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The Tudors and the Stuarts: Stuart

Another affecting relic of Mary Stuart is her harp, now in possession of the Stuart family of Dalguise, Perthshire, which was originally adorned with a portrait of the queen, and the arms of Scotland, in solid gold, enriched with several gems, two of which were considered of great value, but these were stolen during the civil wars. This was her favourite harp, and at a music meeting she proclaimed it as the prize of the best performer. It was adjudged to Beatrice Gardyn, whose delivery of a simple Scotch ballad enchanted the queen. It is on this incident that Hogg founded his charming poem of the "Queen's Wake."

The harp was strung anew, tuned, and played on, in the year 1806. One of the first acts of JAMES I. on arriving in England was to order an inventory to be made of all the jewels and valuables left by Elizabeth; and to collect those she had allowed to remain in the charge of certain lords and ladies. The Earl of Suffolk was asked to replace a quarter of a million's worth, but he put in a plea of condonation. Among the crown jewels inventoried by the order of King James, was a crown imperial of gold; two circlets of gold; fifteen gold collars; "a great and rich jewel of gold called the 'Mirror of Great Britain,' containing one very fair table diamond, one very fair table ruby, two other large diamonds cut lozenge-wise, garnished with small diamonds, two round pearls, and one fair diamond cut in fawcets." With regard to the Stuarts, James I., in 1617, was much offended with the aldermen of London because they refused to advance him pound 100,000 upon the crown jewels, that sum being wanted to defray the moiety of the cost of his progress into Scotland; however, he contrived to raise pound 60,000 upon them in some other quarter. Two years afterwards, Chamberlain, writing to Sir Dudley Carleton that the King intended making a petty "progress" to Oatlands, Oking, and Windsor, says, "We are driven to hardships for money, and all too little, so that we are fain to make sale of jewels for twenty thousand pounds to furnish out this progress;" but it seems that his Majesty, or her Majesty--for they were the Queen's jewels that were pledged on this occasion--could not persuade Master Peter Van Lore to advance more than Pound 18,000. Chamberlain consoles himself with the reflection, that "the choice of pearls and other rare jewels are not touched, among which there is a carquenet of round and long pearls, rated at pound 40,000, in the judgement of Lord Digby and others, the fairest that are to be found in Christendom." The Accounts and Vouchers of Jewels furnished by George Heriot, the court jeweller, to Anne of Denmark, consort to James I., from the year 1605 to 1615, present some curious features of the predilection for jewellery of the Queen, and the fashions of royalty at that period. The total of Heriot's accounts, in little more than ten years, amounted to nearly pound 40,000, a large sum at that period. The following are extracts; the orthography, it may be observed, is as in the original accounts, and the money all sterling:-- "A Note of the Jewells received by Mr. George Herriott, at the handis of the Queene's most excellent Matie to be impawned, viz.: May 1, 1609.--One gold ring sett with a lairg thick table diamond, and set round about with small table diamondis; a rose jewell opening for a picture, sett on both the sides with diamondis; a crosse of gold, sett with seven diamondis and two rocke rubies. November, 1609.--A jewell in fashion of a bay leafe, opening for a picture, sett with diamondis. "All which jewelles were, as he affirmeth, by her Mat's commandment, impawned for the sounme of mcccvli. xvs. The interest whereof, from the first of May, 1609, to the first of March, 1615, being six yeires and x moneths, amt. vnto the somes of mccxxxviijli. xxviijth of April, 1613, a jewell in fashion of a rose, set on the one side with diamondis, laid to pawne for the soume of vijcli. The interest, from the xxiijth of Aprill, 1613, to the xxiijth of Febyr., 1616, being two yeares and x moneths, is ccxxijli. xs. Total, ixcxxijli. xs. "[A Breef of the Jewellis Mr. Heriott pawned for her Matie delivered to my Lo. Cooke.] For a diamond to be paid on bond, 1200li. A bound deated the xxix of Merch, 1613, off twelff hundreth punds, for which is pawned a ffayre round jewell, from George Abercromy vnto the Lady Rommeny, dwellin ffischmunger layne. Since the daett aboue-wrettin there is one halff yeares enterest payed. "Mr. Heriottis bill of 1420li. 13s. 4d., to give satisfaction for the receipt of ixcxxli. of the Lord Knyvett.--Bought and receaued from our jeweller, George Heriote, theis jewells and other things under-written, furnished by him vnto us from the xxxist of December, 1605, to the xx of September, 1606, extendinge in all to the some of one thowssand ffower hundred and twentie pownds 13s. 4d. sterlinge Sould and deliuered to the Queene's most excellent Matie from the xth of Aprill, 1607, to the xth of February followinge, by George Heriote, her Highnes' jeweller, these jewells and other furnishings vnderwritten, extending in all to the some of One Thowsand, Sixe Hundred, Threescore One Pownds, Three Shillings Sterlinge. "Imprimis, sould and deliured to her Matie one tablet for a picture sett with diamonds on the one side, price ljvjli. Item, for fower ounces of fyne musk de Levant, at xxxviijs. the ounce, vijli. xijs. Item, half an ounce of fine cynett, ijli. xs. Item, for a glass of balsome, ijli. Item, for garnishing of a pendant saphier, xxs. Item, for garnishing of a pendant dyamond, xxs. Item, for one eare-ringe conteyning xxxiiij diamonds, xxijli. Item, to her Matie on the xiij of Maye, one ring, with a table diamond on the head, and sett about the bodie with diamonds, xlvjli. Item, for making of an eare-ringe, xs. Item, made to her Matie a backside for a tablett, weighing in gold xviij pennywaight, extends to ijli. xiiijs. Item, for makinge of it, iijli. Item, sould and deliuered to her Matie on the xvijth of June, one ring, with a great pointed diamond, icli. Item, for a casse of crimson veluett for a tablett, with her Matie's picture, xijs. Item, the same daie, to her Matie a hoop ring, grauen, xvjs. Item, deliuered to Margarett Hartsyde, a ring set all about with diamonds, and a table diamond on the head, which she gave me to vnderstand was by her Matie's direction, price xxxli. Item, furnished to a tablet made for to be sent to her Mat's mother, the Queene of Denmark, xvj table diamonds, at xlvs. the peece, xxxvili. Item, furnished to the said tablett xxxvi diamonds at xxs. the peece, xxvjli. Item, vj diamonds iijli. the peece, xviijli. Item, ij diamonds at vli. the peece, xli. Item, for the diamond in the midle of the backsyde of the said tablet, xxxiiijli. Item, for making the said tablet, xxxijli. Item, for a case of veluet to it, xijs. Item, to her Matie, the xiiijth of September, one ring sett with ix diamonds, price xxxiijli. Item, on the ffyrst of October, one ring contayning v diamonds, viili. xs. Item, to her Matie on the iiijth of October, a little pendant in the form of a c, contayning xix diamonds, xxli. Item, to her Matie the viijth of October, a ring of a cross of diamonds, xxvli. Item, for gold and makinge of a braslett of diamonds, saphiers, and pearle, ijli. Item, on the xxth of October, a ring set about with diamonds, xxiijli. Item, a ring contayninge v diamonds, viijli. Item, one eare-ringe, sett with a table. 14th of March, a ring set with iiij diamondis, in forme of a rosse, xxxvli. Item, for the garnishing of vi doge collers, weighing in silver xix ounces, iiijli. xvs. Item, for the workmanshipe of the said collers, ijli. xs. Item, boght to the said collers, ij ounces iij quarters of silver lace, at vs. vjd. ounce, xvs. id. ob. Item, for making up of the said collers, at ijs. the peice, inde xijs. Item, for gold and makinge of a clasp for the froge jewell, xs. Item, on the 15th of Aprill, 1606, a jewell set with diamondis, weighing in gold ij ounces vij penyweights, inde vijli. xjs. iijd. Item, for making of the said jewel, xxxli. Item, a purceland cup, and putting it on a foote, vjs. Item, garnished a coller for a doge, weighing in silver one ounce and a half, vijs. vjd. Item, for the workmanship of it, vs. Item, the xth of Maye, a diamond ring in forme of a herte, vli. xs. Item, the xxijth of Maye, a ring set all about with diamondis, xxijli. Item, for setynge a ring twyce in plaine gold, and againe in a ring amellit black, jli. Item, for mending of the tablet of the Kinge of Denmarke's picture, jli. xs. Item, on the viijth of September, a ring set all about with diamondis, xxxijli. Item, a ring set with ix diamondis, at xxixli. Item, for a glasse of whyte balsome jli. xs. Item, a diamond set in a ring, of a hert betwixt two handis, iiijli. xs. "Summa of the particularis aforesaid is just one thowssand ffower hundred and twentie pownds 13s. 4d. sterlinge. Which was payed as followeth, viz.: by Mistris Hartsyde, the some of ffyve hundred powndis; and by the Lord Knyvett, the some of nyne hundred and twentie powndis.