Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

The House of Stewart - 23 March 2010 - stamps and miniature sheet

Two sets of Kings & Queens stamps will be issued in 2010.  The House of Stewart is the third in a series that features the Kings and Queens of England, Scotland and after 1603 the United Kingdom.  The first in the series was the Houses of Lancaster and York, and the second was the House of Tudor.

With this third instalment the series moves north of the border to the Stewart Kings who ruled Scotland from 1406 up until the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.   With no direct descendants, Elizabeth became the last monarch of the House of Tudor and King
James VI of Scotland acceded to the throne of England. This created The Union of the Crowns which brought England and Scotland under one monarch.  James was the first cousin (twice removed) of Elizabeth and he was also the great grandson of Henry VIII’s sister Margaret Tudor who married James IV of Scotland.  As the first of the Stuart Kings of England, James VI/I will be the only monarch to feature in two sets of the Kings and Queens stamps. He will also appear on the House of Stuart stamps issued in June. This, the fourth in the Kings and Queens series, looks at the Kings and Queens from James I up until the death of Queen Anne in 1714. 

Set of 7 stamps showing Kings James I - VI and Queen Mary.

1st class: James I (1406-37), James II (1437-60) & James III (1460-88); 

62p* James IV (1488-1513) &
James V (1513-42); 

81p* Mary (1542-1567) &
James VI (1567-1625)

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House of Tudor Miniature sheet of 4 stamps - The Mary Rose, the Field of the Cloth of Gold, Sir Francis Drake, and the Royal Exchange.

The MS takes a separate look at the life and times of the age, featuring events and individuals from the reigns. 

The events featured are: 

1st class Founding in 1413 of St Andrews University and in 1505 of the College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.

81p development of the Scottish legal system of justice (the Court of Session), & John Knox, a leading figure in the Reformation in 1559. 

The border design features a timeline of the period.


Acknowledgements: portraits of James I, James II and James III by unknown artists © Scottish National Portrait Gallery; James IV, 1626–34, Daniel Mytens © Private Collection; James V, c.1537, Corneille de Lyon © Private Collection; Mary Queen of Scots, 1558, François Clouet, The Royal Collection © 2009 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; James VI, 1595, Adrian Vanson (attributed)© Scottish National Portrait Gallery.  MS: S Andre sive Andreapolis Scotiae Universitas Metropolitana, c.1580, John Geddy (1571–94) © National Library of Scotland; stained-glass window at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, 1897, by Moxon & Carfrae, photography by Peter Wood; Great South Window at Parliament House, Edinburgh, 1868, artist unknown, photography by Peter Wood; John Knox, 1505–72, 1580, artist unknown (after Adrian Vanson) © National Galleries of Scotland

Background on the stamps

1st Class1st Class – James I (1406-1437)
James I (1394 – 21 February 1437) was nominal King of Scotland from 4 April 1406 until his death, although his effective reign only began in May 1424.  He spent the earlier part of his reign as a prisoner in England. On his release he made moves
to create a strong centralised monarchy in Scotland, and was assassinated by dissident nobles.

1st Class – James II (1437-1460).
James II of Scotland (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was the son of James I of Scotland and of Joan Beaufort (daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and of Margaret Holland).  He gained the nickname "Fiery face" because of a conspicuous vermilion birthmark on his face.  He was killed by the accidental explosion of one of his own cannon at the siege of Roxburgh Castle in 1460.

1st Class - 1st Class – James III (1460-1488)
James III (1451/2 – 11 June 1488) was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family. By 1479 this alliance was collapsing.  In 1482 leading his subjects against an English invasion, James was arrested at Lauder Bridge.  He was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle, and a new regime, led by 'lieutenant-general' Albany, became established.  James regained power, by December 1482 but he became estranged from his wife, Margaret of Denmark, and increasingly his eldest son, favouring his second son. Matters came to a head in 1488 when he faced an army raised by the disaffected nobles at the Battle of Sauchieburn, where he was defeated and killed. His heir, the future James IV, took arms against his father, provoked by the favouritism given to his younger brother

62p – James IV (1488-1513)
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from Great Britain to be killed in battle.

62p – James V (1513-1542)
James V (c. 10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 being just 17 months old when James IV died at Flodden Field, until his premature death at the age of thirty, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss.

81p – Mary (1542-1567)
Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587) was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. She was six days old when her father died and made her Queen of Scots.  In 1558, she married Francis, Dauphin of France, who ascended the French throne as Francis II in 1559. However, Mary was not Queen of France for long; she was widowed on 5 December 1560.  After her husband's death, Mary returned to Scotland, arriving in Leith in 1561. Four years later, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Their union was unhappy and in 1567, Darnley was found dead in the garden at Kirk o'Field, after a huge explosion in the house. She then married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was generally believed to be Darnley's murderer. Following an uprising against the couple, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle on 15 June and forced to abdicate the throne in favour of her one-year-old son, James VI.

After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, Mary fled to England seeking protection from her father's first cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, whose kingdom she hoped to inherit. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, because of the threat presented by Mary, who was considered the rightful ruler of England by many English Catholics. After a long period of custody, she was tried and executed for treason following her involvement in three plots to assassinate Elizabeth.

81p – James VI (1567-1625)
James VI (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI from 1567 to 1625, and King of England and Ireland as James I from 1603 to 1625.  He became King of Scotland as James VI on 24 July 1567, when he was just thirteen months
old, succeeding his mother Mary, Queen of Scots. Regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1581. On 24 March 1603, as James I, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died without issue. He then ruled the kingdom of England, Scotland, and Ireland for 22 years, often using the title King of Great Britain, until his death at the age of 58

Miniature Sheet
1st1st Class – St Andrews
Until the 15th century, the people of Scotland went to England or the Continent for a university education. Wishing to improve training of priests in his diocese, in 1410 the Bishop of St Andrews allowed teaching to start in his city. Papal approval of new universities was difficult to obtain, but the Scots used the split in the Church between supporters of rival popes to obtain a formal charter in 1413.

1st Class – College of Surgeons
In 1505, the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh were given the Seal of Cause and incorporated as a Craft Guild to promote and maintain the high standards of their trade. King James IV’s personal interest in the new science of medicine guaranteed his support, and in October 1506 a Royal Charter confirmed its formal establishment. Today it remains one of the world’s oldest surgical associations.

81p – Court of Session
The supreme civil court of Scotland originated during the reign of James I in ‘sessions’ of parliamentary committees for civil justice. By the reign of James IV a permanent panel of judges had emerged, but it was only in 1532 that the body was formalised, when James V created the College of Justice with 15 professional ‘Lords of Session’ funded by a tax on the Church.

81p – John Knox
After time as a galley slave, John Knox became a preacher in England. In 1553 he fled to Geneva, but six years later he returned to Scotland and had a key role in the revolution against French influence and Catholicism. As minister of Edinburgh, he helped to devise the framework of Scotland’s Protestant Church, but died in 1572 with his plans unrealised.

Technical details:

The designs are by Atelier Works, and the 27 x 37mm stamps are printed in lithography by Cartor Security Printers, Meacé, France, in sheets of 25/50, perf 14 x 14.
The miniature sheet is 123 x 70mm, also perf 14 x 14.   All images are Copyright Royal Mail 2010.


Products available:

Mint set
Mint miniature sheet
Presentation Pack (set & MS)
Set on PO FDC with any postmark shown
MS on PO FDC with any postmark shown
Set of 11 Stamp Cards unused


Special Postmarks
Postmarks available for the day of issue will be shown here. these may not be to scale. These postmarks cannot be obtained after the date of issue.

official bureau first day of issue postmark showing heraldic lion. official Linlithgow first day of issue postmark showing Scottish Lion. Non-pictorial Linlithgow first day of issue postmark.
First day of issue postmark showing Stewart timeline. postmark showing King James VI.
Ref FD1011
Philatelic Bureau Official Postmark
Ref FD1012 Linlithgow, West Lothian Official Postmark Ref FD1012N  West Lothian non-pictorial postmark. Ref S11671 First day of issue Stirling Castle Timeline postmark Ref M11667
House of Stewart, James Road, Birmingham - showing James VI
postmark illustrated with heraldic unicorn. postmark illustrated with a hearldic lion. Postmark illustrated with thistle. postmark with illustration of thistle and lions. postmark illustrated with Saltire flanked by lions.
Ref S11676  Perth Ref S11677  Scone, Perthshire Ref S11673 Linlithgow Ref L11674 Edinburgh Ref L11675  St Andrews, Fife
Postmark showing thistle and rose. Postmark showing the arms of Queen Mary. Postmark showing the Saltire, St Andrew's Cross. Postmark illustrated with cartoon king.
Permanent postmark of Edinburgh showing St Giles Cathedral.
Ref S11672 Stirling Ref S11670 - Jedburgh Ref S11678 St Andrews, Fife S11679 Stewarton, Kilmarnock Ref: S4653
St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh
Postmark showing heraldic lion. Ref L11551
History of the Monarchy, Westminster, London SW1
Postmark . Ref L11664
Stewart Street, London N14


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This page updated 16 March 2010


2010 stamp issues
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January
7 Classic Album Covers
7 Olympic Games retail book 1
26 Business & Customised Smilers MS
February
2 Girl Guide Centenary
25 350th ann of the Royal Society
25 Olympic Games retail book 2
March
1 Castles of Wales
11 Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
23 House of Stewart
30 Machin & Country Definitives
30 Festival of Stamps retail advertising book
April
13 Endangered Mammals
May
6 Accession of George V*
8 The King's Stamps* &
London 2010 Souvenirs *
13
Britain Alone (1940)*
* London 2010 Festival of Stamps issues
18 Halley's Comet Commemorative Sheet
June
15 House of Stuart
15 Endangered Mammals Retail Booklet
July
8 British Grand Prix Commemorative Sheet
27
Olympics & Paralympics II
& Olympic Games retail book 3

August
10 London Eye Commemorative Sheet
19 Great British Railways I
19 Retail booklets: 12x2nd, 6x1st
September
15 Battle of Britain - Spitfire Generic Sheet & Retail booklet
16 Medical Breakthroughs
17 Faststamps: Bird pictorials
October
12 Children's Books
12 Olympic Games retail book 4
26 Special Delivery Machins
28 Remembrance: the National Arboretum
November
2 Christmas - Wallace & Gromit

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