Workington Hall – The Last Place of Refuge for Mary Queen of Scots
Workington Hall
The Last Place of Refuge for Mary Queen of Scots.
by Jonathan Fraser
The latest instalment of the Cumbria Guides History Lessons is presented to us by Jonathan Fraser. This May marks 456 years since West Cumbria played a part in the tumultuous life of Mary Queen of Scots…
At approximately 7pm on the 16th of May 1568, a small fishing boat arrived in the port of Workington. The passengers in the boat were far from ordinary; amongst them was Mary Queen of Scots, along with a small group of loyal servants and attendants.
Having lost the Battle of Langside in Glasgow on 13th May, Mary had fled South. She first stopped at Sanquhar Castle, then rode on to Terregles. She was pursued by her half-brother, the Earl of Moray. Mary and her party managed to reach Dundrennan Abbey. It was here that Mary made the fateful decision to throw herself on her cousin Elizabeth’s mercy; she wrote an urgent appeal for aid to Elizabeth, enclosing the diamond ring that her ‘sister Queen’ had sent her in 1563 as a token.
Afraid of remaining at Dundrennan for too long, Mary wrote ahead to Richard Lowther of Carlisle, declaring her intentions to travel to England; she did not dare wait for a reply from either Elizabeth or Lowther. On the 16th, Mary (disguised as an ordinary woman) and her party commandeered a small fishing boat from Edward Maxwell (of Terregles). The lords tried to persuade Mary to seek help from France, but after much to-ing and fro-ing, Mary had made up her mind, and they set sail from Drundrennan Abbey to England. It took them a little over 4 hours to cross the Solway Firth before landing at Siddick, Workington.
Upon landing, Lord Herries, sent a letter to his old friend Sir Henry Curwen of Workington Hall, informing him that Mary had arrived and asking if they could stay at his home. The house and servants were at Lord Herries disposal. It was from Workington Hall that Mary wrote a second letter to Elizabeth. She asked to meet with Elizabeth and pleaded for her aid and support in recovering her throne. She expected a quick return to Scotland – little did Mary know that decision to cross the border was a catastrophic error of judgement.
Mary spent two days at Workington Hall and was well looked after by the Curwen family. To show her gratitude at their hospitality, Mary left a small communion cup as a gift for the family, wishing them, and Workington, luck.
Whilst Elizabeth was sympathetic to Mary, William Cecil was not, he arranged for her to be taken to Carlisle Castle. She was escorted to Cockermouth Hall. From there, she was escorted to Carlisle Castle where she was to be arrested and placed under armed guard. She remained imprisoned, albeit in favourable conditions
at various locations, for the rest of her life.
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