Anna of Denmark, National Galleries of Scotland
Edinburgh’s welcome for Anna of Denmark: The paill canopy
When Anna of Denmark was newly arrived in Scotland, Edinburgh performed a ceremony of royal entry on Tuesday 19 May 1590. Anna was conveyed around the town in a coach at walking pace under a canopy called a paill or vaill. The poet John Burel described the scene:
Forgetting als, the Burgis tryne,
Without discriptioun of thair cace,
Not speiking of the riche propine,
Quhilk thay did give unto hir grace:
Nor how thay bure the vaill abreid,
Quhilk hang above hir gracis heid.
Edinburgh City Archive still has the account written by William Fairley for making the paill, and for gifts given to the queen by the burgh council including a Bible, two books with embroidered covers and pocket sleeves, and the jewel with pendant pearls which John Burel calls ‘the riche propine’.1 There are contemporary Scottish and Danish descriptions of the pageant and a version of the events was printed in London.2 Fairley’s account has not yet been published and a transcription of the account is given below.
Fairley’s account gives some constructional details for the canopy or ‘paill’. The frame for the purple Italian velvet roof was made of six ‘bowing staffs’ bought from Thomas Gibson, a bowmaker. The canopy was lined with Spanish taffeta. The seams were covered with gold strips, and nine hanks of gold and ten ounces of red silk fringes were used around the edge. Some of the fringing was woven in Edinburgh by John Bowie’s wife.
The Danish narrative notes the lavish fringes of the canopy and its ‘precious stones’ and that it was ‘brown or liver-coloured’ (brun eller – lever-farvet) and carried by ‘six worthy men’. The Danish phrase may have described the colour ‘tanny’.3
Some of the gold tread for embroidery was supplied by the merchant Robert Jousie or Jowsie, became a major supplier of fabrics to the royal wardrobes.4 Mungo Russell, a merchant who was later involved in setting up a paper mill, supplied the velvet. The poles were painted by James Workman.
When the paill was complete there was a ceremony with drinks for the craftsmen. However, the structure was a little bit wobbly, and extra iron corner fixings were required to stabilise the frame. There were six painted poles to carry it. These were last minute replacements, as the first set of poles had been cut down when the canopy used in St Giles during Anna’s coronation. The days of the coronation and the entry had been switched at the last minute to avoid a theatrical performance on a Sunday.5
Anna was given a Bible and a psalm book at the West Port of Edinburgh where a temporary triumphal arch had been built.6 The books had specially made bindings of gilded Morocco leather and sleeves or pockets of purple velvet embroidered with Anna’s initials and crowns, with strings of incarnate coloured silk ribbon and tassels and knops of gold thread.
The book production was supervised by the printer Henry Charteris, elder, who was paid £3 for the psalm book. Nicol Udwart was paid £10 for the Bible, his name is commemorated by a cellar bar in Edinburgh, Nicol Edwards aka The Banshee Labyrinth.
The two books were given to the queen by a child acting as Edina, the personification of the city, who was lowered from the arch to the queen’s coach. The pockets, “poiks”, for the books were made of velvet supplied by Robert Jousie. Junior craftsmen or “boys” in the workshop of the skinner John Ballentyne who helped make the book bags were given a tip known “drinksilver“.
For the ‘propine’ the jeweller David Gilbert dismantled a jewel which James VI had mortgaged to the town (as noted in the Burgh records). He embellished it with more gold and three large pearls. John Mosman provided a gold chain and presumably the jewel was a kind of pendant to hang from a necklace.
The presentation box for the jewel was made of stiff card lined with gilt leather, with a case or bag of purple velvet embroidered with the queen’s initial and crowns. It is unclear if this jewel itself was shaped like an “A”, or if references to the queen’s initial only refer to the embroidered case,7 James VI was depicted wearing a diamond set “A” in his hat.
The jewel was given to the queen at the Netherbow as she left the city and returned to Holyroodhouse,8 lowered from the town gate to the Provost of Edinburgh with five ells (4.75 m) of Florence ribbon.
The paill or canopy was also described in a Latin poem by Adrian Damman, who mentions fabric dyed purple with cuttlefish and embroidered with gold.9
_______________________________________________________
Sources for the royal entry include:
John Burel, ‘Discription of the Queenis Maiesties maist honorable entry into the toun of Eddinburgh‘
David Calderwood, History of the Kirk of Scotland, 5 (Edinburgh, 1844), 96-8.
Papers Relative to the Marriage of King James the Sixth of Scotland, with the Princess Anna of Denmark (Edinburgh, 1828), 39-42.
The ioyfull receiuing of Iames the sixt of that name King of Scotland, and Queene Anne his wife, into the townes of Lyeth and Edenborough the first daie of May last past. 1590 Together with the triumphs shewed before the coronation of the said Scottish Queene (London, 1590)
A transcription of the account in Edinburgh City Archives.
Edinburgh City Archives MS. ‘Bailies Accounts, Unlaws 1564-1664’, pp. 285-289.
The money debursit be me William F[airlie] upon the furnessings maid to the Q entres thereto anno 1589
Item cost to be the paill to hir grace fra Mungo Roussell twenty elnes ane quarter Scotts mesure quhilk is xxvij elnis Florins messr of fyne purpull velvott at xxvij s the Florins eln at xij nobillis & ane half nobill the pund thereto, summa in florins mone thretty sex punds ix s ~ And in Scotts money as said is, to the soume of ____ ijc xvij lib xviij s
Item thereto mair twa pirnis of gold to xxiij s the pirne ___ xlvj s.
Item cost to lyne the samyn with, and the twa polks for the buikks [?] elns & ane half eln fyne Spanze taffety crammosy at vj li x s the eln ___ lxix li j s iiij d
Item ten unce thre quarters of ane unce ane drope wych les fyne gold passments for the semis of the paill at v li the unce ___ Liij li viij d.
Item cost from Andro Richardson vj hanks of gold to be freinzeis to the paill at iiij li the hanke ___ xxxiij li.
Item mair cost fra Andro Robert Jossy to furnis furth the saids freinzeis ane pund of gold at iij li the hanke quhairof [ther] wes gettin occupyit thereto nyne hankis allanerlie, summa ___ xxvij li.
Item ten unce thrie quarters of ane unce of reid crammosy sylke to be reid freinzeis with the gold to the paill at xxviij s the unce ___ xv li
Item payit to Johne Bowyis wife for the weving of ilk [?] of xj elns gold freinzeis v s, and for ilk eln of xiiij elns sylke freinzeis to the said paill ij s summa ___ iiii li ij s.
Item payit to Nicoll Rhynd for makking of the said paill __ vj li
Item debursit for the schapping and ‘[?drinking]’ to the paill, & at the payment thereof in [damaged] James Johnston & David Fairlie ane quarter of wyne at twa sundrie times with breid thereto ____ xij d
Item given to his man in drinksilver ____ vj s
Summa iiij c xxxix li v s iij d.
[p.286] Item payit to Thomas Gibson bower for six boweing staffs of the paill __ xlij s vj d.
Item to Johne Quhytlaw wrycht for the tymmer of the body of the paill __ xxvj s vj d.
Item to David Duncane smyth for the irne wark of the pail __xxij s.
Item payit to James Warkman for painting of the haill tymmer to the paill ___ xxxiij s.
Item payit to Nicol Udart for ane bybill to be given to the quene cost be the provest & sum of the counseillis advis ___ x li
Item payit for ane maroking skin to cover the samyn with & litting thereof, in presens of Henry Charterhouse now baillie __ xxviij s.
Item payit for gilting of the broddis of the said bybill & wourking thereof & for gilting of the buist to the jowell in presens of the said Henry Charterhous with the rest of the skin ____ v li
Item geven for fyve quarteris incarnate ribanis to be strings to the said bybill at v s eln ___ vj s
Item mair cost fra Robert Jossy ane eln half ane quarter purpell velvet to be polkis to the buiks at xij li the eln _ xiij li
Item for ane eln buccrasy to lyne the saids poiks with _ x s.
Item payit to Johne Ballentyne skynnar for making of the twa poiks & for ane greit hanke gold to make the meikle knoppis & fassis with drinke silver to the boyis _ xl s
Item given to David Gilbert goldsmyth with advise of the provest & sum utheris of the counseill to be jowell to hir maiestie twenty seven crounes of the soune at Lv s the piece __ lxxiiij li.
Item payit to William Stalker goldsmyth for ane perle cost fra him to the said jowell foure crounes of the soune at foure merks the pece And that with advise foursaid__ x li
Item to Johne Cunninghame goldsmith for the peirle augmentit thereto & of the samyn price _ x li
Summa _ jc xxxiiij xs iiij d.
[p.287] Item cost with advice foursaid fra David Gilbert goldsmith ane uther greit peirll pertaining price of auchteen crowns of the sune & na price maid with him of the crown bot payit to him in part of payment thereof & of the fassiouning of the jowell to ane gude compt __ xL li vi s viij
Item payit to the Inglisman that maid the cais to the jowell & lyning thereof with the linning of blake ledder __ xij s.
Item given to David Gilbert for compleit payment of his peirll hung to the jewel cost for xliij crowns of the sun at foure merks the crown sevin pund xiij s iiij d ___vii li viijs iiijd
Item cost to be the new cais to the jewel ane quarter purpell velvet at xij li the eln __ iii li.
Item ane quarter satin velvet cost __ xxxii s xd
Item for half an hanke gold to broider the letteres & crowns on the new cais __ xxv s.
Item to the browdster for his browdering thereof __ xxvj s viij d
Item for ane passment of gold to the edgeis of the caiss __ xv s viij d
Item for reid crammosy sylke thereto __ v s.
Item given for the p[urse]strings of the jewell coid and case _ iiij li
Item because the Franchman that maid the cais would take na silver for his laubours payit for his disjune with David Gilberts & my lady _ xxij s
Item gevin for fyve elnis Florence ribbons to lat down the jowel to the Provest at the Netherbow at xxx d the eln __ xii s
Item for ane stife cairtt cost to be the body of the caiss __ iii s
Item gevin to David Duncane smyth for some neuk irnes maid to the paill because the timmer was [?ferabill] & lyt __ viii s
Item for six new stawis to the paill because the former stawis was lent to the quenis coronation & cuttit be the Kings servitours ___ xLii Ss vi d
Item for painting thereof __
Summa Lxv li xj s viij d
[p.288] Item payit to Johne Mossman goldsmyth for fourtie crowns of the sun aggreit by the provost baillies & council to be paid to him for the cheinzie quhairto the queen’s jewel wes to houng & cost by thame ane hundred ten pounds summa __ jc x li.
Item paid to Henry Charterhouse baillie for ane psalme buke to the quenis grace __ iii li
Item for strings thereto __ vj s
Item payit to David Gilbert goldsmith at command of the council for the workmanship of the jewel seven score merks __ Lxxx.
Item to his boy for drinksilver __xx s.
Summa ij c vij li xix s vj d.
Summa viijc xlvij li vjs iiij d
At Edinburgh xxvto June 1590, The quhilk day this compt wes futit heard & allowit underwritten auditors deputit be the counsaill thairto [etc.]
Johne Robertson, Edward Galbraith, Alexander Hunter, Johne Bannatyne, James Barclay, William Rig.
- Edinburgh City Archives MS. ‘Bailies Accounts, Unlaws 1564-1664’, pp. 285-289. ↩︎
- David Stevenson, Scotland’s Last Royal Wedding (Edinburgh, 1997), 60-61, 107-122, 143-148.
Lucinda Dean, ‘Enter the alien: foreign consorts and their royal entries into Scottish cities, c. 1449–1594’ in J.R. Mulryne, Marie Ines Aliverti, Anna Maria Trastaverde, Ceremonial entries in early modern Europe (Ashgate, 2015), pp. 267-295: Maureen M. Meikle, “Anna of Denmark’s coronation and entry into Edinburgh, 1590: Cultural, religious and diplomatic perspectives”, in J. Goodare & A. MacDonald, Sixteenth-Century Scotland: Essays in Honour of Michael Lynch (Leiden, 2008), 277–294. ↩︎ - Peter Graves in Stevenson (1997), 108-9: P. A. Munch, Norske Samlinger, vol. 1 (Oslo, 1852), 494. ↩︎
- Miles Kerr-Peterson & Michael Pearce, “King James VI’s English Subsidy and Danish Dowry Accounts”, Miscellany of the Scottish History Society, 16 (Boydell, 2020), p. 4 fn. 13. ↩︎
- Maureen M. Meikle, “Anna of Denmark’s coronation and entry into Edinburgh, 1590: Cultural, religious and diplomatic perspectives”, in J. Goodare & A MacDonald, Sixteenth-Century Scotland: Essays in Honour of Michael Lynch (Leiden, 2008), 280-281. ↩︎
- Maureen M. Meikle, “Anna of Denmark’s coronation and entry into Edinburgh, 1590: Cultural, religious and diplomatic perspectives”, in J. Goodare & A MacDonald, Sixteenth-Century Scotland: Essays in Honour of Michael Lynch (Leiden, 2008), 288. ↩︎
- Maureen M. Meikle, “Anna of Denmark’s coronation and entry into Edinburgh, 1590: Cultural, religious and diplomatic perspectives”, in J. Goodare & A MacDonald, Sixteenth-Century Scotland: Essays in Honour of Michael Lynch (Leiden, 2008), 290. ↩︎
- Giovanna Giudicini, Triumphal Entries and Festivals in Early Modern Scotland: Performing Spaces (Brepols, 2020), p. 89. ↩︎
- Giovanna Giudicini, Triumphal Entries and Festivals in Early Modern Scotland: Performing Spaces (Brepols, 2020), p. 95. ↩︎
Objects and the Archive 