THE BEING A COLLECTION OF ANECDOTES AND FACTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF Scotland and Scotsmen. By JAMES MITCHELL, LL. D. OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN; CORRESPONDENT MEMBER of the SOCIETY men. "Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, That knits me to thy rugged strand!" WALTER SCOTT. "t ir country- "It is the chief glory of Scotsmen that, next to God and their parents, they love their country PRINTED FOR J. ANDERSON, JUN. NORTH BRIDGE-STREET, EDINBURGH; J. CUMMING, DUBLIN; AND SHERWOOD, JONES, AND CO. PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON. 1825. Price 10s. 6d. bound in red or blue. PREFACE. A LONG Preface is seldom necessary, and is generally disagreeable; the Author, therefore, will content himself by merely giving a short account of the origin of this Work. A residence of twenty years in the Metropolis, and its vicinity, has not diminished his attachment to the land of his birth; and it has been his chief gratification to occupy his leisure hours in studying the Antiquities and History of Scotland, particularly of the county of Aberdeen, of which he is a native. This employment has been the more agreeable, as the past history of Scotland contains matter, which, to every impartial and reasonable mind, ought to be far more interesting than any thing found in the histories of the more celebrated, but less meritorious nations of Greece and Rome. Examples of every virtue which adorns human nature are found more abundantly in the history of Scotland than in that of any other country; and it is only for any one to take up a Biographical Dictionary, to see, that in proportion to its population, Scotland has produced a greater number of persons distinguished in Arts and Arms, in Literature and Science, than any other country in the world. Her present condition is the delight and admiration of her sons, who return from other lands. Her capital, the modern Athens, is not only the most learned, but is, in every other respect, the finest city in Europe. The Manufactures and Agriculture of Scotland are pre-eminent; and in the exalted moral and intellectual condition of the whole body of the people, the country has no rival in the world. Whoever will peruse the numerous Works which have been written about Great Britain, by learned Foreigners, within the last ten years, will see, that at the present day Scotland continues to hold a high place and name amongst the nations of the earth. Whatever benefit the athor may have derived from his course of study, he has at least experienced very great pleasure, which stimulated him to read every printed Work respecting Scotland which he has been able to find, and to explore the immense store of MSS. in the great national Repository, the British Museum. In the course of many years, it will readily be conceived, that, in addition to materials for local history, the Author had accumulated a large mass of papers on subjects connected with the Ancient History, Laws, Constitution, Customs, and Usages of Scotland generally. Many of these were the result of information, obtained, and brought into a focus, from various sources; whilst others were merely transcribed by an amanuensis, from authentic Writers. This is the Collection now given to the Public. To relieve the tedium which many persons experience in reading historical and antiquarian dissertations, and to produce a volume agreeable to every taste, immense stores of Anecdotes and Tales have been thrown in, which have been selected from innumerable Works, or were original communications, furnished by various friends, to whom the Author offers his thanks. Of many of these Narratives it is impossible to vouch for the authenticity; but none have been admitted of which there was reason to doubt the truth; and on all matters connected with the Public History of the country, and its past or present condition, care has been taken to exclude inaccuracy and fable, and to render the Work a safe book of reference to the Reader. In preparing the Work, whilst elegance has not been neglected, it has not been forgotten that the whole Scottish nation are a reading people; and for the accommodation of the more numerous, but not less respected classes, the national virtue of economy has been studied, and a volume is presented to the Reader, containing an immense mass of matter, at a price which brings it within the reach of all. The Author has now only to submit his Work to the protection of his countrymen, and to express his hope, that he will meet with a portion of that kindly favor which, every part of the world, Scotsmen shew to one another. THE SCOTSMAN'S LIBRARY. BATTLE OF BANNOCK-BURN, 1314. THE arrangements adopted by King Robert for the decisive battle of Bannock-burn, are given very distinctly by Barbour, and form an edifying lesson to tactitians. Yet, till commented upon by Lord Hailes, this important passage of history has been generally and strangely misunderstood by historians. Two days before the battle, Bruce selected the field of action, and took post there with his army, consisting of about 30,000 disciplined men, and about half the number of disorderly attendants upon the camp The ground was called the New Park of Stirling; it was partly open, and partly broken by copses of wood and marshy ground. He divided his regular forces into four divisions. Three of these occupied a front line, separated from each other, yet sufficiently near for the purposes of communication. The fourth division formed a reserve. The line extended in a north-easterly direction from the brook of Bannock, which is so rugged and broken as to cover the right flank effectually, to the village of Saint Ninian's, probably in the line of the present road from Stirling to Kilsyth. Edward Bruce commanded the right wing, which was strengthened by a strong body of cavalry under Keith, the mareschal of Scotland, to whom was committed the important charge of attacking the English archers; Douglas, and the young Steward of Scotland, led the central wing; and Thomas Randolph, Earl ? Moray, the left wing. The king himself commanded the fourth division, which lay in reserve behind the others. The royal standard was pitched, according to tradition, in a stone, having a round hole for its reception, and thence called the Bore-stone. It is still shewn on the top of a small eminence, called Brock's-brae, to the south-west of St. Ninian's. His main body thus disposed, King Robert sent the followers of the camp, fifteen thousand and upwards in number, to the eminence in rear of his army, called, from that circumstance, the Gillies" (i. e. the servants') Hill. The military advantages of this position were obvious. The Scottish left flank, protected by the brook of Bannock, could not be turned; or, if that attempt were made, a movement by the reserve might have covered it. Again, the English could not pass the Scottish army, and move towards Stirling, without exposing their flank to be attacked while in march. It only remains to notice the nature of the ground in front of Bruce's line of battle. Being part of a park, or chase, it was considerably interrupted by trees, and an extensive marsh, still visible, in some places rendered it inaccessible, and in all, of difficult approach. More to the northward, where the natural impediments were fewer, Bruce fortified his position against cavalry, by digging a number of pits so close together, says Barbour, as tú ve semble the cells in a honey-comb. They were a foot in breadth, and between two and three feet deep, many rows of them being placed one behind B |