Review of Bonnie Dundee: For King and Conscience by Magnus Linklater and Christian Hesketh

Bonnie Dundee: For King and Conscience by Magnus Linklater and Christian Hesketh

Among those who know the name of John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, there are two vastly different perspectives on the man. It would not be too much to say that they are as different as black and white, light and shadow. Among those of a Covenanting or Presbyterian persuasion, he is a wicked persecutor of the true Church, enforcing a tyrant king’s edicts with vicious glee. But among Jacobites (both past and present), he is “Bonnie Dundee”, the gallant Scottish defender of James II against the usurper William of Orange.  


One man, two views. Was Claverhouse a villain or a hero? Books have written on both sides of the controversy, but Linklater & Hesketh’s Bonnie Dundee: For King and Conscience is a balanced look at one of the most remarkable Scots of the late 17th century.

This biography covers Claverhouse’s life from his service under William of Orange to his death at the Battle of Killiecrankie. All the facets of his life are covered in 17 chapters. The book opens with a foreword, describing his two differing reputations. 

The first chapter sets the stage for the troubled times in which Claverhouse lived, as the Archbishop of Saint Andrews is assassinated by nine Covenanters. This spurred the King of Scotland (1) to more strict enforcement of his laws. And one of his enforcers was John Graham of Claverhouse.  The next chapter follows Claverhouse through his birth and service with William of Orange in the French-Dutch wars. Claverhouse saved William’s life by mounting him on his own fresh steed, when William was near capture by the French. Ironically, the two men would be fighting each other 15 years later! 

A chapter introduces the group known as the Covenanters, who had signed the National Covenant and/or the Solemn League and Covenant. Upon his return from William’s Dutch army, Claverhouse was appointed a captain of Horse (2), with the responsibility of enforcing the King’s laws. He began his patrols in the Scottish countryside—only to meet defeat at the battle of Drumclog.  The Battle of Drumclog was his first and last defeat, where he ran into a stronger group of armed Covenanters who beat him back to Glasgow. This rebellion in Scotland brought an influx of English troops, who decisively defeated the Covenanters at the battle of Bothwell Brig.

With the suppression of this rising, Claverhouse turned his attention to courting Helen Graham of Menteith. He was ultimately unsuccessful, but quickly made a new friend in the person of James, Duke of York, who set up court in Edinburgh.  But all was not well for Claverhouse, however, and he clashed legally with Sir James Dalrymple over who ruled what jurisdiction. After confrontations, Dalrymple was brought to trial in late 1682. When the verdict was rendered, Claverhouse was praised for his enforcement of the King’s laws and Dalrymple was (briefly) confined to Edinburgh Castle for his false accusations against Claverhouse.

 
Shortly after, Claverhouse began to court another young lady, Jean Graham of Cochrane. Her family was Presbyterians and some in it were even Covenanters, in contrast to Claverhouse, who was a good Episcopalian. Apparently, Claverhouse’s church attendance convinced one Presbyterian lady who “could not believe a good thing of any person of his persuasion, till his conduct rectified her mistake.” But in an answer to those who whispered that his marriage would hinder his effectiveness for Charles II, Claverhouse wrote: “…let the world see that it is not in the power of love, nor any other folly, to alter my loyalty.” Claverhouse married Jean Graham, but their wedding day was disturbed by a report of armed Covenanters clashing with the King’s troops, forcing Claverhouse to mount and search the countryside for them.

Policing Scotland in search of illegal activities would take up much of Claverhouse’s time for the next two years. This book tackles Claverhouse’s actions in shooting John Brown, Andrew Hislop, and Matthew Meiklewraith. These have been used to blacken Claverhouse’s reputation, and the authors examine them closely.

Changes were brewing in 1688, for William of Orange—the same man whose life Claverhouse had saved—invaded England to take the crown from James II. Claverhouse, who had now been promoted to Viscount Dundee, supported James and opposed William. Dundee travelled to England, then back to Scotland, where he attended a convention convened to sort out the difficult situation. With James in Ireland and William a foreigner, who should be king? The convention decided on William and Dundee escaped to raise an army in support of James.

His army, the first Jacobite one ever assembled, was mainly raised among the Highland clansmen. Dundee guided them through Scotland, raiding enemy outposts and confusing his opponent, General Hugh Mackay. At last Dundee saw his chance, and he attacked Mackay at the Pass of Killiecrankie. In the ensuing battle, the Highlanders defeated Mackay’s infantry, but their daring leader John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, was killed.

Dundee’s last council of war (before Killiecrankie) contains a request that defined the character of the man: “…I beg leave of you, to allow me to give one ‘Shear-darg’ [a harvest-day’s work] to the King, my master, that I may have an opportunity of convincing the brave clans that I can hazard my life in that service as freely as the meanest of them. You know their temper, gentlemen, and if they do not think I have personal courage enough, they will not esteem me hereafter, nor obey my commands with cheerfulness.”


This is a well-written and balanced biography of an important Scottish character.  5/5 stars.


Notes
(1) Charles II of Scotland. This king was also known as Charles II of England. Scotland was not at this time ruled by England; instead Scotland and England were united in a personal union because they shared the same monarch. In much the same way, George I united Great Britain and Hanover in a personal union, and William III did the same with England and the Netherlands. Scotland would remain independent until the 1707 Act of Union incorporated it into Great Britain, with its capital in London, England.

(2) Heavy cavalry, not to be confused with dragoons. Dragoons were mounted infantry, riding to a battle and dismounting to fight. Horse (heavy cavalry) were trained to charge and skirmish on horseback. Since Claverhouse often commanded dragoons in battle, he is erroneously identified as a Captain of Dragoons.

Uniforms of "Catriona" from Contemporary Pictures

Since I analyzed the uniforms of Robert Louis Stevenson’s popular novel Kidnapped, it is time to tackle the uniforms described in his sequel, Catriona.

The first time we encounter a soldier in this book (aside from a few unnamed privates arresting James More MacGregor) is in the character of Lieutenant Hector Duncansby, who challenges David Balfour to a duel with the intention of killing him. It is not stated what regiment Duncansby belongs to, so this makes it difficult (if not impossible) to determine his uniform.


The fact that Duncansby is specifically mentioned as a “Highland boy” could suggest an association with the 42nd “Black Watch” Highlanders. However, it is also stated that he clasped his hands under his coat’s skirt, and the Black Watch’s coat was specifically cut short (that is, without skirts) and designed to be worn over a kilt. It is likely that Duncansby belongs to the 1st Royal Scots Regiment, which also recruited Scottish personnel. Its coat skirts were of a conventional length and its officers carried smallswords, rather than the broadswords of the 42nd Highlanders. The illustration shows two British officers dressed in a conventional 1750s uniform.


After his run-in with Lieutenant Duncansby, Balfour arrives at Lord Advocate Prestongrange’s house. He spies some halberds tucked away in a corner and suspects that his arrest is near. These “halberds” are the polearms now known as Lochaber axes, and they were carried by the Edinburgh City Guard, who served as a police force for that city. Evidence for their unusual weaponry is found in the 1704 “Act For Regulating the City Guard.”

The re-created Edinburgh City Guard.
From facebook.com/edinburghcityguard

"That the Captain of the Guard cause two men of the best qualified in their guard walk nightly through the streitts with a large batton or poleaxe in their hand, who are hereby appointed to give notice immediately to the firemasters and guard in case of fire, and the said Captain is to take accompt of the diligence each morning and the Captain of the guard is always to keep a list of the firemasters and ane accompt of their dwelling places." (1)

Halkett's Regiment in Dutch service

David Balfour is not arrested by the Edinburgh City Guard, but is later kidnapped by a band of wild Highlanders and imprisoned on the Bass Rock. There, Andie Scougall tells a tale of his father Tam Dale, who served as a soldier on the Bass when it was a prison for Covenanters. The Bass Rock was garrisoned by an independent company (2), that is, a company that is not part of a regiment but serves on its own. The deputy-governor of the Bass Rock was Charles Maitland, later 4th Earl of Lauderdale (3).

Balfour is eventually reunited with his friend Alan Breck Stewart, who mentions that he has a cousin who serves in the Scots-Dutch Brigade, in Halkett’s Regiment. The Scots Brigade was a unit of 3 Scottish regiments who had served in the Dutch Army since 1572. Halkett’s Regiment was a unit in that brigade and its uniform is illustrated in the picture above.

Near the climax of the book, Balfour again meets Captain Hugh Palliser, who is an actual naval captain from history. (4) This picture (left) is an actual portrait of Captain Palliser in the uniform of a captain of the Royal Navy. The ship in the background (which also features in Catriona) is Palliser’s frigate the Sea Horse.

At the very end of the book, a company of French infantrymen manning Dunkirk’s garrison is mentioned. The illustration above shows French infantrymen’s uniforms of the 1750s.  The vast majority of French infantrymen wore grey-white coats.

This concludes our two-part study of the uniforms of Kidnapped and Catriona. Perhaps soon I will analyze the uniforms of another novel set in the 18th century.

Notes
(1) https://www.facebook.com/edinburghcityguard/
(2) pg. 57, The History of the Uniforms of the British Army, volume 1, by C. C. P. Lawson.
(3) pg. 267, Memorials and Letters of John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, volume 2, by Mark Napier.
(4) pg. 69, Braddock’s Defeat by David Preston

Uniforms of "Kidnapped" from Contemporary Pictures

Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Kidnapped is an interesting look at Scotland in the aftermath of the last great Jacobite rising. What sets this novel (and its sequel, Catriona) apart from others set in the same era is the thorough research that Stevenson put into them.

Early in the book, David Balfour comes into Edinburgh, where he sees a regiment on parade, where the grenadiers described as wearing “pope-hats.” This is perfectly correct, as British grenadiers wore tall pointed miter caps, much like bishops’ hats. Painter David Morier painted this group of three grenadiers in c. 1751, giving us excellent detail on the appearance of their miter caps. This painting depicts the 46th, 47th, and 48th Regiments of Foot, and while none of these may be the regiment Balfour saw, their general appearance would be the same. The major differences between most regiments were the different colors of their lapels and cuffs, and differently-colored decorations in their white lace trim.

After several adventures, David meets a Highland Jacobite named Alan Breck Stewart. Based on a real character from history, Stewart was a former British soldier who switched sides after the battle of Prestonpans. After fighting through the ’45, Stewart escaped to France, where he enlisted with the French Army under Louis XV.

In the historical “Wanted” advertisement after the Appin Murder, it is stated that Stewart came from Ogilvy’s Regiment. This was one of two units of Scots in the service of Louis XV of France. Ogilvy’s Regiment is illustrated by an important manuscript entitled “Troupes du Roi” and this manuscript was drawn in 1757. For more details about Ogilvy’s Regiment, visit http://kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Ogilvy_Infanterie. I am greatly indebted to Ian Nimmo for his short biography, The Man with the Belt of Gold, where he reproduces the original advertisement for Alan Breck Stewart. (which can be read at http://www.battleofprestonpans1745.org/heritagetrust/documents/alanbreck.pdf),

While David and Alan are talking aboard ship, Alan mentions that his father Duncan Stewart was a gentleman-soldier in the Black Watch when it was raised. Originally numbered the 43rd Regiment, it received the number 42 after the disbanding of Oglethorpe’s 42nd Regiment. The Black Watch was a unit of Highlanders, dressed in traditional Highland clothing with short red jackets. The tartan pattern known today as “Black Watch” is the same as that which was worn by the 42nd Regiment in the 1740s. This illustration is taken from the 1742 Cloathing Book. 



When Alan Breck Stewart and David Balfour flee through the heather, they are pursued by redcoated line infantry companies and dragoons. The line infantry dressed similarly to the grenadiers (above), wearing a tricorne hat instead of a miter and with no “wings” on the shoulders. Dragoons were mounted infantry who would (in theory) ride to a battlefield and then dismount to serve as infantry. In practice, however, they were more often treated like cavalry, charging on horseback at enemy infantry. The illustration is of a trooper from the 13th Regiment of Dragoons, as depicted in the 1742 Cloathing Book.

I hope that you enjoyed this look at the uniforms of the time. Stay tuned for a post on the uniforms of Stevenson’s sequel—Catriona!

Battle of Bannockburn--Part 6 of 6

Betrayal

If Scotland was independent in 1314, why is it under English rule today?  In 1606, Queen Elizabeth I of England died childless and James VI of Scotland became king because he was the nearest heir.  James was crowned James I of England while remaining James VI of Scotland.  England and Scotland were united, but only because they shared a king.  They were united like this until 1707.  In 1707, the English Parliament proposed an “Act of Union” to the Scottish Parliament, but bribed them to accept it.  After the Act of Union was passed, the English fired most of the Scottish Parliament.  A 1791 poem by Robert Burns contrasts the honor of Bruce and his men with the treachery of the Scots in Parliament:

“What force, or guile, could not subdue,

Through many warlike ages,

Is wrought now by a coward few,

For hireling traitors’ wages

The English steel we could disdain,

Secure in valor’s station;

But English gold has been our bane—

Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!”

Bannockburn won Scotland’s independence, and Scotland would become one of the most Reformed countries in the world.  Scots like John Witherspoon and Lord Stirling influenced the founding of this country.  But without God’s Providence at Bannockburn, none of this would have happened.

1. Numbers taken from In Freedom’s Cause by G. A. Henty, pgs. 175-6

2. This tactic is depicted in at least two scenes in the movie Pendragon: Sword of His Father: once at 11:15 and again at 1:27:11.

3. Quotations taken from en.wikisource.org/wiki/Declaration_Of_Arbroath

The Battle of Bannockburn--Part 5 of 6

Declaration of Arbroath

After Bannockburn, the war continued.  Edward II convinced the Pope to excommunicate Robert de Bruce as a traitor to England.  In reply, the Scots sent the Declaration of Arbroath to the Pope.  It stated that Scotland was an independent country until Edward I treacherously attacked them.  They suffered under his ravages, but Robert de Bruce defeated the English and restored their freedom.  However, Robert de Bruce must not join the English, or his throne will be forfeited.

The Scottish nobles then bound themselves with this line: “…for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule.  It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom—for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” 3. The Pope revoked the excommunication and the Declaration of Arbroath influenced our Declaration of Independence:

“…we commit the upholding of our cause to the Supreme King and Judge, entrusting our worries to Him and completely confident that He will fill us with courage and reduce our enemies to nothing.” (Declaration of Arbroath)

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” (Declaration of Independence)

Battle of Bannockburn--Part 4 of 6

The Second Day: June 24, 1314

The armies changed position for the second day’s battle.  The Scots put their backs to the road and anchored their lines on the two rivers.  This left a narrow D-shape for the English knights to cross the river and fight the Scots.

On the morning of June 24, 1314, the Scots were encamped.  A priest went around to the various Scottish divisions, praying with them.  Edward II saw them kneeling.

“See yonder folk kneel to ask for mercy!” Edward II said to one of his knights.

“Ay, sire, they kneel and ask for mercy, but not of you; it is for their sins they ask mercy of God.  I know these men, and have met and fought them, and I tell you that assuredly they will win or die, and not even when death looks them in the face will they turn to fly.”

The English trumpets sounded the charge and the knights crossed the river.  Their charge slammed into Edward Bruce’s schiltron.  The Scots stood firm against the English as they charged again and again.  The English knights could not break through the spears.  Douglas and Randolph moved their schiltrons to attack the English cavalry in reserve.  This relieved some of the pressure on Edward Bruce.

Edward II had English and Welsh longbowmen with him, and they opened fire on Robert de Bruce’s schiltron, which was taking little part in the battle.   They did not shoot their arrows outward, but upward, so that they rained down on the Scottish infantry.  2  Because the soldiers were bunched up in squares, the arrows found their mark easily.  If the Scots kept in a square, the archers had an easy mark.  If they moved into a line, the cavalry would ride right through them.  It looked as though the battle would be a Scottish disaster, like Falkirk.

But Edward had made one mistake, and Robert de Bruce exploited it.  There were no infantrymen protecting the archers.  The Scottish cavalry charged the archers and cut many down, scattering the rest.  The archers fled in disorder and their wild rout caused chaos in the English army.  The English army was disorganized, and the schiltrons now moved to attack.  “On! on! They fail!” the Scots shouted.

The final blow, however, came from the “Small Folk,” the camp followers.  Camp followers were male and female civilians who followed an army camp to provide cooking, laundering, horse driving, etc.  They and the camp had been set on a nearby hill, out of the way of the battle.  On seeing the English army disordered, the “Small Folk” attacked.

The English saw them and fled, thinking that a fresh division had joined the battle.  The Scots pursued, but in front of the English was the river.  Many knights drowned, while others who remained on land were killed by their pursuers.

Edward himself fled to Stirling Castle, but the governor turned him away, saying that the castle would now be captured by the Scots (which it was).  After a roundabout journey, Edward landed in England, never to return to Scotland again.

Battle of Bannockburn -- Part 3 of 6

The First Day: June 23, 1314

The governor of Stirling suggested that the English bypass the Scots, rather than attacking head-on.  This sounded like a good idea, so a division of English knights under Sir Robert Clifford crossed the river higher up.  Randolph and de Bruce were watching the battlefield when they noticed the division moving to Stirling.

Randolph’s division was at the tail of the column, so if the English passed it, they could enter Stirling Castle without any more hindrance.  After a rebuke from Bruce, Randolph flew to join his schiltron, which had barred the knights from coming any closer to the castle.  It was a hard fight.  The English knights tried to break through the spears, but could not.  The Scots stood their ground, and the English were beginning to break.  Sir James Douglas appeared with reinforcements, and the English fled, crossing the Bannock Burn back to their own lines.

Edward’s army moved close to the river, halting instead of crossing.  But two divisions mistakenly crossed the river.  At the same time, Robert de Bruce was riding in front of his men to encourage them.  An English knight, Sir Henry de Bohun, saw the Scottish king.  Putting spurs to his horse, de Bohun galloped to kill the Scottish king with his lance.  Bruce’s horse was not a war-horse, and he only held a battle-axe.  Robert de Bruce stood his ground, even though he could have escaped behind Scottish lines.  De Bohun thundered toward him.  He came closer and closer as the two armies breathlessly watched the single combat.   Just as de Bohun was almost ready to spear the King, Bruce dodged and brought his axe down on the English knight’s helmet.  De Bohun fell from his saddle, dead, and Robert de Bruce rode back to safety as his army cheered.