One of the largest collections of Scottish Ballads & Scots Folk Songs, lyrics, celtic music and downloads available on the internet.
Traditional Celtic Music, Scottish Songs & Border Ballads
Scots' musician, songwriter, & balladeer.
Hazel
Song History
Bonnie Dundee
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!!

Choose your destiny.
John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount
Dundee (c. 21 July 1648 - 27 July 1689) was a
Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an
Episcopalian. Claverhouse is remembered by
history in two distinct characters. Unfavourable records of
his persecution of the Covenanters, when he was
responsible for policing south-west Scotland during and
after the religious unrest and rebellion of the 1670s and
80s, led to Presbyterian historians dubbing him "Bluidy
Clavers". Later, as a general in the Scottish army,
Claverhouse remained loyal to King James VII after the
so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688. He rallied the loyal
Highland clans and, although he lost his life in the battle,
led them to victory at Killiecrankie. This first Jacobite
rising was unsuccessful, but Claverhouse became a
Jacobite hero, acquiring his second soubriquet "Bonnie
Dundee".

Shortly after the death of Charles II in 1685, Graham
incurred a temporary disgrace by his deposition from the
office of privy councillor; but in May he was reinstated,
although his commission of justiciary, which had expired,
was not renewed. In 1686 he was promoted to the rank of
major-general, and had added to his position of constable
the dignity of provost of Dundee. In 1688 he was second in
command to General Douglas in the army which had been
ordered to England to aid the falling dynasty of the Stuarts.
In 1688, however, he was created Viscount Dundee by
James VII while with the Scots army in England.

Dundee returned to Scotland in anticipation of the meeting
of the convention, and at once exerted himself to confirm
the waning resolution of the Duke of Gordon with regard to
holding Edinburgh Castle for the king. The convention
proving hostile, he conceived the idea of forming another
convention at Stirling to sit in the name of James VII, but
the hesitancy of his associates rendered the design futile,
and it was given up. Previous to this, on 18 March, he had
left Edinburgh at the head of a company of fifty dragoons,
who were strongly attached to his person. He was not long
gone ere the news was brought to the alarmed
convention. that he had been seen clambering up the
castle rock and holding conference with the Duke of
Gordon. In excitement and confusion order after order was
dispatched in reference to the fugitive. Dundee retired to
Dudhope. On 30 March he was publicly denounced as a
traitor, and in the latter half of April attempts were made to
secure him at Dudhope, and at his residence in Glen
Ogilvy. But the secrecy and speed of his movements
outwitted his pursuers, and he retreated to the north.

In 1689, after the overthrow of King James, he became a
fervent supporter of the Stuart cause. Viscount Dundee
raised his standard on Dundee Law in support of the
Jacobite cause. For four months he rallied support in the
hope that King James would return from Ireland. Modern
biographers, particularly Andrew Murray Scott's Bonnie
Dundee (1989, 2000) considers that his skill as a diplomat
was as great as the inspiration he provided as a leader.

His greatest victory was at the Battle of Killiecrankie, later
that year against much greater Williamite forces led by
General Hugh Mackay. Scott believes that Claverhouse's
death in victory as he led the Jacobite charge down the
hill at sunset was the final desperate act of a man who was
aware that he had been betrayed by Melfort the King's
adviser and was trying to overcompensate for their lack of
support. The Highlanders were completely victorious, but
their leader, in the act of encouraging his men, was
pierced beneath the breastplate by a musket ball of the
enemy, and fell dying from his horse. Graham reputedly
asked a soldier 'How goes the day?' The man replied 'Well
for King James, but I am sorry for your lordship.' The
dying Graham replied, 'If it goes well for him, it matters the
less for me.' A short letter of the engagement to King
James was later produced which purports to be from
Graham but is now believed to be spurious. The battle,
disastrous as it was to the government forces, was in
reality the end of the insurrection, for the controlling and
commanding genius of the rebellion was no more. The
death of Dundee, in the midst and the confusion of a
cavalry charge, formed the subject of numerous legends,
the best known of which is the long prevalent but of
course entirely false tradition that he was invulnerable to
all bullets and was killed by a silver button from his own
coat. He died on the battlefield and was carried at
nearby St Bride's Kirk a few miles away where he was
buried. The stone which commemorates him at the
crypt there gives his age (erroneously) as 46,
though he was actually 41.