Seton Palace

Last updated

Seton Palace in 1638 by Alexander Keirincx, National Galleries of Scotland KeirincxSetonPalace1638.jpg
Seton Palace in 1638 by Alexander Keirincx, National Galleries of Scotland

Seton Palace was situated in East Lothian, a few miles south-east of Edinburgh near the town of Prestonpans. Often regarded as the most desirable Scottish residence of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the palace was erected in the 15th century by George, 4th Lord Seton. [1]

Contents

The palace belonged to the Lords Seton by the 1500s and was a popular retreat for Mary, Queen of Scots. She had spent her honeymoon with Lord Darnley there in July 1565. [2] Mary played golf at Seton, and it was said she played "pall-mall and golf" as usual in the fields at Seton after Darnley's murder, [3] taking her "usual amusements in the adjoining fields that were plainly not adapted to women". "Pall-mall" was an early form of croquet. [4] A marriage contract of Mary and Earl of Bothwell made at Seton on 5 April 1567 and exhibited by Mary's enemies at the Hampton Court conference on 15 December 1568, [5] was probably a contemporary forgery. [6] [7]

In the 17th-century, the completed palace was triangular in plan, with three wings around a courtyard. [8] In 1636, it was described as "a dainty seat placed by sea". [9] The palace ruins were demolished in the 18th-century and Seton Castle was built on the site. The adjacent Seton family chapel, Seton Collegiate Church, survives and is open to the public in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

History

The date when the original palace was built is uncertain but it was located on the lands of Seton and Winton. [10] Richard Maitland's History of the House of Seytoun mentions some aspects of the building. He wrote that George Seton, 5th Lord Seton (d. 1513), completed the "jemmay house", a wing which his grandfather, John, Master of Seton (d. 1476) had begun. His widow, Janet Hepburn, Lady Seton built the fore-work or gatehouse. [11] The palace was burnt by an English army on 16 May 1544 after the burning of Edinburgh. [12] The English commander Lord Hertford wrote that while he was burning the palace, Lord Seton was nearby with some horsemen, "so that he might well see his own house and town on fire." [13] Lord Seton was married to a French lady-in-waiting Marie Pieris, their daughter Mary Seton was a companion of Mary, Queen of Scots. [14]

As the war with England known as the Rough Wooing continued, Regent Arran came to Seton in March 1549 because the English were at Haddington. Some whales beached at Cramond Island and were salted and packed in barrels and sent to Seton for him. [15]

George Seton, 7th Lord Seton, and his children in 1572, including Margaret, Lady Paisley, Robert, Earl of Winton, Sir John Seton of Barns and Alexander, Earl of Dunfermline George Seton and His Family.jpg
George Seton, 7th Lord Seton, and his children in 1572, including Margaret, Lady Paisley, Robert, Earl of Winton, Sir John Seton of Barns and Alexander, Earl of Dunfermline

The great tower and the "jemmay house" were subsequently restored by Sir William Hamilton of Sanquhar, Captain of Edinburgh Castle and father-in-law of George Seton, 7th Lord Seton. The walled garden was also built at this time. Mary of Guise stayed at Seton Palace for Christmas 1559. [16] The old great tower collapsed in 1561, the structure comprised by new windows. Janet Hepburn's gatehouse was then almost entirely rebuilt. [17]

In October 1561 the uncle of Mary, Queen of Scots, Francis the Grand Prior, travelled to England and Mary's four companions Mary Seton, Mary Beaton, Mary Livingston, and Mary Fleming came with him to Seton and they all had dinner. Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed in bed at Holyrood Palace. [18] She became a frequent visitor, and in January 1562 New Year's Day was celebrated with a poem by Alexander Scott filled with "advice for princes" for just rule in Scotland, Ane New Yeir Gift to Quene Mary . [19] In July 1565 Mary rode to Seton from Edinburgh at night and stayed two days. [20] She came to Seton after the death of Lord Darnley in February 1567. [21] Articles drawn up against her mention golf, and allege that she slept with Bothwell, who was lodged in an "obscure chamber" beneath her room, [22] a room near the kitchen with access to a secret turnpike stair. [23]

In 1584 Lupold von Wedel admired the tall hedges of the garden but could not get in. [24] James VI stayed at Seton Palace in September 1589 waiting in vain for Anne of Denmark to arrive in Scotland. [25] The English ambassador Lord Burgh was welcomed with a banquet on 24 February 1593. [26] James VI made a hunting trip to the Merse area in February 1595, planning to visit Dunglass, Spott, Beil, Waughton, and Seton. [27]

On 31 May 1597 Anne of Denmark travelled to Seton in a litter, despite the rain, while James VI went to Falkland Palace. [28] Lord Walden came to Seton Palace to see Anna Hay, Countess of Winton, and her children in 1613. [29] King James stayed at Seton again on 15 May 1617, and during the celebrations to welcome the returning king, William Drummond of Hawthornden, presented his poem Forth Feasting, [30] and John Gellie of Gellistoun delivered 300 lines of Latin verse. [31]

Historical records indicate that it was the most magnificent palace in Scotland in the 17th century. [32] Alexander Nisbet described some details of the interior. Above the fireplace in the Great Hall were the Seton heraldry quartered with the Earl of Buchan encircled with a collar which Nisbet claimed to represent the Order of the Thistle. The ceiling of another room, called "Samson's Hall" incorporated 28 armorial achievements of families of France, Scotland and Lorraine, "curiously embossed and illuminated." [33] Viscount Kingston mentions seeing a mural painting on the end wall of the Long Gallery which he believed showed the 7th Lord Seton driving a wagon during his years of exile in France following the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots. [34]

The family built another house further inland, Winton Castle, on an old site around 1630, and architectural details there resemble the fragments of dormers windows and carved strapwork remaining from Seton Palace and now displayed at the adjacent Seton Collegiate Church. [35]

Drawing of a game of pall-mall between Frederick V of the Palatinate and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, by Adriaen van de Venne, circa 1625 A game of Pell-Mell.jpg
Drawing of a game of pall-mall between Frederick V of the Palatinate and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, by Adriaen van de Venne, circa 1625

King Charles I commissioned a view of the palace from Alexander Keirincx in 1638. [36] There would have been a lawn or court for pall-mall, as played by Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567. James VI recommended the game for his son Prince Henry in his Basilikon Doron . [37]

Produce from the gardens included strawberries in July. [38] Despite the sea air, the gardens were stocked with sycamores, walnut trees, apple and other fruit trees. [39] It is said that one of the sixteenth-century gardeners had a son who became a pirate. He came back and gave the Earl of Winton a rare sea shell, a turbo pica from the West Indies. The earl had it made into a snuff box with a silver lid by George Heriot. It descended from David Seton of Parbroath to the family of the author Robert Seton in New York. [40]

Ruin and replacement

The Seton family, who had acquired the title "Earl of Winton" had their estates confiscated after the Jacobite rising of 1715. The palace was burned out during the Rising [41] and in 1780, it was described as being in ruins. [42] The palace was demolished in 1789. [43]

In 1789 the owner of the site, Lt Col Alexander Mackenzie of the 21st Dragoons, commissioned Robert Adam to build a mansion that would become Seton Castle. Some of the stone from the palace was used in the construction. [44]

Some of the walls of the famous formal gardens of the 16th and 17th century remain, with rounds or lookout turrets at the corners. [45]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley</span> King consort of Scotland from 1565 to 1567

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to both the Scottish and English thrones, and from his marriage in 1565 he was king consort of Scotland. Less than a year after the birth of his son, Darnley was murdered at Kirk o' Field in 1567. Many contemporary narratives describing his life and death refer to him as simply Lord Darnley, his title as heir apparent to the Earldom of Lennox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Rizzio</span> Italian courtier (1533–1566)

David Rizzio or Riccio was an Italian courtier, born in Pancalieri close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts di San Paolo e Solbrito, who rose to become the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, is said to have been jealous of their friendship because of rumours that Rizzio had impregnated Mary, and he joined in a conspiracy of Protestant nobles to murder him, led by Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven. Mary was having dinner with Rizzio and a few ladies-in-waiting when Darnley joined them, accused his wife of adultery and then had a group murder Rizzio, who was hiding behind Mary. Mary was held at gunpoint and Rizzio was stabbed numerous times. His body took 57 dagger wounds. The murder was the catalyst of the downfall of Darnley, and had serious consequences for Mary's subsequent reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray</span> Regent for King James VI of Scotland from 1567–70

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his half-nephew, the infant King James VI, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570. He was the first head of government to be assassinated with a firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline</span> Scottish judge and politician (1555–1622)

Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline (1555–1622) was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician. He served as Lord President of the Court of Session from 1598 to 1604, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1604 to 1622 and as a Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaseabout Raid</span> 1565 rebellion by James Stewart against Mary Queen of Scots

The Chaseabout Raid was a rebellion by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, against his half sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, on 26 August 1565, over her marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. The rebels also claimed to be acting over other causes including bad governance, and religion in the name of the Scottish Reformation. As the government and rebel forces moved back and forth across Scotland without fighting, the conflict became known as the "chase about raid." Queen Mary's forces were superior and the rebel lords fled to England where Queen Elizabeth censured the leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casket letters</span> Supposed writings by Mary, Queen of Scots

The Casket letters were eight letters and some sonnets said to have been written by Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Earl of Bothwell, between January and April 1567. They were produced as evidence against Queen Mary by the Scottish lords who opposed her rule. In particular, the text of the letters was taken to imply that Queen Mary colluded with Bothwell in the murder of her husband, Lord Darnley. Mary's contemporary supporters, including Adam Blackwood, dismissed them as complete forgeries or letters written by the Queen's servant Mary Beaton. The authenticity of the letters, now known only by copies, continues to be debated. Some historians argue that they were forgeries concocted in order to discredit Queen Mary and ensure that Queen Elizabeth I supported the kingship of the infant James VI of Scotland, rather than his mother. The historian John Hungerford Pollen, in 1901, by comparing two genuine letters drafted by Mary, presented a subtle argument that the various surviving copies and translations of the casket letters could not be used as evidence of their original authorship by Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane</span>

John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, of Lethington, Knight (1581), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Lord Darnley</span> 1567 murder in Edinburgh, Scotland

The murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, took place on 10 February 1567 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Darnley's lodgings were destroyed by gunpowder; his body and that of his servant were found nearby, apparently having been strangled rather than killed in the explosion. Suspicion was placed upon Queen Mary and the Earl of Bothwell, whom Mary went on to marry three months after Darnley's murder. Bothwell was indicted for treason and acquitted, but six of his servants and acquaintances were subsequently arrested, tried, and executed for the crime.

The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on 15 June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A number of Scottish lords objected to the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, after she had married the Earl of Bothwell, who was widely believed to have murdered her previous husband Lord Darnley. The Lords were intent to avenge Darnley's death. However, Bothwell escaped from the stand-off at Carberry while Queen Mary surrendered. Mary abdicated, escaped from prison, and was defeated at the battle of Langside. She went to exile in England while her supporters continued a civil war in Scotland.

George Seton IV, 6th Lord Seton was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Seton, 7th Lord Seton</span>

George Seton V, 7th Lord Seton (1531–1586), was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland, Master of the Household of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Provost of Edinburgh. He was the eldest son of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton, and Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of John Hay, 3rd Lord Hay of Yester. His childhood and schooling were in France.

Servais de Condé or Condez was a French servant at the court of Mary Queen of Scots, in charge of her wardrobe and the costume for masques performed at the Scottish royal court.

Sir William Hamilton of Sanquhar was pursemaster for James V and the Captain of Edinburgh Castle during the Regency of Regent Arran.

David Seton of Parbroath was a Scottish courtier and administrator.

Marie Pieris, Lady Seton was a French lady in waiting at the Scottish court.

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. The entertainment was devised by George Buchanan and Bastian Pagez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Rokeby</span> English soldier and secret agent

Christopher Rokeby, Rokesby, Rooksby, or Rooksbie was an English soldier and secret agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronation of James VI</span>

James Stewart (1566–1625), son of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) and Lord Darnley (1546–1567), was crowned King of Scotland by Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, in the Holy Rude Kirk at Stirling on 29 July 1567.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry, Lord Darnley</span>

Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, were married at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on 29 July 1565, when she was 22 years old, and he was 19.

The Book of Articles is a list of allegations against Mary, Queen of Scots and James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. The document was produced for the Westminster Conference in December 1568. The manuscript, held by the British Library, was written by Alexander Hay of Easter Kennett, and is sometimes known as Hay's Articles. The material resembles George Buchanan's published Detection and his Indictment of Mary. The text was published by John Hosack in 1869.

References

  1. ↑ Seton Castle, Castles of Scotland
  2. ↑ David Laing, History of the Reformation by John Knox, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1848), p. 492: Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 181: Joseph Stevenson, Selections (Glasgow, 1837), pp. 119, 141.
  3. ↑ Gordon Donaldson, The first trial of Mary, Queen of Scots (New York: Stein and Day, 1969), 177.
  4. ↑ James Aikman, History of Scotland of George Buchanan, vol. 2 (Glasgow, 1827), pp. 497-8: Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1563-1603, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 558: John Hosack, Mary Queen of Scots and her accusers, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1870), p. 542, the original has "palmall and goif."
  5. ↑ Agnes Strickland, Letters of Mary, Queen of Scots, vol. 1 (London, 1842), p. 104.
  6. ↑ John Guy, My Heart is My Own: Mary, Queen of Scots (London, 2004), p. 400: A number of old copies of this contract exist; HMC 6th Report: Leconfield (London, 1877), p. 306: HMC 5th Report: Duke of Sutherland (London, 1876), p. 213.
  7. ↑ British Library Add MS 48027 f.277, copy of the Seton marriage contract
  8. ↑ Charles McKean, Scottish Chateau (Stroud, 2001), p. 175.
  9. ↑ P. Hume Brown, Early Travellers in Scotland (Edinburgh, 1978), p. 136.
  10. ↑ Seton House (GDL00340), Historic Environment Scotland
  11. ↑ Richard Maitland & Viscount Kingston, History of the House of Seytoun (Glasgow, 1829), pp. 37, 39.
  12. ↑ Joseph Stevenson, Selections from unpublished manuscripts illustrating the reign of Mary Queen of Scotland (Glasgow, 1837), p. 5.
  13. ↑ Joseph Bain, Hamilton Papers, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1890), p. 379
  14. ↑ Rosalind K. Marshall, Queen Mary's Women: Female Relatives, Servants, Friends and Enemies of Mary, Queen of Scots (Edinburgh, 2006), p. 157.
  15. ↑ James Balfour Paul, Accounts of the Treasurer, vol. 9 (Edinburgh, 1911), pp. 291, 296, 300.
  16. ↑ Theo van Heijnsbergen, 'Advice to a Princess', Julian Goodare & Alasdair A. MacDonald, Sixteenth-Century Scotland (Brill, 2008), p. 119.
  17. ↑ Richard Maitland & Viscount Kingston, History of the House of Seytoun (Glasgow, 1829), pp. 42-45.
  18. ↑ Joseph Stevenson, Selections from unpublished manuscripts illustrating the reign of Mary Queen of Scotland (Glasgow, 1837), p. 95.
  19. ↑ Andrea Thomas, Glory and Honour: The Renaissance in Scotland (Edinburgh, 2013), p. 170: Theo van Heijnsbergen, 'Advice to a Princess: the literary articulation of a religious, political and cultural programme for Mary Queen of Scots', Julian Goodare & A. A. MacDonald, Sixteenth-century Scotland (Brill, 2008), pp. 118-9
  20. ↑ Joseph Stevenson, Selections from unpublished manuscripts illustrating the reign of Mary Queen of Scotland (Glasgow, 1837), p. 119.
  21. ↑ Joseph Stevenson, Selections from unpublished manuscripts illustrating the reign of Mary Queen of Scotland (Glasgow, 1837), p. 172.
  22. ↑ Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 558 no. 902.
  23. ↑ R. H. Mahon, The indictment of Mary Queen of Scots (Cambridge, 1923), p. 44
  24. ↑ Gottfied von Bülow, 'Journey Through England and Scotland Made by Lupold von Wedel in the Years 1584 and 1585', in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, vol. 9 (London, 1895), p. 247.
  25. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 154.
  26. ↑ Annie Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 65.
  27. ↑ Annie Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1593-1595, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 529 nos. 464-5.
  28. ↑ James Dennistoun, Moysie's Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1830), p. xxiv
  29. ↑ Robert Chambers, Domestic Annals of Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1858), pp. 450-1.
  30. ↑ Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1894), p. 133.
  31. ↑ Roger P. H. Green, 'The King Returns: The Muses Welcome', Steven J. Reid & David McOmish, Neo-Latin Literature and Literary Culture in Early Modern Scotland (Brill, 2017), pp. 135-6.
  32. ↑ Charles McKean, Scottish Chateau (Stroud, 2001), p. 175.
  33. ↑ Alexander Nisbet, A System of Heraldry, vol. 1 (reprint Edinburgh, 1984), 'Of Celestial Figures etc.,' p. 234.
  34. ↑ Richard Maitland & Viscount Kingston, History of the House of Seytoun (Glasgow, 1829), p. 58.
  35. ↑ Charles McKean, Scottish Chateau (Stroud, 2001), p. 176.
  36. ↑ 'Seton Palace', by Alexander Keirincx, National Galleries Scotland
  37. ↑ John Hosack, Mary Queen of Scots and her accusers, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1870), p. 542
  38. ↑ National Records of Scotland, E32.
  39. ↑ Marilyn M. Brown, Scotland's Lost Gardens (Edinburgh, 2012), p. 195: P. Hume Brown, Early Travellers in Scotland (Edinburgh: James Thin, 1978), p. 136.
  40. ↑ George Seton, A history of the family of Seton during eight centuries, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1896), p. 300
  41. ↑ "Seton Castle and Collegiate Church | Seton Palace | The Castles of Scotland, Coventry | Goblinshead". www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  42. ↑ https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/castle-worth-fighting-over-yours-for-a-cool-163-15m-1-1048836, Castle worth fighting over
  43. ↑ "Scottish castle goes up for sale for over £8m in East Lothian". BBC News. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  44. ↑ The architecture of Robert Adam (1728-1792)
  45. ↑ Marilyn M. Brown, Scotland's Lost Gardens (Edinburgh, 2012), p. 195.

55°57′55″N2°56′01″W / 55.96527°N 2.9335°W / 55.96527; -2.9335

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.