Bertram de Shotts
Encyclopedia
Bertram de Shotts is known locally as a legendary Giant
that roamed the then village of Shotts
, Scotland
in the 15th Century. Shotts
was then a dreary moorland place on the Great Road of the Shire. The road was an important route for tradesman carrying their wares around Scotland
. Bertram de Shotts habitually savaged packmen and peddlers for treasure carried along the Great Road. Such was the menace of Bertram de Shotts, King James IV of Scotland
ordered his death. Bertram de Shotts was probably in fact seven or eight feet high, yet nonetheless, his presence merited Giant status.
A gripping tale is told how a young man, namely Willielmo De Muirhead, 1st Laird of Muirhead, killed the Giant. With cunning patience he ambushed Bertram de Shotts, immobilising him by slicing both his hamstrings as he lay down to drink at Kate’s Well. Disorientated, Bertram de Shotts was then decapitated in an unpleasant death. A proud, and now wealthy, De Muirhead then carried the blooded head to the King and was rewarded with a 'Hawk's Flight' of land. This land subsequently became Muirhead's Lauchope estate.
A relic of Bertram’s exploits is still to be seen in one of his hide-outs, Law’s Castle, known to old residents as the Giant’s Cup and Saucer. Huge stones they are, standing sentinel in a desolate moorland bowl, in an unutterable silence, brooding and age old.
Despite Bertram de Shotts being a savage thief, the village Shotts is said, with much probability, to have derived its name from the legendary Giant.
Bertram is believed to have lived from around 1467 to 1505, although this cannot be verified.The village where Bertram lived is not Shotts it is actual a small village very near Shotts now called Salsbrugh. A street with no houses in Salabrugh is called Bertram Drive. Locals know one of Bertram's hide-outs as The Giant's Bath.
Gigantism
Gigantism, also known as giantism , is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average...
that roamed the then village of Shotts
Shotts
Shotts is a small rural town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh . As of the 2001 census, the population was 8,235...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the 15th Century. Shotts
Shotts
Shotts is a small rural town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh . As of the 2001 census, the population was 8,235...
was then a dreary moorland place on the Great Road of the Shire. The road was an important route for tradesman carrying their wares around Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Bertram de Shotts habitually savaged packmen and peddlers for treasure carried along the Great Road. Such was the menace of Bertram de Shotts, King James IV of Scotland
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
ordered his death. Bertram de Shotts was probably in fact seven or eight feet high, yet nonetheless, his presence merited Giant status.
A gripping tale is told how a young man, namely Willielmo De Muirhead, 1st Laird of Muirhead, killed the Giant. With cunning patience he ambushed Bertram de Shotts, immobilising him by slicing both his hamstrings as he lay down to drink at Kate’s Well. Disorientated, Bertram de Shotts was then decapitated in an unpleasant death. A proud, and now wealthy, De Muirhead then carried the blooded head to the King and was rewarded with a 'Hawk's Flight' of land. This land subsequently became Muirhead's Lauchope estate.
A relic of Bertram’s exploits is still to be seen in one of his hide-outs, Law’s Castle, known to old residents as the Giant’s Cup and Saucer. Huge stones they are, standing sentinel in a desolate moorland bowl, in an unutterable silence, brooding and age old.
Despite Bertram de Shotts being a savage thief, the village Shotts is said, with much probability, to have derived its name from the legendary Giant.
Bertram is believed to have lived from around 1467 to 1505, although this cannot be verified.The village where Bertram lived is not Shotts it is actual a small village very near Shotts now called Salsbrugh. A street with no houses in Salabrugh is called Bertram Drive. Locals know one of Bertram's hide-outs as The Giant's Bath.
Source
- http://web.ukonline.co.uk/scotlandgenealogy/Short%20hist.htm
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/liamfaetheshire/Review_Bertram&date=2009-10-26+01:48:25
- http://www.motherbedford.com/Muirhead/Muirhead106.htm