Saturday, 1st. August 2009

	Members of the Scottish Branch of the Society enjoyed an extended and privileged tour of historic Falkland Palace under the guidance of Mary herself a.k.a. Society Member Lindsay Fowler who has been a guide at the Palace for a number of years. Mary recounted the history of this magnificent Palace which can claim to have some of the best Renaissance Architecture in the whole of Britain and can trace its history back to at least the thirteenth the century. It was here in 1401 that the Duke of Rothesay was starved to death by his ambitious uncle the Duke of Albany and between 1453 and 1463 after major additions by Mary of Gueldres it was adopted as a Royal residence. The Palace was considerably extended by James 1V but it was in the reign of Mary's father James V that the Palace came into its own when he brought in French masons and the Palace was completed in the manner of a French Château shortly after his marriage to Mary of Guise in 1540. It was here too that in 1543 after the devastating military defeat at Solway Moss and only five days after Mary's birth at Linlithgow that James 'turned his head to the wall ' and died. The circumstances of James' death were discussed in some detail and the Society was very privileged to view a copy of the Will forged at the time by Cardinal Beaton appointing himself as governor of the princess and chief ruler of the Council" Mary visited the Palace on a number of occasions and probably played tennis in the Royal Tennis Courts the oldest surviving such Courts in the country. The palace was later to play a prominent role in the mysterious events of the Gowrie conspiracy was frequently visited by Mary's son James as a hunting lodge and it was from here in 1651 that Charles 11 left to face defeat and exile. Subsequently the east range of the Palace was badly damaged by fire during occupation by Cromwell's troops before being acquired and restored by the 3rd. Marquess of Bute in 1887 one of whose descendents still occupies part of the building All this and much more was narrated in some detail by Leslie as she led the party round pointing out and giving a fulsome background on the many treasures and portraits within the Palace A truly memorable visit
Mary addresses members of the Society
Although the morning had been one of heavy rain the day was clearing as members made their way to Lochleven Castle and by the time they arrived at the Island for a pre-arranged picnic the sun was shining although there was still a strong wind which had made even the ten minute crossing surprisingly choppy. An account of the events surrounding Mary's captivity was related by Margaret Lumsdaine and Ronald Morrison. The idea however was not to deliver a simple history but to get the members involved in general discussion. Among the questions posed and debated in some detail were; What were the ambitions of the Confederate Lords when facing the forces of Mary and Bothwell at Carberry Hill? Was their intention from the beginning to capture and imprison Mary ? What sort of treatment did Mary receive at Lochleven? Who were her captors and what was their attitude to Mary? What was the truth of the alleged birth of stillborn twins shortly after her arrival? Could there be any truth in the rumour of a birth of a daughter six months subsequently? What were the pressures put on Mary and why did she abdicate? Had she refused was her life truly in danger? What were the details of her escape from Lochleven? Granted that so much depended on chance circumstance was it possible that her captors had colluded in the escape to flush out Mary's supporters? These and other issues so engrossed the members that the last boat was almost missed. Afterwards a retreat for tea at a local hotel where the arguments and discussions continued.
	Above some members of the Society brave the crossing