Mary, Queen of Scots at the Palace of Holyroodhouse Information for Teachers
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PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Mary, Queen of Scots at the Palace of Holyroodhouse Information for Teachers Planning Your Visit We hope you enjoy your visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Before you arrive, please read this information to help you make the most of your time here. Frequently Asked Questions Is my booking confirmed? The attached letter is your confirmation. Please read it carefully and if the details are not correct please telephone us on 0131 557 2500. If there are any fees due on your booking, your letter will confirm the date by which full payment must be received. All bookings are made subject to our terms and conditions, which are available on request. Can I make changes to the size of my group? You can confirm any increase in the number of your group up to 24 hours in advance of your visit. Please note, if you would like to book additional accompanying adults, above the stated ratios, a reduced-rate admission fee of £3 per adult will be payable. How do I arrange a complimentary planning visit? If you and a colleague would like to make a planning trip before your group visit, please contact the Learning Bookings Team to arrange this. Two complimentary tickets will be booked for you, for collection on the day. If you would like to meet a member of the Learning Team or see the Learning Rooms during your planning visit, please advise us during booking. Is there a lunch room at the Palace? There is limited space for eating packed lunches in the Learning Rooms. Please discuss your requirements during booking. Pre-booking the lunchroom is essential. Is there somewhere to leave coats and bags? We have a safe place to leave coats and bags in the Learning Rooms. Arriving at the Palace Your arrival time can be found on your letter. Please keep this letter safe as it acts as your ticket on the day. If you are running more than fifteen minutes late please call the Learning Bookings Team on 0131 557 2500. Free Coach Parking is available on the North Approach (marked on the map). A member of the Learning team will meet you in the Palace Mews (the courtyard between the Palace shop and cafe) at your arrival time to begin the session. Toilets are situated in the Palace Mews. Please allow extra time beforehand if your group requires to use the toilets before the session starts. Guidelines for schools (Please discuss these with all accompanying adults) During your visit teachers and adult helpers are responsible for their pupils at all times and must stay with their group. Please follow instructions given to you by the wardens on site. Please ensure pupils do not touch or get too close to any of the objects on display. Cameras and audio/video equipment are not allowed in the Palace but you are very welcome to take photographs in the Learning Rooms and outside the Palace. Please switch mobile phones off in the Palace. Mary, Queen of Scots at the Palace of Holyroodhouse Following the death of her husband, Francois in 1560, Mary returned to Scotland to rule, where she took up residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Some of the most dramatic events of her reign took place at Holyrood Abbey and the Palace: Her marriage to Lord Darnley Darnley’s murder of Mary’s secretary, David Rizzio Following Darnley’s own mysterious death, her subsequent marriage to the Earl of Bothwell Mary had to get used to many changes on her return to Scotland. Differences in the weather, the people, language and religion made her initial months in Scotland a difficult time. She took comfort that Holyrood Palace had lots of links to her time in France, for example, she brought lots of her French servants to Scotland with her to try and keep her daily routine as it had been. The Palace itself was modelled on some of the French palaces, although her new Scottish home was darker and colder! On 29th July, 1565, Mary married again, this time to her cousin Henry, Lord Darnley. The marriage took place in Mary’s private chapel at the Palace. Darnley was a handsome young man with a family claim to the English throne. It became apparent, however, that Darnley was interested more in his own ambitions than being husband to the Queen of Scots. Darnley was sometimes a vain and jealous person, and this streak in his character was manipulated by the Scottish nobility in order to further their aims. In 1566, Mary had a good friend and advisor in her secretary, an Italian musician called David Riccio (sometimes Rizzio). The nobility plotted to kill Riccio, having convinced Darnley that Riccio had become more powerful at court than Darnley was. In 1566, Riccio was murdered by these noblemen, with Darnley present. It was a brutal death – Riccio was stabbed 56 times. Mary escaped from the Palace, and, as she was pregnant at the time, eventually took refuge in the heavily fortified Edinburgh Castle, where she gave birth. In 1567, the year after these events, Darnley was killed in the house of Kirk o’ Field, where he was recuperating from illness. The house was blown up, but mysteriously, this is not how he died. His body was found outside, having been strangled to death. People suspected James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, of this murder, and Mary’s situation was not helped when she married Bothwell under suspicious circumstances just three months after Darnley’s death. The marriage took place at the Palace, in a Protestant service – a very unusual thing for the devoutly Catholic queen to do. Mary’s days at the Palace of Holyroodhouse were drawing to a close. After rallying the people loyal to her, and then being defeated by the Scottish nobility at Carberry Hill, she was taken as a prisoner to Lochleven Castle. After her escape, she went to England, trusting her cousin and fellow queen, Elizabeth I, to protect her. Elizabeth, however, did not want Mary free to claim the English throne, and imprisoned her for 19 years – the rest of her life. Mary grew increasingly desperate for her freedom, and was involved in plots to escape. She was discovered to be involved in one of these plots, and executed for treason in 1587. Your Booked Session The notes below give you an idea of the order of your session, with approximate timings. We are very happy to discuss this with you ahead of your visit and respond to the needs and interests of your group. Workshops If you have booked either the Life at Court object handling or the Costume at Court costume handling workshop, your session will take place in the Learning Rooms before you go in to the Palace. This will last approximately 40minutes. Life at Court object handling session Pupils work in small groups and use prompt cards to investigate a range of replica objects from the Stuart period. As well as objects used in the Palace, pupils will also look at items used by poorer people in Edinburgh at the time and make comparisons. Objects such as chamber pots, candles, plates, games and pomanders cover themes like hygiene, education and food. Costume at Court object handling session Using replica costumes from the 1560’s, pupils explore the function of a variety of clothes for rich and poor at the time. Emphasis is placed on looking at the pieces in detail, working out what it is and what it is made from as well as considering what it would be like to wear these in comparison with clothes today. Pupils also get the opportunity to try key pieces on. In the Palace Following an introduction in the Learning Rooms, your group will explore the Palace with a member of the Learning team. The session lasts for 1 hour 30 minutes as a standalone and 1 hour 20 minutes if you have booked a workshop first. The session is designed to build on existing knowledge and your session leader will use the ‘evidence’ in rooms, objects and paintings to do so. Emphasis is placed on interaction and pupils are encouraged to ask and answer questions as well as look for clues and other information to help build the story. The session culminates in the rooms where David Rizzio was murdered where pupils use worksheets look for evidence of what happened and find objects associated with the Stuart family. In good weather, pupils will have the chance to look at Holyrood Abbey and see the sites where David Rizzio and Lord Darnley were buried. Joint Visit with Edinburgh Castle Those who have booked a Castle to Palace session will spend approximately 2 hours at each site (including half an hour for lunch at the Palace). We allow 1 hour for you to get between the sites. Those groups walking up or down the Royal Mile might like to use our 'Edinburgh's Royal Mile in the time of Mary, Queen of Scots' map which links key buildings to Mary along the way. At the Castle your pupils will 'meet' Mary, Queen of Scots and learn about courtly rituals of the time. At the Palace they will follow a similar tour as outlined above (see 'In the Palace') and make links between these two important buildings. Make the Most of Your Visit – Additional Activities If you have time before or after your booked session, why not make the most of your visit and explore the Palace grounds using our self guided activity trails for the Gardens and Abbey.