Editing Linlithgow Palace (section)

==Decay and repair==
After the [[Union of the Crowns]] in 1603 the Royal Court became largely based in England and Linlithgow was used very little. The North Range, said to be in very poor condition in 1583,<ref>Henry Paton, ''Accounts of the Masters of Work'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1957), p. 311: ''Linlithgow Palace, official guide'' (1948).</ref> and "ruinous" in 1599,<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'' vol. 13 part 2 (Edinburgh, 1969), p. 623.</ref> collapsed at 4am on 6 September 1607. The [[Alexander Livingston, 1st Earl of Linlithgow|Earl of Linlithgow]] wrote to [[King James VI & I]] with the news:<blockquote>Please your most Sacred Majestie; this sext of September, betuixt thre and four in the morning, the north quarter of your Majesties Palice of Linlithgw is fallin, rufe and all, within the wallis, to the ground; but the wallis ar standing yit, bot lukis everie moment when the inner wall sall fall and brek your Majesties fontane."<ref>''The Spottiswoode Miscellany'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1844), p. 369.</ref></blockquote>

King James had the north range rebuilt between 1618 and 1622. The carving was designed by the mason [[William Wallace (mason)|William Wallace]]. In July 1620, the architect, [[James Murray (architect)|James Murray of Kilbaberton]], estimated that 3,000 stones in weight of lead would be needed to cover the roof, costing £3,600 in [[Pound Scots]] (the [[Scottish money]] of the time).<ref>''Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland'', vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1895), p. 335.</ref> [[Lead mining in Scotland|Scottish lead]] was sent from [[Leadhills]] in Lanarkshire by John Fairlie.<ref>James J. Brown, "Merchant Princes and Mercantile Investment", [[Michael Lynch (historian)|Michael Lynch]], ''The Early Modern Town in Scotland'' (Croom Helm, 1987), p. 139.</ref>

After the death of the depute-treasurer [[Gideon Murray]] who was supervising the project, King James put the [[John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1558–1634)|Earl of Mar]] in charge of the "speedy finishing of our Palace of Linlithgow". On 5 July 1621 the Earl of Mar wrote to James to tell him he had met James Murray, the master of works, and viewed the works at "grate lenthe". Mar said the Palace would be ready for the King at [[Michaelmas]]. King James planned to visit Scotland in 1622, but never returned.<ref>''HMC Mar & Kellie at Alloa House'' (London, 1904), pp. 95–96.</ref>

The carving at the window-heads and the [[Royal Arms of Scotland]] on the new courtyard façade were painted and gilded, as were the old statues of the Pope, Knight, and Labouring Man on the east side.<ref>Mackechnie, Aonghus, 'James VI's Architects', [[Michael Lynch (historian)|Michael Lynch]] & [[Julian Goodare]], ''The Reign of James VI'' (Tuckwell, 2000), p. 168.</ref> In 1629 John Binning, James Workman, and John Sawyers painted the interiors with decorative friezes above walls left plain for tapestries and hangings.<ref>John Imrie & John Dunbar, ''Accounts of the Masters of Works'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1982), p. 269.</ref> Despite these efforts, the only reigning monarch to stay at Linlithgow after that date was King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], who spent a night there in 1633. As part of the preparations, the burgh council issued a proclamation forbidding the wearing of plaids and blue bonnets, a costume deemed "indecent".<ref>George Waldie, ''A History of the Town and Palace of Linlithgow'' (Linlithgow, 1868), p. 62.</ref>

In 1648, part of the new North Range was occupied by [[Alexander Livingston, 2nd Earl of Linlithgow]].<ref>''The Spottiswoode Miscellany'', vol. 1 (1844), pp. 370–372.</ref> An English visitor in October 1641 recorded in a poem that the roof of the great hall was already gone, the fountain vandalised by those who objected on religious grounds to the motto "God Save the King," but some woodcarving remained in the Chapel Royal.<ref>''Miscellany of the Scottish History Society, 2'' (Edinburgh, 1904), p. 275, anonymous poem, '' A Scottish Journie'' of [[Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey|Montague Bertie, Lord Willoughby]].</ref>

The palace was again described as ruinous in 1668. Its swansong came in September 1745, when [[Bonnie Prince Charlie]] visited Linlithgow on his march south but did not stay overnight.  It is said that the fountain was made to flow with wine in his honour.<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6240432.stm 'Wine' fountain to flow once more]". ''BBC News''. 26 June 2007.</ref> The [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|Duke of Cumberland]]'s army destroyed most of the palace buildings by accidentally burning it through lamps left on straw bedding on the night of 31 January/1 February 1746.