Individual documents from our collections, relating to famous or dramatic moments in the history of the nation, include:
- The last letter of Mary, Queen of Scots (1587), written only a few hours before her execution
- The order for the massacre of Glencoe (1692)
- Several original, signed copies of the National Covenant (1638-1639), the document that sparked off the mid-17th century civil wars in the three kingdoms of the British Isles
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The Lyon in Mourning (1747-1775), 10 volumes of eye-witness accounts compiled by Bishop Robert Forbes (1708-1775) on the 1745 Jacobite rising and its aftermath.
The Denmylne State Papers, collected by Sir James Balfour, contain many letters and documents relating to the foreign policy of the pre-1603 Kingdom of Scotland.