Funeral of Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots, was buried at Peterborough Cathedral on 1 August 1587 with a heraldic funeral, following her execution at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587.
[10] Fortescue's account mentions "Paris heads" fashioned for the high-status female mourners, with "barbes and linen", "bongraces" and "kerchers" worn as headdresses and face-coverings.
[14] At Peterborough, one Scottish gentlewoman received a "large attire of lawn with a barbe", this was perhaps Barbara Moubray, the wife of Gilbert Curle, whose name is included in the order of procession.
[19] Mary's body was brought from Fotheringhay via Huntingdon to Peterborough on a chariot drawn by four horses at night on 30 July, a distance of 12 miles.
[23] There was a supper in the Great Hall of the Bishop's Palace,[24] where a cloth of estate of purple velvet and a chair was installed, and used by the Countess of Bedford.
Richard Cox, clerk to Gregory Lovell, cofferer to Elizabeth's household, accounted for the expenses of the food and the cooks to Bryan Cave and Marmaduke Darrell.
[27] For the funeral on Tuesday 1 August, Lammas Day, a "representation" of Mary, thought to have been an either an effigy or a group of symbolic objects,[28] was carried from the Palace into the cathedral and placed on the hearse.
[29] The procession from the Palace to the church was led by 100 or 120 poor women in black cloth gowns and white Holland linen head dresses (called "kerchers"), provided by Fortescue.
[31] Six gentlemen brought in the "representation" under a velvet canopy supported on poles by Thomas Manners, John or George Hastings, James Harington, and Richard Knightley.
Ten or eight women from Mary's household followed, wearing hoods with black taffeta at the front and white veils at the back in the French fashion.
[37] Richard Fletcher, Dean of Peterborough, read the funeral service where Mary was buried, and then the broken rods of her officers were placed in the grave.
Dominique Bourgoing would kiss the hands of French royal family, and Jérôme Pasquier would bring a mémoire for Henry III.
[42] Mourners from Mary's household who attended at Peterborough included; Barbara Moubray, Renée de Rallay known as Beauregard, Christian Hog (wife of Bastian Pagez), Mary Pagez, Gillis Mowbray, Jean Kennedy, Elspeth or Elizabeth Curle, and Susanna Kirkcaldy (a daughter of William Kirkcaldy of Grange, who acted as Bourgoing's chamberer).
The other servants attending were Dominique Bourgoing the physician, Camille du Preau the almoner, Pierre Gorion the apothecary, the surgeon Jacques Gervais, Balthazar Hully of the wardrobe, Bastian Pagez, Hannibal Stewart, Didier Siflard the sommelier, Jean Lauder of the pantry, Martin Huet the cook, Nicolas de la Mere the pastry chef, Robin Hamilton assistant cook, Laurens de la Chapelle the usher, and Simon Jacqui described as the valet de fourrier and possibly an upholsterer like his predecessor Nicolas Guillebault.
[53] Following the Union of the Crowns and his English coronation, James VI and I sent William Dethick to Peterborough with an embroidered velvet pall for his mother's grave in August 1603.
In 1610, a servant of the painter Rowland Lockey, an employee of the Earl of Shrewsbury, was paid for travelling to London with two porters carrying Mary's picture.
