I imagine the first question anyone will ask is what is a column called "Scottish Flotsam". I guess we will have to begin with what is "flotsam". Among the definitions of the word are "things washed ashore" or "miscellaneous trifles". Well, we believe you can find some great treasure on the ocean shore. But -- you will never know what you will find or its value. So we decided that is what this column is - flotsam. We wanted a place to put things that didn't fit anywhere else and might be of interest. Each item could be a column itself and might be some day but for now it will be the flotsam, which washes our way.

The Declaration of Arbroath was a letter dated 6th April 1320 to Pope John XXII in the name of the Community of the Realm. It was written in the Abbey of Arbroath and sealed by eight earls and thirty-one barons. Bernard of Linton, Abbot of Arbroath and Chancellor of Scotland wrote the Declaration itself. It is one of the world's great documents and should be treasured by all the people of Scotland and beyond. The central purpose was to persuade the pope to lift the excommunication of King Robert, The Bruce, for killing John Comyn in a church in Dumfries in 1306. Underlying the document were many issues related to its development which are not evident unless you know a great deal about the history of the times. The issue of liberty was for most part tied up with feudal right and overlordship or after 1306, the moral legitimacy of one King of Scots against another.

The document lapsed into obscurity until it was rediscovered in the seventeenth century. It has been only in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that it has acquired the status of a surrogate Scottish constitution. The Declaration's simple language has much to do with its timeless appeal. In the simple 1200 words the declaration manages to condense: the mythology of Scotland's past; provide a vision of the relationship of kings of Scots and the Scottish people; and summarize the struggle of the time "for liberty alone that we fight and contend for, what no honest man will lose but with his life." The terminology of the period is often inadequate to deal with the complexity of the situation. The "Great Cause"and "War of Independence" are terms often applied to the activities around the development of this document. These terms were created later and fail to deal with the fundamental truth of the horror of the times between 1296 - 1424 when Scotland was involved in a war with England.

The people of modern Scotland use the Declaration as a back bone of the their argument that Scotland should be free. I do not intend to get into an argument about whether Scotland should be independent but want to point out that we should treasure the Declaration for what it meant at the time it was written and the insight it gives us into the desire of people who wrote it. It's moving words should be appreciated for the great prose they are and the history they represent. You can see both the original Latin and the English translation here.

The fact that the date of its writing should be chosen by some of the great nations of the world to honour Scots who have played a part in the development of their countries speaks to the greatness and lastingness of the document. To honour the document and for it to be the backbone of a celebration of what it means to be Scottish does not and should not be directly connected to the modern movement within Scotland for independence. The Declaration of Arbroath is a significant part of Scottish history and thus a part of being Scottish.

Now lets look at some specific dates:

1320 - April 6
Declaration of Independence was sent by the Scottish Parliament meeting at Arbroath to Pone John XXII.

1788 - April 9
Andre Meikle from East Lothian patented his design for a threshing-mill, the first successful mill the world had seen.

616 - April 17
St Donan, a missionary active in northern and western Scotland was killed along with 52 followers on the island of Eigg.

1558 - April 28
Last Protestant martyr in Scotland, Walter Mylne, burned at the stake for heresy.

Source - Scotching the Myths by Jim Hewiston can be found in the History Book Section of Scottish Radiance.

It is time to stop combing the library but we can not quit without some quotes from Quotable Scots another great History bookshelf resident. Let's see what quotes we can find.

Graeme Souness said he wanted me to help win titles and it has all come true.
Mo Johnston, footballer, after Rangers clinched the Premier Division Championship, 1991

I hope Scotland win the Rugby World Cup.
Dougie Donnelly, sports presenter, expressing his hopes for 1991.

Chan eil ach rabhadh gun fhuasgladh ann am bruadar na h-oidhche. - The dream of the night is but a warning unsolved.

You can find more articles in the archive under Scottish Flotsam.