A Legend of Montrose

Reading time: about 6.5 h
Length: 89,266 words · 321 pages
Structure: 27 chapters · 2 front-matter sections
Language: English
Era: Romantic

In 1644 the Marquis of Montrose raises the Highlands for King Charles, and the clans come in — with their own quarrels, which matter more to them than the King's. Among them is Dugald Dalgetty of Drumthwacket, a professional soldier back from the German wars who will fight for anyone on a clear contract, quotes the late King of Sweden on every occasion, and is incapable of being impressed or intimidated by anybody. Against the campaign runs the private business of Allan M'Aulay, subject to visions, in love with Annot Lyle, and bound to the feud between his house and the outlawed Children of the Mist.

Walter Scott published the novel in 1819 as one of the Tales of My Landlord, third series, in the same volumes as The Bride of Lammermoor. Dalgetty — pedantic, mercenary and entirely without shame — is among the comic creations Scott's contemporaries valued most highly in him.

This Bibliomancer edition presents the complete text.

New editions

Never lose your place.

This book is free to read in full, and stays that way. Leave an address: one click confirms it and opens a free account, so your progress and bookmarks sync across every device. You'll also hear when the next restored edition enters the archive. Terminate at any time.

Subjects

About this edition

The text is free of copyright. This edition was prepared from an authoritative digitisation, processed by Bibliomancer under its own review protocol; every automated correction is recorded in its transformation log. Rights assessed for CA, EU, GB, US.

Source mind

About the author

Walter Scott

1771–1832 · Romantic

Walter Scott (1771–1832) was born in Edinburgh, practised as an advocate, and held the offices of Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire and Clerk of Session for most of his life. He was the most popular poet in Britain — The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805), Marmion, The Lady of the Lake — before turning, anonymously, to the Waverley novels in 1814. Ivanhoe (1819) was the first he set outside Scotland. Made a baronet in 1820, he was ruined by his publishers’ failure in 1826 and wrote on to pay the debts.

Adjacent records

Open the archive