Burns and Bruce

We’ve just returned from a lovely holiday in Galloway. We always enjoy exploring Dumfries, which is closely associated with two of the most iconic figures in Scottish history: Robert Burns and Robert the Bruce (the subject of my latest feature for Aquila children’s magazine).

It was here that Robert the Bruce slew the Red Comyn before the high altar of Greyfriars kirk in 1306, very close to the spot where Burns’s statue now gazes down on the town.

We were lucky enough to get a guided tour inside Dumfries’s Theatre Royal as part of a special ‘open doors’ day for historic sites in Galloway. Burns was a keen supporter of the theatre, and I believe the outside of the building is still pretty much as it was in his day.

Photos: Statue of Robert Burns, and the Theatre Royal, Dumfries. © Sue and Nigel Wilkes.

Doom at Dundrennan

In this month's issue of Scottish Home and Country, I take another look at the history of the Galloway area, in particular St Ninian and the early abbeys; Dundrennan is just one abbey in the area with wonderfully romantic ruins. Glenluce and Sweetheart Abbey are also in beautiful settings; the holy monks knew how to choose a fruitful site for their labours.

Mary Queen of Scots’ final tragic hours in her homeland were spent at Dundrennan. On May 16th 1568, accompanied by a small group of friends, she set sail for England in a humble fishing boat. Mary must have been full of hope as her native Scotland receded into the distance. But it was a mistake which led inexorably to her doom...

Image: Mary Stuart's escape to England. A typically understated Victorian engraving from Miss Corner's History of Scotland, c.1845.