ABSTRACT

This chapter addresses one of a number of topics which remain unstudied, by offering an introductory survey of some of the spaces transformed for Scottish royal ceremonies. It offers to illuminate the various settings used as backdrops for Scottish inaugurations and coronations, royal funerals and royal weddings. The earl of Atholl, who hosted the event, constructed a richly decorated temporary palace surrounded by a moat said to be 16 feet deep, crossed by a drawbridge. The concept of, and the papal legate's reaction to, this 'palace in the wild'−particularly the burning of it−have inspired a collection of essays on literature, humanism and the Renaissance in Scotland. As the seat of Scotland's premier archbishop, and home to the country's oldest university and one of Scotland's most eminent cathedrals, St Andrews was probably selected to impress the foreign observers. Moreover, the adaptation of space for festivals and leisure activities, scenery and musicians, is one of growing interest.