Frontier Partisans

The Adventurers, Rangers and Scouts Who Fought the Battles of Empire

Hail The Black Douglas!

November 16, 2018, by JimC

There is much to like about Outlaw/King, Netflix’s telling of the rebellion of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. In a very real sense, this tale is a prequel to North American frontier history, for the contested Scots/English borderlands bred the people who, 400 years on, would form the cutting edge of the 18th Century frontier. As HP over at Hillbilly Highways points out:

The history of the Scots-English border region is the history of hillbillies.

The film offers a brutal and breathtaking depiction of medieval warfare, better than anything else I’ve seen.

Apparently young Florence Pugh, who plays Elizabeth, Bruce’s second wife by arranged marriage, has all the buzz these days. She stars in the upcoming Little Drummer Girl, which looks fantastic. I am perfectly willing to climb on that hype wagon; she’s quite arresting.

But for me the best thing in Outlaw/King is James Douglas, played with mad relish by Aaron Taylor Johnson. I’ve always loved the story of the wild warrior who gave his sword to Robert in a quest to recover his ancestral lands, confiscated by the English. A guerrilla warrior of the first water, he was every bit the badass that William Wallace was — and ultimately more successful.

James Douglas in Outlaw/King.

One of his most famous exploits — depicted well (though too briefly) in the film — was his raid on his own family castle. The Douglas Archives tells the tale:

In 1307, at a time that Bruce’s forces were hiding in the Carrick hills near Turnberry, James Douglas sought permission to launch an attack on his own property of Douglas castle, still at this time in English hands. Accompanied by only two men James made his way to his ancestral estates in Douglasdale. Here he sought out a Thomas Dickson, a loyal tenant who would have known him as a young boy. With Dickson’s help he recruited more of the local men in order to ambush the castle garrison.

On Palm Sunday while the garrison were attending church service some of Douglas’s men mingled with the congregation with others waiting outside, although the attack started prematurely Douglas was victorious, capturing or killing the entire garrison. Douglas and his men then retired to the castle where they sat down to the meal ready prepared for the garrison upon their return. After taking what was useful from the castle stores, the wells were poisoned and all remaining supplies were scattered across the cellars, the remaining prisoners were brought down and beheaded with their bodies joining those of their already deceased comrades on the pile of stores, the whole lot was then fired, this episode became known as the “Douglas Larder.”

The Douglas Larder. Art by the late Andrew Hillhouse.

Brutal man fighting a brutal war. Johnson captures his extreme savagery and dark charisma brilliantly.

Douglas really did wear that starred surcoat. The man had style…

 

James was called The Black Douglas because he was dark-haired — and his reputation among the English was black indeed. As Robert’s rebellion gained momentum, Douglas raided into the northern counties of England, where he became such a bogeyman that he was immortalized in nursery rhymes:

Hush ye, hush ye, little pet ye,

Hush ye, hush ye, do not fret ye,

The Black Douglas shall not get ye…

Douglas died beautiful, cut down while battling an overwhelming force of Moors in Spain. One badass Frontier Partisan, that one.

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Comments

  1. H.P. @ Hillbilly Highways says

    November 16, 2018 at 7:32 am

    I didn’t mention it in my post, but, yes, the Black Douglas was a highlight. It was really a shame they didn’t give more runtime to the guerilla campaign.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      November 16, 2018 at 8:37 am

      Yeah, I want that 20 minutes back!

      Reply
  2. RLT says

    November 16, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    Surely there’s a circle of Frontier Partisan hell for those who fall asleep during “The Outlaw King” and don’t finish it!

    I do remember liking the relationship portrayed between Mr. and Mrs. The Bruce.

    I also loved the way the title shows up on screen: “outlaw/king” Seemed like a deliberate nod to the old concept of “homo sacer,” which uses the double meaning of “sacer” (sacred/accursed) to describe a legal status of being outside the law, applied both to outlaws and kings.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      November 16, 2018 at 1:17 pm

      Nice catch there.

      I think Netflix is designed to allow for falling asleep on it…

      Reply
  3. deuce says

    November 17, 2018 at 8:27 am

    “Douglas died beautiful, cut down while battling an overwhelming force of Moors in Spain.”

    He died in Spain CARRYING THE HEART OF THE BRUCE, who had pledged to go on Crusade but never did. Jamie died carrying out the last wish of his liege and best friend. Doesn’t get cooler than that. Here’s a good article on the Black Douglas which also sports an early illo from Angus McBride:

    https://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/13200/black-douglas-the-fearless-scottish-scourge/

    “But for me the best thing in Outlaw/King is James Douglas, played with mad relish by Aaron Taylor Johnson.”

    Johnson looks cool and all, and it sounds like he did a great job, but would it have been too much to ask for him to dye his hair black?

    Al Harron has posted a lengthy and insightful review of OUTLAW/KING here:

    https://wildernessofpeace.wordpress.com/2018/11/14/outlaw-king-review/

    Reply
  4. John M Roberts says

    November 17, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    That murder in the church was rough, but he had it Comyn.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      November 17, 2018 at 4:36 pm

      Sigh…

      Reply
      • John M Roberts says

        November 17, 2018 at 10:04 pm

        Heh, heh

        Reply

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