Stirling Castle A few structures of the fourteenth century remain, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the early eighteenth century. Before the union with England, Stirling Castle was also one of the most used of the many Scottish royal residences, very much a palace as well as a fortress. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1542, and others were born or died there. There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, including several during the Wars of Scottish Independence, with the last being in 1746, when Bonnie
Scottish jewellery the Scottish crown in 1540. James Mossman was the son of John Mossman, and was the Court Jeweller, and was executed for his loyalty to Mary, Queen of Scots during the siege of Edinburgh Castle in 1573, in which he played the part of defending the castle. He was hanged on 3 August 1573. He was the court jeweller for Mary of Guise, and reportedly produced pieces for both her and the royal family. Although Charles Rennie Mackintosh was not a jeweller himself, he made a significant contribution to influencing the style of jewellery through his work as a designer.