Mary of Guelders

Mary became Queen of Scots in 1449 aged 16, when she married James II of Scotland. 

In 1460, following the death of James, Mary became queen regent, proving to be a skilled stateswoman in an era of predominantly male political and military power. Mary recognised that supporting spiritual and physical wellbeing was essential for social cohesion. She paved the way for the development of medicine and health in Scotland.

Mary’s charitable works included founding a hospital on Castle Hill in Stirling and appealing to Pope Pius II to transfer funds from the unused hospital of Soutra, in the Borders, for building Trinity Church and a hospital by Edinburgh’s Calton Hill. The hospital provided aid for sick and needy persons and Soutra was repaired to support paupers.

In 1675, the hospital garden was leased to physician Dr Andrew Balfour and Robert Sibbald, the first Professor of Medicine at University of Edinburgh, as an extension to the physic garden at Holyrood providing plants for medical prescriptions and botanical teaching.

Trinity continued to support “pepill seiklie and vnabill” until the area was cleared to build Waverley railway station in 1848. Remnants of Mary’s church were rebuilt on Chalmers Close, known today as Trinity Apse.