A tale from Tales of a Grandfather
I’d do Bruce’s ancestry but the rest of it has been mauled over by so many others, I wouldn’t know where to start so let me pass on to the next romantic period that attracts me for a novel, the time of Mary Queen of Scots son, James V1 and 1st. Nigel Tranter has covered it but there are tales in Sir Walter Scott’s Tales of a Grandfather that are worth looking at; the episode where he was / or wasn’t in danger of being kidnapped in what he calls the Gowrie Conspiracy. James was made prisoner in a room in a tower but was saved by his retinue, who killed all the witnesses and all that remains is James’s version of the affair and any student of James will come to the conclusion that was never to be relied upon. I would do the story from the point of view of one of the followers because James had told his lords that an escort was unnecessary and that would lead into back story of executions of relations of the plotters and set up the dramatic question – Will the King be safe?
Passing on to James’s accession to the English throne it is ignored how all the tailors, shoemakers and hairdressers of the court went south to London but found there were already a whole galaxy of such already waiting. In the end, a group of these people started north and were attacked by a mob as they left London. No doubt some Scots lass fell in love with a Londoner and wanted to stay. Did she, or did the lad go north with them? If he did, what kind of reception would he get? What happened to them?
The ‘Tales’ is in fact a great source of historical detail (according to Scott) and is full of anecdotes that offer potential story lines. Written for his twelve-year-old grandson they are an easy and entertaining read.
The image shows another grandfather reading his own tales – Bees in my Bonnet.