John Burnet of Barns

by John Buchan

Overview

Set in the Scottish Borders in 1678, John Burnet of Barns is the story of two young noblemen -- John Burnet, heir to the ancient house of Barns and the last in a long line of Border reivers; and his cousin, Captain Gilbert Burnet, a dashing but ruthless soldier of fortune.

Despite their family ties, an enduring rivalry develops between them, causing them to cross swords on more than one occasion. This smouldering feud swiftly becomes a matter of life and death when John travels to the Low Countries. In his absence, Gilbert Burnet seizes the opportunity to settle things once and for all, and John returns home to discover that he has been denounced as an agent of the Covenanters, outlawed, and deprived of his rightful inheritance.

A tale of honour and loyalty, betrayal and retribution, John Burnet of Barns is also a marvellous evocation of the Border country during the 'Killing Time' of the Covenanting period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781023399869
Publisher:	Anson Street Press
Publication date:	03/29/2025
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

John Buchan was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist. He published nearly 30 novels and seven collections of short stories. He was born in Perth, an eldest son, and studied at Glasgow and Oxford. In 1901 he became a barrister of the Middle Temple and a private secretary to the High Commissioner for South Africa. In 1907 he married Susan Charlotte Grosvenor and they subsequently had four children. After spells as a war correspondent, Lloyd George's Director of Information and Conservative MP, Buchan moved to Canada in 1935. He served as Governor General there until his death in 1940. Hew Strachan is Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford; his research interests include military history from the 18th century to date, including contemporary strategic studies, but with particular interest in the First World War and in the history of the British Army.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	ix
Book I	Tweeddale
I	The Adventures Which Befell me in the Wood of Dawyck	3
II	The House of Barns	9
III	The Spate in Tweed	17
IV	I go to the College at Glasgow	25
V	Cousinly Affection	33
VI	How Master Gilbert Burnet Played a Game and was Checkmated	44
VII	The Pegasus Inn at Peebles and How a Stranger Returned from the Wars	52
VIII	I Take Leave of my Friends	60
IX	I Ride Out on my Travels and Find a Companion	65
Book II	The Low Countries
I	Of my Voyage to the Low Countries	75
II	I Visit Master Peter Wishart	85
III	The Story of a Supper Party	94
IV	Our Adventure on the Alphen Road	100
V	The First Sunday of March	106
VI	The First Monday of March	112
VII	I Spend My Days in Idleness	118
VIII	The Coming of the Brig Seamaw	125
IX	An Account of My Home-Coming	131
Book III	The Hillmen
I	The Pier O' Leith	137
II	How I Rode to the South	143
III	The House of Dawyck	151
IV	How Michael Veitch Met His End	157
V	I Claim a Promise, and We Seek the Hills	162
VI	The Cave of the Cor Water	168
VII	How Two of his Majesty's Servants Met with Their Deserts	175
VIII	Of Our Wanderings Among the Moors of Clyde	182
IX	I Part from Marjory	188
X	Of the Man With the One Eye and the Encounter in the Green Cleuch	193
XI	How a Miller Strove with His Own Mill Wheel	200
XII	I Witness a Valiant Ending	207
XIII	I Run a Narrow Escape for My Life	215
XIV	I Fall in with Strange Friends	222
XV	The Baillies of No Man's Land	227
XVI	How Three Men Held a Town in Terror	233
XVII	Of the Fight in the Moss of Biggar	239
XVIII	Smitwood	245
Book IV	The Westlands
I	I Hear No Good in the Inn at the Fords O' Clyde	257
II	An Old Journey with a New Errand	263
III	The House with the Chipped Gables	269
IV	Up Hill and Down Dale	275
V	Eaglesham	281
VI	I Make My Peace with Gilbert Burnet	289
VII	Of a Voice in the Eventide	298
VIII	How Nicol Plenderleith Sought His Fortune Elsewhere	304
IX	The End of All Things	309

Editorial Reviews

Buchan knew that you can't buck the consequences of your actions, and that your life is what you make of it. Perhaps his peculiarly Scottish combination of Romanticism and Calvinism - daring living and high thinking - is due to return to fashion.

The Independent Magazine