Battles & Uprisings Back to Inside The Highlander Mons Meg, "The Great Bombard" by Stewart M. Macpherson In the middle of the 15th century there was a bitter conflict between King James II and William Earl of Douglas, the powerful chief of the Black Douglases. Through various marriages the Douglases were very close to the Royal line of the Stewart Kings and to the throne of Scotland. They were, therefore, a very real threat to the reigning monarch. Moreover, they controlled large stretches of land in the southwest of Scotland from Galloway to Jedburgh. King James had to crush the power of the Douglases to feel secure on his throne. One of his schemes to achieve mastery and security was to possess a bombard -- or cannon -- of sufficient power to breach the strong defenses of the Douglas strongholds. The construction of such a cannon, called Mons Meg, was the result. The statistics concerning Mons Meg are mind boggling. It was reported by an awe-struck admirer of the Great Bombard that the gun stones or cannon balls were as heavy as a Galloway cow and that it took a charge of seventy pounds of powder to discharge it. Nevertheless, Mons Meg was capable of hurling the huge stone cannon balls a distance of two miles and of smashing through the eight-foot-thick stone walls of Threave Castle, the favorite fortress of the Earl of Douglas! Rough Justice: The Story of the Porteous Riots by G. Barclay Robertson A total silence fell as Andrew Wilson mounted the ladder to where the black-masked hangman waited. The noose was placed around his head and a moment later, his body hung, twitching and jerking from the cross bar. As it became still, the executioner stepped forward, knife in hand, to cut down the corpse. It was at that moment that the crowd became restive, shouting their disapproval. Stones were thrown at the guards standing around the platform and cudgels were shaken at them. The crowd was not behaving in any way out of character, but Captain Porteous ordered his men to prime their muskets. The next order started the sequence of events that led, finally, to rioting: "Open Fire!" As the smoke obscured what had happened, screams and groans were heard. The people began to panic and retreat, but others also began to advance with anger on their faces. Some men of the Guard turned again and held muskets to their shoulders; more shots cracked out. Some shot over the crowd, possibly hoping that the crash of gunfire would be sufficient to scare the people away. But in trying to avoid injuring the citizens in the crowd, people watching the events from upstairs windows overlooking the scaffold were killed or injured by the high gunfire. In all there were some 30 casualties, wounded or dead. The Forgotten Rebellion by Chris Grice The Jacobite rebellion of 1745 must be familiar to anyone with even the remotest interest in Scottish history. Who has not heard of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Battle of Culloden? The rebellion of 1715 remains less well known, though many recall the Battle of Sheriffmuir and "Bobbing John" Erskine, Earl of Mar. The Jacobite rebellion of 1719, however, remains practically unheard of. And yet, unlike the '45, it began with ample support from a major European power and plentiful military supplies. More Excerpts Choose from the topics below to view more excerpts, or return to Inside The Highlander. Historic Events Scottish Castles Military History Battles & Uprisings Famous Scots Historic Places Scottish Life & Traditions Clans Legends Music & Celebrations Genealogy

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