Historic silver casket that belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots to go on tour

A silver casket believed to have been owned by Mary, Queen of Scots has undergone fresh conservation work ahead of going on tour around Scotland.

Made in Paris, probably between 1493 and 1510, the casket is an extremely rare work of early French silver, very little of which survives, even in France. 

It is thought that the casket was given to Mary by her first husband, François II of France, and came to Scotland with her in 1561 after his death in 1560. 

It is likely that its long-standing association with Mary has kept it preserved for over 450 years.   

For three centuries, it was owned by the family of the Dukes of Hamilton, following its acquisition, around 1674, by Anne, Duchess of Hamilton. 

According to a handwritten note stored with it from the late 17th century, she bought the casket, previously owned by Mary, Marchioness of Douglas, on the understanding that it had belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots.  

The note records the belief that this is the casket which played a dramatic role in Mary’s downfall when, in December 1568, a similar casket was produced at a hearing ordered by Elizabeth I against Mary at Westminster. 

This contained what have become known as the Casket Letters.

These love poems and letters, allegedly from Mary to her third husband, the Earl of Bothwell, implicated them both in a conspiracy to murder her second husband, Lord Darnley.  

The casket was acquired for the nation in 2022 by National Museums Scotland for £1.8 million.

It is thought that the casket was given to Mary by her first husband, François II of France.

It will be on display at Kirkcudbright Galleries in Dumfries and Galloway from 2 November this year until 27 April 27 next year, then at Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum from 30 April 30 to 31 August next year.

To prepare the casket for the tour, centuries of tarnish and corrosion have been removed. The technique of electrolytic reduction was used via a pen-like device, allowing the delicate gold and silver surfaces to be cleaned in a highly controlled and targeted manner without the need for any abrasive polishing. 

‘One of Scotland’s national treasures, this extraordinary casket has been venerated as a relic of Mary, Queen of Scots for centuries, and I’m delighted that more people will have the opportunity to see it up close when it goes on tour later this year,’ said Dr Anna Groundwater, acting keeper of Scottish history and archaeology at NMS.

‘Beyond its connections to one of Scotland’s most famous figures, it is a rare and spectacular piece of historic silver in its own right.’

A casket first appears in the records following Mary’s arrest in 1567 by the rebellious Confederate Lords, when it is discovered in the hands of Lord Bothwell’s servant.

It was brought before the Scottish Privy Council where its lock was struck off to reveal its contents. Precisely what these were at that moment is unknown. 

But a year later, when the Earl of Moray dramatically produced the same casket at Westminster, it now contained the damning Casket Letters. 

The authorship of the letters remains a subject of debate, but it is widely thought that they were doctored. 

Following the hearing at Westminster, Mary remained in English captivity for 19 years, until she was executed in 1587 for her involvement in the Babington Plot to assassinate Elizabeth I, and place Mary on the English throne. 

‘The Smith Art Gallery and Museum is delighted to be partnering with the National Museum of Scotland to bring the Mary, Queen of Scots Casket to Stirling,’ said Caroline Mathers, director of the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum.  

‘This extraordinary treasure gives us a glimpse into the life of a Queen who has captured imaginations around the world for hundreds of years. 

‘A story of power, oppression and ultimately, betrayed. It’s as good a story as it gets.’

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