#scottish history

When the Black Death finally made its way to England in 1348 after travelling across Asia and Europe, it was met with much amusement by the Scots, who said the English’s misfortune ‘had befallen them through the revenging hand of God’ and eagerly awaited the ‘foul death of England‘.

Now due to Scotland’s climate, they had escaped the plague for a tad longer than some other countries, due to it being too cold for the fleas that transmitted the disease, but this streak came to an abrupt end in 1350 with the decision by some Scottish nobles to send soldiers South with the intention of conquering England…

Only for the Scottish soldiers to catch the plague after attacking Northern English towns and cities like Durham, quickly realise that they weren’t as immune to the disease as they originally thought, and then as the armies fled back but North the rats and fleas came with them and introduced the plague to Scotland en masse.

As contemporary English chronicler Henry Knighton wrote: “The Scots, hearing of the dreadful plague among the English, suspected that it had come about through the vengeance of God, and, according to the common report, they were accustomed to swear “be the foul deth (sic) of Engelond (sic)”. Believing that the wrath of God had befallen the English, they assembled in Selkirk forest with the intention of invading the kingdom, when the fierce mortality overtook them, and in a short time about 5,000 perished.

“As the rest, the strong and the feeble, were preparing to return to their own country, they were followed and attacked by the English, who slew countless numbers of them.”

In a far less murderous example fo history repeating itself, there has been a recent spike in corona virus cases in Scotland in the past couple of months… which people have concluded is due to folks coming down to London for the Euro 2020 football matches, with 2000 cases being linked to linked to people travelling South for the event.

So yeah, social distancing. It’s there for a reason, and travelling in large numbers to an area you know is riddled with disease is a bad idea.

Scottish infantry of the Earl of Orkney’s Royal Regiment advance at the battle of Malplaquet, 11 September 1709. By Graham Turner.

Norman’s Law

This is a well-preserved Iron Age hillfort, which was so much fun to explore. There is a total of 3 walls, each becoming larger in diameter. So this must have been a large and important fort at one point in time. The top and innermost part of the hillfort still has ample remains of the 3 to 4 meters-thick wall that once protected it. This fort is close to Newburgh in Fife and lies along the Fife Coastal Path. For the most part, Fife can be associated with the Pictish tribe of the Venicones, the most likely candidates to have inhabited this fort. From the top you get a great view towards the River Tay and the Scottish Highlands in the North. It’s very likely that on the other side of the river the tribal territory of the Caledonians began. To the North-East you can see Dundee, which coils around Dundee Law, another ancient hillfort.

A full hillfort tour is up on my channel!