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James 1 ( of Scotland) and his Queen
Joanna spent there last Christmas together at Black Friars Monastery in
Perth. It was small and cozy, high in comfort low in protection, he could
not have his army with him. The King and his wife relaxed after a long
day in front of a roaring fire, the Queen's ladies in waiting tended to
them and all in all it was a peaceful Yule tide.
There was banging on the door and
a monk brought the news that an old woman was at the gate demanding to
see the King. The ladies sho sho'd the monk, saying it was much to late
to bother the king. As the lady sought to close the door she noticed many torches filing into the courtyard, the kings enemies had come and they were looking to kill him. She called out a warning and the king ( who was unarmed) ran to find a way out but the windows were tightly barred: and more sinister even than this, the bar to lock the door had been removed!
Using the tongs from the fire place
the king wrenched up a floor board or two and scrambled down in to the
space below.
Meanwhile the armed soldiers had reached the door. Lady Catherine Douglas stuck her arm through the brackets
where the bar should go, buying the King that wee bit extra time to have
the queen and her other ladies cover the Kings hiding place.
The soldiers burst into the room
breaking Catherine1s arm in two, she lost consciousness and fell in a heap
on the floor. The soldiers swept passed her and searched the apartments
but found not a trace of the King, ( the Queen was standing a top the loose
floor boards)
As the soldiers swept into the further
away rooms the Queen opened the Kings hiding place and tried to get him
out. Unfortunately the soldiers chose that moment to return to the room
where the king was hiding. Seeing the open floor they rushed to be the
traitor who deliver the fatal blow. The king, unarmed, had no chance to
defend himself as The brave lady in waiting,
who stuck her arm through the door was thereafter known as Kate Barlass.
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