh Castle, my favorite among all the wonderful old buildings was St. Margaret’s Chapel. It is the oldest building in Edinburgh, built in 1124 by King David in honor of his mother, Queen Margaret. The chapel is located within the Edinburgh Castle fortress on Castle Rock, an extinct volcano which hasn't been active in millions of years.

The castle was damaged or destroyed in sieges many times over the centuries. In 1314, Randolph, Earl of Moray captured the castle and destroyed all the buildings except the chapel. We can assume the chapel was damaged however, because on his deathbed a few years later, Robert the Bruce ordered the chapel be repaired.

Because of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, the chapel wasn’t used for many years, except as a storage building for gunpowder. Canons are located just outside and were fired at certain times. If you stand in this area, you look out over the whole city of Edinburgh.

(To the left is a drawing of St. Margaret.) In 1853, the chapel was again restored by Queen Victoria and the five small windows adorned with stained glass. The beautiful stained glass windows we see today were installed in 1922, and further restorations were carried out over the years since. At 10 feet by 16 feet the chapel is only large enough to hold about 20 people comfortably, but it is still used for baptisms and weddings on occasion.

Above is the alter. The architecture of the building is Romanesque and resembles earlier Scottish and Irish Celtic chapels. The stained glass windows feature the following saints and people important in Scottish history:

St. Andrew

St. Columba

St. Margaret

St. Ninian and

William Wallace

According to legend, St. Margaret's Gospel Book, richly adorned with jewels, was one day dropped into a river. The book was recovered later and miraculously without any stain or damage. This medieval manuscript, purchased for just six pounds at auction in 1887, is now held in the Bodleian library at Oxford and the above picture is a copy displayed in St. Margaret’s Chapel.

This chapel is tiny and ancient, yet incredibly beautiful. The walls are thick and it is cool inside. It has a quiet peaceful feel. To stand inside the building is to stand in the midst of medieval history, or at least as close as we can to it.
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