Letter: Distorted history

JOHN Patterson and Alexander McKay (Letters, 20 April) take issue with aspects of my letter of 19 April. Whether or not William Wallace himself ever painted his face, the film Braveheart was largely based on an account written some 500 years ago (some 200 years after his death). This records him having a dream or vision where the Queen of Heaven (or the Virgin Mary) painted his face blue.

I do not believe that "thousands of civil servants in London" give priority to feeding us a distorted version of the history of the Clearances. But there is plenty of distortion around.

Readers can judge for themselves how much Scottish history they got at school. I recall hearing about Bruce and the spider, and being required to learn the dates of the Kings of England from 1066. I learned later that there had been Kings of Scots both before and after that date.

David Stevenson

Blacket Place

Edinburgh

IS ANYONE really surprised at Kate Middleton being called the future Queen of England (Letters, 20 April)? Many, perhaps even most English people, lack knowledge about anything to do with the other countries of the United Kingdom.

A few years ago a friend was reading a magazine dedicated to royalty in which was a list of European monarchies and the dates they were founded. It claimed Denmark was the oldest having been founded by Gorm the Old, who died in 958AD.

My friend wrote in explaining that the Scots monarchy had been founded by Fergus Mor who died in 501AD. Not only that, but the first king of a united Scotland, Kenneth MacAlpine, had died before Gorm the Old was even born, so Scotland was Europe's oldest monarchy.

The reply she got said that Scotland couldn't be included as it was not an independent country. When she pointed out that, if that were the case, then England shouldn't be included, as it too was not an independent country, she received no reply. There are some things people just don't want to know.

Louise King

Piersfield Grove

Edinburgh

I HAVE never read any report by the British establishment admitting responsibility for the Clearances (Letters, 20 April). However, the involvement of troops and police was sanctioned by the government when they were used to evict tenants.

In 1839, the people of South Harris were ejected from their homes by armed soldiers and a posse of Glasgow policemen acting on orders from the government.

I am not aware that this brutal Clearance at the behest of the Earl of Dunmore is mentioned in any Scottish history book.

Donald J MacLeod

Woodcroft Avenue

Bridge of Don