What have the 16th-century poet Sir David Lindsay of the Mount and 21st-century rap battling got in common?. Last week we had a call from Scottish Field magazine hoping to take a photo inside our Renaissance palace to illustrate a story they are running in the May issue (available from 6 April) about flyting. These were verbal tournaments between poets, trying to outdo each other with put downs and insults in extravagant verse. And that’s exactly what rap battles are about. So there’s clearly nothing new under the sun.
What I also discovered was that Sir David Lindsay of the Mount liked a bit of flyting. This caught my attention because he was a key character at the court of James V, who built our palace. We have also wondered if one of the Stirling Heads, which shows a poet, hand on heart and speaking, might be depict Sir David. Could it show flyting?
The heads include a carving of a jester performing, a woman in masquing costume at a ball, and one with what seems to be musical notation round the outside. The last of these shows a woman whose mouth is open, perhaps singing? Song, music, dance, jesting and poetic jousts – all part of court life and entertainment, and just what the king intended in his new residence.
With the opening of the refurbished royal palace in early June, we are getting lots of media interest. If you would like to get three different takes on the palace project take a look at the latest issue of Leopard (the magazine for north-east Scotland), and the forthcoming editions of Homes and Interiors Scotland, and Heritage Homes. You can also read about it from a business perspective in Stirling Eye at www.stirling.gov.uk/index/business/businesslatestnews/stirlingeye.htm.
We have also updated our own resource pack for the media – and anyone else who is interested in the palace – which is at www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/mediapack. There’s lots of information there, not just about what Historic Scotland has done at the palace, but about the historical figures who lived there and what life was like in the 1540s.
Matthew Shelley, Stirling Castle communications
Keep up to date with all that’s happening at the castle by signing up for our free e-newsletter at www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/newsletter