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Audiobook edition · 10 h 4 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is loyalty worth when one man fights for honour, another for kinship, and another for his next meal?
In Walter Scott's A Legend of Montrose, Scotland is split by civil war. The Marquis of Montrose gathers Highland clans for King Charles against the Covenanters, with the powerful Marquis of Argyle among his opponents. Old clan feuds run through the struggle, making loyalty a matter of family as well as politics.
Into this divided country rides Dugald Dalgetty, a boastful soldier seeking a master who will feed him and his horse, Gustavus. The young Earl of Menteith serves the king for honour, while Allan M'Aulay's feared visions trouble his clan. Scott brings comedy into the conflict without letting its dangers fade.
What you’ll discover
- A soldier with terms Meet Dalgetty, whose appetite, boasts, and bargaining sit beside a firm respect for his word.
- Loyalties under strain Follow Menteith as duty to the king pulls against the claims of personal feeling.
- Visions that trouble a clan Encounter Allan M'Aulay, whose supposed second sight brings fear rather than comfort to those around him.
- Clans on the march Enter a Highland world where Montrose's campaign draws strength from clans divided by old feuds.
- A harpist with unanswered questions Meet gentle Annot Lyle, whose origins and place in the M'Aulay household invite curiosity.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love Scottish history, Highland clans, castles, feuds and sieges, and anyone who enjoys a comic hero with a head full of Latin and a pocket full of schemes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A hired sword enters the war
- Menteith offers Dalgetty a new employer
- Living torches defend a household's pride
- Allan's visions grow from family violence
- Montrose reveals himself to divided chiefs
- A truce mission becomes a trap
- Dalgetty turns captivity into an escape
- Private motives pull the army apart
- Promises matter amid comedy and cruelty
Who’s who
- Dugald DalgettyA boastful Scottish soldier of fortune from the German wars, he serves whoever pays, yet keeps a strict private code of honor.
- Earl of MenteithA young royalist nobleman, loyal and chivalrous, who brings Dalgetty to the cause and loves the harp player Annot Lyle.
- MontroseThe Earl who raises the Highland clans for King Charles, daring in war and driven by an old rivalry with Argyle.
- Allan M'AulayA fierce, moody Highlander said to have second sight, he hunts the Children of the Mist and loves Annot.
- Angus M'AulayAllan's cheerful older brother and laird of Darnlinvarach, who hosts the chiefs and fiercely defends his family's honor.
- Annot LyleA gifted young harp player raised in the M'Aulay household, whose music calms Allan and whose birth is a mystery.
- Marquis of ArgyleThe powerful chief of the Campbells and leader of the Covenanters, cunning in council and cautious in battle.
- Ranald MacEaghAging outlaw chief of the Children of the Mist, grieving his sons and bound by a debt to Dalgetty.
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A Legend of Montrose
by Walter Scott · 1819
A hired soldier in full armor rides a Highland pass, ready to sell his sword to either side.
Challenging5–10 hours to read16 languages
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In short
Picture a man in full steel armor on a Highland path at sunset. He wears a plumed helmet and a breastplate thick enough to stop a musket ball.
A Legend of Montrose at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 45 min4 h 35 min fast, 6 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 81,800 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1819by Walter Scott
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A hired soldier meets a young earl
The story begins in the middle of a civil war. Scotland's army is away in England helping Parliament, and the Highland chiefs see their chance to rise for the King. The Covenanters rule the west and south, and they feel safe.
On a summer evening a young nobleman rides up a pass in Perthshire with two servants. He is the Earl of Menteith, and he stops a lone armed horseman to ask which side he is on. The stranger will not say. He wants to know first who is asking, and he explains that a gentleman of fortune must weigh his choice. When the earl gives his name and his word, the soldier salutes and rides along.
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- First published
- 1819
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Scott, Walter. A Legend of Montrose. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-legend-of-montrose.
Scott, W. (2026). A legend of Montrose. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-legend-of-montrose (Original work published 1819)
Scott, Walter. A Legend of Montrose. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-legend-of-montrose.
@book{scott2026legend,
author = {Scott, Walter},
title = {A Legend of Montrose},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-legend-of-montrose},
note = {First published 1819}
}
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What is A Legend of Montrose about?
It follows the Earl of Montrose raising the Highland clans for King Charles in the 1640s. The tale centers on a comic mercenary, Dugald Dalgetty, a seer named Allan M'Aulay, and a love story that threatens the royal army.
Who is Dugald Dalgetty?
Dalgetty is a Scottish soldier of fortune who fought in the German wars and comes home to sell his sword. He is vain, hungry, full of Latin sayings and loyal only to those who pay, yet he proves brave.
What is second sight in this book?
Second sight is the Highland belief that some people see future events in visions. Allan M'Aulay claims it, and Scott lets readers decide whether his visions are true or the product of an anxious mind.
The author
Walter Scott
1771–1832 · Scottish novelist and poet
Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist, poet and playwright. He was born in Edinburgh and lived in Scotland, including at Abbotsford near Melrose, where he died. He wrote Marmion (1808), The Lady of the Lake (1810), Waverley (1814), Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819).
More by Walter Scott
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