The DARNLEY or LENNOX JEWEL is one of the most famous Stuart jewels in the Royal Collection of the United Kingdom, commissioned by one of the most famous royal women of the 16th century. In this royal jewels documentary from History Calling, we’ll decode the many layers of meaning in this spectacular, heart-shaped, gem-studded locket and look at the life of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, the lady who had it created, most likely during the 1570s. We’ll see how the jewel betrayed her dynastic hopes for her family, especially her grandson, James VI of Scotland/James I of England, whose father, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Margaret believed she and her descendants had a better claim to the English throne than Elizabeth I (who she viewed as illegitimate) and spent years plotting how she might see her family take the crown. Sadly for her, her schemes led to misery and death for many members of her family. Lord Darnley may have been the King Consort of Scotland, but this didn’t save him from being murdered in 1567, and when his father later became regent for the infant James VI, he too was killed in 1571. In fact, the jewel functions as a memento mori (a reminder of death) to remember the life of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (Margaret’s husband and Lord Darnley’s father). Variously called either the Darnley Jewel, or the Lennox jewel in recognition of the family’s titles, it is now housed in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, where it is on show alongside countless other objects connected with the Scottish royal family of the 1500s and their English cousins. Please enjoy this video on one of the most famous royal Stuart jewels around.
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