International Connections Uncovered at Stirling Castle

25/01/2010

Restoration work at Stirling Castle has revealed extensive international links between the  Renaissance-period Scottish court and a host of European nations.  Researchers also believe they have found the first firm evidence of Africans at Stirling's Royal Palace.

Historian John Harrison has studied volumes of original documents as part of the £12 million restoration project which is currently underway at the Royal Palace, within the stout stone walls of Stirling Castle.  The aim of the project: To return the palace to it's mid-16th century grandeur.

The restored palace is due to re-open to the public next year.

The Bread Book, found at the castle, provides an account of people who got loaves from the royal kitchens during 1549.  At that time the palace was the favoured home of the then Queen, future regent and mother of Mary, Queen of Scotland, the French noblewoman, Mary de Guise. Mary came to Scotland as the bride of King James V, thus helping cement the 'Auld Alliance' formed between Scoltand and France, particularly to counterbalance the power of England.

The palace itself embodied a fusion of French and other European reaissance architechtural and cultural influences.  However, the resoration project also delves into more down-to-earth aspects of everyday life at Stirling Castle.  For example Harrison reveals that, on most days, a loaf was granted to the Morys – or Moors.  Mr Harrison suggests they were either Arabs or black Africans from North Africa.

“This is a fascinating glimpse of the diversity of the royal court at Stirling in the mid-16th century," says Harrison.

"It was quite cosmopolitan at the time, with the French Mary de Guise at its head and surrounded not just by Scots but by people from Spain, the Rhineland and what is now Belgium.

“There were a few English, but they were mostly prisoners," adds Harrison, with just a little touch of irony!

Like many things in historical ressearch, the evidence paints a partial picture, with experts left to fill in the gaps based on their understanding of the period.

“Just who the Moors were, and what they were doing, is difficult to say," observes Harrison.

"They were relatively low in the court hierarchy but were part of the household and received bread at royal expense.”

Stirling's central importance in Scotland's turbulant history is underlined by the presence here of the Royal Court, during a crucial period in the Scottish history.

Following the untimely death of James V, just after Scotland's tragic defeat by the English army at the Battle of Solway Moss, the Earl of Arran had become regent.  The young Mary, Queen of Scots had been sent to France for her own protection as Scotland faced repeated military attacks by the more powerful English armies.

Research is being funded by the Scottish people, through preservation agency Historic Scotland.  It's gathering as much information as possible about court life in the mid 16th-century in order to present tourists and other visitors with an authentic picture of life at Stirling's Royal Court in the mid-16th century.

Once the palace opens to the public in 2011 there will be costumed interpreters, who will explain to visitors about the people and events in each of the rooms.

We await the re-opening of this once grandiose royal safe-hold with baited breath.  In the meantime visitors to Stirling can still enjoy hours of fascination among the rest of the huge castle complex.  This includes previous major restoration projects such as the Chapel Royal, the magnicent Great Hall - also known as the Parliament Hall - and the recreated royal kitchens.

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