Scotland in the Time of Queen Mary: The Towns
In the time of Queen Mary the towns were much, the same as they had been long before her reign. They were not surrounded with great walls with towers, like…
From: 1542 C.E. To: 1567 C.E.
Location: Scotland
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From A Short History of Scotland by Peter Hume Brown, 1908.
Scotland in the Time of Queen Mary: The Towns
In the time of Queen Mary the towns were much, the same as they had been long before her reign. They were not surrounded with great walls with towers, like the towns on the Continent, but most of them were defended by stone-dykes, which, however, were usually in a very broken down condition. It was against the law to climb over these dykes into the town, but as they were generally full of holes it was very easy to slip through them, and this the boys in the town constantly did.
If any one wished to enter the town, he had to pass through one of the ports or gates; and, if he had any goods with him, he had to pay a toll to the gatekeeper.
The interior of the town was also much the same as it had been in the Middle Ages. The streets were no cleaner, swine went about just as they had always done, the town was no better lighted, and it was not safe to be out of doors after nightfall. In earlier times the chief public building in every town had been the parish church, but now in most of the principal towns there was another public building, called the Tolbooth, in which the courts of justice met and criminals were imprisoned.
What was an ordinary house like in the time of Mary, and how was it furnished? Here is the description of one in Stirling which belonged to a bailie in that town. This house had four rooms, the largest being the hall, which contained a counter, a form, a stool, and a place for keeping meat. In a second room, called the mid-chamber, there was a bed and a press; in the front chamber there were three beds, a chest, a form, and a little iron chimney; and in the upper chamber there were three beds, two of which, however, had no bottoms.
This was all the furniture in a bailie's house in those times, and, as for utensils, here is a list of those that belonged to another bailie in the same town: three saucers, six dishes, six pewter plates, two pots, two bowls, a quart measure, and a chopin measure.
Among other changes which the Reformation brought about was a change in the amusements of the people. Before the Reformation the day when there was the greatest fun was the Feast of Fools, which took place in the month of December, and which was one of the strangest amusements that was ever invented. First, a man was dressed to look like a donkey, which was meant to represent either Balaam's ass, or the ass which stood beside Christ's manger, or the one which carried Christ and his mother to Egypt. Others were dressed like the Pope, the bishops, priests, and monks, all the dresses being turned inside out. Then the donkey braying, and the others making every kind of strange noise, the whole procession proceeded to a church, and went through the service with the books turned upside down.
This amusement, of course, came to an end at the Reformation. But there were other pastimes which the Reformers tried to stop, but which the people were very unwilling to give up. The chief of these was the frolic of Robin Hood and Little John, which took place on the first of May.
Those who took part in this sport dressed themselves in green, like Robin Hood and his men, and the fun consisted in playing all kinds of jokes upon each other. By the time the sports ended, however, there was such riot and drunkenness that it led to disgraceful scenes wherever they were held. But though Queen Mary herself wrote a letter to the magistrates of Edinburgh, commanding them to put an end to it, it was not till long afterwards that Robin Hood's Day was given up.
Of course, there were other amusements besides those that have just been mentioned. The larger towns had "playing fields," where plays were acted at different times of the year. Indoors people played cards, back-gammon, and dice, and out of doors the favourite games were golf, tennis (called catchpully), and football, though these games were not played in the same way as they are at the present time.
Almost all the burghs, also, had a horse-race once a year, the owner of the winning horse receiving as a prize a silver ball or cup, which was given by the magistrates.
The dress of the great people was much the same as in other countries. Both the lords and the ladies wore a great ruff which rose above their ears. When the women of all ranks went out of doors, they put on a cloak or plaid, which completely covered their heads so that their faces could not be seen.
Both in the town and in the country, men of the middle and lower classes wore a plaid and a blue bonnet; though if a burgess wore a bonnet and a plaid he was liable a fine, as this dress was not considered grand enough for a townsman.
In earlier times every craftsman had to wear a particular dress, so that it might be known to what craft he belonged. By the time of Queen Mary, however, this rule was not so strictly kept. All the town officials had a livery of their own. In Aberdeen, for instance, the postman wore a blue livery, and in Edinburgh on state occasions the town servants appeared in black hose, black doublet, and black bonnets.
An Englishman who came to Scotland tells us that most of the people whom he saw ate salted mutton and geese, with cabbage, peas, and beans. He also says that it was only in the towns that wheaten bread was to be had, and that the poorer people had to be content with oatcakes.
The chief drink of the poor was ale, but the rich drank wines brought from France. There used to be great feastings at marriages and baptisms. Crowds of people came on these occasions, and those who could afford it had on their tables all kinds of dainties, which were brought from foreign countries. Indeed, so much money was spent at marriages and christenings that the Parliament passed a law forbidding any but rich people to have anything on their tables which was not made in Scotland.
At the present day, a clever boy, if he is industrious, can rise from any rank and become rich or famous. Was this possible in the times of which we are speaking? In the reign of Mary, two of the most famous men were John Knox and George Buchanan.
Knox was the son of a small farmer, and we know how he came to be a great man. He was educated in Haddington School, and after leaving school he entered the Church and became a priest. Then, as we know, he turned a Protestant, and by his zeal and eloquence came to be one of the chief men in the country. George Buchanan was also the son of a small farmer, and, like Knox, he rose to be a great man though in a different way. After being educated in Scotland, he went to the university of Paris, and made himself one of the most learned men in all Europe.
The lives of Knox and Buchanan show how a poor lad in the country could rise to be great and famous. And a boy in the town, if he were clever and attentive to his trade or business, could become a rich merchant and an important man. In the year 1563, two years after Mary's return to Scotland, a boy was born in Edinburgh who showed how this could be done.
To this day most people in Scotland know his name George Heriot. He began his life as a goldsmith, became jeweller to Queen Anne, the wife of James VI., and afterwards went to London, where he carried on business as a goldsmith and banker. When he died, he was so rich that he left money enough to found the School which bears his name to the present day. We see, therefore, that in those times of which we are speaking, boys could by cleverness and industry rise from all ranks and become rich and famous men.
Brown, Peter Hume. A Short History of Scotland. Oliver and Boyd, 1908.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
