The Soldier's Leap
By Rodger Moffet
The end of 1688 saw much discontent with the Catholic monarchy, this was brought to a head when James's wife gave birth to an heir, William of Orange was invited to intervene. When William landed in England James was compelled to flee the country. William was crowned in his place. But not everyone disapproved of the exiled king. Those who supported him were known as Jacobites.
Support for King James was growing in the Highlands, John Graham of Claverhouse mustered support, among men still loyal to the ancient royal house of Scotland. The Macdonals of Keppoch were supporters along with the MacGregors and the Macdonalds of Sleat, Sir John Maclean of Duart and the Veteran Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel. The Jacobite forces marched towards Blair Castle, seat of the Atholls, a strategic stronghold controlling several important routes. The Marquis of Atholl was away in England. During his absence Patrick Stewart of Ballachin seized the Castle and held it for the Jacobites.
The Estates had no choice but to confront Dundee, and sent against him an army under the command of General Hugh MacKay of Scourie, a veteran soldier from the Highlands, with 3,000 foot soldiers: his cavalry came by land. After weeks in fruitless pursuit of Dundee, Mackay also marched towards Blair Castle.
On the morning of 27th July Dundee determined to engage Mackay before he reached the castle, marched into Blair: at the same time Mackay's army was making its way through the narrow defile of the Pass of Killiecrankie. The 4,000 government troops scrambled up the Pass on a narrow muddy pathway, where even three men found it difficult to walk abreast.
Watching their laborious progress from the Jacobite side was the renowned Atholl hunter, Iain Ban Beag Mac-rath, who shadowed them until they were within easy range. He had only one bullet and, shooting across the river, killed a cavalry officer near a gully which is still known as Troopers Den.
With only 2,500 men and few horses Dundee desperately needed the advantage of higher ground, then at about seven o'clock on the summer evening when the sun was no longer in the eyes of his troops, Dundee gave the order to charge. The fierce slaughter decided the outcome within two or three minutes. Two thousand men dead, wounded or captured - half Mackay's army.
During the retreat, the only means of escape for one fleeing government soldier was a spectacular 18ft leap across the fast-flowing River Garry. The soldier, one Donald MacBean, recalled the event in a memoir published in 1728:
The sun going down caused the Highlandmen to advance on us like madmen, without shoe or stocking, covering themselves from our fire with their targes; at last they cast away their muskets, drew their broadswords, and advanced furiously upon us, and were in the middle of us before we could fire three shots apiece, broke us, and obliged us to retreat.
Some fled to the water, and some another way (we were the most part new men). I fled to the baggage, and took a horse in order to ride the water; there follows me a highlandman with sword and targe, in order to take the horse and kill myself. You'd laugh to see how he and I scampered about. I kept always the horse betwixt him and me: at length he drew his pistol, and I fled; he fired after me.
I went above the Pass, where I met with another water very deep; it was about 18 foot over betwixt two rocks. I resolved to jump it, so I laid down my gun and hat and jumped, and lost one of my shoes in the jump. Many of our men were lost in that water.
The Prince's Flower
By Rodger Moffet
On the island of Eriskay in Scotland's Western Isles. There grows a small pink flower. Unique to the island this frail little Convolvulus flower has a link with Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Before he reached Glenfinnan to raise the Jacobite standard in 1745 the 'young pretender' first arrived at the island of Eriskay. He had traveled on the French Frigate La Doutelle. The weather was typical for the area and time of year and the small frigate was buffeted by harsh weather. Charles made the decision to land on the island and a small party rowed ashore.
The tiny boat made landfall at a small inlet which has come to be known as 'Coilleag d'Phrionnso' (The Prince's Strand). As the Prince stepped ashore he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of flower seeds. These he scattered close to the shore. The seeds grew by the beach and these rare pink flowers grew at the spot. They have come to be known as the princes flower for this reason. It has been observed that when anyone tries to move the plants from the island to another location they never flourish.
The Prince also brought something else with him which was more than welcome. When he met the MacKinnon's of Skye he gave them a recipe for a whisky liqueur. This liqueur was Drambuie which has become famous all over the world.
Saints and Religious Legends
Some call Scotland 'Gods own country'. With such a wealth of early religious symbolism in places like the beautiful island of Iona, the Celtic crosses that appear all over Scotland, the numerous abbeys and monasteries and of course great saints like St Columba, St Ninian, St Andrew and St Margaret. Scotland has a reputation as a pious country, find out more about or religious legacy...
St Margaret
By Rodger Moffet
It could be argued that St Margaret was Scotland's greatest female character. Born into a time where Scotland was a lawless and dangerous place St Margaret was a great civilising influence on the country and her legacy exists all over Scotland today.
Margaret was born, possibly in Hungary, in 1046. A member of an ancient English royal family, she was a direct descendant of King Alfred and was the granddaughter of King Edmund Ironside of England through his son Edward. The families claim to the English throne was usurped when The English nobility elected Harold Godwin as Edward's successor. Harold famously died at the Battle of Hastings when William the conqueror brought the Normans across from France.
Margaret's mother Agatha realised that as Saxon royals the family was in great danger from the advancing Normans so decided to return to the Continent. However a storm drove their ship to Scotland, where Scottish King Malcolm III took the party under his protection, after much convincing (Margaret was already a profoundly devout religious woman) Malcolm Married her around 1069.
Queen Margaret's influence on the Scottish court was immense, she brought European manners and culture which softened its barbaric reputation. Her greatest influence though was religious with many reforms, founded churches and monasteries including Dunfermline Abbey, put laws in place releasing workers from servile labour on the Sabbath and set up the 'Queens Ferry' over the forth so pilgrims could visit religious centres.
She also changed the language that mass was performed in from Gaelic to Latin. This aligned the church in Scotland closer to Rome but also may have been an attempt by Margaret to bring together England and Scotland and allow closer ties between the countries.
Margaret and Malcolm had eight children. Her time was given up to prayer and religious piety, however this may have led to her early death as constant fasting and abstinence weakened her (notwithstanding the eight children). In 1093 she fell gravely ill, only to learn that her husband and eldest son had been ambushed and killed at the Battle of Alnwick. She died shortly afterwards aged only forty-seven, her body was buried before the high altar at Dunfermline.
In 1250 Margaret was canonized by Pope Innocent IV, and her relics were moved to a new shrine in 1259. Unfortunately the lot of a saint is such that your earthly body though revered doesn't get a lot of rest. During the Reformation her head passed to Mary Queen of Scots. It later was possessed by Jesuits but was lost during the French Revolution. Reputedly the rest of her relics, together with those of Malcolm, were acquired by Philip II of Spain but were also lost.
The feast of St. Margaret is now observed by the whole Church on 10 June. The Episcopal Church Commemorates St. Margaret each year on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of her death 16th November.
Saint Mungo
By Rodger Moffet
The saint most closely associated with the foundation of the city of Glasgow, St Mungo's true story must lie somewhere between fact and legend.
Mungo's mother was Denw (or 'Tenew' in some versions), his grandfather was a Brythonic king Lleuddun also referred to as King Llew or Loth after which the region of Scotland known as Lothian was named. He ruled an area (as you might expect) around East Lothian. Alas Denw had a guilty secret - she was guilty of having an affair outside marriage with Owain mab Urien who may have been the King's brother (her uncle). From this union Denw fell pregnant and when her father discovered it he had to follow the law of the time (which had many old pagan traditions) and sentence her to death.
Her execution was to be performed by throwing her from Traprain Law, a large hill to the south of Edinburgh. Miraculously she survived the plunge and rather than go through the same ritual her father arranged for her to be cast adrift in the forth is a coracle, a small flimsy boat. Once again fortune smiled on Denw and rather than being washed out to sea she drifted further up the firth and landed on the other side at Culross. She landed on the beach and right on the beach gave birth to a boy - Kentigern.
Once again Denw (and the child) had some good fortune - the small settlement of Culross was home to a religious establishment run by St Serf. He took the boy into his care and began his religious instruction; he also began referring to him by the pet name 'Mungo'. In the language of the time this could either have meant 'my dear heart' or less flatteringly 'my hound'.
After his instruction Mungo left, although some text say he went straight to Glasgow to practice there - there is some belief that he first established a base in Dumfrieshire. This was part of the old kingdom of Rheged, which was ruled over by his natural father. There is evidence to support the fact that this was reconciliation with his own family and also proof of his noble descent (many early saints - such as Columba, were of noble descent). Alas his situation there was made untenable when the area was conquered by Morken who ruled lands to the south. Urien was murdered and Mungo had to flee. His path led south through Cumbria and on into Wales where he practiced for some time and established many churches on the way.
Meanwhile Morken had been defeated by Redderech who's kingdom lay further north (around Dunbarton) Morken's large kingdom was incorporated into the new and vast kingdom of Strathclyde which stretched from the top of Loch Lomond to the borders of present-day Cheshire. Redderech invited Mungo to return and he complied by establishing an early base at Dumbarton.
Legend has it that one day while out traveling he came across St Fergus who was dying by the roadside. He lifted the old saint had placed him in an oxcart - he then instructed the ox to take the cart wherever God wished. The ox set off and some time later stopped at a site that had been previously blessed by St Ninian. Mungo took St Fergus from the cart and buried him on that spot and then established a church upon it. A large community grew around the church, and became known as Clas-gu (meaning the 'dear family'). Over the years this community grew into the city of Glasgow and on the site of his modest church, the grand Glasgow Cathedral.
In the coat of arms of the city of Glasgow one can see a tree a fish a bird and a bell, these all relate to the life of St Mungo and some to miracles attributed to him, The legend of the fish is however the most interesting.
The story goes that Redderich's wife; Queen Longuoreth had an affair with a young soldier. The king found out and then discovered that the soldier wore a ring which the Queen had given to him as a love token. Incensed, the king hatched a plan to expose his wife's adultery. Redderich took off on a hunting trip accompanied by the soldier, during the trip the King got the soldier drunk and as he slept, removed the ring and cast it into the Clyde. The King then returned home and accused his wife of the affair and demanded that she produce the ring to prove her innocence. When no ring was forthcoming she was thrown into prison and a death sentence pronounced. She was visited in prison by St Mungo and the distressed queen pleaded for his help. Perhaps the story reminded him of his own ancestry and so he decided to help her.
St Mungo sends for a messenger and tells him to go fishing in the Clyde and bring back the first fish he catches. The messenger returns some time later with a salmon, St Mungo cuts open the fish and there is the ring that had been cast into the river by the King.
Many have considered this tale to to be the inspiration behind the story of the affair between Lancelot and Gwennevere, this is compounded by the fact that an almost identical story exists concerning King Maelgwn of Gwynedd and Saint Asaph.
Around 612 or 613 (although some manuscripts claim the date to be even earlier at 603) St Mungo died, the story goes that he died in a bath but other versions of the story say that he caught a cold after immersing himself in water during a baptism service in the middle of January. His body was interred on the site of Glasgow cathedral and his death date of January 13th was made a feast day in Scotland.
The great city that has grown around the bones of this early Christian saint has the motto 'Let Glasgow Flourish'. This relates to St Mungo's famous call of "Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word"
