The Douglas Larder

Jamie's Grandfather had been murdered and hung on tower bridge at the same time as Wallace and the Lands of Douglas were confiscated by Edward Longshanks. As a child, young Jamie had been sent out of the country and was educated in France, he returned to Scotland a mere strippling of a youth as soon as he heard that Bruce had killed the Red Comyn. The pair first met on the road from Scone, after Bruce's second coronation on the 25th of March 1306 . Douglas was the first Scottish noble to pledge loyalty to King Robert I and despite the age gap they became instant friends and remained so even unto death.

This story is set one year after they first met, at that most holy of hollies, Easter. Jamie had returned from Arran with Bruce and had asked for time off to go and 'set his affairs in order'. Bruce certain, that from his first general, this meant something pretty special granted permission, but refused him all but the most meagre of troupes. ( I have heard tell there were but three of them).

Douglas arrived at the town of Douglas in Lanarkshire to find, as expected, his castle occupied by the English invaders under the command of Lord Clifford. Douglas, knowing full well that if he got rid of them, they would only come back and he had no time to keep coming back and forceable evicting them. He had the rest of the country to worry about too. The castle had to be destroyed.

Disguised as women Douglas and friends entered the town and waited. The whole of Europe was at that time Roman Catholic, (except apparently anyone living in Scotland, Edward Longshanks had had the whole country excommunicated) and true to their religion the English garrison attended mass on Palm Sunday.

As soon as all were in, The Black Douglas barricaded them inside, quietly. Then all the stores and provisions from the castle larder were heaped in and around the chapel and the whole thing set on fire. The flames were fed through out the castle and the castle was burned together with the English Garrison. The event became known as the Douglas Larder.

While this story may sound preposterous there are many recorded incidents involving The Black Douglas being greatly out numbered one even as high as twenty to one. Unlike many of his contemporaries the Douglas had no time for pitched battles and "fields of honour", he was a guerrilla fighter, a freedom fighter, plain and simple.