Royal Visits to Whithorn

“Among the many distinguished personages who, in the days of yore, visited the famous “Cradle of Christianity,” very prominent notice is due to King James IV, who made several pilgrimages to it [Whithorn].

“On the 10th of February, 1506, an heir to the throne of Scotland was born, an event which gave occasion for great demonstrations of rejoicing throughout the country. The King was so much pleased at the auspicious occurrence that he conferred the gift of a silver cup full of gold pieces, on the attendant who was fortunate enough to be the first bearer of the welcome intelligence to himself.

“He ordered the tidings to be sent without delay to the Crowned Heads of England and several other States. A fortnight afterwards, a grand display was made in the Chapel of Holyrood, on the occasion of the infant Prince's baptism; but to the sad grief, both of his parents and their loyal subjects, it died in the same month of the following year.

“The bereaved young queen was, for a length of time thereafter, prostrated by an illness that seemed to be of doubtful issue, and when she was in this weak condition her devoted husband set out for the shrine of the holy St. Ninian, then so celebrated from the miraculous results that were believed to accrue from a pilgrimage to its venerated precincts. His object being to secure the merciful intervention of Heaven on his royal spouse's behalf, he undertook his long travel on foot, in hope thereby that he would the better succeed in moving the sympathies of the saints, and prevail with them to intercede for the Queen's restoration to health.

“One of the most remarkable circumstances connected with this visit of James IV, if we are to rely on the monastic records, was that it was subsequently discovered that the exact hour in which he was engaged in invoking the services of the saints for the restoration of the Queen's health was the same in which she began to show symptoms of convalescence.

“The next visit of royalty to Whithorn was that of the youthful Queen Margaret herself, who repaired thither as soon as the state of her returning strength would admit of it, to pay her grateful devotions at the same altar where the prayers of her Consort had been so signally answered. Her pilgrimage was, however, of a less self-sacrificing description of the preceding one of her august husband. The King accompanied her, and it is stated that no fewer than 20 horses were needed for the conveyance of their dresses and accoutrements. On this occasion the royal couple were pleased to grace the good town of Whithorn with their presence for about three weeks.

“Nothing of any special moment took place, so far as we know, in connection with any of these royal journeys from Edinburgh to Whithorn, except that on one occasion, when tradition asserts that an accident befell the King, which resulted in the fracture of one of his legs, and his consequent detention for a considerable time in the locality. History is quite silent regarding this unfortunate occurrence in the royal devotee's pilgrimage. The story is to the effect that he was thrown from his horse when riding along the Main Street of Whithorn, which at that time led directly to the Cathedral. There is good reason, however, to conclude that if any mishap did occur to his Majesty it must have been of a more trivial nature than hearsay has assigned to it, or we should in all probability have it referred to in the pages of history.”
Lowland Lore or the Wigtownshire of Long Ago. By Gordon Fraser. Published by Gordon Fraser, Wigtown, 1880. Pages 101-102.

The above account gives the date of 10 February 1506 for the birth of the king's son. But this appears to be wrong. James married Margaret, daughter of Henry VII of England, in 1503. She gave birth to six children. Two girls were stillborn and three boys died in infancy. One son survived and he became James V. Of the three boys who died in infancy, the closest to the date of 1506 ,quoted above, is that of the first son, James, Duke of Rothesay, who was born on 21 February 1507 and who died on 27 February 1508. James also had seven illegitimate children with four mistresses. James was killed fighting the English at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513, the last monarch to die in battle on British soil.

Margaret Tudor was the daughter of Henry VII of England and the elder sister of Henry VIII. After the death of James IV, she married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. She was the grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and of Lord Darnley, Mary's second husband. The great-grandson of James IV and Margaret became James VI of Scotland and James 1 of England. The reference above to the 20 horses needed to carry Margaret's clothes to Whithorn is not surprising as she was a fashion enthusiast. When arrangements were made for her to marry James she was presented with a large wardrobe of clothes. When a fire destroyed her riding gear as she travelled north to marry James the replacement decorative cloth for her horse, a cloth of gold with a velvet cushion, cost 127 pounds to replace.