1542-1567 Scottish Bawbee/Sixpence

Good morning and welcome to another Marvelous Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. I sure did! This morning I thought it might be fun to borrow Mr. Peabody & Sherman’s “Wayback Machine.” So let’s cross the Atlantic and go back 476 years to Linlithgow Palace just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland on 8 December, 1542 and welcome Mary Stuart into the world.

For any of you that don’t know me, music has always been a huge part of my life. No, I don’t play any instruments and my family will actually pay me NOT to sing, but I find that almost every morning I wake up with a tune playing in my head and I share it here. Most music is from the late 60’s and early 70’s during my high school years when I guess music was the most impactful. This morning’s song, although not the music I listened to then was from that era, and I sure do enjoy it today. So top off your coffee and pull up a chair. Willie Nelson greets me this morning with his 1971 hit, Me and Paul.

Being of Scottish descent, I’m always super interested in the history of Scotland and its people. So when I came across this 16th Century coin, I immediately set out to know what it was and then learn the history and people of that time.

So let’s begin this morning, as I mentioned above, with the birth of Mary Stuart. She was born to King James V and his French second wife Mary of Guise. Mary was the only legitimate child of James, the son of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII’s sister. This makes her great-niece of Henry VIII or the first cousin, once removed of Queen Elizabeth I and potential heir to the British Crown. This fact would later set the date for her execution. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

Upon her father’s death, some six days after Mary’s birth, she ascended the throne and became Queen of Scotland on 14 December 1542. Although she was Queen, Mary spent much of her childhood in France, and Scotland was ruled by regents in her name. It seems that one of the reasons that Mary left the Isles for France during her early years might have been because her family maintained their Catholic roots, whereas much of England and parts of Scotland had followed Henry VIII and his Anglican Church, so the distance was partially to protect her and also to insure a Catholic education.

In 1558, at 16 years, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland married Francis, the heir to the French throne. In 1559, Francis ascended the throne and became King Francis II. Short lived, Mary was widowed in December 1560 and returned to Scotland in 1561 making her grand debut as Mary, Queen of Scots.

I can imagine, as I’m sure you can the greed and animosity that was felt by those that had to relinquish their government positions and power upon Mary’s return. Further, four years later, in 1565 she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart and in June 1566 they had a son, James.

In February of 1567, Henry was found murdered in his gardens. To make this “Peyton Place” scenario even more bizarre, James Hepburn, the 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was believed to have been behind Henry Stuart’s death, was acquitted of the charge in April and then proceeded to marry Queen Mary in May! Try saying that three times!!! It was only later in 1567 that an uprising occurred and Mary was imprisoned in July of that year, she abdicated the throne to her one year old son. After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne later that year, she fled to England seeking protection of her cousin, Elizabeth.

Unfortunately, Mary was perceived as a threat by Elizabeth I and was held in Fotheringhay Castle for almost twenty years until her beheading on 8 February 1587.

So, although this silver Bawbee or Sixpence was coined (hammered) during the 25 year reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, Mary truly only ruled Scotland from her return from France in 1561 to her abdication in 1567. However, with only a 25 year window of coinage, these coins are moderately rare and priced accordingly.

The face or obverse of this coin is of a crowned thistle flanked by M R surrounded with +MARIA D G REGINA SCOTORV (translation: Mary, Queen of Scots). The reverse shows a saltire cross with crown and cinquefoils surrounded with OPPIDVM EDINBVRGI (translation: Town of Edinburgh). A unique piece of world history.

If you want to see or purchase this coin, visit us at David Douglas Diamonds & Jewelry.

Well, I’ll let that be it for today. Go out there and make a difference! See ya later!

*Disclaimer: Precious Metal Musings™ is written for entertainment and news purposes only and should not be used in making purchases and/or sales of precious metals.