Friday, March 22, 2019

Mary Queen of Scots Documents

From The BBC:
A group of documents believed to have been signed by Mary Queen of Scots have come to light at the Museum of Edinburgh after decades spent unseen. Files showed they were gifted in 1920 but they had been lost in storage until recent inventory work by curators. The handwritten documents are said to provide a "fascinating insight" into commercial life in Edinburgh in the 16th Century. They can be viewed online and will hopefully go on display in future. For the time being, the documents will remain in safe storage at the Museum of Edinburgh because of their fragile state. Future plans are to have them assessed by a conservator and for further research to be done on them by experts on Mary's reign, after which the hope is to exhibit them for residents and visitors to enjoy. Meanwhile, the new discovery can be viewed online. (Read more.)

From Smithsonian:
The papers date from 1553 to 1567, spanning Mary’s time in both France and Scotland. This in turn suggests that she kept a close eye on domestic affairs, even when she was abroad. Some of the documents bear Mary’s signature, others were signed by her third husband James Hepburn and still others by James, Duke of Chesterault, Mary’s regent until 1554. Among the newly unearthed trove is an order from 1567, signed by both Mary and James Hepburn, granting ground for salt-making to London merchants. Another extends privileges to “fleshers” selling meat, and yet another deals with the rights of deacons and tradesmen.

It’s not the zestiest content, but the documents offer some insight into Mary’s reign, Vicky Garrington, history curator at the Museum of Edinburgh, says in a statement. “We all know the story of Scotland’s Queen, her eventful life and eventual execution, but in these documents, we see a different side to Mary. Here, she can be seen carefully managing the everyday affairs of Edinburgh and Scotland,” Garrington says. (Read more.)
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