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Some aspects of the planning of Scottish royal palaces in the sixteenth century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2016

John G. Dunbar
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Extract

Neither the physical nor the documentary evidence for Scotland’s royal castles and palaces is anything like as extensive as that for England’s, now so magisterially surveyed in the History of the King’s Works. Nevertheless, the Scottish material is not without interest and, so far as the principal royal residences of the sixteenth century are concerned, Scotland retains a higher proportion of surviving buildings. This attempt to review the planning of the royal lodgings of the period is tentative and presents no general conclusions, but its purpose will be served if it demonstrates that Scottish practice was varied and to some extent suigeneris.

Type
Section 1: Royal Works and The Office of Works
Information
Architectural History , Volume 27: Design and Practice in British Architecture , 1984 , pp. 15 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain 1984

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References

Notes

The following short titles are used:

Treasurer Accts Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, HM General Register House, Edinburgh, 1877-.

Works Accts Accounts of the Masters of Works for building and repairing Royal Palaces and Castles, 1 (1529—1615), ed. Henry M. Paton (Edinburgh, 1957); II (1616-49), ed. John Imrie and John G. Dunbar (Edinburgh, 1982),

RPC The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, ed.J.H, Burton and others (Edinburgh, 1877- ).

Inventory of Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Inventory of the

Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions in [the county stated].

1 Some of this evidence is set out in the present author’s ‘The Palace of Holyroodhouse during the first half of the sixteenth century’, Archaeological Journal, cxx (1963), 243-44, 250.

2 Leland, John De Rebus Britannicis collectanea. . ., iv (1770), 258-300.Google Scholar

3 Treasurer Accts, 11 (1500-04), 269, 417, 419; iv (1507-13), 276, 529.

4 See the article cited in n. 1, pp. 242-50.

5 This interpretation rests partly upon a general consideration of the range of options open to the 1535-36 builders and partly upon evidence for demolition and rebuilding contained in the building accounts (Works Accts, I, 132, 134, 167-68, 189).

6 Works Accts, I, 186-89, 191 -

7 ‘Lord Ruthen’s Relation of the Death of David Rizzi, 1699’, in Buchanan, Robert Scotia Rediviva, A Collection of Tracts illustrative of the history and antiquities of Scotland (1826), pp. 328-60.Google Scholar

8 Works Accts, 1, 331, 340; 11, 442.

9 Clifford, Arthur The State Papers and Letters of Sir Ralph Sadler (1809), 1, 40-41; cf. also 23, 38.Google Scholar

10 The Historical Works of Balfour, Sir James (1824-25), 11, 198.Google Scholar

11 Works Accts, 1, 306; 11, 331, 399. Treasurer Accts, xiii (1574-80), 140.

12 Treasurer Accts, xiii (1574-80), 150-51, 162. RPC, xiii (1622-25), 459-bo. Memoirs of his own life by Melville, Sir James of Halhill mdxux-mdxciii. Bannatyne Club (Edinburgh, 1827), p. 179.Google Scholar

13 Inventory of Stirlingshire (1963), 1, 179-223.

14 Treasurer Accts, 1 (1473-98), 277; 111 (1506-07), 151; iv (1507-13), 77. Works Accts, 1, 104-07, no.

15 Inventory of Stirlingshire (1963), 1, 216. I am grateful to Dr Richard Fawcett, Ancient Monuments Division, Scottish Development Department, for discussing with me the recent discoveries at Stirling Castle.

16 Works Accts, i, 294-97, 310-11, 348-50; n, 197, 240-57, 357-69. Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Ninth Report, Part n (2nd Appendix), 192-93, No. 52. Inventory of Stirlingshire (1963), I, PI. 59. Baillie, H. M. ‘Etiquette and the Planning of the State Apartments in Baroque Palaces’, Archaeologia, 101 (1967), 169-99.Google Scholar

17 Works Accts, 1,310-11.

18 The most useful of the published accounts is by Wilson, Christopher in McWilliam, Colin The Buildings of Scotland, Lothian (1978), pp. 291-301.Google Scholar The Official Guide (1938 and later editions) and Inventory of Midlothian and West Lothian (1929), pp. 219-31, should also be consulted.

19 A chamber of this name is mentioned in 1513 (Treasurer Accts, iv (1507-13), 524).

20 Works Accts, 11, 126, 262-69, 273- RPC, xm (1622-25), 7°6.

21 Works Accts, 11,338,343.

22 The most useful account is still that in Inventory of Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan (1933), pp. 134-42. The architectural background to James V’s alterations is discussed by the present author in the article quoted in n. 1. The Official Guide (revised edition, 1957) should also be consulted.

23 Works Accts, 1, 260.

24 Works Accts, 1, 111-12.

25 Works Accts, 1, 214, 218, 281, 313; 11, 291. RPC, x (1613-16), 518.

26 Original painting by Alexander Kierincx in Scottish National Portrait Gallery; John Slezer, Theatrum Scotiae (1693 and later editions).