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John Graham of
Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee, 1648-1689. By Charles Sanford Terry,
M.A., Burnett-Fletcher Professor of History and Archaeology in the
University of Aberdeen. Pp. viii, 377. M. 8vo. London: Constable & Co.,
1905. 12s. 6d. nett.
It is gratifying to
welcome another contribution towards the history of the seventeenth
century from the pen of Professor Terry, who has already done so much
good work in this field. Whatever private opinions a reader may hold
about the subjects treated, he must acknowledge that the author has done
his best to approach them from a scientific and not from a partisan
point of view, and that he has spared no pains in collecting his
information from the most reliable and sometimes from recondite sources.
Not only so, but he has given the authorities for his statements in much
detail, and there is not a page in the book which has not its quota of
references, so that each fact may be checked if desired. With the
exception of Queen Mary, it is safe to say that no two characters in
Scottish History have given rise to so much debate, or as to which
opinion is more keenly divided than John Knox and Claverhouse. Already
this is seen by the voluminous newspaper correspondence which has taken
place about this book itself: it is indeed impossible to expect that any
history of Claverhouse will ever be written which will please all
parties. Mark Napier's 4 frenzied work,* as Professor Terry aptly calls
it, has been as yet the fullest life of Claverhouse which has been
published: but though containing much information it can hardly be
considered serious history. Besides, to persons who believed in their
Wodrow and sympathised with their Covenanting forefathers, the mere name
of Napier was as a red rag to a bull. But since Napier's day much
additional information has come to light, and some which Napier might
have used but did not. The various volumes of the Reports of the
Historical Manuscripts Commissioners are in themselves full of useful
matter, and Professor Terry has availed himself of many manuscripts,
such as those in the Register House, which, though in existence in
Napier's day, were not readily available and often indeed unknown.
Throughout this volume it
is evident that the author has striven to be impartial; but a historian
who has any sense at all of effect cannot altogether divest himself of
his own personal predilections, and the result in this case is that
Claverhouse is presented to us in a light which many perhaps will think
too favourable. On the other hand, Mr. Terry s estimate of him cannot be
summarily dismissed as a mere bit of special pleading: it deserves to be
carefully studied, and the more it is studied the more credit will be
given to the author for the patient care with which he has approached
his subject, and the wealth of illustration with which he has
illuminated it. He certainly is of opinion that Claverhouse has been
grossly misrepresented by the writers on the Covenanting side of the
question; numbers of their assertions he denies the truth of altogether;
he brings also much good proof that there have been many and serious
exaggerations about the man. It is doubtful whether Mr. Terry's idea
that he was merely the slave of circumstances, holding duty as his
ideal, and prepared to sacrifice any mere personal feelings in order to
carry out the orders which he received from his superiors in office,
will ever be accepted by the general mass of the Scottish people: but
the historical student who comes to these pages in search of the naked
truth will find that at all events there is much more to be said for him
than at one time could have been conceived possible. He was not, it may
safely be said, the bloody, relentless persecutor such as the popular
literature of generations has made him out to be, but he may not
altogether have been merely the efficient public servant depicted in
this volume, far less the poetic hero of Mr. Napier. The fact is,
Claverhouse was a man of his age; he was self-seeking and determined to
push his way by every means in his power so long as these were honest:
but he was in modern language (straight,*and* had convictions of his own
which he carried out after the fashion of his day. He was a persecutor,
just as if the tables had been turned his opponents would have been
persecutors of him: he had not the virtue of toleration, but nobody had
till Dutch William came and pointed the way to it. But he was a
gentleman and a gallant one to boot: no one who looks on the splendid
portraits which are reproduced in this volume can doubt it. Proud,
haughty and ambitious he may have been, but he was true to his trust,
and the manner of his death casts a halo of romance over a career the
merits of which will still be debated as long as Scotsmen are Scotsmen,
however ably writers like Mr. Terry may deal with the subject.
There is an excellent map
illustrating the campaign of Viscount Dundee during the months from
April till July, 1689, and a plan showing the site of the Battle of
Killiecrankie. There has been a certain amount of discussion as to this,
but the author, who has evidently gone carefully over the spot
personally, gives a very clear account of the battle in which Dundee
used his Highland host to such advantage, and while leading his troops
to victory, met that glorious death which, after all, was perhaps the
most suitable termination to his career. With him the romance of the
Stewart cause died for a time, to have a short awakening in the ’45 and
then to disappear for ever.
A piece of sound
historical work, no student of the time can afford to neglect this
volume, which fully maintains Professor Terry’s reputation as a writer.
J. Balfour Paul.
You can download a pdf copy of
this book here
See also...
Memoirs of the Lord Viscount Dundee
and the Highland Clans
With an Account of his officers after they went to France together with
The Massacre of Glenco by an Officer of the Army (pdf) |
