Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 2 (of 2)Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
History
Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
Wallace, William, Sir, -1305
“There are now three stones upon the grave. When the inscription on the
first had begun to wear out by the influence of the weather, a second
was put above it, with the same inscription; and a third was lately
added by William Graham of Airth, Esq. At a little distance, upon the
left, is an unpolished stone, said to cover the remains of the gallant
knight of Bonkill.”--_Nimmo’s History of Stirlingshire._
With regard to Stewart of Bonkill being buried in Falkirk, we are
inclined to be a little sceptical, not so much from the silence of the
Minstrel, as from the great probability of his having been conveyed
to Bute by the surviving tenantry of that island. In a small ruined
chapel, about half a mile west of Rothesay, there is still to be seen
all that remains of “_the auld Stewarts of Bute_,” where, amidst a
number of dilapidated monuments, well worth the attention of the
antiquary, appears a stone figure, said to represent the gallant knight
of Bonkill, in complete armour of the 13th century. In a recess in the
opposite wall, there is also to be seen another figure, representing
_Jean M’Rudrie, heiress of Bute_. This lady appears to have been
descended from a sea-officer, or pirate, named _Rudrie_, who is thus
noticed in the Norwegian account of the expedition of King Haco:--“The
wind was not favourable; King Haco, however, made Andreas Pott go
before him, south to Bute, with some small vessels, to join those he
had already sent thither. News was soon received, that they had won a
fortress, the garrison of which had capitulated, and accepted terms
of the Norwegians. There was with the Norwegians a sea-officer called
_Rudri_; he considered Bute as his birth-right; and because he had not
received the island of the Scots, he committed many ravages, and killed
many people, and for that he was outlawed by the Scottish King. He
came to Haco and took the oaths to him, and, with two of his brothers,
became his subjects. As soon as the garrison, after having delivered
up the stronghold, were gone away from the Norwegians, Rudri killed
nine of them, because he thought he owed them no good will.” After the
treaty between Alexander and the Norwegians, it would seem that Rudrie
had been allowed to hold the island of Bute as a vassal of the Scottish
crown; and there is every reason to believe that the _Janet M’Rudrie_
above mentioned was either his daughter or grand-daughter, who, by her
marrying Alexander Stewart, became the mother of Sir John Stewart of
Bonkill.
The present noble proprietor, whose family came to the possession of
Bute in the reign of Robert II., has made some slight repairs about
the walls where these figures are reclining. It is, however, to be
regretted, that a little more attention is not paid to the preservation
of such valuable antiques.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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