Scottish Heritage

The Murder of David Rizzio by John Opie, 1787

Sep 17

Ancestry & History Month

Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day

Ancestry & History Month

Scottish Heritage

Today's Musings, History & Folklore

“The life of Mary Stuart is one of unparalleled drama and conflict.”

~ John Guy, My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots

Yet Mary’s life was not all intrigue and sorrow. She loved music, poetry, pageantry—and, it is said, she particularly loved to dance.

September is a month dedicated to remembering and honouring ancestral lineage and its influence on the modern world—and to keeping alive the stories, customs, traditions and cultural pursuits handed down from the past.

This 48-bar jig for 4 couples devised by John Drewry has its own rather entertaining connection with Scottish country dancing’s past. Drewry explained that he had always felt that, although the beginning of the dance Holyrood House was very good, the remainder never quite lived up to its initial promise. His explanation was characteristically memorable: perhaps it was because the dance, like the proverbial camel, was “a horse designed by a committee.”

So Drewry set about creating a dance that would retain the idea while giving Holyrood House a different ending. His first thought for a title was gloriously dramatic: “Rizzio’s Revenge—or the Murder of Holyrood House.” The reference, of course, was to the very real murder of David Rizzio, private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was stabbed to death in her presence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 1566.

Fortunately— for those who appreciate a more unbloodthirsty dance title—Drewry eventually had what he described as a “more poetic inspiration.” The resulting dance was connected with Jim and Mary, who had lived beside Holyrood Park during their years in Edinburgh.

Remember dancers, check your weapons at the door, or at least promise not to unsheat your sgian dhu until after the bow and curtsey. 🕺 💃 💜 💗 💜 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ⚔️ 👑

Scottish Heritage

The Palace of Holyroodhouse stands at the foot of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, beneath the dramatic slopes of Arthur’s Seat. Its story began with an Augustinian abbey founded by King David I in 1128. According to legend, David was saved from a charging stag by the miraculous appearance of a holy cross—or “rood”—between its antlers. A royal residence gradually developed beside the abbey, eventually becoming one of Scotland’s most important palaces.

Holyroodhouse is closely associated with Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived there after returning to Scotland in 1561. Within its walls she held court, received ambassadors, enjoyed music and dancing, married Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and faced some of the darkest moments of her reign. In 1566, her Italian secretary David Rizzio was dragged from her supper room and murdered by conspirators in the adjoining chamber—an event that made Holyroodhouse forever part of Mary’s tragic story.

The palace also witnessed royal celebrations, political turmoil and periods of destruction and rebuilding. Much of its present appearance dates from the reign of Charles II, when it was transformed into an elegant royal palace during the 1670s. Beside it stand the romantic ruins of Holyrood Abbey, damaged over the centuries and finally abandoned after its roof collapsed in the eighteenth century.

Today, Holyroodhouse remains the monarch’s official residence in Scotland. It is still used for ceremonies and royal engagements, but its stone staircases, historic apartments and ruined abbey continue to preserve the atmosphere of Scotland’s royal past—nowhere more powerfully than in the rooms once occupied by Mary, Queen of Scots.

For an aeriel view of Scotland, click the photo of the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh.

Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!