Baptism of James VI
The baptism of James VI was celebrated at Stirling Castle in December 1566 with a masque, fireworks, and a staged assault on a mock fortress.
This is in part a response to George Buchanan's claim that Mary dressed the Earl of Bothwell in magnificent clothes for the events but neglected Lord Darnley.
[13] The idea that Mary clothed Bothwell in rich garments for the Stirling baptism was included in the "Book of Articles" written against her by her enemies and presented at the Westminster Conference in 1568.
[15] On 6 October the Privy Council allowed a tax to be raised to entertain the ambassadors at the baptism, £6000 would come from the church, £4000 from the barons and freeholders, and £2000 from burgh towns.
[17] The decoration of the Great Hall was in part the responsibility of Mary's wardrobe servant Servais de Condé, and he recorded that the Prince's bed at the baptism had a cover of cloth of silver.
[20] The queen's tailor, Jean de Compiègne, made a cover to wrap Prince James at the baptism from 10 ells of silver damask.
[21] The staged events at the baptism have been compared with the festival held at Bayonne by Catherine de' Medici and Charles IX of France in 1565, which may have been the model for the programme at Stirling.
John's account for the event lists his ingredients, including, colophony, orpiment, quicksilver, Lombard paper, camphor, gum arabic, arrows and dozens of small pottery vessels.
The fireworks were made in Leith at the King's Wark and shipped to Stirling in great secrecy, carried to the castle at the dead of night "for feir of knowledge thairof".
The carpenter James Reid built the mock fort beside the churchyard of the Holy Rude Kirk, in the area known as the valley, from fir spars and boards shipped from Leith.
[29] The French ambassador, Jean, Count de Brienne, arrived in Edinburgh on 2 November 1566 and was lodged in Henry Kinloch's house in the Canongate near Holyrood Palace.
[36] He stayed privately in the castle and did not attend the events, and the French diplomat Philibert du Croc (who represented the Duke of Savoy for the occasion) was instructed not to speak to him by Charles IX.
The food was brought from the kitchens by a procession led by musicians followed by the three Masters of the Household, the Laird of Findlater, Francisco de Busso, and Gilbert Balfour.
[42] James Melville of Halhill wrote that Bastian Pagez was responsible for an entertainment in the Great Hall of Stirling Castle on 19 December which offended the English guests at the baptism.
The courses of the dinner were brought up the hall on a moving table, with twelve men dressed as satyrs, with long tails, carrying lighted torches.
[43] Meanwhile, courtiers costumed as nymphs and satyrs sang Latin verses specially written by George Buchanan in honour of the food and hosts as the "gift of the offering of rustic gods to James and his mother".
The parts of the song were alternately given to the satyrs, nereids, fauns, and naiads who addressed the Queen and Prince, and it was concluded by characters representing the Orkney Islands.
[46] Polydore Vergil had more recently published a version of the legend, writing that the curse applied to the descendants of people from Strood who had cut off the tail of Thomas Becket's horse.
[52] Bedford refused to go in the chapel at the baptism, and Jean Stewart, Countess of Argyll went in his place, and he gave her a ring with ruby, according to Queen Elizabeth's instructions.
[53] As a gift, Bedford brought a gold font "curiously wrought and enamelled" supplied or made by the goldsmiths Robert Brandon and Affabel Partridge.
In January 1567 Ubertino Solaro, Sieur de Moretta, the ambassador of the Duke of Savoy,[57] who was late for the baptism, gave Mary a fan with jewelled feathers.
[62] In 1568 Ralph Lignish or Liggons was involved in the Duke of Norfolk's discussions at Hampton Court with Moray and John Lesley about him marrying Mary, Queen of Scots, which led to his execution.
The celebrations involved a tournament of running at the ring in fancy dress, desserts and fruits served by six ladies from a moving stage drawn by a "Moor", and a model ship loaded with fish made from sugar.
