On This Day, 29th July 1567

On this day, 29th July, the infant King James VI of Scotland was crowned in the Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling, in a ceremony unlike any previous Scottish coronation.

Just five days earlier his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, had been forced to abdicate the throne in favour of her 13-month-old son, James. With the country in political turmoil, the Protestant Lords acted quickly to secure the succession and protect the gains of the Scottish Reformation.

For the first time in Scottish history, the coronation service was conducted according to Protestant worship rather than Roman Catholic rites. The service was held in the Scots language instead of Latin, reflecting the Reformers’ conviction that the worship of God and His Word should be understood by ordinary people.

The coronation sermon was preached by John Knox, who chose as his text the account of the young King Joash in 2 Chronicles 23. The crown was placed upon James’s head by Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney.

Because there were fears of a Roman Catholic attempt to disrupt the proceedings, the ceremony was carried out with great speed before James was returned safely to nearby Stirling Castle.

The Church of the Holy Rude remains unique in Scotland. It is the only surviving church in the country to have witnessed a royal coronation, making it an important building connected with Scotland’s Reformation. It’s well worth a visit and the people who work there are fantastic.