Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
History
Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
Wallace, William, Sir, -1305
This appears from _Crawfurd’s_ MS. “History of the Craufurds,” in
the Advocates’ Library, and is corroborated by _Anderson_ in his
_Diplomata_, compiled at the desire of the Scots Parliament, who has
this notice of Thor-Longus:--“Hic vir nobilis et Anglus genere fuisse,
videtur ac forte idem qui _Thor_ in Libro vulgo dicto _Doomsday-Book_,
sæpius memoratus amplissimis suis prædiis in borealibus Angliæ partibus
sitis a Gullielmo Conquisitore erat exûtus.”
At what particular time his expulsion took place, does not precisely
appear; but it seems probable that it must have been betwixt the years
1069 and 1074, when, from the unsubmissive spirit of the Northumbrians,
they brought down on their own heads the most direful wrath of the
conqueror, who was so provoked with them, for joining their original
countrymen the Danes, who had at that time invaded England, (and whom,
for all his prowess, he was fain to buy off), that “he swore by the
splendour of God he would not leave a soul alive;” and so soon as he
found it in his power (the foreigners being now gone) to be avenged of
them, he ravaged their country in so merciless a manner, that for 60
miles together he did not leave a single house standing.--See _Rapin_,
vol. i. p. 172.
All this took place betwixt the years as above stated; and as they
were quite subdued by the last of these dates (1074), and as there
appeared to have been no more exterminating spoliation of this part of
the country afterwards during William’s reign, it seems to be a fair
conclusion, that this Anglo-Danish chief had found it necessary to fly,
and make his escape to Scotland during the interim mentioned. The era
of the _Doomsday-Book_ itself (1079), in which Thor is mentioned to
have been, before that time, deprived of his possessions, should be a
concluding evidence of the fact. That he obtained lands in Scotland
during the reign of King Edgar, appears distinctly from the following
writs, copied from the MS. History of Crawfurd, and which also are to
be found in the archives of the cathedral of Durham.
CHARTA THORLONGI.
Omnibus sanctæ matris Ecclesiæ filiis Thorlongus in Domino, salutem:
Sciatis quod Edgarus Dominus meus Rex Scottorum, dedit mihi Ednaham
desertam, quam ego, suo auxilio et mea propria pecunia inhabitavi,
et ecclesiam in honorem Sancti Cuthberti fabricavi, quam ecclesiam
cum una carrucata terræ, Deo et Sancto Cuthberto et monachis ejus in
perpetuum possidendum dedi; hanc igitur donationem feci pro anima
domini mei Regis Edgari, et pro animabus patris et matris illius, et
pro redemptione Lefwini patris mei dilectissimi, et pro meimet ipsius
tam corporis quam animæ salute, et siquis hanc meam donationem sancto
predicto et monachis sibi servientibus aliqua vi vel ingenio auferre
presumserit, auferat ab eo Deus omnipotens vitam Regni celestis, et cum
diabolo et angelis ejus pœnas sustinet eternas. Amen.
[Illustration]
EJUSDEM.
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