On this day in 1274

King Robert I of Scotland led the nation through much of the First War of Scottish Independence. He ascended to the throne after the murder of John Comyn in 1306, which led do Robert’s excommunication.

He was crowned King of the Scots at Scone and enjoyed a series of victories against the English kings Edward I and Edward II, advanced into Ireland, the Isle of Man and Northern England, and established diplomatic connections with other nations beyond the British Isles.

Peace between England and Scotland

Following the Scottish success at the Battle of Bannockburn, a petition known as the Declaration of Arbroath was sent to the pope arguing for Robert I’s reacceptance into the church and Scotland’s recognition as an independent nation.

For a while it looked like this would be successful, but then the pope once again looked favourably on the argument of the English throne. Peace was still a long way off, but it finally came more than 200 years later with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton. The Treaty terminated any English claim to Scotland.

Robert the Bruce’s children

He was married twice: first to Isabella of Mar, then to Elizabeth de Burgh. He had one child with Isabella – called Marjorie – but Isabella died in 1296, before he was crowned. He married Elizabeth de Burgh six years later and had five children with her, although he is known to have also had several illegitimate children with other women.

Robert died on 7June 1329 and was dismembered for burial. His body was laid to rest at Dunfermline Abbey, his heart at Melrose Abbey, and his organs at St Serf’s Church in Dumbarton.

 

...and on this day in 1995

Largs has had a railway station since 1885. Part of the Ayrshire Coast Line, it originally had four platforms, but this was reduced to two over the years. Its most significant remodelling came about because of a crash in 1995 when a service from Glasgow Central crashed through the buffers and ticket office. A significant part of the station was demolished, and the train ended up on the road. Less than an hour later, a different train hit the buffers at Liverpool Lime Street Station.

The Aberdeen Evening Express carried the story of the Largs crash on its front page of 11 July 1995, under the headline “Five hurt in train crash”, it described how “the train ploughed through the buffers went through part of the concourse, then smashed into two shops, demolishing one and half-demolishing the other, ending up buried beneath the rubble…”