Contributions of stories which fit into this period will be welcomed though it may not be possible to publish them all and editorial rights will remain with the website owner.
Pre 1600
To some of the people who already have files ready to be written up for the website please can you note that I am using the birthdate for the sequence.
Pre 1600
This period needs much more research. At present I have only a few references which have not been followed up for the most part. It is clear from my reading, however, that contacts with the Continent were frequent via Church, Military and Trade links. However this needs much more detailed research to prove that reading to be correct.
Admiral of the Scots Fleet, James Gordon 1st of Letterfourie c1482 - He was accompanied in his sojourn in France by “Squire William Meldrum” immortalized as the perfect model of chivalry by David Lindsay. Sadly this Meldrum does not come into our selected regional orbit but let me quote from The Lily and the Thistle by William Calin University of Toronto Press. I have broken up the paragraph as written in the book to make it easier for those with sight problems to read with ease I hope. I have not yet had a chance to read the whole book as, like most academic books these days, the cost is prohibitive so I am dependent on Google extracts.
“Squyer Meldrum is a delightful biography of William Meldrum of Cleish and Binns, a Fife laird and good friend of [David] Lyndsay…
On a maritime expedition to France, the Scots raid the Irish community of Carrickfergus, where Meldrum rescues an heiress on the point of being raped.
Having arrived in France, Meldrum defeats the English champion Talbart in single combat.
After peace is made, the English and Scots continue to fight.
Meldrum rescues an outnumbered Scottish contingent and overpowers the English.
He wins a tournament.
Upon the return voyage, his ship comes across an English man-of-war; Meldrum and his men board and capture the vessel.
Once in his homeland, Meldrum stops by a castle belonging to the Lady of Gleneagles. They fall in love and make love.
Helping the oppressed lady recover her lands, Meldrum retakes a castle from her oppressor. They have a daughter. Although they hope to marry, the necessary dispensation is mismanaged.
A cruel enemy knight ambushes Meldrum and Gleneagles outside Edinburgh. Outnumbered sixty to eight, Meldrum’s side loses. The lover is severely wounded, and the lady captured. Back in her own lands, she is forced to wed someone else. Meldrum remains faithful to Gleneagles and never marries.
He lives a long and full life, with many triumphs of arms. He becomes a fine magistrate, ending his career as Sheriff Deputy for Fife.”
History here is cloaked in the conventions of epic and romance but still reveals quite a lot about the historic person on whom it was based. It tells us even more about the European ideals of chivalry and romance being promoted in Scotland. Lindsay was a skilled propagandist and is still very readable. He can be very hard hitting too about what he considers as the vices of his times. Cf A Satire of The Three Estates
James Gordon SJ 1553-1641 Huntly - Rome - France
