Mary Queen of Scots lived high on the hog behind bars

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS received luxurious treatment and exotic foods when she was in prison, newly uncovered documents reveal.

Mary, who had ruled Scotland from the age of six, fled south in 1568 following religious and court turmoil in her kingdom. She had hoped that her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, would protect her but was instead imprisoned.

Elizabeth’s advisers were afraid of allowing Mary, a Catholic with a claim to the English throne, to roam freely.

Still, as a monarch and a relative, Mary was allowed to live in a style befitting her rank. The British Library has acquired financial documents from two of the aristocratic homes where she was put up: Wingfield Manor in Derbyshire and Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire.

The papers include detailed lists of the various foods that Mary was able to enjoy while in captivity for 19 years.

Andrea Clarke, of the British Library, told The Observer that it was “deluxe imprisonment”.

“The food that’s listed is incredible, from the basic – bread, butter, eggs – to a massive range of poultry, fish and meat,” she added.

On the menu for the monarch was beef, mutton, veal, boar and poultry, cod, salmon, eels, and herring spiced with saffron, ginger and nutmeg.

She was also prepared exotic fare, such as oranges, olives, capers, almonds and figs, as well as marmalade, caraway biscuits and fruits preserved in syrup.

Also included in the documents are details of the extensive household staff needed to maintain Mary’s lifestyle and items such as soap for cleaning her bed linens.