 First edition 1928 | |
| Author | John Buchan |
|---|---|
| Genre | Biography; history |
| Publisher | Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd [1] |
Publication date | 1928 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 419 [1] |
Montrose (Montrose: a history in the US) is a 1928 biography of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose by the Scottish author John Buchan. It won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography in 1928.
From his undergraduate days at Oxford, Buchan had always had a fascination with Montrose, and came to feel that earlier historians had not done him justice. [2] In 1913, Buchan’s publishers T Nelson released his first attempt at a biography, The Marquis of Montrose, [3] which was dedicated to his brother Willie who had died a year earlier. [4] The earlier book did not receive universal acclaim, and his old antagonist D. Hay Fleming took the opportunity to attack the author for giving insufficient credit to Argyll. [5] Buchan’s enthusiasm for his subject had laid him open to the charge of romancing, [6] and Buchan later admitted that many of the judgements that he had made in the work were “exaggerated and hasty”. [7]
Over the next fifteen years he collected material for a more historically-expansive work, adding to previous scholarship with a study of the pamphlet literature of the time, [7] and in 1928 T Nelson published the scholarly Montrose. A US printing by Houghton Mifflin also appeared, under the title Montrose: A History. [8]
The historical research that Buchan had been doing for Montrose underpinned further works. [9] In 1930 he gave a lecture at St Andrews on Montrose and Leadership, which was published separately. [9] But most important to Buchan was its influence on his historical novel Witch Wood (1927), [9] within which Montrose appears as a minor character.
Montrose is a detailed account of the life of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose who sought to combine adherence to Scotland's 1638 National Covenant with loyalty to Charles I. As Charles's lieutenant-general in Scotland, Montrose was, argues Buchan, a skilful general during a series of Highland and Lowland battles in 1645-46, but who was ultimately thwarted later in 1646 by the disaster of Philiphaugh. Buchan then goes on to consider the aftermath, Montrose’s new campaign in the North for Charles II after his father’s execution in 1649, and his defeat, betrayal, trial and finally his own execution. [6]
As a scholarly edition, Montrose was widely praised. [6] The biography is, said one later critic, presented with a reverent, dignified but not exaggerated dramatic power; [6] while another praised Buchan’s research while expressing some regret at the loss of “good sharp phrases” from his earlier work. [5]
A. L. Rowse considered the book to be a masterly historical biography, Buchan’s chief contribution to historical research, written wholly from original sources. [10]
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman, poet, soldier and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed. From 1644 to 1646, and again in 1650, he fought in the civil war in Scotland on behalf of the King. He is referred to as the Great Montrose.
The Battle of Carbisdale took place close to the village of Culrain, Sutherland, Scotland on 27 April 1650 and was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought by the Royalist leader James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, against the Scottish Government of the time, dominated by Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll and a grouping of radical Covenanters, known as the Kirk Party. The Covenanters decisively defeated the Royalists. The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009. Although Carbisdale is the name of the nearest farm to the site of the battle, Culrain is the nearest village.
Witch Wood is a 1927 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan that critics have called his masterpiece. The book is set in the Scottish Borders during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and combines the author's interests in landscape, 17th century Calvinism, and the fate of Scotland. A significant portion of the dialogue is in Scots.
Salute to Adventurers is a 1915 historical adventure novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. Largely set among the newly-settled Virginia plantations of the late 17th century, the novel includes a number of historical characters and events, including the wild and radical preaching of John Gibb, founder of the Sweet Singers sect.
Castle Gay is a 1930 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. It is the second of his three Dickson McCunn novels and is set in the Scottish district of Carrick, Galloway some six years after the events described in Huntingtower.
The Gap in the Curtain is a 1932 borderline science fiction novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. Part of the action is autobiographical, featuring the agonies of a contemporary up-and-coming politician. It explores the theory of serial time put forward by J W Dunne: Buchan had been reading An Experiment with Time.
Huntingtower is a 1922 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, initially serialised in Popular Magazine between August and September 1921. It is the first of his three Dickson McCunn books, the action taking place in the district of Carrick in Galloway, Scotland.
The Dickson McCunn Trilogy is a series of novels by John Buchan, all featuring his eponymous retired grocer from Glasgow. The books are titled Huntingtower, Castle Gay and The House of the Four Winds. Penguin published an omnibus edition, The Adventures of Dickson McCunn, in 1994.
Midwinter: Certain travellers in old England is a 1923 historical novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. It is set during the Jacobite rising of 1745, when an army of Scottish highlanders seeking to place Charles Stuart onto the English throne advanced into England as far South as Derby. The Prince, otherwise known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie", the grandson of the ousted King James II, required men and money from English Jacobite sympathisers, and the novel imagines why those were not forthcoming from landowners in the Western counties and Wales. It purports to sheds light on Samuel Johnson's previously unknown activities during that period.
James Graham, 2nd Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and judge, surnamed the "Good" Marquess.
The Half-Hearted is a 1900 novel of romance and adventure by the Scottish author John Buchan. It was Buchan's first novel in a modern setting and was written when he was 24 while working for an All-Souls fellowship and reading for the bar.
The Path of the King is a 1921 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, presented as a loosely-coupled series of short stories.
Sir Quixote of the Moors: being some account of an episode in the life of the Sieur de Rohaine is an 1895 short novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. It was Buchan's first novel, written when he was nineteen and an undergraduate at Glasgow University. Buchan's original title was Sir Quixote, and he was annoyed by the addition of "of the Moors" by his publisher.
John Burnet of Barns is an 1898 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, published when he was 23 years of age. His second novel, it had first appeared in serial form in Chambers's Journal earlier that year.
A Lost Lady of Old Years is an 1899 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. It was first published in serial form in Today. The title comes from Browning’s poem Waring.
A Lodge in the Wilderness is a 1906 political quasi-novel by the Scottish author John Buchan.
The Blanket of the Dark is a 1931 historical novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. The novel is set in the early part of the reign of Henry VIII, and explores the possible consequences had the Tudors been overthrown by a rightful descendant of Edward III.
The Free Fishers is a 1934 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, his last work of historical fiction. The novel is set during the period of the Naploeonic wars and follows the adventures of Anthony Lammas, a young professor at St Andrews, who is drawn into a plot to kill the prime minister. He is aided by The Free Fishers, a secret mutual aid organisation.