Roger A. Mason - Scotland and England 1286–1815

ROGER A. MASON

Department of Scottish History

University of St. Andrews

This eBook was published in Great Britain in 2021 by John Donald, an imprint of Birlinn Ltd

Birlinn Ltd
West Newington House
10 Newington Road
Edinburgh
EH9 1QS

First published in Great Britain in 1987 by John Donald

Copyright The Editor and Contributors severally, 1987

eBook ISBN 978 1 78885 418 4

The right of the editor and contributors to be identified as the authors of this book has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.

The publishers gratefully acknowledge the support of the Strathmartine Trust towards the publication of this book

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available on request from the British Library.

The essays collected in this volume are the product of a two-year seminar programme sponsored by the Department of Scottish History at the University of St. Andrews and held in St. Johns House, the Universitys Centre for Advanced Historical Studies, between October 1984 and April 1986. Particular thanks are due to the Director and Management Committee of St. Johns House for providing such splendid facilities for the seminars. This is the third such volume to find its way into print and it is a pleasure to be able to acknowledge the support of John Donald Publishers Ltd. in continuing to make their publication possible. In addition, thanks are due to all those who participated in what proved to be a lively and informative series of meetings and in particular to the speakers both for prompting much stimulating debate and for converting the spoken into the written word with speed and efficiency.

Roger A. Mason
St. Andrews
June 1987

John D. Brims: Glenfiddich Research Fellow in Scottish History, University of St. Andrews

Keith M. Brown: British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Scottish History, University of St. Andrews

Edward J. Cowan: Professor of History, University of Guelph

Jane E. A. Dawson: Tutor in Modern History, University of St. Andrews

Anthony Goodman: Reader in Medieval History, University of Edinburgh

Alexander Grant: Lecturer in Medieval History, University of Lancaster

Roger A. Mason: Lecturer in Scottish History, University of St. Andrews

Marcus Merriman: Lecturer in History, University of Lancaster

Nicholas Phillipson: Senior Lecturer in History, University of Edinburgh

Michael Prestwich: Professor of Medieval History, University of Durham

John Robertson: Fellow and Tutor in Modern History, St. Hughs College, Oxford

David Stevenson: Reader in History, University of Aberdeen

Ten years ago, in the bibliography of his magisterial work Scotlands Relations with England: A Survey to 1707 (Edinburgh, 1977), William Ferguson commented that surprisingly little has been written on the specific theme of Anglo-Scottish relations. That English historians had rarely thought the subject worth more than a passing reference may actually occasion very little surprise. It is remarkable, however, that their Scottish counterparts, while by no means ignoring its importance, had devoted so few full-length studies to exploring the manifold ramifications of a relationship which was plainly critical in shaping Scotlands history and development. Fergusons pungent and at times acerbic book, surveying the centuries up to the parliamentary union of 1707, was a timely reminder to Scottish and English historians alike of the importance of viewing their respective national histories in a wider British context.

Since Fergusons work appeared, however, not only has research and publication in the fields of Scottish and English history continued apace, but the idea of writing truly British history has also been placed firmly on the academic agenda. The purpose of the present volume, therefore, is to present in readily accessible form the results of at least some of this scholarly activity. The twelve essays printed here are the fruits of recent and continuing research into a wide variety of aspects of Scotlands long and often troubled relationship with England. At the same time they demonstrate the value of exploring both in comparative and integrative terms the British dimension of the national histories of both countries. Concentrating on the late medieval and early modern periods, the essays cover a different (though overlapping) timespan to that adopted by Ferguson. As a collection of discrete and detailed studies, however, they are not and could not be designed to supersede Fergusons sweeping survey. Rather they supplement and extend it, illuminating areas of Anglo-Scottish relations which Ferguson was unable to investigate in any detail. Nevertheless, like Fergusons work, it is hoped that this collection will reinforce the view that this is a subject area rich in possibilities and well worthy of continued research interest.