Lambert Simnel

‘And once when jealous rage was high,

Lord Marmion said dispiteously,

Wilton was traitor in his heart,

And had made league with Martin Swart,

When he came here on Simnel’s part;

The pretender to the English throne, known as Lambert Simnel, was crowned in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin on this day, May 24^th, 1487.  This pretender bore a resemblance to the murdered sons of Edward IV, which served as the basis for the pretension.  Simnel and his army landed in England shortly after the ten year old was crowned, but didn’t reach much success.  Scot’s text above comes from “Marmion”.

David I of Scotland

King David I of Scotland died on May 24, 1153.  David's time was one of great administrative reforms, one of which was the establishment of Abbeys, including Melrose Abbey.  Melrose is believed to be the resting place of Robert the Bruce's heart.  Melrose Abbey figures in Walter Scott's "The Lay of the Last Minstrel".  The Second Canto of this poem begins:

'If thou would'st view fair Melrose aright,

Go visit it by the pale moonlight;

For the gay beams of lightsome day

Gild, but to flout, the ruins grey.

When the broken arches are black in night,

And each shafted oriel glimmers white;

When the cold light's uncertain shower

Streams on the ruin'd central tower;

When buttress and buttress, alternately,

Seem framed of ebon and ivory;

When silver edges the imagery,

And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die;

When distant Tweed is heard to rave,

And the owlet to hoot o'er the dead man's grave,

Then go--but go alone the while--

Then view St. David's ruin'd pile;

And, home returning, soothly swear,

Was never scene so sad and fair!'

Queen Victoria

On May 24, 1819, the ruler that links many of our current generation's grandparents to Sir Walter Scott was born.  At the time the future Queen Victoria was born, her grandfather George III was on the throne.  Sir Walter Scott lived about 13 years after her birth, so he did not live to see her ascend to the throne.  But he did meet her.  This meeting, when Victoria was still an infant is recorded in Sir Sidney Lee's "Queen Victoria, a biography".

"...The Duchess of Kent was fond of presenting her daughter to her visitors at Kensington, who included men of distinction in all ranks of life. William Wilberforce describes how he received an invitation to visit the Duchess at Kensington Palace in July 1820, and how the Duchess received him' with her fine animated child on the floor by her side with its playthings, of which I soon became one.' On May 19, 1828, Sir Walter Scott ' dined with the Duchess ' and was ' presented to the little Princess Victoria—I hope they will change her name (he added)—the heir-apparent to the crown as things now stand. . . . This little lady is educating with much care, and watched so closely, that no busy maid has a moment to whisper, " you are heir of England."' But Sir Walter suggested ' I suspect, if we could dissect the little heart, we should find that some pigeon or other bird of the air had carried the matter.'..."