The 450th anniversary of Mary Queen of Scots entry into Sheffield, a place where she would spend the next 14 years being nearly one third of her life.
450TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT, SATURDAY NOVEMBER 28TH 2020
Saturday November the 28th this year marks a momentous anniversary in the history of our city, being 450 years since Mary Queen of Scots made the journey from Chatsworth into Sheffield. This event is not just an important part of local history, but national history as well, for Mary would spend almost a third of her life here in Sheffield. We intend to commemorate this important milestone, as was done to very high standard 50 years ago, we are planning to organise a civic reception and a historical enactment of Mary’s dignified entry into the town. This will be performed by a costumed reenactor to highlight the important entry of what was a reigning monarch at the time into what was then the town of Sheffield.
We at Manor Lodge have additional costumed reenactors who will add to the occasion, with Mary being met by the Lord Mayor as well as her two custodians from the time, being the Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife, Bess of Hardwick, both costumed reenactors. In addition to this there would be speeches from the main participants and a monologue by Mary, with a grand entrance and music played upon her entry. The event will be held at Sheffield Manor Lodge, a place where she spent an equal amount of time as she did at Sheffield Castle.
Mary Queen of Scots, 450th Anniversary Event
On the grey and overcast day of the 28th November 1570, Mary and her entourage of thirty-nine persons took the journey to Sheffield. Little did any of them know that it would be almost fourteen years before she would leave her Sheffield base never to return. This journey of three-and-a-half hours, over the moors from Chatsworth and crossing the Froggatt and Curbar Edges, would have been an awesome sight, with the long train of horses and packhorses meandering on their way into Sheffield. According to a local writer, on their descent to Totley, they were spotted by labourers toiling in the fields near Holmesfield, who spoke of a long line of riders climbing over the hills of Baslow and crossing Totley moors towards Sheffield. But to Mary, how forbidding Sheffield Castle must have looked, as she approached ever nearer to its all-enveloping walls. The townsfolk, including men working in the many smithies, came out and watched the enormous procession of horses and baggage trains go by. Of course, they had no knowledge of whom or what all the commotion was about, as the transfer had been done in the utmost secrecy. William Camden – a contemporary historian – stated: “Sheffield was a town of great renown for the smithies therein fortified with a strong and ancient castle which had descended from the Lords Furnival to the Talbots, the Earls of Shrewsbury.”
Mary Queen of Scots on horseback
We see this as a one off chance to promote one of the great events in Sheffield’s history and the Friends of Sheffield Manor Lodge are determined not to let this event pass us by. More details of our plans for the 450th anniversary of Mary Queen of Scots entry into Sheffield will be shared nearer the time, although we are certainly sure that you will want to put Saturday November the 28th this year into your calendar to commemorate this hugely important event with us.
Sheffield Manor Lodge history event