King in hiding

“The investigation of the cellar of Christie’s pub in Perth searching for evidence of Blackfriars Priory has raised interest in the regicide of King James I,” writes Jack Blair of Bridge of Earn.

“The Courier’s covering comments, however, seem to diverge from the earliest accounts. James did not run into an underground tunnel; it is recorded that on hearing the commotion of the assailants bursting into the friary, James, realising there was no other escape route, prised up a floor board using fire tongs and dropped into a privy sewer.

“To clean the drain, there had been a small opening from this into a yard by which the king could have escaped but only three days earlier it had blocked up on his instruction as when he played ‘palm’ – a ball game – the balls sometimes rolled through it into the drain.

“After the floor board was replaced, the regicides entered the room and questioned the queen but their search failed to locate the king. Sometime later when all was quiet the king called for the ladies-in-waiting to help him get out.

“When attempting to raise him, Elizabeth Douglas fell into the privy beside the king. The intruders returned at this point, noticed the floorboard and saw the king and the lady in the pit.

“The two traitors dropped into the pit but were disarmed and overpowered by James. Sir Robert Graham then came down and with many stabs killed James in the privy. The murder took place in the sewer.

“Nor is this the only legend which has drifted from the early account of the events of February 21 1437. I recall my primary school history book displayed a picture of a courageous woman with her arm through the door bar slot to prevent the regicides’ entry into the king’s apartment. This accompanied the story of Kate Barlass.

“Reputedly this was ‘Katherine’ Douglas but, as the early account explains, she was Elizabeth Douglas and would have been in no state to try to assist King James from the pit had she performed such heroics. About a year or so later Richard Lovell of Ballumbie married Elizabeth Douglas.”