MARCH 22 – EASTER DAY, the first Sunday after the (Spring Equinox) Paschal full moon, varies between March 22 and April 25.

880 sometime in. Sir Eider McDuck was born in 880, and chief of fictional clan McDuck. In 946, the McDuck castle was under siege by Anglo-Saxons, raiders who did not care about the treaty that King Edmund I of England and King Malcolm I of Scotland signed in 945.

The Old Castle’s Other Secret or A Letter from Home, Wikipedia.

1406 ship with prince James [I] of Scots, taken by English pirates off Flamborough Head who delivered James I to King Henry IV of England (Lancaster).  James will marry a niece of Henry, Joan Beaufort.  Henry’s father was John of Gaunt. Joan’s father was John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and half brother to Henry IV.  Joan became Queen of Scotland, so the Scots royal line descends from this time.

Flamborough Head in the East Riding of Yorkshire, has white chalk cliffs.

The Antidote

1421 Battle of Bauge France, or retreat of English. John Stewart, [3rd] Earl of Buchan, the second son of the Regent Robert [Stewart], Duke of Albany. Buchan had Lindsay,  Sir John Swinton, defeats English, under Duke of (TG 18-258) Clarence, brother to Henry V [Lancaster] King England. Charles King of France creates Earl of Buchan Constable of France (one of  highest offices in the kingdom), and Count of Aubigny.  (TG 18-259). The Battle was listed as the Day before Good Friday (usually styled Maundy Thursday) so the date is sometimes given as March 21st (also Equinox) by Wikipedia or the 22nd by Sir Walter Scott in Tales of a Grandfather.

1421 – Thomas of Lancaster, 1st  Duke of Clarence, dies after Battle of Bauge, second son of Henry IV of England (b. 1388) Thomas married Lady Margaret Holland, widow of John Beaufort, 1st  Earl of Somerset (Clarence’s Uncle) and daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd  Earl of Kent in November or December of 1411. No children were born from this union, though Thomas was stepfather to her six children from her first marriage. Clarence had a natural son, Sir John Clarence, called “Bastard of Clarence” who fought by his father’s side in France. Once on the ground, the Duke of Clarence was killed by either Sir Alexander Buchanan, or Sir John Swinton, 15th  of that Ilk.

Margaret and Beaufort were parents of Lady Joan Beaufort (c. 1406–15 July 1445), who married James I of Scotland and Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn.  Thus making Duke of Clarence the step father in law of James 1st of Scotland, cousin to Buchan and Albany who did Battle.

John Stewart, 2nd  Earl of Buchan, leader of the Scottish forces at Bauge.

‘We have four different sets of chronicles – Scottish, French, English and Burgundian – none of which are entirely internally consistent – as an example the two main Scottish sources (the Liber Pluscardensis and the Scotichronicon) disagree on the size of the Scottish army [5,000 to 7,000] and on who killed Clarence, while the Lancastrian dynasty was not universally popular in England.’ ‘In English armies of this period the ratio of archers to men-at-arms was at least 3-1, and so Clarence may have gone into battle with no more than a quarter of his army. It is generally accepted that Clarence fought with around 1,500 men-at-arms at Baugé – English sources suggest that few of the men-at-arms escaped, while the Scotichronicon gives a total of 1,617 English dead, roughly in line with other sources. Given a ratio of 3-1 this would have given him 4,500 archers, for a total of 6,000 men.’

By the morning of 22 March at the latest, Buchan and Wigtown had decided to offer battle at La Lande Chasles, a small village six miles to the south east of Baugé, on the opposite side of the Couasnon. The evidence suggests that they knew that Clarence was close by, but that Clarence was unaware how close he was to the Scottish army. That morning Buchan sent [Constable] La Fayette (Gilbert III Motier de la Fayette  an ancestor of the famous Marquis de la Fayette 1778-1830). to inspect the ground at La Lande Chasles, while Clarence sent foraging parties out in every direction (these foraging parties contained most of his archers).

One of those foraging parties, possibly under Sir Gilbert Umfraville, was sent north towards Baugé, and at some point during the morning discovered the present of the Franco-Scottish army, capturing a number of Scots. They then returned to Beaufort, where Clarence questioned them (possibly while at dinner).

This was almost certainly the first Clarence learnt of the Scottish presence, and he now made the mistake that would lead directly to his defeat and death. Rather than wait for the foraging parties to return to Beaufort, Clarence decided to attack the Scots with his mounted men-at-arms. The earl of Salisbury was left behind to gather together the rest of the army and bring them north as quickly as possible.

Early in the afternoon of 22 March Clarence, at the head of around 1,500 men-at-arms, including the earls of Somerset and Huntingdon, Edmund Beaufort, John Grey count of Tancarville and Lords Roos and Fitzwalter, rode out of Beaufort heading for the bridge at Baugé. The main reason for this disastrous decision would appear to be that Clarence wanted to win some glory for himself. He had not been present at Agincourt, and was not temperamentally suited for the war of sieges that had followed. Huntingdon and Umfraville were both said to have attempted to persuade him to wait for the rest of the army, but without success.

At this point the Franco-Scottish army was dangerously scattered. La Fayette (Constable Gilbert III Motier de la Fayette  an ancestor of the famous Marquis de la Fayette  1778-1830)  and his scouts were on the same side of the river as Clarence. Most of the men were at Vieil Baugé, south west of the bridge, and according to the Scottish sources were either at prayers or playing sports. Near the bridge were thirty men under Robert Stewart of Railstone, while another hundred under Walter Kennedy were quartered in a nearby church.

La Fayette’s (Gilbert III Motier de la Fayette  an ancestor of the famous Marquis de la Fayette  1778-1830)  scouts were first to spot the approaching English army, raising the alarm. Exactly where the first clash took place is not entirely clear, but it was probably around the bridge at Baugé. The main Scottish sources report that Clarence was initially unable to force his way across the bridge in the face of a storm of Scottish arrows, but was eventually able to make his way across, either using the bridge, or across a swampy ford.

Having abandoned his archers at Beaufort, Clarence should at least have made sure that his force of men-at-arms kept together. Instead he had allowed it to become stretched out on the road to Baugé. He was now in a very dangerous situation. His own small force was divided by the river. The Scots had been alerted to his presence, and the small force at the bridge had delayed the English for long enough for Buchan to gather together a large part of his own army.’ Even now Clarence does not seem to have waited for all of his men-at-arms, but instead to have advanced towards the main Scottish force at Vieil Baugé. Scottish and French sources both state that some of the English troops arrived late, after having been left behind on the ride to Baugé.

Vieil Baugé lies on a low ridge a short distance back from the river. At this point the main Scottish force would appear to have been hidden over the skyline, and Clarence began to advance up the slope towards the village (Scottish, English and French sources). At some point during this climb, Buchan led his men over the skyline and the two armies charged.

The result was a confused hand-to-hand melee, in which the outnumbered English was virtually wiped out. Clarence was one of the first to be killed. Hardly surprisingly none of the sources agree on how he died or who killed him. Amongst the possible candidates are Alexander Makcaustelayn (a Lennox highlander), the lord of Fontaines (in single combat between the armies before the battle!), Charles le Bouteiller and William de Swinton (a mistake for John Swinton, Buchan’s nephew). The Liber Pluscardensis is more honest, suggesting that it was impossible to tell who had killed whom in the melee, while Walsingham claimed that the death of Clarence did not become known until some time after the battle, when the bodies of the slain were searched.

Notable English casualties included the count of Tancarville, Lord Roos and Gilbert Umfraville. The earls of Huntingdon and Somerset, Edmund Beaufort and Lord Fitzwalter were amongst the prisoners. Very few of the English men-at-arms escaped from the melee.

www.thesonsofscotland.co.uk/thebattleofbauge1421

1564  sometime in March. The Scots Peerage notes this Margaret  Stewart, daughter of Andrew, 2nd  Lord Ochiltree, member of the Lords of the Congregation, as ‘married, first, when a young girl, March 1564, to the elderly Reformer, Mr. John Knox’. Knox’s enemies attributed Margaret’s marriage to Knox’s  witchcraft, and declared that in marrying a Stewart Knox was aiming at the Crown.’)  P. 69 Palm Sunday  1564. A descendant of John Knox and Margaret Knox (nee Stewart) is Reese Witherspoon, Academy award winning actress circa 2005.

Theatrical release poster by Shepard Fairey for which Reese Witherspoon won her Oscar  in the biography of June Carter Cash. The movie was a biography of Johnny Cash, also of Scottish descent from Malcolm 1 King of Scots, (Clan Cash).

 Jim Toth and Reece Witherspoon 2013.

JAE C. HONG/AP.

1599 never happened in Scotland. Dating its years from the birth of Jesus Christ, so that ‘’ every nation, kindred, every ear shall hear, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, Jesus Christ is Lord,’’ thru computer software applications and aviation, the Christian calendar has been adopted world wide for the Musselmen of Islam, the Buddhist, Confucian, Hindu, nativist, Jew, agnostic,  or atheist (Isaiah 45:23, 1 Kings 19:18, Philippians 2:11, Romans 14:11, confirmed in modern times Mosiah 16:1, 27:31, Doctrine and Covenants 76:110, 88:104.)

An 1883 map of the world divided into colors representing “Christians, Buddhists, Hindoos, Mohammedans, Fetichists”. October  went from the 8th month in 1598 to the 10rd month in 1600.

1751 did not occur in England, Ireland, British North America, and British colonies, as 1751 only had 282 days due to the Calendar Act of 1750. But 1751 did occur in Scotland, as 1751 had 365 days. The world’s oldest lunar “calendar” is in an Aberdeenshire field.

1831 Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, (Clans Mack, Mackenzie of Inverness,  Hamilton, Huntley,Malcolm King of Scots). In March. Doctrine and Covenants 49. The Shakers (United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, believed that Christ’s second coming had already occurred and that he had appeared in the form of a woman, Ann Lee; baptism by water was not considered essential; the eating of pork was specifically forbidden, and many did not eat any meat; and a celibate life was considered higher than marriage. By revelation, ‘Thus saith the Lord; for I am God, and have sent mine Only Begotten Son into the world for the redemption of the world, the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes.’’

1854 The Siege of Sevastopol, Begins in September.  Continues to

1855.  The Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean War, Black Sea, ends in September.  Scots Fusilier Guards, now the Scots Guards. 1st  Royal Regiment: now the Royal Scots. 42nd  Highlanders, The Black Watch. 6th  Dragoon Guards: later the 6th  Carabineers and now the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Royal Scots Greys: now the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. 71st  Highland Light Infantry, now the Royal Highland Fusiliers. 72nd  Highlanders: later the Seaforth Highlands, then the Queen’s Own Highlanders and now the Highlanders.  79th  Highlanders, the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders: later the Queen’s Own Highlanders and now the Highlanders. 90th   Regiment: later the Scottish Rifles; disbanded in 1966. 93rd  Regiment: now the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. http://www.britishbattles.com/crimean-war/sevastopol.htm

British batteries firing in to Sevastopol. On the night of 22nd March 1855 the Russians launched a sortie of some 5,500 men against the French positions covering the Mamelon.

1924 – Sir William Macewen, died, Scottish surgeon born near Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute, Scotland in 1848 and studied at the University of Glasgow, receiving a medical degree in 1872. He was greatly influenced by Lord Joseph Lister (1827–1912), who revolutionized surgery by developing antisepsis, by the use of phenol, thus decreasing drastically the enormous mortality of surgical patients due to infections. By following Lister and adopting systematically the use of scrubbing (Semmelweis’ deep cleansing and disinfection of hands and arms), sterilization of surgical tools, use of surgical gowns, and anesthesia, Macewen became one of the most innovative surgeons of his time and was able to greatly advance modern surgical technique and improve the recovery of patients.

MacEwen Crest: A trunk of an oak tree sprouting Proper. Motto: REVIRESCO.
[“I grow strong again”] from  arms of the McEwen Baronets.

Way, Truth, Life, University of Glasgow was founded in 1451 A.D. by a papal bull of Pope Nicholas V, at the suggestion of King James II, giving Bishop William Turnbull permission to add the university.  In 1560, in the Scottish Reformation, the then chancellor, Archbishop James Beaton, a supporter of the Marian cause, fled to France taking with him the archives and valuables of the Cathedral and the University, including the Mace and the Bull, to the Scots College in Paris.

1941 Sometime in March.  Axis and Allies (Scotland) at War.

1991 September 3 World War II 50 year commemorative. In March 1941 Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act, allowing the president to authorize shipment of vital war materiel to nations, primarily Great Britain, whose defense he considered to be necessary for U.S. security. In August and September, U.S.-owned ships were sunk, which led to legislation authorizing the arming of U.S. merchant vessels and permitting them to carry cargoes to belligerent ports. www.usstampgallery.com

1948 Andrew Lloyd Webber Baron Lloyd-Webber Knight. (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre.  Scots ancestry.

1976  Academy Award winner, Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, born – made her début appearance at Southern Baptist Hospital New Orleans on March 22, 1976. Descended from Scottish clergyman John Knox, the dynamic religious leader of the Protestant Reformation. Knox founded the Presbyterian denomination and was at the beginning of his ministry in Edinburgh when Knox lost his beloved wife Marjorie Bowes. In 1564 Knox married Margaret Stewart,  age 17,  the daughter of one of the 24 Lords of the Congregation. Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord of Ochiltree.  Ochiltree descended from King Robert II Stewart, and was nephew of deceased Queen Margaret Stewart (nee Tudor).  Margaret Knox (nee Stewart) bore three daughters, of whom Elizabeth became the wife of John Welsh, the minister of Ayr. John and Elizabeth’s daughter Lucy married another clergyman, the Reverend James Alexander Witherspoon. Margaret Knox was sister in law to Andrew Millar 1st who was married to Ann (or Nan) Stewart, another of Ochiltree’s daughters.

The Witherspoon’s descendant, a century later, John Witherspoon (son of another Reverend James Alexander Witherspoon), signed the Declaration of Independence on behalf of New Jersey and was the only active clergyman to sign the historic document. Two more centuries, and actress Reese Witherspoon is also descended from Reverend James Alexander Witherspoon and his wife Lucy (and therefore John Knox). Reese’s parents, Dr. John Draper Witherspoon and Betty Reese, were living in New Orleans while Reese’s father was a Tulane med student.

Cora Witherspoon was born in New Orleans on January 5, 1890, and became a noteworthy character actress in 48 films of the 1930s through the 1950s.

Reese Witherspoon May 2013.

www.nydailynews.com

2010 – James W. Black,  died, Scottish Nobel Prize-winning doctor and medical research scientist (b. 1924)

2015 Richard II’s last Journey first day cover issued.

This fancy horse has an ill nailed horse shoe, which shoe, when thrown, bolts the horse, leaving Richard on the Bosworth battle field, to lose his life and crown.  Richard descended from Duncan and Malcolm, Kings of Scots.

The Richard III Society.