Wardlaw Bible and Gloves

Among the treasures handed down by the Wardlaw side of the family were a precious Bible and gloves presented by King Charles I to Sir Henry Wardlaw. The king alludes to Sir Henry in a letter dated Whitehall 10 November 1626 as “One who hath bene an old and faithful servand to our late dear father and mother and unto us”. As the administrator of Queen Anne’s Dunfermline estates, he was closely connected with the royal family and, as castellan, took care of the young Prince Charles for long spells. This label was fixed to the box that contained the Bible and Gloves, and supporting letters. These precious objects were presented to St Andrews University by Euphan Wardlaw Ramsay on behalf of the family, and are stored in the museum vault. It took the staff a long time to actually read the accompanying letter from Queen Anne, and to study the Bible, but they now realise that these treasures are indeed what it says on the label!