The final words uttered by Mary Queen of Scots on the day of her execution on 8 February 1587 went something along the lines of "I forgive you and all the world with all my heart for I hope this death will make an end to all my troubles." After which the executioner severed her head and held it up for all to see.

Well, not quite. It took maybe three blows plus some pretty gory last-minute sawing with the blade of the axe before the royal head was finally held up for all to see. Then of course, the clumsy man dropped it and was left with her bloodied wig in his upraised hand. You might be forgiven for thinking that that might have been quite enough drama for one day, but there was even more to come.

Mary had always had a thing about tiny dogs and it appears that terriers were her favourite breed although some accounts tell of spaniels. Whatever.
Accounts differ widely, but some say that as the executioner lifted up the queen's dress to remove her garters as a souvenir – yes it does sound a bit weird to be honest, he was startled when her terrier dog Geddon emerged from under her dress.

Other accounts tell of a pitiful howling coming from her petticoats which on investigation was found to be coming from the distressed pet. Either way, legend insists that a wee dog emerged to discover that his mistress was no more!

One account, which I particularly like, involves the loyal pooch circling the headless corpse of his mistress before sinking his teeth deep into the hand of the executioner. But I doubt if it is true!

Aye. 😉
If you’ve valued this wee snippet of Scottish history, I would encourage you to check out my books: The A-Z of Curious Aberdeenshire and The Little History of Aberdeenshire. Both titles are available from Amazon and there is a new book, sponsored by The Doric Board, on the way.
Location: Aberdeen, UK

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