Scottish Myths and Legends

by Rodger Moffet

  Alexander III

  By Rodger Moffet

  From a time that predates the great Scottish King Robert the Bruce or even the exploits of Scottish Hero William Wallace there lived a great king of Scotland, Alexander III. A ruler who reigned over a great time of peace and prosperity in Scotland but who's tragic death plunged the country into a great period of upheaval.

  Son of Alexander II, and a direct descendant of the first king of the Scots, Kenneth mac Alpin, Alexander was born at Roxburgh in 1241. His father died when he was only eight and the young boy found himself on the throne of Scotland as a child King. In medieval times being such a young ruler was an incredibly dangerous position to be in, however Alexander was fortunate. as an infant a marriage had been arranged between himself and Margaret, daughter of King Henry III of England. Two years after his coronation they were married and the bonds between the two nations became strong.

  With such strong marital ties there was little conflict with Scotland's traditional enemy and instead Alexander could concentrate in other areas, in particular Scotland's claim on the Western Isles. The islands had been controlled by Norway since the Norse invasions and after some cunningly timed raids on the isles by the Scots King Haakon of Norway set sail with an invasion force of 200 ships and 15,000 men. Alexander's timing in delaying the invasion through stalled negotiations meant that when the force finally arrived in the western isles they were hit by Autumn storms. Many ships were lost and the remainder were defeated at the battle of Largs in 1263.

  Haakon died returning from the battle and in 1266 Haakon's successor concluded the Treaty of Perth which gave the Isle of Man and the Western Isles to Scotland in return for payment. Norway retained only Orkney and Shetland.

  Queen Margaret had born him three children between 1260 and 1272 but in 1274 she died. Tragically all three children died within three years of each other and Alexander was left both widowed and without an heir. Realising that to die without a recognised heir would spell tragedy for Scotland he quickly arranged that his granddaughter Margaret, the "Maid of Norway" be recognised as heir. Nevertheless the pressure to produce a male heir led him into another marriage to Yolande de Dreux on November 1, 1285.

  In March 1286 Alexander was taking care of some business in Edinburgh. It was a dark and stormy night when he decided to make the journey back to Kinghorn in Fife where his young wife was awaiting him The famous Seer Thomas the Rhymer gave dire predictions against the journey and even an old man who met them as their boat landed at Inverkeithing tried to convince the King to stay the night. Alas the allure of his new bride was too strong and he pressed on. As he approached Kinghorn he galloped ahead of his company and almost within sight of his destination Alexander's horse stumbled on the cliff edge and he fell to his death.

  Alexander's body was found the next morning, his neck broken.

  Alexander's plan for his succession failed when the 3 year old Margaret, "Maid of Norway" died on the voyage to Scotland to claim her kingdom and the country was plunged into a period of great unrest.

  Had Alexander lived Scottish history would be very different, While the latter part of the 13th Century and early 14th Century was one of Scotland's darkest periods it also gave rise of course to great heroes such as Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. Without these great men our national identity may have been very different, alas due to one man in a hurry to get home to his wife we'll never know.

  The Tragedy of Mary Hamilton

  by Donald Cuthill

  The well known ballad "Mary Hamilton", or "The Fower Maries" is a sixteenth century song about Mary Hamilton awaiting execution and telling the story of her downfall. Mary was a lady-in-waiting to a Queen of Scots who goes on to have an affair with the King. She becomes pregnant and has a baby, but kills him, either by drowning or exposure, depending on which version you hear. Mary is found out and sentenced to death, and the song ends:

  "Yestre'en the Queen had fower Maries

  The nicht she'll hae but three

  There was Mary Seton and Mary Beaton,

  And Mary Car-Michael and me."

  It is believed that the ballad is fictional, and the four Marys come from the four ladies-in-waiting chosen by James V's Queen, Mary of Guise, to be companions to Mary, Queen of Scots who succeeded her father at the age of just 6 days old. However, none of these woman were called Mary Hamilton; they were in fact Mary Beaton, Mary Fleming, Mary Livingston, and Mary Seton.

  Yet, there was a real Mary Hamilton, whose story and downfall is rather similar to that of the Mary Hamilton in the ballad.

  Mary Hamilton was a Scottish lady-in-waiting to the Russian Empress Catherine I. She was a member of a Scottish Hamilton family who emigrated to Russia sometime in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. It is believed that she was the daughter of a William Hamilton. Mary became a lady-in-waiting to Catherine I in 1713, and she attracted a lot of attention around the royal Russian court due to her beauty and love life, and it wasn't long before she became the mistress of Peter the Great. But the Tsar wasn't her only lover, she was also having an affair with Ivan Mikhailovich Orlov, an aide-de-camp to Tsar Peter. However, Orlov had another mistress, and when Mary found out, she tried to win him back by giving Orlov gifts which she had stolen from Catherine.

  Over the years Mary became pregnant on at least three occasions, and had two abortions - one in 1715, apparently by consuming constipation medicine. However, she did have a secret birth two years later in 1717, but afterwards killed the baby by drowning it. That same year her lover Orlov was questioned over some missing documents, and during the interrogation he confessed to having had an affair with Mary, and claimed that she had an abortion.

  A rumor was spread that the Empress, Catherine, had a slightly unorthodox skin care method: it was alleged that she would eat wax to make her skin pale. And Mary Hamilton was accused of starting this rumor by Avdotya Chernysheva; Ivan Orlov's other lover. This, unsurprisingly, annoyed Catherine, and she demanded that Mary's room was to be searched. Unfortunately for Mary, her room was where she kept several of the items she stole from the Empress, and when they were discovered Mary and Orlov were both arrested and imprisoned in the Fortress of Saint Petersburg. Whilst in prison Mary not only confessed to the theft, but she also admitted that she murdered her new born child, however, even under torture, she refused to testify against Orlov, despite the fact he had been quick to point fingers at her.

  In the November of 1718, Mary Hamilton was sentenced to death for abortion, infanticide, and theft and slander of Empress Catherine. Catherine asked Peter to overrule the death sentence, but he refused. The Tsar did, however, promise Mary that the executioner would not touch her at all, meaning that she would be beheaded with a sword instead of an axe. Mary was executed on the 14th of March, 1719, dressed all in white.

  Unfortunately for Mary Hamilton, her execution was not the last indignity that she would suffer. After the decapitation the Emperor went over and picked up Mary's head and gave the gathered crowd a lecture about its anatomy before kissing it and then throwing it down. The Russian Academy of Science were given her head and they preserved it for at least the next 50 years.

  Border Reivers and the 'Great Cause'

  By Tom Moss

  In 1286 Alexander lll of Scotland died when his horse was blown over a cliff whilst on his way to Kinghorn in Fife on a stormy gale-strewn night. He was on his way to see his new wife, his second wife, Yolande de Dreux. So ended what is sometimes known as Scotland's Golden Age: an age when peace reigned between Scotland and its southern neighbor England and the country prospered as a result.

  Alexander had been a good king and, for the most part, was friendly with his English counterpart, Edward 1. Indeed his first wife, who had died, was Edward's sister.

  Edward had often demanded fealty from Alexander. He viewed England as the superior race, but he declined forcing the Scottish king to bend to his will. Such was their friendship, cemented by the ties of marria
ge.

  Unfortunately for Scotland, Alexander's children, two sons and a daughter had predeceased him. One of his sons died at the age of nine, the other on his twentieth birthday. He left as his heir a grand-daughter Margaret, known to us as the Maid of Norway. She was the child of the marriage of Alexander's daughter, also Margaret and now dead, and the King of Norway.

  The Community of the Realm which, following Alexander's death, ruled Scotland through six guardians, was keen to safe-guard the minority of the Maid and thus ensure her succession to the Scottish Crown.

  In negotiations with the English king the young girl, about six or seven years old, was promised in marriage to Edward's infant son, the future Edward ll. To the Scots it was a move which sought to maintain the peace which the country had enjoyed during the lifetime of Alexander lll; to Edward l a means by which he would eventually achieve total domination of his northern neighbor. The agreement was ratified at the Treaty of Birgham.

  However Margaret died in Orkney on her way to Scotland from Norway in 1290, some say of seasickness. Her death put an end to any alliance of the two countries by marriage and any consideration that Edward had for the Scots as an independent nation.

  It is not known how Edward l became involved in the succession for the throne of Scotland but he was seen by the Scots to be a man who could be trusted to make the right decision. Why should they question his involvement? To that time he had always treated the Scots with fairness. More-over he was well respected. He had the authority, the reason, the power and persuasion. He was perceived as a man with a formidable legal mind, the best in Europe it is said. He would sort the wheat from the chaff and chose the rightful successor from the thirteen claimants, the 'Competitors', who now squared up to each other in their quest to become the king of Scotland.

  Edward's involvement would, however, come at a considerable cost. He demanded that the Scots accept that England was superior to Scotland and that he was its Overlord. Indeed before he would begin his deliberations on who should be king he had demanded fealty from the Scottish lords. Most had accepted his dictates, the Bruce included, and signed what are now known as the Ragman Rolls which still exist. One name missing from the Roll is that of Wallace, synonymous now with 'Braveheart', a name that would resound throughout the lands of Scotland within a few short years.

  Edward, satisfied that he was about to gain more than a foothold for the Plantagenet dynasty in the lands north of the Border, gathered the thirteen claimants at Norham Castle.

  The deliberations on who should be king lasted nigh on two years. They would become known as the 'Great Cause'.

  Both countries would suffer as a result.

  The two main 'Competitors' for the throne of Scotland were the families of de Brus and Balliol. Eventually Edward chose John Balliol as the Scottish King. He would become a mere 'puppet' in Edward's hands and eventually rebel in late 1295. In that year Edward demanded fealty from Balliol; demanded that he join the English in their wars in France. It was a move to far for Balliol; As king of Scotland he would not be treated as an ordinary English Baron whose lands were held at the behest of the King. He made an alliance with the French and invaded northern England.

  The English Border people were savaged by the Scottish attacks into their lands. Not suspecting any inroads from the north, their lands were devastated by the Scots; crops and houses burned, both people and animals butchered in the merciless acts of retribution from the humiliated Scottish king.

  Edward's response was quick and savage. At Easter 1296 he invaded Berwick, then in Scottish hands, and put all to the sword it is said. Tytler, a historian, tells us that 17000 folk lost their lives in the English attack on Berwick. Men women and children, he said, were put to the sword. Whilst this is not true, the population of Berwick in 1296 would be little more than 500, it is an indictment of Edward l's policy of Scottish domination, that he was utterly ruthless in his treatment of the people of Berwick: people who, for the most-part were not in a position to defend themselves.

  Thus began the Scottish Wars of Independence with the emergence of William Wallace (Braveheart) and Robert the Bruce.

  The Wars would last, off and on, for 250 years. The people on both sides of the English Scottish Border would suffer untold loss for their birthright. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Vast armies of English or Scots would lay waste the lands that they inhabited; their houses, harvests and beasts were razed, burned or stolen to satisfy the hatred of the soldiers of a foreign nation or fill the bellies of an army on the move.

  The Border folk lost life, limb and loved one in the relentless surge for domination and were left destitute of the basic needs of life and living.

  They were nothing if not hard and obdurate and they reacted in the only way left open to them in such dire circumstances. They stole where they could, be it from erstwhile friend on the same side of the Border Line or enemy on the other.

  The Borderer became the Border Reiver. His dominance of the English Scottish Border lands would last for centuries as feud, blood-feud, murder, death and extortion and blackmail would become the norm; a result of allegiance to the only people he could trust – his clan or family. It seemed, for centuries, that there was no answer to his disreputable activities.

  In 1603, the Union of the two crowns of England and Scotland would eventually bring a form of peace to a troubled land. The two nations would be united under one King, James V1 of Scotland and l of England. The Border Line from the Solway Firth in the west to the North Sea at Berwick in the east would still exist, indeed it still does to this day, but it would no longer divide two peoples.

  The Border country became the Middle Shires of a new United Kingdom.

  The Border Reivers were summarily executed, transported to the bogs of Roscommon in Ireland or conscripted to the protestant Low Countries in their fight against catholic Spain. They would slowly disappear from the landscape.

  It would take another century but peace would eventually reign in the lands of the Scottish English Border.

  James V of Scotland and a Border Widow

  By Tom Moss

  In 1530 James V, king of Scotland, was a mere lad of seventeen. Freed at last from the clutches of those men who endeavoured to reign in his stead, in his minority, he was determined to prove that he was the real power in Scotland.

  One area where allegiance to the clan and its leader came before any deference to royal power was the Scottish Border country. There the clans were a law unto themselves, particularly troublesome and unruly.

  Accordingly he moved south from his seat in Edinburgh intent on doling out justice and punishment to those who were of particular notoriety. It is said he had six thousand armed followers.

  The history of Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnockie, a power in the Scottish Borders, is well recorded. By subterfuge, some say as the result of a 'loving letter' he was encouraged to wait upon the king at Carlenrig, south of the Borders town of Hawick. There James, incensed by the apparent affluence of the fierce Border Reiver and his twenty-four followers, ordered their execution without trial. Johhnie had fallen into a trap from which there was no way out. He pleaded with the rash, impetuous youth of a king but to no avail. He resigned himself to his fate but not before saying in the Border Ballad which tells his story:-

  'To seek hot water beneath cold ice,

  Surely it is a great folly-

  I have asked grace at a graceless face,

  But there is none for my men and me!'

  He and twenty-three of his followers were strung up on the spot. The twenty-fourth was burned alive in vengeance for the burning of a poor women and her son in which he was the instigator.

  In time, when maturity replaced the rashness and callowness of youth, James would regret his actions at Carlenrig. He lost any allegiance the Armstrongs of Liddesdale had for the Scottish monarchy on that fateful day in July 1530. In 1542 at the rout of the Scottish army by the English at the Battle of Solway Moss, the Armstrongs withheld
their support for the Scottish cause, even harassed the losers as the terrified remnants of the Scottish army fled the field of conflict and headed back north.

  James died shortly afterwards. He was about thirty years old.

  Before he arrived in Carlenrig in July 1530, James V was determined to mete out the royal justice against two other Border Reivers of particular re-known. One was Adam Scott of Tushielaw, known as the 'King of Thieves'. Not only did he reive both far and wide; he was feared for the way in which he summarily despatched his adversaries. He strung them up from the trees which surrounded his tower at Tushielaw.

  He was soon apprehended by the army of James V, and, it is said, hanged from the very trees from which had swung in their death throes many of the Reivers who had contested his bloody and audacious raids.

  The other Border Reiver who was the subject of James' ferocity was William Cockburne of Henderland ( near St. Mary's Loch). It is said he was hanged over the doorway of his Tower there.