Tradition, Rabbie Burns and The Braes of Killiecrankie

Tradition, the local folk memory, often turns out to be right. Sometimes it is written down or captured in verse or song and so it lives on. Some readers will be familiar with the popular song The Braes of Killiecrankie.  There was apparently an early version of this song but this one comes to us from via Scotland's great poet Rabbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire.

It takes  the form of a narrative between two Williamite soldiers one old and one young.  It is the older man's voice we hear and he wants the younger to know that whatever he has experienced in the wars it was nothing to what happened at Killiecrankie.  As you can see it's written in Scots and it's full of information so let's have a look at it verse by verse.

Where hae ye been sae braw, lad?
Where hae ye been sae brankie-o?
Where hae ye been sae braw, lad?
Cam' ye by Killiecrankie-o?

Our old soldier asks the young one where he has been looking so fine (in his uniform) and where he has been fighting?  And if he had passed by Killiecrankie?

An' ye had been where I hae been
Ye wadna been sae cantie-o
An' ye had seen what I hae seen
On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o

Our old soldier says if the young one had been where he had been (at the Battle of Killiecrankie) and seen what he had seen on the slopes of Killiecrankie he would not be so cheerful.  We can note he correctly says the battle was fought on sloping ground.

I fought at land, I fought at sea
At hame I fought my auntie-o
But I met the Devil and Dundee
On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o

Our old soldier sets out his credentials as a fighting man.  He has fought on land and on sea, he even fought with relatives at home.  But he met the Devil and Dundee and a Highland Army on the slopes of Killiecrankie and that was different.

The bauld pitcur fell in a furr
And Clavers gat a clankie-o
Or I had fed an Athol gled
On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o 

Our old soldier gives more details. But for Halliburton of Pitcur falling in a furrow and Dundee (Claverhouse) getting hit our narrator thinks he would have been killed and that his corpse would have fed the buzzards on the slopes of Killiecrankie. It implies our old soldier was involved in the fiercest of the fighting, perhaps with Balfour's Regiment. It also implies that this was the moment to make a run for it while the Highlanders were distracted by their stricken leaders.

Oh fie, MacKay, What gart ye lie
I' the brush ayont the brankie-o?
Ye'd better kiss'd King Willie's loff
Than come tae Killiecrankie-o 

Our old soldier makes the point that even Mackay, his General and a brave man, found himself hiding in the bushes with other Williamite survivors while the Highlanders cut down his fleeing army.  Mackay had cut his way through the Jacobites and did indeed gather survivors and seek to conceal them from their foes.  Our narrator allows himself informed comment, Mackay should not have fought at Killiecrankie he should have found another way to prove his loyalty to the Williamite cause.  In fact Killiecrankie was not ideal ground for the Williamites and William never trusted any of the officers involved in the coup against James, Mackay included, .

It's nae shame, it's nae shame
It's nae shame to shank ye-o
There's sour slaes on Athol braes
And the de'ils at Killiecrankie-o 

Here we get to the point.  The old soldier says it was no shame to run away that day. He cannot, and will not be judged for it. It does not impugn his courage, he had fought but at the end there was nothing else to do but to run.  The sour sloes (Blackthorn I think) might be an allusion to the dead Williamite soldiers on the battle field.  Sloes are used to make Gin and Gin was the Williamite drink.

The de'il at Killiecrankie was Dundee and the Jacobite Army who, we can note, drank Brandy. 

The verses must have accorded with tradition and the popular memory of the course of the battle else it would not have survived in Scottish popular culture.  It is also a splendid piece of work.  If you fancy a listen here are the Corries: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn3wZ2Buu2Y