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Centuries old royal gift goes on show for the first time

A thank you present from a king and queen in exile to one of their supporters is about to get its first ever public viewing. A silk bedspread, given by King James II and his wife, Maria of Modena, to a family who accompanied them into exile following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 will be displayed in Cumbria.

Visitors to Sizergh Castle will now be able to view the 300 year old piece which was made in Goa and which features intricate embroidery of mythical creatures worked in gold thread on satin.

It was given to Sir Thomas Strickland and his wife, Winifred, after their continued loyalty to James II who lost his throne to his elder daughter, Mary II, and her husband, William III. Sir Thomas had been a staunch supporter of the Stuarts from his earliest days. As a young man he commanded the regiment of foot for the royalists at the Battle of Edgehill during the English Civil War. By the time of the reign of James II he was a member of the Privy Council and headed into exile with the king following his deposition.

As a reward, Sir Thomas was given several valuable presents by James including some of the Imari porcelain collected by his queen, Maria. The royal couple also presented their loyal servants with a lock of the king’s hair. Sir Thomas Strickland died in exile, in Rouen in France, but his castle and his belongings were inherited by his eldest son, Walter, and the bedspread made its way to Cumbria.

It’s now part of the collection managed by the National Trust at Sizergh Castle which was gifted the building by the Stricklands in 1950. The estate has other royal links, too, as Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr, is believed to have lived here briefly after the death of her first husband in 1533.

Sizergh opened its doors to visitors again on March 16th this year and its season runs until October 27th 2019. The chance to see the bedspread is included in the admission price (£12 per adult, £6 per child, free to members of the National Trust).

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.