A verse accompanying his portrait in the cathedral states that Scarlett buried two queens, Catherine of Aragon and Mary, Queen of Scots , but it is not known whether this is true. He is also said to have buried a court fool known as Edward the Fool.
Scarlett has been immortalised in Peterborough by having a local ale, pub and newspaper column named after him, and it is said that his portrait, which shows him as a grave-digger, with a shovel and skull, inspired William Shakespeare’s gravedigger in Hamlet and the famous Alas poor Yorick scene.
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Image: An 18th century etching of Robert Scarlett, Old Scarlett.