“It may be remarked, that Dun Hill, or, as it is commonly called, Norman or Northman Law, a high hill on the estate of Dunmure, in the north-east part of Fife, and parish of Abdie, has on the top of it the remains of Danish intrenchments. The hill on the north side declines all the way to the river or Frith of Tay, which has Dundee at the mouth of it. The constant tradition is, that the Danes or Norwegians carried the spoil of the country to the top of this hill, where the natives could have no access to them; and after having collected it there, carried it down on the other side to their ships in the river.”
[69] “At Robroystone Sir William Wallace was betrayed and apprehended by Sir John Menteith, a favourite of Edward I. of England. After he was overpowered, and before his hands were bound, it is said he threw his sword into Robroyston loch. An oaken couple, or joist, which made part of the barn in which the Scottish hero was taken, is still to be seen in this neighbourhood, and may yet last for ages.”—Stat. Acc. viii. 481, 482.
The latter part of the above quotation is perfectly correct. The oaken joist was to be seen till within these ten years past; it has now entirely disappeared, being carried off by that tribe of pseudo-antiquarians, ycleped Relic-fanciers.
[70] See [Appendix, N].
[71] This report may have originated in some facetious remark, which probably escaped from him on hearing that one William Wallace had, by the voice of his fellow-citizens, attained to the honour of being Lord Mayor of London, when the success of the Scots compelled Edward to grant an extension of the liberties of his people. His election is stated, at p. 85, vol. i. of this work, to have taken place in 1296. This mistake the author begs leave to correct; the election occurred in April 1298. The coincidence is rather singular. See Lambert’s Survey of London, vol. i. p. 167.
[72] That Edward was mean enough to subject Wallace to a piece of mockery of this kind, appears evident, from the same contemptible artifice, to excite derision, being again resorted to in the case of Sir Simon Frazer, who was not only habited in an unbecoming and ridiculous garb, but also had “a gerland on ys heued of the newe guyse.” This expression is taken from the ancient ballad made on the execution of Frazer, as may be seen in the account we have given of that warrior; and which seemed evidently to allude to the recent exhibition made of Wallace, on whose person “the newe guyse” was no doubt first introduced;—and, as Sir Simon was executed only about twelve months afterwards, the phrase would be perfectly applicable, as the circumstance must have been fresh in the minds of the people.—See [App. L.]
[73] See [Appendix, O].
[74] This appears to have been the only article of property that Wallace died possessed of.
[75] This, in all probability, was the mark of the wound inflicted by the Lancaster bowman mentioned at page 162 of volume I.
[76] See [Appendix, P].