The annual dedication to the Great Marquis will be held in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh. Members are requested to meet in the Chepman (Chapman) Aisle at 11.00 am.
The Annual General Meeting will be held at 12 noon in The Douglas Room, The Royal Scots Club, 29 – 31 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh, followed by a sandwich lunch which, despite rising costs, will be charged at £10 per person.
We are privileged to have Dr Andrew Lind as our guest speaker this year. Dr Lind is an early modern historian and specialist on the British Civil Wars (c.1638-1655). He is a lecturer at the Institute for Northern Studies, University of the Highlands and Islands, where he is programme leader for the Early Modern European Studies MLitt. Andrew’s research focuses on the Scottish Royalist movement, as both a political entity and military force. In addition to his upcoming co-authored book with Dr Edward Furgol, ‘His Majesty’s Loyal Subjects’: The Scottish Royalist Armies of the British Civil Wars, 1639-1655 (2025), Andrew has disseminated his research widely in peer-reviewed journals, edited collections, news articles, interviews and public lectures. Andrew has been a member of the Society for many years, accepting a place on the council in 2020.
‘An ‘Armie of Voluntyres’: The Scottish Royalist Armies under Montrose’
Dr Andrew Lind
Overview:
Despite the significant military advantages which Charles I held in 1639, defeats during the Bishops’ Wars (1639 and 1640) significantly undermined the king’s war effort across the Three Kingdoms during the 1640s. This was particularly true of Scottish Royalist efforts, which were left militarily bereft, leaderless and at the mercy of the victorious Covenanter regime. Yet, by August 1645, James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, found himself at the head of victorious Royalist army as master of Scotland. Drawing upon new research within the upcoming ‘His Majesty’s Loyal Subjects’: The Scottish Royalist Armies of the British Civil Wars, 1639-1655 (Brill, 2025), this talk presents an overview and analysis of the armies which served under Montrose and his subordinates between 1644 and 1650, offering some explanation as to the rise and fall of Royalist military fortunes in Scotland. The talk will also discuss what this analysis reveals about Montrose as a military commander and leader of men.