This tall ornately carved monument stands in the middle of a roundabout in the south side of Glasgow.   It was put up in 1887 on the 300th anniversary of Mary Queen of Scots’ execution.
In May 1568 Mary’s army faced that of her half-brother, the Earl of Moray who was acting as Regent for her infant son for whom she had been forced to abdicate.  She had recently escaped imprisonment in Loch Leven Castle and intended to restore her rights as queen but at the Battle of Langside she was defeated and headed to England where she had hoped to get support from her cousin Elizabeth I but was held captive and eventually beheaded in 1587.

The lion at the top of the memorial rests his paw on a cannonball and overlooks the area now known as Battlefield where the fighting took place.
Just below the lion are badges with thistles or lions on them. Next down, the tall ornate column is decorated with a spiral design of thistles, roses and fleur-de-lis. Below this are eight carvings; each alternate carving has a targe (a shield) with crossed swords, and the four others have a cannon, a set of bagpipes, a targe with a variety of battle weapons, and an iron helmet with a crossed sword and axe. The four eagles at the corners of the monument`s plinth are preparing to fly. When being built, plans of the monument, a copy of The Abbot (by Sir Walter Scott, 1820), and newspapers and coins of the day were placed under the structure.


This is part of my occasional series on places connected with the famous, but tragic, Mary Queen of Scots (see the tags)
(Mary Queen of Scots 16