One of the many features in St Mary’s Chapel are the carved wood panels around the walls. The large screen on the west wall was originally in the Provost’s Loft in the East Kirk. The photograph shows two panels from the screen, the upper one is of the City coat of arms in 1606 and the lower one the coat of arms of the Alexander Rutherford of Rubislaw who was Provost of Aberdeen on eight other separate times between 1591 and 1615 including 1606. Clearly a good servant of the city over many years he died whilst in office in 1615.

In 1604, another year when he was Provost, Alexander Rutherford had to put down a ‘demonstration’ by 20 boys of the Aberdeen Grammar School. Their protest was against the suppression by the Provost of their Christmas vacation, traditionally from the feast of St. Nicholas (6th December) until Innocents Day (28th December). They were armed with “hagbuttis, pistollis, swordis and lang wapynnis”. In the riot, the school boys “barred-out” their masters and magistrates and occupied the school. The siege lasted three days until hunger overtook them! The boys were taken to the Tollbooth by Provost Rutherford – but eventually the Christmas vacations were restored.