To Scots cousins, Trump, the Bruce, and the Spider,

       I  reviewed some advertised postings concerning Turnberry Golf Course, Girvan, Ayrshire,  Scotland. Turnberry is famous in Scots history as the birthplace for the Bruce, King of Scots, and headquarters in his war for independence. But I did not see any mention that The Bruce was a direct ancestor of the current proprietor’s company.

       Furthermore, in the records of FamilySearch.org, Henrietta MacSween, the fourth great grandmother of Arbella Rose Kushner, records 21 direct ancestral lines to the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce. A copy of the screen shots downloaded showing these lines is attached.  Additional records are attached for some in laws.  Since the records go back many centuries, many of the names have had whole books of biographies recording their stories. Many are featured in the Dictionary of National Biography. The research is collateral information for my family research. Much more information is available.

The story of the spider is famous in Scots history, and has been recently repeated by

34 YouTube videos. Just search for Bruce and the Spider, John Choate, Saint George, Utah

Chapter One Sir Walter Scott Tales of a Grandfather, 1825

Scotland’s history (in part)

 [TG1-1, Tales of a Grandfather, Chap. 1, p. 1 Sir Walter Scott 1825] has the following discussion on Turnberry. Page numbers are in parenthesis.

[TG8-97, Tales of a Grandfather, chap. 8, p. 97]

 I HOPE, my dear child, that you have not forgotten that all the cruel wars in Scotland arose out of the debate between the great lords who claimed the throne after King Alexander the Third’s death,      which induced the Scottish nobility rashly to submit the decision of that matter to King Edward of England, and thus opened the way to his endeavouring to seize the kingdom of Scotland to himself. The feeling was universal in Scotland, that they would not any longer endure the English government; and therefore such great            Scottish nobles as believed they had right to the crown, began to think of standing forward to claim it. Amongst these, the principal candidates (supposing John Baliol, by his renunciation and captivity, to have lost all right to the kingdom) were two powerful noblemen. The first was ROBERT BRUCE, Earl of Carrick.

Chapter 8 Sir Walter Scott Tales of a Grandfather

       But the feelings of Bruce concerning the baseness of this conduct, are said, by the old traditions      [TG8-99, Tales of a Grandfather, chap. 8, p. 99] of Scotland, to have been awakened by the following incident. In one of the numerous battles, or skirmishes, which took place at the time between the English and their adherents on the one side, and the insurgent or patriotic Scots upon the other, Robert the Bruce was present, and assisted the English to gain the victory. After the battle was over, he sat down to dinner among his southern friends and allies without washing his hands, on which there still remained spots of the blood which he had shed during the action. The English lords, observing this, whispered to each other in mockery,                                  

       “Look at that Scotsman, who is eating his own blood!” Bruce heard what they said, and began to reflect, that the blood upon his hands might be indeed called his own, since it was that of his brave countrymen, who were fighting for the independence of Scotland, whilst he was assisting its oppressors, who only laughed at and mocked him for his unnatural conduct. He was so much shocked and disgusted, that he arose from table,and, going into a neighbouring chapel, shed many tears, and asking pardon of God for the great crime he had been guilty of, made a solemn vow that he would atone for it, by doing all in his power to deliver Scotland from the foreign yoke. Accordingly, he left, it is said, the English army, and never joined it again, but remained watching all opportunity for restoring the freedom of his country.         

            Now, this Robert the Bruce was a remarkably brave and strong man: there was no man in Scotland that was thought a match for him except Sir [TG8- 100, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER, chap. 8, p. 100] William Wallace;  and now that Wallace was dead, Bruce was held the best warrior in Scotland. He was very wise and prudent, and an excellent general: that is, he knew how to conduct an army, and place them in order for battle, as well or better than any great man of his time. He was generous, too, and courteous by nature; but he had some faults, which perhaps belonged as much to the fierce period in which he lived as to his own character. No man ever went through more misfortunes than Robert Bruce, although he at length rose to great honour.

             [TG8-102, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER, chap. 8, p. 102]

       He drew his own followers together, summoned to meet him such barons as still entertained hopes of the freedom of the country, and was crowned King at the Abbey of            Scone, the usual place where the Kings of Scotland assumed their authority. Everything relating to the ceremony was hastily performed. A small circlet of gold was hurriedly made, to represent the ancient crown of Scotland, which Edward had carried off to England. The Earl of Fife, descendant of the brave Macduff, whose duty it was to have placed the crown on the King’s head, would not give his attendance. But the ceremonial was performed by his sister, Isabella, Countess of Buchan, though without the consent either of her brother or husband. A few barons, whose names ought to be dear to their country, joined Bruce in his attempt to vindicate the independence of Scotland. Edward was dreadfully incensed when he heard that, after all the pains which he had taken, and all the blood which had been spilled, the Scots were making this new attempt to shake off his authority.            Though now old, feeble, and sickly, he made a         solemn vow, at a great festival, in presence of all his court, that he would take the most ample vengeance upon Robert the Bruce and his adherents; after which he would never again draw his sword upon a Christian, but would only fight against the unbelieving Saracens for the recovery of the Holy Land.

       Bruce was crowned on 29th March, [TG8-103, Tales of a Grandfather, Chap. 8, p. 103]          1306. On the 18th May [1306] he was excommunicated by the Pope, on account of the murder of Comyn within consecrated ground. This sentence excluded him from all the benefits of religion, and authorized anyone to kill him. Finally, on the 19th June [1306] the new King was completely defeated near Methven by the English Earl of Pembroke. Robert’s horse was killed under him in the action, and he was for a moment a prisoner. But he had fallen into the power of a Scottish knight, who, though he served in the English army, did not choose to be the instrument of putting  Bruce into their hands, and allowed him to escape. The conquerors executed their prisoners with their usual cruelty. Among these were some gallant young men of the first Scottish families–Hay, ancestor of the Earls of Errol, Somerville, Fraser, and others, who were mercilessly put to death.

       .     Bruce, with a few brave adherents, among whom was the young Lord of Douglas, who was afterwards called the Good Lord James, retired into the Highland mountains, where they were chased from one place of refuge to another, often in great danger, and suffering many hardships. The Bruce’s wife, now Queen of Scotland, with several other ladies, accompanied her husband and his few followers during their wanderings. There was no other way of providing for them save by hunting and fishing. It was remarked that Douglas was the most active and successful in procuring for the unfortunate ladies such supplies as his dexterity in fishing or in killing deer could furnish to them TG8-104, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER, Chap. 8, p. 104]

 Driven from one place in the Highlands to another, starved out of some districts, and forced from others by the opposition of the inhabitants,     Bruce attempted to force his way into Lorn; but he found enemies every where. The M’Dougals, a powerful family, then called Lords of Lorn, were friendly to the English, and putting their men in arms, attacked Bruce and his  wandering companions as soon as they attempted to enter their territory. The chief of these M’Dougals, called  John of Lorn, hated Bruce on account of his having slain the Red Comyn in the church at Dumfries, to whom this M’Dougal was nearly related. Bruce was again defeated by this chief, through force of numbers, at a place called Dalry; but he showed, amidst his misfortunes, the greatness of his strength and courage. He directed his men to retreat through a narrow pass, and placing himself last of the party, he fought with and slew such of the enemy as attempted to press hard on them. The King met with many such encounters amidst his dangerous and dismal wanderings;  yet, though almost always defeated by the superior numbers of the English and of such Scots as sided with them, he still kept up his own spirits and those of his followers. He was a better scholar than was usual in those days, when, except clergymen, few people learned to read and write. But King Robert could do both very well; and we are told that he sometimes  read aloud to his companions, to amuse them when they were crossing the great  Highland lakes in such wretched leaky boats as they could find for that purpose winter was coming on and it would be impossible [TG8-107, Tales of a Grandfather, chap. 8, p. 107]  for the women to endure this wandering sort of life when the frost and snow should set  in. So Bruce left his queen with the Countess of Buchan and) others, in the only castle which remained to him, which was called Kildrummie, and is situated near the head of the river Don in Aberdeenshire. The King also left his youngest brother, Nigel Bruce,  to defend the castle against the English;

       In the mean time, ill  luck seemed to pursue all his friends in Scotland. The castle of  Kildrummie was taken by the English, and Nigel Bruce, a beautiful and brave youth, was cruelly put to death by the victors. The ladies who had attended on Robert’s Queen, as well as  the queen herself, and the Countess of Buchan, were thrown into strict confinement and treated with the utmost severity.

The spider perserveres.

 The news of the taking of Kildrummie, the captivity of his wife, and the execution of his brother, reached Bruce while he was residing in a miserable dwelling at Rachrin, and redu ced him to the point of despair.  It was about this time that an incident took place, which, although it rests only on tradition in families of the name of Bruce, is rendered probable by the manners of the times. After receiving the last unpleasing intelligence Scotland, Bruce was lying one morning on his wretched bed, and deliberating with himself whether he had not better resign all thoughts of again attempting to make good his right to the Scottish crown, and, dismissing his followers, transport himself and his brothers to the Holy Land, and spend the rest of his life in fighting against the Saracens; by which he thought, perhaps. He might deserve the forgiveness of Heaven for the great sin of stabbing Comyn in the church at Dumfries. But then, on the other hand, he thought it would be both criminal and cowardly to give up his attempts to restore freedom to Scotland, while there yet remained the least chance of his being successful in an undertaking    [TG8-109, Tales of a Grandfather, chap. 8, p. 109]  which, rightly considered, was much more his duty than to drive the infidels out of Palestine, though the superstition of he was divided betwixt these reflections, and doubtful of what he should do, Bruce was looking upward to the roof of the cabin in which he lay; and his eye was attracted by a spider, which, hanging at the end of a long thread of its own spinning, was endeavouring, as is the fashion of that creature, to swing itself from one beam in the roof to another, for the purpose of fixing the line on which it meant to stretch its web. The insect made the attempt again and again without success; and at length Bruce counted that it had  tried to carry its point six times, and been as often unable to do so. It came into his head that he had himself fought just six battles against the English and their allies, and that the poor persevering spider was exactly in the same situation with himself, having made as many trials, and been as often his age might think otherwise from While disappointed in what it aimed at. “Now,” thought  Bruce,” as I have no means of knowing what is best to be done, I will be guided by the luck which  shall attend this spider. If the insect shall make  another effort to fix its thread, and shall be successful,  I will venture a seventh time to try my  fortune in Scotland; but if the spider shall fail I  will go to the wars in Palestine, and never return  to my native country more.”  While Bruce was forming this resolution, the spider made another exertion with all the force it  could muster, and fairly succeeded in fastening its[TG8-110, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER, chap. 8, p. 110]  thread to the beam which it had so often in vain attempted to reach. Bruce, seeing the success of the spider, resolved to try his own fortune; and as  he had never before gained a victory, so he never afterwards sustained any considerable or decisive check or defeat. I have often met with people of  the name of Bruce, so completely persuaded of the truth of this story, that they would not on any account kill a spider; because it was that insect which had shown the example of perseverance, and  given a signal of good luck to their great name sake.

Turnberry becomes headquarters

             He began immediately to form plans with Douglas, how they might best renew their enterprise against the English. The Douglas resolved to go disguised to his own country, and raise his followers, in order to begin their enterprise by taking revenge on an English nobleman called Lord Clifford, upon whom Edward had conferred his estates, and who had taken up his  residence in the castle of Douglas. [TG8-112, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER, chap. 8, p. 112]  

Bruce, on his part, opened a communication with the opposite coast of Carrick, by means of one of his followers called Cuthbert. This person had directions that if he should find the countrymen in  Carrick disposed to take up arms against the English, he was to make a fire on a headland, or lofty cape, called Turnberry, on the coast of Ayrshire, opposite to the island of Arran. The appearance of a fire on this place was to be a signal for Bruce to put to sea with such men as he had, who were not more than three hundred in number, for the purpose Bruce and his men watched eagerly for the signal, but for some time in vain. At length a fire on Turnberry-head became visible, and the King and his followers merrily betook themselves to their ships and galleys, concluding their Carrick friends were all in arms, and ready to join with them. They landed on the beach at midnight, where they found their spy Cuthbert alone in waiting for them, with very bad news. Lord Percy,  he said, was in the country, with two or three hundred Englishmen, and had terrified the people so much, both by threats and actions, that none of them dared to think of rebelling against King.

            Traitor!” said Bruce. “Why, then, did you make the signal?

             “Alas,” replied Cuthbert, “the fire was not made by me, but by some other person,  for what purpose I know not; but as soon as I saw it burning, [TG8-113, Tales of a Grandfather, chap. 8, p. 113]  I knew that you would come over, thinking it my signal, and therefore l came down to wait for you on the beach, to tell you how  the matter stood.” Edward of landing in Carrick and joining the insurgents. King Robert’s first idea was to return to Arran after this disappointment; but his brother Edward refused to go back. He was, as I have told you, a man daring even to rashness.” I will not leave my native land.” He said, “now that I am so unexpectedly restored to it. I will give freedom to Scotland, or leave my carcass on the surface of the land which gave me birth.” Bruce, also, after  some hesitation, determined that since he had been thus brought to the mainland of Scotland, he would remain there, and take such adventure and fortune as Heaven should send him.

Assassination attempt

       At one time, a near relation of Bruce’s, in whom he entirely confided, was induced by the bribes of the English to attempt to put him to death. This villain, with his two sons, watched the King one morning, till he saw him separated from all his[TG8-114, TALES OF A GRANDFATHER, chap. 8, p. 114] men, excepting a little boy, who waited on him as a page. The father had a sword in his hand, one of the sons had a sword and a spear, the other had a sword and a battle-axe. Now, when the King saw them so well armed, when there were no enemies near, he began to call to mind some hints which had been given to him, that these men intended to murder him. He had no weapons excepting his sword; but his page had a bow and arrow. He took them both from the little boy, and bade him stand at a distance; “for,” said the King, “if I overcome these traitors, thou shalt have enough of weapons; but if they slay me,  you may make your escape, and tell Douglas and my brother to revenge my death,” In the mean time the traitors came forward upon Bruce, that they might assault him at once. The  King called out to them, and commanded them to come no nearer, upon peril of their lives; but the father answered with flattering words, pretending great kindness, and still continuing to approach his person. Then the King again called to them to you shall die if you come one foot nearer to me.” With that he bent the page’s bow; and as the old conspirator continued to advance, he let the arrow fly at him. Bruce was an excellent archer; he aimed his arrow so well, that it hit the father in the eye, and penetrated from that into his brain, so that he fell down dead. Then the two sons rushed on the King.

Scott relates several more Bruce stories which are  contained in his  Tales of a Grandfather.