Servais de Condé

Servais de Condé worked in Holyrood Palace in September 1561 lining a cabinet room for the queen with 26 ells of a fabric called "Paris Green".[3]

In September and November 1561 Servais inventoried Mary's wardrobe. These inventories were later annotated by Mr John Wood, the secretary of Regent Moray.[4] Servais made an inventory of the altar cloths and vestments from the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle in January 1562, which had been transferred to his keeping at Holyrood along with a parchment Missal and an Antiphonal.[5]

Servais was made keeper of Holyroodhouse by privy seal letter on 20 January 1565 during Mary's intended journey to Aberdeen taking responsibility from Francis de Busso, another Frenchman or Italian who was supervisor of royal buildings.[6]

Servais was involved in the decoration of Stirling Castle for the baptism of Prince James.[7] He kept a memoir written in French of silk textiles and other fabrics used by Mary or given as gifts, which runs from 1 September 1561 to May 1567. It includes details of colour and fabric.[8] He supervised the dismantling and refashioning of beds confiscated from Huntly Castle.[9] Servais wrote a note of the things destroyed in the explosion at the Kirk o'Field, where they had been sent for the use of Lord Darnley in February 1567. These included a suite of tapestries from Huntly Castle.[10] Servais's note of the furnishings at the Kirk o'Field is frequently quoted by historians to comment on the chain of events leading up to the murder, some arguing that the lodging was furnished in a hurry, or inferring the queen's guilt from the substitution of a lesser bed.

On 10 July 1567 he was ordered to surrender silverware in his keeping for coining by Mary's opponents, the Confederate lords.[11] On 25 July Servais was asked to produce the crown sceptre and sword, the Honours of Scotland for the coronation of James VI following Mary's abdication.[12]

Subsequently, he sent clothes and sewing thread for embroidery to Mary in her prison at Lochleven Castle. On 3 September 1567 Mary wrote to Robert Melville to ask Servais, her "concierge" to send silk thread and sewing gold and silver, and two pairs of sheets with black thread for embroidery, and needles and a mould (cushion) for net-work called "rasour" or "réseau", from the royal wardrobe, with dried plums and pears.[13] Some of the request was fulfilled by new purchases by Regent Moray in October.[14] Servais, described in the accounts as "the Quenis grace chalmer child" made clothes, or supervised the making of clothes for Mary, especially linen shirts called "sarks" and also other items made of velvet.[15] A memorandum written in French of further textiles and thread sent to Mary at Lochleven, Carlisle and Bolton is associated with Servais by historians including Margaret Swain, but does not feature his name.[16]

On 15 November 1569 Servais handed the library of Mary Queen of Scots, cloths used in her chapel, and masque costumes called "dansyne cleiss" and "maskeine cleis" to Moray's agents.[17]

Servais' family was involved in practical textile work in the royal wardrobe. In September 1570 the passment (trimming) worker Benneth Garrust described as Servais' nephew completed a canopy called a "paile" for James VI of Scotland to use during the visit of the English ambassador. Benneth Garrust, known at the "Frenche pasmentier" became the keeper of the Scottish Royal tapestry collection in Edinburgh castle.[18] Servais' wife's name is not recorded, although she worked in the wardrobe at Holyroodhouse.[19]

Servais and his family may have returned to France. As late as July 1579 the Privy Council became aware of a chest in the possession of George Lord Seton containing clothes, textiles and two beds belonging to Mary which Servais had entrusted to him.[20]