Chronologies and Calendars/Chapter 8
NOTWITHSTANDING the discovery every now and again of Scottish genealogical tables, dating, it is claimed by their discoverers, to the very first ages of time, it must be confessed there is no accurate year to year history until the tenth century of the Christian era. No such thing as systematic chronology appears till the twelfth century. To talk of restoring, as from the eighth century backwards, an anno regni reckoning by calling Kenneth II. the 69th King of the Scots, is simply to enter the domain of the variest fable and conjecture.[1]
81. On the other hand, it is quite logical to take Cæsar as our guide, and go back into the era of the Druids; to watch them holding 'a great many discourses about the stars,' as he mentions they did; to observe these Western astrologers fixing the date of the winter solstice, for instance.[2] Now, although the date tallies practically with our Christmas, it is anachronism to say that the Druids knew anything of that Christian commemoration day. Truly in this, as in other moot points, 'historians add to the difficulty by applying the language of their own times to events or public transactions of a different state of society,' as the restorers of the Scots Acts of Parliament have remarked regarding historic questions of Scottish origin.[3]
82. Coming now to the epoch of the Romans, which may be computed to extend from the end of the first to the beginning of the third century, we find that the customs of these invaders never took root in Caledonia. Doubtless the Caledonians received then the elements of civilisation[4]; but if the Romans implanted the rudiments of writing and arithmetic, it must be confessed that these seeds never sprang up till many a century afterwards. In the sixth century, however, amidst the gradual exit of Paganism in favour of Christianity, the use of numbers became needful. Historic associations assumed a changed retrospect. The earliest missionaries would speak of events as taking place so many tens and hundreds of years after the Passion,[5] and references to the years of Rome would be discarded. Some few heathen ceremonial dates seem to have continued; for instance, at the beginning of summer, the Feast of Beltane.[6] This was afterwards fixed for the kalends of May month,[7] and it formed, along with Hallowmas,[8] Candlemas, and Lammas,[9] the oldest Scottish quarter days.
83. Returning now to the epoch of primary records of Scotland, namely, the reign of Malcolm Canmore, who died in 1093, I find that the earliest authentic writings are the charters of Edgar (1098–1106). These venerable writs are now amongst the Coldingham charters in Durham Cathedral, and are in Latin, The earliest specimen of continous writing in the Scots vernacular language is believed to be the decreet-arbitral of 1385, by Andrew Mercer, Lord Meiklour.[10]
84. But in dealing with those far-off times, it is well to remember Doctor Johnson's observation as to the immense difficulty of getting at a fact. In the same connection one may recall that Sir Walter Scott's remark (speaking of Sir William Wallace), 'It is a great pity we do not know exactly the history of this brave man; for, at the time when he lived, every one was so busy fighting, that there was no person to write down the history of what took place, and afterwards, when there was more leisure for composition, the truths that were collected were greatly mingled with falsehood.' This is a pregnant sentence, and explains the origin of many a myth.
85. In the reign of Alexander I., who died in 1124, some signs of cosmos in chronology appear. There are then Latin charters giving the year of grace, though not the month or day thereof. As we go forward, the month with the year becomes commoner; and often the annual terms are given as so many years 'ab incarnatione.'[11] About the year 1250, the A.D. reckoning is officially disregarded. For a long time thereafter recourse is had to a rougher chronology, namely, the mentioning of a feast day, or the day of a month plus the regnal year.
86. It is interesting to observe that the agreement regarding the surrender of Stirling castle was, that failing its boing relieved by the 'Festival of Saint John the Baptist' then next to come, the castle would be surrendered. The insertion of 24th of June, 1314, as the day of surrender is ex post facto.
87. The famous Treaty of Northampton revealed nothing about 1328, but only that it was executed the first day of March, and in the second year of Edward's reign. However in the year 1424, the Scottish Parliament reverted to the Christian era dates, but the years were nearly always called in each case the year of God. The first of a month sometimes appeared as the kalends, and the second last day as 'penultimo die,' or the penult day. The earliest MS, calendar is that found among the Ayr MSS., dated 1428. Notable events are chronicled, e.g., saints' days, dedication of a church, a great storm. It is in Latin, In perusing the records of an ancient corporation of Scotland of this same century—the fifteenth,—I found that the clerk of that body had used the Indiction terms in Latin to date his minutes. Verily Latin seems to have been then in Scotland what it was in Eastern Europe a millennium before the vulgar or common tongue, so far as regards the small section of the people who could read and write.
88. By proclamation dated on 17th December, 1599,[12] James VI. and his council ordained, 'That in all time coming the first day of the year shall begin yearly upon the first day of January.' Nevertheless, England still held to the former Scottish and English custom of beginning the year on 25th March. Let us, therefore, observe an international traveller's calendar of these times. Let us suppose he left Dumfries on 1st January, 1700. He reached Carlisle that evening. The date would be 1st January, 1699. He proceeds through England, and he sails from Dover to Calais on 31st January, 1699 (English date). He arrives on French soil that same evening to find it is 10th February, 1700. All this is explained when one recalls the fact that the old style prevailed in England till 1751, but that France had adopted the new style in 1582.
89. In the seventeenth century, owing to civil uproar, there are many chronological inaccuracies. liven the erudite Samuel Rutherford, author of the famous Lex Rex, and the more famous epistles, was not always in the habit of dating his 'Letters,' and some of these bearing mention of years, are wrongly dated, as is provable by internal evidences. In view of this vague custom, it is singular that Viscount Stair, in 1681, should state that the date of a writing was an essential, but this opinion was judicially overturned in 1706. Notwithstanding the British statute, on the new style as from 1752, it is surprising to find that in this present year the publishers of the oldest Scottish almanac still 'call attention to the great inconvenience occasioned by reckoning fair or market days according to the old style.' They also point out that the confusion is all the greater because, 'in some places the old style is believed to be 11, and in others—and that correctly—12 days later than the new.'
90. In closing, I may add that, having inspected the numismatic collection in the Museum of Antiquaries at Edinburgh, I gleaned some points of chronological importance. The Scottish coinage begins in the reign of David I, On his death, in 1153, there is a gap of seven years, but from 1296 the issues are continuous and unbroken. Reign by reign the superscriptions become finer, and the ducat piece is the first coin to show an A.D. year, 1537.[13]
- ↑ Columba's Life, p. 26, 'In 563 A.D., years had not begun to be counted from the birth of Christ.'
- ↑ Robertson's Lectures, p. 5: and compare section . . . as to Yule-tide celebrations.
- ↑ Thomson's Acts, introduction.
- ↑ At the point of the sword.
- ↑ And e converso they would count back to that event by a similar notation.
- ↑ Gaelic: Bealteine, Bel's (the sun's) fire.
- ↑ In Ireland its date was the summer solstice.
- ↑ Now 1st November, N.S.
- ↑ Loaf Mass; first fruits of harvest offered by the pious.
- ↑ See Thomson's Acts, Introduction.
- ↑ This modus numerandi was borrowed by the sects from the date-style of the Papal bulls. See section 29 supra.
- ↑ See section 64 supra for Peter the Great's chronnlogical ukases.
- ↑ Scotland was thus seven years before England in this matter. See section 77 supra.