Helen Littil facts for kids
Helen Littil was a Scottish courtier who had a very important job: she was the nurse for King James VI and I when he was a baby. He later became the King of Scotland and England.
Helen was known as the 'nureis' (an old word for nurse) for James, who was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. She might have been his wet-nurse, meaning she breastfed him. Another woman, Margaret Beaton, Lady Reres, was also called the king's nurse. Some people think Lady Reres was more like a governess, helping to look after the child in the royal home.
One of the first times anyone described baby Prince James was in June 1566. An English ambassador, Henry Killigrew, saw the baby "sucking of his nouryce" at Edinburgh Castle. The queen's tailor, Jean de Compiègne, even made a special gown for the nurse in July 1566.
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Life at Stirling Castle
Helen Littil moved with the young king's household to Stirling Castle. She was likely the "mistress nurse" or "maistres nureis," which means she was the chief nurse. In September 1566, Mary, Queen of Scots, sent special fabrics to Stirling for the household, including for the mistress nurse.
In December, Helen Littil and Lady Reres received fancy black velvet gowns with satin parts for the Prince's baptism. John Balfour, one of the queen's helpers, bought this expensive cloth.
Helen's Family and Rewards
Helen Littil was married to Alexander Gray, who was a burgess of Edinburgh. A burgess was an important citizen of a town. In those days, married women in Scotland usually kept their own family names.
Helen and Alexander had a daughter named Nanis Gray, who was with her mother at Stirling Castle in 1567. They also had two servants there, Helen Blyth and Gilbert Ramsay. Another of Helen's daughters, Grissel Gray, helped look after the king's clothes and linen. Grissell was even called a "sewstar" (seamstress) in 1579.
As a reward for her dedicated service, Queen Mary gave Helen Littil and her husband half of the lands in Kingsbarns in Fife. This meant they would receive income from these lands for their entire lives. This reward gave her about £20 Scots in money each year, plus some cereal crops and 60 "cayne" capons (a type of chicken). The poultry was part of her payment as a landlord.
The Royal Household
The royal household for the young king was quite large and busy. Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar was in charge of everyone. In 1567, James Cunningham of Drumquhassle was the Master of Household. Helen Littil was the chief nurse.
Many people worked to care for the young king:
- Five ladies, including Christian Stewart (granddaughter of James V), took turns rocking the royal cradle.
- The four Hudson brothers played their viols (musical instruments).
- There were also cooks and brewers to prepare food and drinks.
- Margaret Balcomie, also known as Margaret Malcomy, was responsible for washing the king's linen. Interestingly, she had also washed the linen for the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, at Linlithgow Palace in 1543!
Later Years and Continued Payments
Even many years later, Helen Littil was still recognized for her service. In April 1592, King James VI officially gave Helen Littil the lands at Kingsbarns again. These lands were part of the dower (money or property) of Anne of Denmark, who was James's wife.
In May 1594, new clothes were bought for Helen Littil and her two daughters, Grissel and Sara Gray. They were invited as guests to the baptism of Prince Henry at Stirling. Prince Henry was King James's son. At this time, Prince Henry's nurse was Margaret Masterton. Helen Littil continued to receive a yearly payment of £555-6s-8d Scots for her long and loyal service to the royal family.
