The Trial of Henry Dundas

Why no history would be better than very, very, bad history

Once again, I am very grateful to you for reading The Debatable Land and more grateful still to those of you who have shared posts here with other people. Special levels of gratitude are, naturally, extended to everyone who has upgraded to a paid subscription.

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle was established by King James VII & II in 1687. The order is restricted to the monarch and 16 knights, plus assorted members of the royal family and foreign sovereigns granted special privileges. It is not as ancient as the Order of the Garter but it is pretty old.

For a long time membership was, as might be expected, largely confined to the aristocracy. The holders of certain titles - the Dukes of Hamilton, Buccleuch, Atholl, Argyll, and Roxburgh - could typically expect to become members of the Order as and when a vacancy arose. Field-Mar…