Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills 125
Crockett’s story Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills was serialised between March and April 1894 in the 'St James’s Gazette' and subsequently published as a 20,000 word ‘Antonym’ story by T.Fisher Unwin in July of that year.
Of it Crockett wrote:
'I have finished ‘Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills’ some chapters of which appeared in the St James since I came home. I think it is about the strongest I have done, but a man never knows. It is not clap trap anyway, and I did once run must on the mountainside even thus, though my skin did not crack and scale and other disagreeable things.'
The story is certainly a strange one. It is set in Galloway in Covenanting times and the advertisement at the front of the story runs as follows:
He that tells the tale bears witness that the hereafter to be mentioned Sir Uchtred of Garthland is not that William Mac Dowall of Garthland in the parish of Stoney Kirk, who was a most constant and serious professor and defender of the Covenants National and Solemn League, and several times at mairket to the spoiling of his goods by David Graham, sometime Sheriff of Wigtown. The kindly reader will take carefully this advertisement, both for truth's sake, and still more, that the tale teller may dwell at peace in his own land, where men have long memories, and one may not speak hastily of another man's kin. So all shall be well.
This was in response to a complaint from the MacDowall family. A contemporary reviewer noted it was:
‘Striking and original… This little story shows originality and imagination… it is a gruesome picture, vigorous and forcible.’
On the surface it is a simple ‘adaptation’ of a Biblical story. The basics revolve around Sir Uchtred, who has the curse of Nebuchadnezzar laid on him by Alexander Renfield, minister of Kirkchrist, as a consequence of his Jacobite leanings and his bloody deeds against the Covenanters. However, there is much more to this story. It is riven through with symbolism: the popinjay, the wounded white mountain hare, and the very curse of Nebuchadnezaar contain enough allow for a very deep reading.
The story revels in a classic Scottish fictional conceit: that of duality, of the doppelganger. Here it is represented in the ‘brother against brother’ theme. It is certain that none of the men in the story cover themselves in glory, to my mind not even the minister, Renfield.
The story raised calls of plagiarism, but fellow writer J.M.Barrie offered support, telling Crockett:
‘I never wrote a book yet but some one found out that I had taken the whole of it from somebody of whose existence I had never heard.’
Barrie is sanguine about the charges, but notes that while it is one thing for an established writer, such charges can ruin the reputation of an author just coming into the public notice as Crockett was. Happily, despite on-going rumblings, Crockett kept writing, and his reputation at least in his own day, was not greatly dented.
For more information about Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills, including correspondence relating to it, go to the Members Area.
You can read the full published work (along with The PlayActress) in paperback as Volume 30 of The Galloway Collection. Available for just £4.99 HERE
Of it Crockett wrote:
'I have finished ‘Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills’ some chapters of which appeared in the St James since I came home. I think it is about the strongest I have done, but a man never knows. It is not clap trap anyway, and I did once run must on the mountainside even thus, though my skin did not crack and scale and other disagreeable things.'
The story is certainly a strange one. It is set in Galloway in Covenanting times and the advertisement at the front of the story runs as follows:
He that tells the tale bears witness that the hereafter to be mentioned Sir Uchtred of Garthland is not that William Mac Dowall of Garthland in the parish of Stoney Kirk, who was a most constant and serious professor and defender of the Covenants National and Solemn League, and several times at mairket to the spoiling of his goods by David Graham, sometime Sheriff of Wigtown. The kindly reader will take carefully this advertisement, both for truth's sake, and still more, that the tale teller may dwell at peace in his own land, where men have long memories, and one may not speak hastily of another man's kin. So all shall be well.
This was in response to a complaint from the MacDowall family. A contemporary reviewer noted it was:
‘Striking and original… This little story shows originality and imagination… it is a gruesome picture, vigorous and forcible.’
On the surface it is a simple ‘adaptation’ of a Biblical story. The basics revolve around Sir Uchtred, who has the curse of Nebuchadnezzar laid on him by Alexander Renfield, minister of Kirkchrist, as a consequence of his Jacobite leanings and his bloody deeds against the Covenanters. However, there is much more to this story. It is riven through with symbolism: the popinjay, the wounded white mountain hare, and the very curse of Nebuchadnezaar contain enough allow for a very deep reading.
The story revels in a classic Scottish fictional conceit: that of duality, of the doppelganger. Here it is represented in the ‘brother against brother’ theme. It is certain that none of the men in the story cover themselves in glory, to my mind not even the minister, Renfield.
The story raised calls of plagiarism, but fellow writer J.M.Barrie offered support, telling Crockett:
‘I never wrote a book yet but some one found out that I had taken the whole of it from somebody of whose existence I had never heard.’
Barrie is sanguine about the charges, but notes that while it is one thing for an established writer, such charges can ruin the reputation of an author just coming into the public notice as Crockett was. Happily, despite on-going rumblings, Crockett kept writing, and his reputation at least in his own day, was not greatly dented.
For more information about Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills, including correspondence relating to it, go to the Members Area.
You can read the full published work (along with The PlayActress) in paperback as Volume 30 of The Galloway Collection. Available for just £4.99 HERE
