THE RED DEER 
mother, and an Ambassador of the Pope’s, who was in Scotland for 
the time, went all together to Athole to the hunts. The Earl of Athole 
hearing of his coming, made great and gorgeous provision for him 
in all things pertaining to a prince, that he was as well cared for in 
all things as if he had been in one of his own palaces. . . . 
“It is said, by the space of the three days that his grace was there, 
the Earl of Athole was every day at one thousand pounds of expenses. 
This Pope’s Ambassador, seeing so great a triumph in the wilder- 
ness, where there was no town near by twenty miles, he thought it 
a great marvel that such a thing should be in Scotland: that is, so 
court -like and delicious entertainment in the Highlands of Scotland, 
where he saw nothing but woods and wilderness. But most of all, 
this Ambassador, when the King was coming back from the hunts, 
marvelled to see the Highlanders set all this palace on fire, that the 
King and the Ambassador might see it. Then the Ambassador said 
to the King ‘ I marvel. Sir, you let burn your palace wherein you 
were so well eased.’ The King answered, ‘ It is the use of our High- 
landmen that, be they never so well lodged all the night, they will burn 
the same on the morn.’ This being done the King returned to Dunkeld 
that night, and on the morn to St Johnstoun (Perth). It is said, at this 
time, in Athole and Strathardle bounds, there was slain thirty score 
of hart and hind, with other small beasts, such as roe and roe -buck, 
wolf, fox, and wild cats, etc.’’ 
The fame of this great hunt probably induced Queen Mary to witness 
a similar one in the wilds of Glentilt in 1564, and of this we have an excel- 
lent account from the pen of William Barclay, who accompanied the 
Court. The drive lasted for two months, and was conducted by two thou- 
sand Highlanders, embracing the woods of Atholl, Badenoch, Mar, Murray, 
and the adjacent country. They brought within view of the Queen two 
thousand red deer, and in one day were slain 360 deer, five wolves, and 
some roe. 
“ During the time of the Commonwealth,’’ writes Fittis, one of our 
best authorities on Scottish mediaeval times, “ a grand stag -hunting 
took place in the forest of Monar, in Glen Strathfarrer, Invernesshire, 
conducted by the Earl of Seaforth and the master and tutor of Lovat. 
This was in 1655. ‘The party,’ says a manuscript of the period ‘got 
sight of six or seven hundred deere and sport of hunting for four days, 
fitter for kings than country gentlemen ’ : and two Englishmen who were 
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