Temple Newsam: A Scottish Enclave in the North

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On 7 December 1545, a son was born to Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox and Matthew Stuart, 4th Earl of Lennox at Temple Newsam in Yorkshire. This boy would grow up to be king consort of Scotland, his future wife being Mary, Queen of Scots. Having lived an eventful life at the English court as the niece of King Henry VIII, Margaret had wed, aged 28, and moved to England’s north and the grand Tudor manor house that had been granted to them in 1544, the confiscated property of the executed Thomas Darcy, Lord Dacre.

The Lennox’s spoilt their son, the shining hope for their glorious future. Driven by ambition, the handsome ‘long lad’ grew up to be notoriously vain and arrogant. Pushed into the path of the beautiful Mary Stuart, he would in short order marry her and prove to be her undoing. On account of being the one time home of an executed Tudor traitor (Thomas Darcy, Lord Dacre of the North), the country seat of the Anglo-Scottish Lennoxes and the birthplace of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, Temple Newsam in Yorkshire is worthy of any Tudor time traveller’s itinerary.

This blog takes the form of a gallery of pictures, assembled here to accompany this month Tudor History & Travel Show. I recommend that you listen to the podcast with this blog to hand, with the pictures illustrate some of the principle features and objects under discussion. To tune into the podcast, click here or search for the Tudor History & Travel Show on your preferred podcast platform.

Temple Newsam in Pictures…

Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley and his younger brother, Charles Stuart
Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox
View of Temple Newsam from the west lawn
View of Temple Newsam from the west lawn, looking at the west range. Image Courtesy of Temple Newsam
Temple Newsam House
Temple Newsam House, looking into the inner courtyard, with the west range on the right (though to be the site of the original privy lodgings) Image Courtesy of Temple Newsam
View of Temple Newsam from the courtyard
View of Temple Newsam from the courtyard. Image Courtesy of Temple Newsam
Henry VIII's bed in the Bretton room
Henry VIII’s bed in the Bretton room. Image Courtesy of Temple Newsam
Inventory at Temple Newsam
The Tudor Inventory at Temple Newsam. Image Courtesy of Temple Newsam
Tudor panel at Temple Newsam
Tudor panel at Temple Newsam. Image Courtesy of Temple Newsam
Blocked Tudor door, Miss Scott's room
Blocked Tudor door, Miss Scott’s room. Image Courtesy of Temple Newsam

To listen to the podcast associated with these images, click here.

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  1. Pingback: Cawood Castle, Near York, North Yorkshire - The Tudor Travel Guide

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