Authors: Robyn Young
I’ve slightly altered events leading up to the skirmish in Methven Wood, so as to simplify what is a convoluted and occasionally unbelievable sequence, but the battle itself and the outcome remain the same. Essentially, after approaching Perth to challenge Valence, Robert’s army was ambushed in Methven Wood and sent into a rout. This may well, as noted by G.W.S. Barrow in
Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland
, have been Robert’s saving grace, for had he won at Methven, ‘he would almost certainly have met the English king in the field in a major pitched battle, eight years before he was ready for it.’
Robert’s brother, Niall, is thought, at this time, to have been looking after the king’s wife and daughter and the other women, rather than taking part in the battle, but I wanted to keep him in the narrative until the point when he escorts the women to Kildrummy. We do not know the exact chronology of events following Robert’s flight from Methven. We don’t know for certain what routes he took, or even when, exactly, the attack in Lorn by John MacDougall occurred. But I have, for the most part, followed Robert’s escape as it appears in Barbour’s poem.
Edward I
After appointing Aymer de Valence Lieutenant of Scotland and instructing him to ‘raise the dragon’, i.e. show no mercy towards Robert and his supporters, Edward I made what was clearly a long and painful journey north, hoping to take command of the campaign against his adversary. We do not know what he was dying of, although at the time it was said to be dysentery. We do know he had to be carried in a litter and that when he arrived at Lanercost Priory provision was made, in the form of quarters built for him and his queen, for what was to become a lengthy stay.
I have Prince Edward in his father’s camp at the beginning of the novel, but in fact the king had already sent his son into Scotland, in command of a strong contingent of newly made knights, who raided Robert’s lands in Carrick.
Alexander Seton
Much of Alexander Seton’s role has been fictionalised in order to fill in considerable gaps in the records, but I’ve tried to follow, as much as possible, his actual trajectory. He isn’t thought to have been related to Christopher Seton, but it worked well for my purposes to have them as cousins. We do know that Alexander, a lord from East Lothian, was captured in 1306 by English forces, but was subsequently released by Edward I, in contrast to many of his comrades. His part in revealing Robert’s plans to the Black Comyn is fiction, but Aymer de Valence’s march on Kildrummy, where John of Atholl and Niall Bruce had sought sanctuary for the women, has made some question whether there might have been a spy in the ranks.
In 1308 Alexander was said to have made a pact along with Neil Campbell to ‘hold together in defence of their king’, but after 1310 he went over to the English. Crucially, he returned to Robert on the night of 23 June 1314 to inform him of the demoralised state of the English camp and to tell him he could win. Alexander didn’t die at Bannockburn, but went on to serve Robert for many years and was well rewarded for his loyalty.
Robert vs John MacDougall
As noted, we do not know the exact chronology of what happened after Methven, but it seems Robert may have been aided by the Abbot of Inchaffray and passed through St Fillan’s shrine to a place known as Dail Righ where he was ambushed by MacDougall, although it isn’t clear when this battle was fought.
At this point in the novel, I have the abbot talk about absolution, but in reality Robert had already been absolved for the murder of John Comyn by Robert Wishart in Glasgow. Also, Christopher Seton and Christian Bruce were already married.
Prince Edward
Prince Edward was in the west at this time, raiding Bruce’s lands, soon after which he, along with Piers Gaveston and other young knights, ended up in trouble with the king for heading off on tournaments rather than focusing on the campaign against the Scots.
Wanting to keep Humphrey de Bohun prominent in the narrative, I have him sent to meet the prince in Carrick and, from there, attempt to join up with MacDougall in Argyll. In reality, the prince went directly from Carrick to meet Aymer de Valence’s forces at Kildrummy.
It was John of Menteith who commanded the siege against Dunaverty, which fell only to reveal that Robert had fled, but, again, to keep Prince Edward and Humphrey in the story, I have them take part in the assault.
The violent argument between the prince and his father is based on the account of English chronicler Walter of Guisborough. Piers Gaveston was banished after Edward asked the king if he could grant the Gascon the county of Ponthieu. There has been much speculation, and opinions remain divided, over Prince Edward’s sexuality and whether or not he had a physical relationship with Piers Gaveston. There is, however, no doubt that their close bond, whatever it was based on, led to a disastrous division in the royal court, which began between Edward and his father, and eventually took England to the brink of civil war.
The fate of Robert’s family
Kildrummy was said to have fallen to the English by the treachery of a blacksmith. Niall Bruce was taken from here and executed in Berwick. Bishops Robert Wishart and William Lamberton were captured and imprisoned in England, but slightly earlier than portrayed. Lamberton was indeed later released to negotiate with Robert on behalf of Edward II. John of Atholl and the women, possibly attempting to escape to Orkney or Norway (where Robert’s sister was queen), were taken at Tain.
Queen Elizabeth was placed under house arrest at Burstwick Manor, in the care of two old women who were forbidden from talking to her. She was later moved around, including to Barking Abbey in Essex. Her affair with Humphrey de Bohun (whose wife, Elizabeth, was still alive at this time) is fiction. Marjorie Bruce was initially sentenced to imprisonment in a cage in the Tower of London, but Edward relented and sent her instead to a Yorkshire nunnery.
For her part in Robert’s coronation, Isabel Comyn was imprisoned in a cage in Berwick Castle, apparently fashioned in the shape of a crown. Some reports indicate this was open to public view, others that it was inside a tower. She was released in 1312 and sent to a nunnery and, from there, placed in the custody of Henry Beaumont. Beyond that, her fate is unclear. Mary Bruce, for reasons unknown, was also put in a cage, at Roxburgh Castle. She appears to have been released around 1310, but was kept in English custody until she was exchanged, either in 1312 or 1314. Of all the Bruce women, Christian Bruce got off lightest: sent to a nunnery in Lincolnshire. Her husband, Christopher Seton, however, was hanged and beheaded, but at Dumfries (site of the murder of John Comyn, which he’d been involved in) not Berwick as I have it in the novel. John of Atholl was hanged in London – the first earl to be executed in England for two hundred and thirty years.
Alexander and Thomas Bruce were captured in Galloway, along with an Irish magnate and a large contingent of Irishmen, by Dungal MacDouall. The Irish magnate was beheaded by MacDouall and the brothers were executed by Edward. As noted in the previous novels, Lord Donough is fictitious as is Cormac, although it is has been suggested that Robert and Edward Bruce were possibly fostered to an Irish lord in youth, Robert owned lands in Antrim and there is mention of a foster-brother on the run with him in Carrick. Again, it is all a question of connecting the dots between what is known and what is unknown.
The survivors of Edward’s brutal punishments, including Elizabeth, Marjorie and Wishart, were exchanged for Humphrey de Bohun after the Battle of Bannockburn. But Robert’s nephew, Donald of Mar, when offered the chance to return to Scotland, did choose to remain in the court of Edward II.
MacRuaries and MacDonalds
As noted, we don’t know where Robert spent the winter of 1306, but we do know he had some help from the Isles, in the form of Angus MacDonald, Christiana and Lachlan MacRuarie. Lachlan, in particular, is a fascinating, but slippery character, who flits in and out of the records, appearing briefly on one side of the conflict before vanishing and reappearing on the other. Our information for the Western Isles at this time is patchy at best, so I’ve had to invent much of it, but still in line, where possible, with what we know.
The role of Thomas and Alexander Bruce on Islay is fiction, as is Robert’s time on Barra, although the English accused him of being Christiana’s lover, which is entirely possible given his illegitimate children. James Stewart’s appearance on Barra and his dealings with Robert at this point are my invention, as is the capture of Henry Percy, although Robert did assault Turnberry and in Barbour’s narrative we find the fire that summoned him and his men prematurely from Arran and Aymer using one of Robert’s hounds to attempt to track him down.
David of Atholl
As with Alexander Seton, David, Earl of Atholl after his father’s execution, had a volatile relationship with Robert, switching sides several times during the conflict. He left Robert’s company sooner than I’ve portrayed – shortly after the murder of John Comyn, whose daughter he was married to. With so many characters and so much allegiance-swapping going on, I was forced to simplify his role in the novel. In reality, David fought for the English until 1312, when he came into Robert’s peace and was made Constable of Scotland. Edward Bruce then seduced his sister, Isabel of Atholl, causing David to switch back to the English. He destroyed the Scots’ supplies stored at Cambuskenneth Abbey on the eve of the Battle of Bannockburn.
The Prophecies of Merlin
I’ve written about the veracity of the prophecies, the relics, King Edward’s Round Table and his obsession with all things Arthurian in my previous author’s notes. Here, I will just say that a new prophecy of Merlin was said to be sweeping Scotland in 1307, proclaimed by ‘false preachers’ of Robert Bruce, predicting that upon the death of the ‘covetous king’ the Scots and the Welsh would band together and reclaim their lands.
Robert’s return
As mentioned, we know only scant details about Robert’s triumph at Glen Trool. Here I have Thomas Randolph taken fighting for the English and returned to Robert’s company. This did happen, but slightly later than portrayed.
It was the Battle of Loudoun Hill that changed everything for Robert, with one English ally commenting that he never enjoyed such support among the Scots as he did after this victory against Aymer’s forces.
Robert’s campaign against the Comyns and their supporters started two months earlier than depicted. Again, as mentioned, the exact timeline of events is unknown, although Robert was said to have fallen gravely ill and had to be carried on a litter before the forces of the Black Comyn, whom he finally bested in a running battle on the road to Inverurie. The Black Comyn was aided at this time by several other Scottish barons, including David of Atholl.
We do not know whether Robert’s campaign in Argyll, which culminated in the Battle at the Pass of Brander and the fall of Dunstaffnage, occurred in 1308 or 1309, but I have tried to follow what we know of the events. The execution of Dungal MacDouall by Edward Bruce is, however, pure fiction. MacDouall’s story is far more complex – and thus emotionally unsatisfying – than I had chance to portray. After fleeing Edward Bruce’s raid on Galloway in 1308, he surrendered himself and the town of Dumfries to Robert in 1313. Robert allowed him to go free and MacDouall went to Man in his service, but switched to the English once more and was then captured again by Robert. This time, when released, he remained with the English, dying in 1327.
Edward II and Piers Gaveston
Edward I died at Burgh by Sands in July 1307. His death was kept secret for a fortnight while his son, then in London, was informed.
After a lacklustre attempt to hunt down Robert, the new king – to all intents and purposes – gave up his father’s war and followed his body back to Westminster. He at once had Piers returned to his side and although he was wed to Isabella of France, it was commented upon that he seemed more married to his childhood friend.
Humphrey de Bohun and Aymer de Valence were attending the wedding in France in January 1308, but Piers was indeed made regent in Edward’s absence. He was also made Earl of Cornwall, but a few months earlier than portrayed. The coronation at Westminster is relayed much as described in the chronicles, including the collapse of a wall in the abbey.
The chronology of events portrayed in chapters 39–43 comprises perhaps the most fictionalised section of the novel. The conflict between Edward II and the barons from 1308 to 1312, while fascinating in and of itself, is simply too drawn out to do justice to here, especially when the narrative is counting down to Bannockburn.
Instead, I have taken several key events – Piers’s command of Perth (which occurred in 1311), Robert’s attack on Perth (which took place in January 1313), Mary’s release from English custody (which happened in either 1312 or 1314), Piers’s return from exile, his capture and subsequent execution (in 1312) – and amalgamated them into a connected sequence, the outcome of which is ultimately the same as it was in history. Robert didn’t make any such pact with Thomas of Lancaster at this time, neither did he capture Piers at Perth and deliver him to the barons. In 1321, however, Thomas was said to be negotiating with Robert against Edward II and in this correspondence was referred to as King Arthur.