3 days ago
'Rare' letters signed by Mary Queen of Scots to be sold at auction
They form part of the remarkable papers of Kilravock Castle, near Nairn in the Scottish Highlands, in one of Scotland's most important collection of historical Scottish manuscripts that have been offered for sale.
Five letters in the auction are signed by Mary Queen of Scots, who visited the castle in 1562. The 20-year-old Queen was received by Hugh Rose, the tenth Laird of Kilravock and a powerful figure in the area as she tried to garner support during her first trip north.
Four of the letters are valued at between £10,000 and £15,000 and are co-signed by Mary and her husband – Lord Darnley, Henry Stuart.
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The letters are dated between September and October 1565, and come shortly before Lord Darnley conspired with Protestant lords to murder his wife's trusted secretary, before he himself was murdered the following year.
It was the scandal around his murder that eventually led to Mary's arrest and eventual forced abdication in favour of infant son James VI.
The six letters he wrote which feature in the auction demonstrate his relationship with the Roses of Kilravock.
One of them, valued at between £2,000 and £3,000, excuses Hugh Rose from travelling to court and grant his eldest son's attendance instead and was signed by the young king when he was only 13.
In another, dated 24th August 1603, he signs a special warrant to the Privy Council, liberating the 11th Baron of Kilravock and his son from prison in Edinburgh where they had been interred for failing to apprehend rebel kinsmen.
Four documents signed by James V are also in the auction, including one just months before his death.
Five letters by Mary of Guise (1515-1560), James V's wife and Mary Queen of Scots' mother, are being auctioned as a single lot.
Cathy Tait, Head of Books & Manuscripts at Lyon & Turnbull said: 'This in an unprecedented sale of historical of Scottish historical manuscripts.
'As an auctioneer you tend to come across a letter signed by Mary Queen of Scots every once in a while.
"To find five of her letters in the same collection, alongside others by members of her family, makes this a truly unique and amazing find.
"This series of documents and manuscripts, penned during a tumultuous time in Scottish and English history, gives a fascinating insight into both ordinary, and extraordinary, events during the times in which the writers lived.
"As you can imagine I'm really looking forward to being the rostrum for this particular auction - we expect it will generate a great deal of interest."
