Jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots facts for kids

Mary Queen of Scots, wearing many pearls

The amazing jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) are mostly known from old lists kept by the National Archives of Scotland. She received jewels when she was a child in France. She also inherited some from her family. Mary loved giving jewels as gifts to her friends and to thank important visitors. When she stopped being queen and went to England, many of her jewels left in Scotland were sold. Some were even used as a promise for loans. This was done first by her enemies and later by her friends. Even in England, Mary kept buying new jewels, some from France. She used these to reward people who supported her. In Scotland, her son James VI and his friends wore her remaining jewels.

Mary's Jewels: A French Style

Mary, Queen of Scots inherited special jewels from her father, James V of Scotland. For a while, the Earl of Arran ruled Scotland. In 1556, after Mary's mother Mary of Guise became ruler, Arran sent many royal jewels to the young queen in France.

Mary had her jewels fixed and updated by jewelers in Paris. One jeweler, Robert Mangot, made prayer beads for her. Another, Mathurin Lussault, also provided gloves, pins, combs, and brushes. Mary's clothes were often decorated with jewels. For example, a white satin skirt had 120 diamonds and rubies sewn onto it. Her hairnets also had gold buttons or rubies. Her tailor, Nicolas du Moncel, sewed these in 1551.

In 1554, Mary's governess, Françoise de Paroy, asked Mary of Guise for permission to buy two diamonds. These were to make one of Mary's headbands longer. The headband already had rubies and pearls set in gold. She also wanted to buy a fancy gold dress for Mary. This dress was for a wedding in Fontainebleau. The new outfit was meant to look like what the French princesses, Elisabeth of Valois and Claude of France (1547–1575), were wearing.

Artists at the French court made beautiful things for the royals. One artist, Jean Court, worked with enamel on metal. He decorated a cup with scenes of goddesses and gods. This cup also had the Scottish coat of arms on it. It is thought this cup might have been made for Mary's engagement. The cup is now in a museum in Paris.

Mary was engaged to the French prince Francis II of France. She was given jewels to wear that belonged to the French royal family. At her wedding in 1558, she wore necklaces with a very valuable pendant. Her mother-in-law, Catherine of Medici, also gave her necklaces. These were made by jewelers in Lyon and Paris.

After Francis died in December 1560, Mary had to return many French royal jewels. These included diamonds that were carefully described and valued. Many of her hairpieces and necklaces had the crowned letter "F" for Francis. One large ruby was called the "Egg of Naples." A big emerald came from Peru. Mary was allowed to keep some pieces. She later said that many of her personal jewels were gifts she received in France.

Queen Elizabeth I, wearing pearls that might have been Mary's

Mary had several matching sets of jewels for her hair and neck. These were worn on headbands or hairnets. One set of large pearls was sewn onto black velvet. In 1578, seven gold, silver, silk, and hairnets were left in Edinburgh Castle. Her earrings were called "hingaris at luggis" in Scots.

Jewels and Gifts at the Scottish Court

Queen Elizabeth wanted to send her portrait to Mary in Scotland in January 1562. Mary told the ambassador, Thomas Randolph, that she would send Elizabeth a heart-shaped diamond ring. When the portrait didn't arrive, Mary still sent the ring in June 1562. She also sent some French poems she had written herself.

In October 1564, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox visited the Scottish court. He gave Mary a "marvelous fair and rich" jewel. He also gave her a clock, a dial, and a mirror decorated with precious stones. He gave diamond rings to many courtiers and gifts to Mary's four ladies-in-waiting, known as the "four Maries." The English ambassador, Thomas Randolph, saw Mary playing dice with Lennox. She was wearing a mask after dancing. She lost a "pretty jewel of crystal" to him.

A gold marten's head, like those used on furs

An English lady holding a fur with a jeweled head

In July 1565, Mary paid a French jeweler in Edinburgh, Ginone Loysclener, £76 Scots. This was likely for gifts at her wedding to Lord Darnley.

Wedding, Pregnancy, and Mary's Will

Soon after Mary and Darnley married, they faced a rebellion. They needed money and tried to pawn some of Mary's jewels in Edinburgh for 2,000 English marks. But no one would lend them that much.

When Mary, Queen of Scots was pregnant in 1566, she made a list of her jewels. She decided which ones would stay with the Scottish crown forever. Others she left to her family, courtiers, and ladies-in-waiting. This list was like a will. Her ladies, Mary Livingston and Margaret Carwood, helped her and signed the papers. The jewels were grouped into types. Seven pieces were new purchases.

Mary wanted the Earl of Bothwell to have a special hat jewel. It had a mermaid with diamonds and a ruby. She kept it in her private cabinet. A hat badge shaped like a turtle with ten rubies was a gift from David Rizzio. She left this to his brother Joseph. Her four-year-old nephew, Francis Stewart, would have received gold buttons and special gold tips for laces. He would also get a piece of unicorn horn on a silver chain, used to test for poison.

Marten Furs and Zibellini

If Mary had died giving birth, her lady-in-waiting, Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar, and her daughter Mary Erskine would have received jewels. These included a belt of purple stones and pearls, another belt with green stones and a chain, and bracelets with diamonds, rubies, and pearls. They would also get pearl earrings and a zibellino. A zibellino was a marten fur with a fancy gold head and matching gold feet. An Edinburgh jeweler had made a gold marten's head for Mary's mother in 1539. Mary had several of these. They seemed to be linked to pregnancy and having children.

Scented Pomander Beads

Mary had two full sets of head-dresses, necklaces, and belts. These had openwork gold beads that could hold scented musk. Mary left one set, with pearls between the scented beads, to her half-sister Jean Stewart, Countess of Argyll. The other set went to her sister-in-law Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray. These items are not found in later Scottish lists. Mary might have given them away. These beads are called pomander beads because of the scented mixture inside.

Mary sent a chain of pomander beads to Catherine, Lady Knollys in August 1568. She gave Anne Percy, Countess of Northumberland a "pair of beads of gold of perfume." This had been a gift to Mary from the Pope. Mary gave other scented bead pieces to her servants in England. Some stories say Mary wore a pomander necklace when she was executed. The Royal Collection Trust has a larger silver pomander for scent that is believed to be Mary's.

Gifts at Prince James's Baptism

Mary safely gave birth to Prince James at Edinburgh Castle. A diamond cross was attached to James's baby clothes. His christening was held at Stirling Castle on 17 December 1566. Mary gave her jewels as gifts to important visitors. The Earl of Bedford represented Queen Elizabeth at the baptism. Mary gave him a gold chain with pearls, diamonds, and rubies. She also gave gifts to other English gentlemen. The French ambassador gave Mary a necklace of pearls and rubies and earrings. An ambassador from Savoy, Obertino Solaro, gave Mary a fan with jeweled feathers.

Regent Moray and the Queen's Jewels

In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots was removed from power and held in Loch Leven Castle. Her half-brother, James Stewart, became the ruler of Scotland, known as Regent Moray. His secretary and Mary's servant made lists of her clothes and jewels.

Regent Moray and the treasurer borrowed money using Mary's jewels as a promise. They also sold some pieces to merchants in Edinburgh. Nicolas Elphinstone sold Mary's pearls to Queen Elizabeth. This happened even though Catherine of Medici offered to buy them. The chains of pearls, some as big as nutmegs, are thought to be shown in Elizabeth's famous "Armada Portrait".

Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray, who kept some of Mary's jewels

Other jewels sold by Regent Moray ended up with the wives of two merchants. Helen Leslie, the "Goodwife of Kinnaird", was the wife of James Barroun. He had lent money to Moray. She later married James Kirkcaldy. His brother, William Kirkcaldy of Grange, later supported Mary.

Helen Achesoun, whose father was a goldsmith, was the wife of William Birnie. He had bought lead from a cathedral roof. Achesoun and Birnie had lent Moray £700 Scots. They took some of Mary's "beltis and cousteris" as a promise for the loan. A "couster" was a gold chain that hung from a woman's belt with a pendant. One was described as "a belt with a gold couter and ciphers and roses enameled white and red."

After Birnie died, Helen Achesoun married Archibald Stewart. He later became a leader in Edinburgh. Even though they were Protestants, they later helped Mary's cause. They lent money to William Kirkcaldy, using more of the queen's jewels as security.

After Mary escaped from Lochleven in May 1568 and went to England, the jewel sales stopped. Most of the remaining jewels Mary left behind were kept in a chest in Edinburgh Castle. The Scottish Parliament said Regent Moray was allowed to sell Mary's jewels. But Queen Elizabeth, at Mary's request, asked him not to sell them in October 1568. Moray agreed. He said he and his friends had not become rich from any of Mary's belongings.

After Moray was killed in January 1570, Mary wrote to his wife, Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray. Mary asked for "our H," the "Great H of Scotland" and other pieces. Agnes Keith kept these jewels. Regent Moray had taken them to England but brought them back unsold. The next ruler, Regent Lennox, wanted them. But Agnes Keith did not give them up. The "Great H" might have been the very valuable pendant Mary wore at her first wedding in 1558.

During the "Lang Siege" of Edinburgh Castle, the castle's captain, William Kirkcaldy of Grange, gave jewels to Mary's supporters. These were promises for loans they gave him to pay his soldiers. Jewelers James Mosman and James Cockie valued the jewels for these loans. Several papers about the jewels and loans from this time still exist. This includes a note about Mary's wedding ring.

Regent Morton and the Jewels

Regent Morton, who tried to get Mary's jewels for James VI

The siege caused much hardship in Edinburgh. The new ruler of Scotland, Regent Morton, worked hard to get the jewels back after the castle gave up on 28 May 1573. As soldiers entered the castle, James Mosman gave his share of the queen's jewels to Kirkcaldy. He wrapped them in an old cloth and put them in a chest. The English commander, William Drury, found the jewel chest in a vault. He got some jewels back from people who had lent money, including Helen Leslie, Lady Newbattle and Helen Achesoun. On 3 August 1573, William Kirkcaldy, his brother James, James Cockkie, and James Mossman were executed.

Morton found the records of the loans and promises Kirkcaldy had made. He was very happy about this. Kirkcaldy had written notes in the margins of a jewel list. These notes were about gifts made to Margery Wentworth, Lady Thame, who was William Drury's wife. Kirkcaldy had crossed out some notes. He then signed a statement saying Lady Thame had refused any gifts of Mary's jewels from him in April 1572.

Signatures of Mary Fleming and William Maitland

A lady who might be Margery, Lady Thame

Mary Fleming, who had helped make this jewel list, was told to return a chain of rubies and diamonds. Agnes Gray, Lady Home gave back jewels that were her promise for a loan of £600 Scots. A lawyer returned a necklace with pearls, rubies, and diamonds. Another lawyer had bought 200 gold royal buttons from William Sinclair of Roslin for 500 merks. He gave these buttons to the Privy Council and Morton on 6 July. On 28 July 1573, Regent Morton sent Mary's gold buttons and pearl-set "horns" to Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar at Stirling Castle. These were to be sewn onto the king's clothes.

On 3 August, Morton sent a copy of Kirkcaldy's list to the Countess of Lennox. He hoped she could get all the jewels still with William Drury in Berwick-upon-Tweed sent to him. On 7 August, Alexander Drummond brought Morton a jewel set for the queen's headband. It had seven diamonds, six rubies, and twelve pearls set in gold.

Morton continued to ask the Countess of Lennox for updates. In October 1573, Morton sent money to Berwick to get back one of the queen's jewel sets. This set included a pair of headbands and a necklace of "roses of gold" with diamonds. Robert Melville was questioned about the jewels in October. Gilbert Edward, a page, stole several jewels, including a jeweled mermaid. This mermaid was similar to one Mary had inherited from her father, James V of Scotland.

Helen Leslie, Lady Newbattle, held Mary's buttons as a loan promise

Morton had long talks with Moray's wife, Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray, about getting back the "Great H of Scotland." This was a diamond and ruby pendant. Mary wrote to the countess again, asking her to return the jewels to her instead. Agnes Keith said the jewels were a promise for her late husband's unpaid costs as Regent. But she gave them to Morton in March 1575.

Morton stopped being Regent in March 1579. His half-brother made a list of royal jewels, Mary's clothes, and other items.

Mary in England

When Mary first arrived in England at Bolton Castle in July 1568, she asked a man named Garth Ritchie to ask John Sempill of Beltrees to send her the jewels they were keeping. Garth Ritchie managed to bring some of the queen's clothes. But Regent Moray would not let Sempill send any jewels. Mary said the jewels Sempill had were gifts from the King of France and did not belong to Scotland.

Mary had some jewelry and valuable household items with her in England. Lists were made at Chartley Castle in 1586 and at Fotheringhay Castle in February 1587. She usually wore a gold cross and pearl earrings. Another gold cross had pictures of the Passion of Christ engraved on it. In her cabinet, she kept a gold chain with small portraits of Henry II of France and Catherine of Medici. The chain had 44 pieces shaped like royal initials, colored blue and red. The portrait was in a gold case shaped like a small book. This piece was probably worn as a belt.

A list of items taken from Mary Queen of Scots in 1586 includes a mirror with tiny portraits of Mary and Elizabeth. There was also a small chest decorated with diamonds, rubies, and pearls. This might have been furniture for her dressing table. She also had a gold pincase to wear on a belt and a black velvet cap with a green and black feather. A longer list of her jewels was made at Chartley in 1586, and after her execution. She had two porcelain spoons, a silver one, a gold one, a special stone set in silver, and a piece of unicorn horn set in gold. There was a charm stone against poison, as big as a pigeon's egg, with a gold cover. Another stone was meant to guard against sadness.

Jewels with Hidden Messages

From Sheffield Castle in 1574 and 1575, Mary Queen of Scots wrote to her friend, the Archbishop of Glasgow in Paris. She asked him to order jewelry for her. She wanted gold lockets with her portrait to send to her friends in Scotland. As a gift for Queen Elizabeth, Mary wanted bracelets or a pendant or a gold mirror to hang from a belt. This would be decorated with her initials joined with Elizabeth's. It would also have other symbols or messages, designed by her uncle. She also asked for a gold belt and necklace as a gift for her chancellor's daughter. The portraits for her supporters might have been her profile cut into a special stone. One such cameo is said to have been Mary's gift to Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk.

In September 1578, while at Chatsworth House, Mary wrote to the Archbishop again. She sent a design for a jewel she wanted made in gold and enamel as a gift for her son, James VI. In 1570, the Countess of Atholl and her friends had ordered a jewel. This jewel directly referred to who would become the next ruler of England. The "Lennox Jewel," now in the Royal Collection, is a jewel like this. It was likely ordered by Mary's mother-in-law, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox.

Some jewels were made to speak against Mary. The Spanish ambassador in London reported that the Earl of Leicester gave Queen Elizabeth a New Year's gift in 1571. It was a jewel with a tiny painting. It showed her sitting on her throne with Mary in chains at her feet. Spain, France, and Neptune were bowing to her.

Holy Items and the Earl of Northumberland

Mary owned two holy thorns. These were believed to be from the crown of thorns worn by Jesus. They were a gift from her father-in-law, Henri II. The thorns had been bought in 1238 by Louis IX of France in Constantinople. Mary is said to have given the two thorns to Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland. One is now at Stonyhurst College. It is kept in a gold container decorated with pearls.

Mary sent other gifts to the Earl of Northumberland. These included an enameled gold ring and a diamond ring. For the Countess of Northumberland, she sent a pair of perfumed gold prayer beads. The Pope had given these to Mary. The Earl sent Mary a jewel that had been a gift to his wife from a Spanish courtier. He also sent a diamond ring from the Countess. Mary promised she would always wear it.

A gold and enameled crucifix is said to have been her gift to John Feckenham, a church leader. A simpler silver crucifix found at Craigmillar Castle is also said to have been hers. A locket from the 1500s with a picture of the crucifixion is said to have been her gift to Thomas Andrews, a sheriff, just before her execution.

James VI and His Mother's Jewels

James VI was able to wear the jeweled gold buttons that had belonged to his mother. He also used the gold settings from her necklaces to decorate his hats. In October 1579, he became the adult ruler of Scotland. He ordered his mother's jewel chest to be moved from Edinburgh Castle to Holyroodhouse.

He gave several of his mother's jewels to his favorite, Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, in October 1581. These included the "Great H" and a gold cross with seven diamonds and two rubies. In September 1584, a German writer saw James wearing this cross on his hat ribbon in a church in Perth. This was likely the same diamond and ruby cross that his grandmother, Mary of Guise, had used as a promise for a loan. Mary, Queen of Scots, had later gotten it back.

James Stewart, Earl of Arran and Elizabeth Stewart, Countess of Arran told the Master of Gray to dress the king in his exiled mother's jewels. One of the queen's head jewel sets, with diamonds, pearls, and rubies, was taken apart. Its pieces were used to decorate a cloak for the young king in May 1585. Some of the gold settings were put on a hat string. The Countess of Arran was said to have made new keys for the chests holding Mary's jewels and clothes. She reportedly tried on many of the old queen's clothes to see if they fit her. She was later imprisoned for giving her husband jewels worth 20,000 crowns from Edinburgh Castle. Arran returned the jewels in January 1586.

On 3 February 1603, James VI of Scotland gave James Sempill a jewel that had belonged to Mary. This was a reward for his good work in talks in England. The jewel was a necklace chain with a diamond and a ruby. It also had a locket with a diamond and ruby, surrounded by more diamonds.

In 1604, King James had the "Great H" taken apart. The large diamond from it was used in the new "Mirror of Great Britain." James wore this as a hat badge.

The Eglinton Necklace

The Earl of Eglinton who found Mary Seton's necklace

A necklace from the collection of the Earl of Eglinton is believed to have been a gift from Mary to Mary Seton. This piece has "S-shaped snakes in dark-green enamel." It was split into two parts in the 1600s. One part is now at the National Museum of Scotland. The other, held by the Royal Collection, is at Holyrood Palace. These might have been parts of a longer chain.

Later, Anne of Denmark gave jewelry to her maid of honor, Anne Livingstone, Countess of Eglinton. This included a chain with 96 pieces. Some were "green snakes set with two small pearls." Others were shaped "like S with three sparks of rubies." This might have been the item Mary, Queen of Scots, gave to Mary Seton. These gifts were given to Anne Livingstone when she left court for Scotland in 1607. They were also given when she married Mary Seton's great-nephew.

The necklace and a painting were said to have come to the Eglinton family from the Setons in 1611. This was when Alexander Seton became Earl of Eglinton.

Mary's writer, Agnes Strickland, visited Eglinton Castle in 1847. The Lady Eglinton lent her the necklace. In 1894, the Earl of Eglinton found the necklace again in a storage room at Eglinton. He sold it to help his sisters. By this time, the jewel had been divided into at least two pieces. Another chain with green serpents was at Duns Castle. This part of the necklace came to the Hay family when Elizabeth Seton married William Hay in 1694. The part from Eglinton was given to Queen Mary in 1935.

Golf and the Seton Necklace

Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley played games like bowls and bet high amounts. In April 1565, when Mary Beaton won at Stirling Castle, Darnley gave her a ring and a brooch worth fifty crowns. A similar story is told about the Seton necklace. It is said the queen gave it to Mary Seton after she won a game of golf at Seton Palace. Mary definitely played golf at Seton. In 1568, her accusers said she had played "pall-mall and golf" as usual at Seton after Darnley's death.

The Penicuik Jewels and Geillis Mowbray

These jewels are believed to have belonged to Geillis Mowbray. She served Mary, Queen of Scots, in England. Geillis Mowbray went to London in September 1585 and asked to join Mary's household. Her sister Barbara Mowbray was already with the queen. Geillis joined Mary at Tutbury Castle in November.

The jewels were passed down in the family of John Clerk of Penicuik. They include a necklace, a locket, and a pendant. The necklace has 14 large, open-work beads that could be filled with scented musk. The locket has tiny portraits of a woman and a man. These are believed to be Mary and James VI. The gold pendant with pearls might have been worn with the locket. The Penicuik jewels are shown at the National Museum of Scotland. Mary left Geillis Mowbray jewels, money, and clothes. This included gold bracelets, a crystal jewel set in gold, and a red enameled gold "oxe." Geillis also kept Mary's virginals (a type of harpsichord) and her cittern.

When William Kirkcaldy of Grange was about to be executed, Geillis Mowbray's father wrote to Regent Morton. He asked for Kirkcaldy's life to be spared. He offered money, service, and royal jewels worth £20,000 Scots.

The Jewel Lists

Most of the lists and papers about the jewels are kept by the National Records of Scotland. They were written in French or in Scots. Some were published in the 1800s.

Original documents include:

• List of inherited jewels Mary, Queen of Scots received in 1556. This includes a cupid with a ruby heart, a jeweled dagger, and a mermaid with a diamond mirror and a ruby tail.
• 'Memoir of the Crown', a list of Mary's jewels and others belonging to the French crown, from the 1550s.
• List of the jewel chest in Edinburgh Castle, August 1571.
• Statements by William Kirkcaldy of Grange about the jewels, 1573.
• List of jewels found after the siege by William Drury.
• A copy of William Drury's list, which mentions "... a ring with a great diamond, which was the Queen's marriage ring. One other great diamond."
• List of Mary's belongings in Edinburgh Castle, 1578. This includes her books, her dolls, and which tapestries were hanging at Stirling Castle.
• List made at Fotheringhay after Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed.

Images for kids

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  Regent Moray raised money from his sister's jewels.