Mary, Queen of Scots’ Last Letter to Go On Display

The final letter written by Mary, Queen of Scots before her execution will go on public exhibition in Perth Museum in Scotland next year.

At 2am on February 8, 1587, Mary penned what is believed to be her last letter, writing to her brother-in-law in France to put her affairs in order. Her execution at Fotheringhay Castle took place six hours later.

It will go on display as part of OUTWITH: National Library around Scotland, a special programme of loans, events and activities taking place at locations around the country to mark the National Library of Scotland’s centenary.

Mary’s letter is rarely seen outside of storage. While the vast majority of the Library’s collections can be accessed by anyone in the reading rooms, the letter leaves the vaults only in very special circumstances, largely for conservation reasons.

The letter will be on display at Perth Museum from January 23 until April 26 and will form the centrepiece of an exhibition and events programme bringing Mary’s story and connections to Perthshire to life.

At the nearby AK Bell Library other items from the National Library’s collections will be on display to complement the letter in an exhibition called The Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots. This display will feature Robert Burns’s poem Lament of Mary, Queen of Scots, On the Approach of Spring written in Burns’s own hand, and early manuscripts from Liz Lochhead’s play Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for people to see the Last Letter," said Director of Collections, Access and Research, Alison Stevenson. "The last time it was on public display was back in 2017 for one day only, and there were queues of people forming along George IV Bridge in Edinburgh.

“The whole point of the ‘OUTWITH’ programme is to take our collections, our people and our services to parts of Scotland beyond the Central Belt. We were greeted with a warm welcome in Aberdeen in autumn this year – people were genuinely keen to learn more about what their national library could do for them. We hope those living in and around Perth will get as much out of our presence next year.”

Ashleigh Hibbins, Head of Audiences and Learning at Culture Perth and Kinross, added: "Perth and Kinross is at the heart of Mary’s story, particularly her imprisonment, abdication, and dramatic escape from Lochleven Castle. Mary’s poignant last words will be displayed within a wider immersive exhibition, directly above the Stone of Destiny and objects from the reigns of her son and grandson, so we really do view this as a homecoming. Mary’s story continues to resonate with people."