Source 1: Plan of Kirk O Fields

View 1a

1a. The bodies of Darnley and servant in the garden

i. Why are the men half naked?
ii. How did the bodies get there?
iii. What might the chair have been used for?
iv. Are there any obvious marks on the bodies?
v. Who do you think the dagger belonged to?
vi. How do you think they died?

Source 1a

View 1b

1b. Darnley being carried away and the funeral of his servant

i. Where are the men taking Darnley’s body?
ii. What was the name of Darnley’s servant who died with him?
iii. Where is Darnley’s servant being buried?

View 1c

1c. The site of the murder

i. Judging from the ruin how big was the explosion?
ii. The ruins of Kirk-O-Field House have been labelled the site of the murder. Do you think this is really where the murder occured?

View 1d

1d. Infant James - Darnley’s son and heir to the throne

i. The infant James is saying ‘Judge and avenge my cause, O Lord.’ What do you think this means?
ii. James would have been 1 year old at this time. He would not have been able to speak, let alone say these words. The artist has obviously made them up. What does the artist think about the murder of Darnley?

i. If the letter is really from Mary to Bothwell, who is the ‘he’ Mary keeps referring to?
ii. What does Mary want Bothwell to do?
iii. What warnings does Mary give Bothwell?
iv. Who is his ‘humble and faithful lover’?
v. What could Mary mean when she says ‘who shortly hopes to be another thing unto you’?
vi. Does the letter show Mary plotting with Bothwell to kill Darnley? Give reasons to back up your answer.
vii. Mary asks Bothwell to burn the letter. Clearly he did not. Why would he keep such an incriminating letter?
viii. Is this a trustworthy piece of evidence?

Source 3a: Statement made by May Croket who lived in lodgings near Kirk-O-Field House. This witness made statements on 11 February 1567 (transcript)

Source 3b: Statement made by Barbara Mertine who lived in lodgings near Kirk-O-Field House. This witness made statements on 11 February 1567 (transcript)

3a. What was the ‘crak rais’?

3b. According to Barbara Mertine one of the men was wearing silk. What might this indicate to you?

3c. Find 2 differences between these two accounts

3d. Find 2 similarities between these accounts

3e. What do you find peculiar about Barbara Mertine’s last statement?

4a. Can you find any of the places May Croket mentions on the plan? (Look at the plan of Kirk-O-Fields)

4b. Where is the most likely place that these women lived?

5. Do the witness statements shed any light on how Darnley died?

6. Based on the evidence you have looked at, write a statement summing up how Darnley died and who you think was responsible

7. What do you think about the evidence you have? Do you think a conclusion based on this evidence can be trusted-if not, why?

What Happened in 1567 at Kirk-O-Field?

10 February 1567

The story of Mary Queen of Scots and her marriage to Lord Darnley shows both the romantic and the brutal side of politics in the 16th century.

In 1565 Mary married Lord Darnley, a Catholic, and great-grandson of Henry VIII. Although handsome and elegant, Darnley was weak, vain and spoilt. He soon made himself very unpopular among the Scottish nobles and Mary soon grew to hate his bullying ways. She began to spend most of her time with David Riccio, her secretary, instead and this stirred the jealousy of Darnley.

On 9 March 1566 Mary was having supper with David Riccio when her husband burst in. Riccio was dragged from the room and killed before her. 60 dagger wounds were counted on his body. Meanwhile Mary was held captive by her husband and forced to make him king in his own right. Mary had few people to turn to during this time expect Earl Bothwell.

On 16 June Mary gave birth to a son, James. Mary and Darnley seemed to have made up. Their son’s birth was very important because not only was he heir to the Scottish throne, but he was also heir to the English throne.

Early the following year Mary managed to persuaded Darnley that she had forgiven him for the murder of Riccio. Darnley was sick. She encouraged him to stay with her at Kirk-O-Field House in Edinburgh. On the night of 10 February, Mary left to attend a wedding party while Darnley stayed at home. At about 2am a massive explosion reduced Kirk-O-Field House to rubble. Darnley was killed but not by the explosion. He was found half-naked -not in the rubble of the house, but in the garden outside the town walls. Something had frightened him so badly that he had escaped from the house before it exploded. But someone saw him fleeing, caught up with him, and killed him.

The list of suspects was long, because Darnley had many enemies. However, many people suspected that Mary and her friend Earl Bothwell had arranged the murder. When Mary married Bothwell 3 months later it looked as though the suspicions were right. The Scots rose in rebellion. Mary was driven out to England and her infant son James was made king. Elizabeth I made her prisoner - and a prisoner she stayed for the next 19 years.

Meanwhile, in 1568, a group of Scottish Earls ‘found’ a number of letters in a silver casket, supposedly written by Mary to Earl Bothwell. The letters seem to show that Mary was in love with Bothwell and was planning to murder her husband.

For more Snapshots on the Tudors try:

The Royal Seal of Approval

Visit your library to read about the Tudors. Try this book:

• Andrew Langley The Tudors 1485 to 1603

To find out more about the Tudors you could visit a Tudor site or museum. Your local Tourist Office will be able to tell you about other places in your local area.

• Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh
• Elizabethan House, Plymouth
• Burghley House, Cambridgeshire