Royal Mail get date of Reformation wrong on new stamp

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THE Royal Mail have been branded second class after getting the date for the Scottish Reformation wrong.

Post Office bosses issued a John Knox stamp bearing the slogan "Reformation 1559".

But last night, historians slammed the blunder as the Reformation happened a year later in 1560 - with this year marking the 450th anniversary.

The mistake was spotted by a 75-year-old philatelist from Aberdeenshire who - unfortunately for the Royal Mail - also holds a PHD in church theology.

Retired personnel manager Dr Sandy Waugh, from Banchory, said: "They have got the wrong date. It is a bit off and very embarrassing

"They should have done more research.

"After all, it's the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, which banned Papal supremacy - and to compound the timing of the mistake even more, the Pope is due here in September.

"This must be up there with their biggest mistakes. I think it was nice to have a stamp of John Knox but they could have at least got the date right."

The Reformation established Scotland as a Protestant country and broke ties with Rome and the Pope.

Knox led the revolution that sparked a turbulent period across the country and shaped Scotland for centuries to come.

The Royal Mail's mistake has also reignited a row about the failure to recognise this year's anniversary.

Professor Tom Devine, from Edinburgh University, has branded the low-key approach adopted by the Scottish government as "scandalous". The historian said: "The Royal Mail has got the date wrong. The formal date of the Scottish Reformation is the middle of 1560, when the act of parliament that banned the Mass and cut the link with Rome was passed.

"But at least the Royal Mail have recognised the momentous event, which is more than the Scottish government, and to some extent the Church of Scotland, have. It has all been very low key."

The Royal Mail issued the stamps as part of a series about the reign of the Stewarts.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: "The stamp featuring John Knox is specifically designed to commemorate the role played by John Knox in the Scottish Reformation.

"It focuses on the importance of the year 1559 in John Knox's career, as that was when he returned from exile in Geneva to lead the campaign for the Scottish Reformation.

"The significance of the year 1559 is explained in the presentation pack published by Royal Mail, of which the John Knox stamp is one part.

"The stamp is about John Knox and, therefore, there has been no error made by Royal Mail on this stamp."

In August, First Minister Alex Salmond said that requests to the government for support in marking the 450th anniversary of the Reformation in Scotland would be considered.

A government spokesman said: "We are working with the Church of Scotland and others to ensure this important anniversary is properly commemorated, and we will make further announcements in due course."

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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -22296841/

THE Royal Mail have been branded second class after getting the date for the Scottish Reformation wrong.

Post Office bosses issued a John Knox stamp bearing the slogan "Reformation 1559".

But last night, historians slammed the blunder as the Reformation happened a year later in 1560 - with this year marking the 450th anniversary.

The mistake was spotted by a 75-year-old philatelist from Aberdeenshire who - unfortunately for the Royal Mail - also holds a PHD in church theology.

Retired personnel manager Dr Sandy Waugh, from Banchory, said: "They have got the wrong date. It is a bit off and very embarrassing

"They should have done more research.

"After all, it's the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, which banned Papal supremacy - and to compound the timing of the mistake even more, the Pope is due here in September.

"This must be up there with their biggest mistakes. I think it was nice to have a stamp of John Knox but they could have at least got the date right."

The Reformation established Scotland as a Protestant country and broke ties with Rome and the Pope.

Knox led the revolution that sparked a turbulent period across the country and shaped Scotland for centuries to come.

The Royal Mail's mistake has also reignited a row about the failure to recognise this year's anniversary.

Professor Tom Devine, from Edinburgh University, has branded the low-key approach adopted by the Scottish government as "scandalous". The historian said: "The Royal Mail has got the date wrong. The formal date of the Scottish Reformation is the middle of 1560, when the act of parliament that banned the Mass and cut the link with Rome was passed.

"But at least the Royal Mail have recognised the momentous event, which is more than the Scottish government, and to some extent the Church of Scotland, have. It has all been very low key."

The Royal Mail issued the stamps as part of a series about the reign of the Stewarts.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: "The stamp featuring John Knox is specifically designed to commemorate the role played by John Knox in the Scottish Reformation.

"It focuses on the importance of the year 1559 in John Knox's career, as that was when he returned from exile in Geneva to lead the campaign for the Scottish Reformation.

"The significance of the year 1559 is explained in the presentation pack published by Royal Mail, of which the John Knox stamp is one part.

"The stamp is about John Knox and, therefore, there has been no error made by Royal Mail on this stamp."

In August, First Minister Alex Salmond said that requests to the government for support in marking the 450th anniversary of the Reformation in Scotland would be considered.

A government spokesman said: "We are working with the Church of Scotland and others to ensure this important anniversary is properly commemorated, and we will make further announcements in due course."

The following information suggests that 1599 was indeed a busy and significant year for Knox, but surely the "1599 REFORMATION" caption is incorrect - not that we're likely to see any of those 81p stamps as they were only issued in a miiature sheet.

With a Protestant on the throne, the English refugees in Geneva prepared to return home. Knox himself decided to return to Scotland. Before his departure, various honours were conferred on him, including the freedom of the city of Geneva. Knox left in January 1559, but he did not arrive in Scotland until 2 May 1559, owing to Elizabeth's refusal to issue him a passport through England.
Revolution and end of the regency, 1559–1560
Knox preaching to the Scottish nobles in a painting by David WilkieTwo days after Knox arrived in Edinburgh, he proceeded to Dundee where a large number of Protestant sympathisers had gathered. Knox was declared an outlaw, and the queen regent summoned the Protestants to Stirling. Fearing the possibility of a summary trial and execution, the Protestants proceeded instead to Perth, a walled town that could be defended in case of a siege. At the church of St John the Baptist, Knox preached a fiery sermon and a small incident precipitated into a riot. A mob poured into the church and it was soon gutted. The mob then attacked two friaries in the town, looting their gold and silver and smashing images. Mary of Guise gathered those nobles loyal to her and a small French army. She dispatched Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, and James Stewart, to offer terms and avert a war. She promised not to send any French troops into Perth if the Protestants evacuated the town. The Protestants agreed, but when the queen regent entered Perth, she garrisoned it with Scottish soldiers on the French pay roll. This was seen as treacherous by Campbell and Stewart, who switched sides and joined Knox, who now based himself in St Andrews. Knox’s return to St Andrews fulfilled the prophecy he made in the galleys that he would one day preach again in its church. When he did give a sermon, the effect was the same as in Perth. The people engaged in vandalism and looting.
Perth's St John's Kirk in modern timesWith Protestant reinforcements arriving from neighbouring counties, the queen regent retreated to Dunbar. By now, the mob fury had spilled over central Scotland. Her own troops were on the verge of mutiny. On 30 June, the Protestants occupied Edinburgh, though they were only able to hold it for a month. But even before their arrival, the mob had already sacked the churches and the friaries. On 1 July, Knox preached from the pulpit of St Giles', the most influential in the capital.
Knox knew that the queen regent would ask for help from France. So he negotiated by letter with William Cecil, Elizabeth's chief adviser, for English support. Knox sailed to Lindisfarne, off the northeast coast of England, for secret negotiations, but he was forced to return to Scotland when he was recognised. When additional French troops arrived in Leith, Edinburgh's seaport, the Protestants responded by retaking Edinburgh. This time, on 24 October 1559, the Scottish nobility formally deposed Mary of Guise from the regency. Her secretary, William Maitland of Lethington, defected to the Protestant side, bringing his administrative skills. From then on, Maitland took over the political tasks, freeing Knox for the role of religious leader. For the final stage of the revolution, Maitland appealed to Scottish patriotism to fight French domination. Support from England finally arrived and by the end of March, a significant English army joined the Scottish Protestant forces. The sudden death of Mary of Guise in Edinburgh Castle on 10 June 1560 paved the way for an end to hostilities, the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh, and the withdrawal of French and English troops from Scotland. On 19 July, Knox held a National Thanksgiving Service at St Giles'.
Reformation in Scotland, 1560–1561
On 1 August, the Scottish Parliament met to settle religious issues. Knox and five other ministers were called upon to draw up a new confession of faith. Within four days, the Scots Confession was presented to Parliament, voted upon, and approved. A week later, the Parliament passed three acts in one day: the first abolished the jurisdiction of the pope in Scotland, the second condemned all doctrine and practice contrary to the reformed faith, and the third forbade the celebration of mass in Scotland. Before the dissolution of Parliament, Knox and the other ministers were given the task of organising the newly reformed church or the Kirk. They would work for several months on the Book of Discipline, the document describing the organisation of the new church. During this period, Knox's wife, Marjorie, died in December 1560, leaving Knox to care for their two sons, aged three and a half and two years old. John Calvin, who had lost his own wife in 1549, wrote a letter of condolence.