The Taking of the Stone of Destiny

While looking for an historic event that happened on Christmas Day in Scotland, the first thing that came to my mind was that Christmas Eve night in 1950 when four young people broke into Westminster Abbey, liberated the Stone of Destiny, and drove it back over the Border of Scotland.

The Stone of Destiny; the symbol of sovereignty in Scotland. Wherever the stone rested, there would Scotland be ruled, said the old legends. It was taken by Edward Longshanks during the Wars for Independence and brought to England, resting there for nearly seven centuries until a young man, Ian Hamilton, and three compatriots decided to take it back.

If you read Ian Hamilton's biography, Stone of Destiny, you find that he had grown up with stories of Bruce and Wallace and the devastation Scotland had suffered through the ages by many English rulers. Times in Scotland in the mid 20th century were hard, pleas for home rule kept being denied by Parliament; the people of Scotland needed a symbol to bring back their pride and Ian Hamilton and his three companions, Alan Stewart, Gavin Vernon and Kay Matheson decided they were going to take back the Stone of Destiny.

They planned for months, studying maps and layouts of the Abbey and procuring funds and everything they would need to do it. The entire story of the taking of the Stone is something right out of a fiction thriller, in fact, I've read fiction with less exciting plots! Going down to London in middle of winter, sleeping in freezing cars, nearly getting caught on more than one occasion, struggling to drag the stone out of the Abbey into their waiting vehicle... I'm not going to attempt to tell the whole story for I could not do the it justice here, so I would suggest highly that you all go and find a copy of Ian Hamilton's book. There's no better way to describe it than he does, for, obviously, he was there, and he lived it.

When they drove the Stone back over the Border, it was the first time the Stone had been back in Scotland since Longshanks took it in 1296. That Christmas Day in 1950 was one Scotland will remember for centuries to come as the day that true Patriots of Scotland won a victory as big as Bannockburn and brought hope back to the people.

They eluded the police for months, and probably never would have been found by them if they hadn't given the Stone back, putting it in Arbroath Abbey where the famous Declaration of Arbroath was signed by Robert the Bruce and his followers in 1320. The Stone was sent back to England, Ian and his friends were arrested, but never were put in prison, and Scotland was given the hope it needed to thrive once again.

And of course, now the Stone is back in Scotland where it belongs, having come over the Border in 1996 to much exaltation; then 1997 brought the Yes-Yes vote and Scotland's own Parliament.

So at the end of this post, I wish to quote that famous passage from the Declaration of Arbroath:

"For as long as a hundred of us remain alive, we shall not submit to the domination of the English. It is in truth not for glory, or honor, or riches that we fight, but for Freedom alone. Which no honest man gives up but with life itself."


Go read Ian Hamilton's book Stone of Destiny and also watch the wonderful film of the same name. Both are spectacular, and the fact that it's a true story only makes it more so.

Merry Christmas, and a Guid Hogmany to you all!

Alba gu Brath

Slainte, Hazel

Wanted: Your Thoughts

Okay, everyone, I have to admit that I was very disappointed last year when I asked for your thoughts on William Wallace for Wallace Day and got nothing from you. This year, I hope, will be different (that was a non-subtle hint) My goal it to AT LEAST gather ten thoughts about William Wallace from my readers. I know people read my blog, but you seem afraid to comment. Why? I don't bite!

But getting back to Wallace. Everyone with any poetry in their soul loves William Wallace. He's a hero that has touched not only Scotland, but the world (due in part to Randall Wallace of course). So I want you to help me with my Wallace Day goal this year and tell me your thoughts on William Wallace. Even if it's just a short comment, I would love to hear it! By thoughts, I also include poems, personal experiences, short stories, or even a book review. See if you can find a book about Wallace I haven't read! (Maybe that should be another goal for you!)

I want to hear your thoughts by the end of the month, and if I don't get ANY people to write in, I'm just going to try again next year anyway, so you may as well do it this year! At least comment. But if you do happen to have any stories or poems (which I would really love to read) please email them to me at sirwilliamssquire@gmail.com

I would like to post all the thoughts I get on my blog, but if you do not want your thoughts published, just let me know and I will keep them to myself.

But really, my dear readers, I dare you to think of Wallace not not feel some form of amazement for what he did. He is one of the most inspiring people in history. So you see now why I want to hear what you think about him?

I'll be back later with more Wallace things and, hopefully some comments! ;-)

Slainte, Hazel

Sir John Graham

Sir John Graham (not to be confused with John Graham of the 17th century, who I usually refer to as Dundee to avoid confusion!) was the lad who fought alongside William Wallace and would have gone with him all the way, to the Smithfield itself if it had not been for his untimely death.

John Graham was born in Dundaff Ayrshire. His exact birthdate, as usual for common people of this time period, was not known. I also do not know when he met Wallace, I personally like to think that they met somewhat early on, seeing as they grew up about forty miles apart from each other. This was a long distance back in the 1300s, but at the same time, if hardship came up, families would get together so they could make a stronger stand. Nigel Tranter, the famous Sottish novelist, had Wallace and Graham become friends not long before his campaign after John's father refuses to help the young patriot. As a lot of Wallace's life, much is speculation. That is why, though I love William Wallace, he is a very hard person to write about accurately. Everyone seems to have their own ideas and stick to them until death!

However, their friendship started, it was very strong. They were true comrades in arms and they stood shoulder to shoulder in the many fights of Wallace's campaign for freedom. After the death of Wallace's other companion, Andrew Murray, I believe that Graham worked even harder.

Not much more is known about John, except that he died on the fields of Falkirk in that fateful battle where Edward Longshanks beat the Scots back using brute force. John Graham was left for dead, when Wallace found him and it is well known that he wept over the body of his dear friend.

In Blind Harry's epic, The Wallace, there is a segment for Wallace's lament for John Graham. I remember reading it a while ago, but I was not able to find a link for it on the internet, so if you want to look for it, be my guest. After John's death, he was taken to the churchyard of Falkirk and buried there. The gravestone on his tomb, bears this inscription:

Here lies Sir John the Grame, baith wight and wise

And of the chiefs who reschewwit (rescued) Scotland thrice

Ane better knight not to the world was lent

Nor was gude Grame of truth and hardiment

There's an area in Falkirk called Grahamston and it is named after Sir John Graham. There's also a monument to him at Victoria Park, with a block of granite at the base and a Lion Rampant on the top of it. This was put there in 1912 and paid for by Robert Dollar. The inscription says that John Graham fell in the spot, but it is unlikely.

So, John Graham was a great hero of Scotland's Wars for Independance and he should be remembered along with all the others as a true son of Scotland!

I'll be back later this month (hopefully before it ends!) to talk about Montrose and Dundee!

Slainte, Hazel

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Bannockburn

And now we come to the big event of this month: The Battle of Bannockburn.

A little backstory before I go into the actual battle:

When William Wallace was executed in 1305, six months later, Robert the Bruce stepped onto the scene. Well, he had been on the scene before, but was fluctuating throughout all of Wallace's campaign as to which side he was on. After Wallace's death, however, he took up his sword against England, and was crowned King of Scots at Scone in 1306. His campaign was a long and bloody one. He was always on the run, often fighting illness and the bitter climate, but in 1314, eight years since he had been crowned at Scone, eighteen years since William Wallace began his fight, Bruce and his men charged the fields of Bannockburn and won Scotland's freedom.

It happened on the twenty-fourth of June, in the middle of summer, on a battlefield not too far from Wallace's victory at Stirling bridge almost eighteen years earlier. The battle was actual fought on two days total, starting on the twenty-third and ending gloriously on the twenty-fourth. 

Edward II of England (Son of the notorious Edward Longshanks) led an army northwards to defeat the Scots army once and for all. It is said--though the actual numbers are not known-- that he had somewhere around fifteen thousand men including the infantry, cavalry and archers. Bruce on the other hand, had about six thousand men. He had about five hundred light cavalry led by Robert Keith besides his infantry, and then he had some "small folk"--the poor farmers and such--waiting in reserve. As was usual, he was outnumbered.

Bruce did not want to originally engage the English army in full scale battle. He did however, set up the field at Bannockburn with booby traps in the form of spiked trenches to ward off the heavy English cavalry. His vanguard was led by his nephew, Thomas Randolph, the Earl of Moray and behind him two devisions, one led by his brother Edward Bruce, and the other by his trusted general, James the Good the Black Douglas. The "small folk" were camped as a reserve on the Coxet Hill out of sight, guarding the extra supplies until they were needed in battle.

When the English army appeared from the Torwood on the afternoon of the twenty-third, they watched the Scots deploying in the southern fringes of the New Park ahead of them. As this was happening, one of the most talked about stories of this battle took place. One of the English knights, Sir Henry de Bohun, saw Bruce on the back of his small gray pony mustering his men and getting them into position. Sir Henry, thinking, most likely of the praise he would get if he were able to kill the Scottish king before the battle even started, charged forward, meaning to strike Bruce off his pony. Bruce however saw him coming and before Sir Henry could strike at him, he sidestepped his pony and raised his battle axe, striking out at the English knight. Sir Henry de Bohun, was cleaved to the breastbone, and the force of the blow was so hard that Bruce's axe broke in half. When he went back to the Scottish ranks, the men were shocked at what he had done saying something along the lines of "Why did ye do that? Ye're the king, that was stupid!!" And then Bruce just says, "I know, I broke my good axe."

Bruce also used a tactic that William Wallace had used at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. The Schiltron. This was a group of spear men who would stand in a circle, some standing, some kneeling and they would form a huge spiked circle that could withstand cavalry charge. And that's what it did at the Battle of Bannockburn. The English cavalry thought they would have a go, but ran into more trouble then they had imagined. The Scots did now break formation as the English thought they would, and their horses were impaled on the spears of the schiltron men. Eventually, after several tries and heavy losses, the English gave up retreated for the night.

That night, the Scots would rest on a reasonably comfortable spot of the field while the English would sleep on the carseland where it was wet and uncomfortable, made even more so by the fear of a night attack.

The next day, Bruce, having seen that his men wanting to fight or die, decided the best thing would be to charge. He gathered all his men up, said a few profound words, and then led the charge against the English.  

The English longbowmen set up their volley of arrows, trying to take down the schiltrons as they had at the Battle of Falkirk, but Bruce's schiltrons were no longer standing still. They were marching across the field in perfect unbreakable formation. Every time the English tried to charge one, they ended in defeat. The Earl of Moray and James Douglas as well were fighting off the rest of the English army with their brigades, forcing the Englishmen to be pressed back and caught between the Scottish brigades and the schiltrons. Unable to maneuver properly, the English ranks were cut down at an alarming rate. This was what Bruce had been waiting for. He released his light calvary under Sir Robert Keith who's charge was so fierce that they sent the English archers running. 

Bruce then sent his own brigade into the fight, mainly Highlanders and Islanders under Angus Og MacDonald of Islay. It was then that the English began to realize they were loosing the battle. They were now desperate to do whatever needed to be done to win. But then, Bruce sent out his "small folk" who had been hidden behind the Coxet Hill and waiting with anticipation for their part in the battle. 

It was done by then. The English could not withstand the might and energy of the Scottish people. They fell into a retreat, dragging their unwilling king off the field with them and left Bruce and his men to revel over their victory that had won freedom for their country that they had not possessed for far too long.

So that was how the battle of Bannockburn went down. Before this month is over, I will try to have at least one more post to go along with this one, so I will probably be back next week sometime.

Slainte, Hazel