History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 94

"After the death of King Fergus, "Graym" became guardian to the young King Eugene
(his grandson), and when he had restored religion, law and order to the state, he
resigned his guardianship and placed the government of the kingdom in Eugene’s
hands as soon as that monarch reached full age.
"Whether every descendant of the Montrose family accepts this tradition we must
leave to their own decision, but it would seem that the characteristics and records of
the family point rather to the Scandinavian than Norman descent, which is the other
alternative of William de Graeme’s origin."

A Mysterious (and Debatable) Inscription
For those who accept the former, a very interesting account of the building of the wall
of Antoninus, showing its date and progress, may be found in Mr. Gillespie’s edition of
the History of Stirlingshire, to which I am indebted for the following: "When Falkirk
Parish Church (which had been built by Malcolm Canmore) was razed to the ground in
1011 a white marble slab was discovered amongst the foundations, about one foot
square in size. It bears two inscriptions — one relating to the foundation of the
monastery in 1057, and the other to the memory of the Thane who broke down the
great wall. The latter runs as follows:
FVNLRATVS HIC DESN ROB GRAHAM
ILLE EVERVS VALL SEVERVS
A.C.D. 15 FERGVSIVS II R. SCO.
From the existence of this slab*, it seems that the tradition must have been accepted
as fact in the year 1057. That the remains of this wall in that district are called to this
day "Graham’s Dyke" cannot be disputed. (*Metropolitan Museum Edinburgh: This is
thought by some to be a forgery.)
James Browne’s assertion that the whole tradition is "absurd fiction" is scarcely
argument, and certainly not proof, especially as he appears unable to give any reason
for the name the Dyke bears: the etymology, he says, "has confounded antiquarians
and puzzled philologists" which he throws great doubt on its being derived from
"Grym," which signifies strength, in the British and Welsh languages of the period.
In an old black-letter book in the library at Innerpeffray, Perthshire, (the title-page of
which is very quaintly ornamented and bears the date 1577 as the year of printing), is
the most detailed account of "Grym" that I have hitherto come across.
The book is a history of Scotland, dedicated to the Lord Robert Dunley, Earl of
Lycester, Baron of Denbigh, Knight of the Garter, etc. The author is one Raphael
Holmshead. The following are extracts:
"The Scots and Picts being informed (of the building of the wall) they assembled
together, and under the leading of a noble man called Graym, they set upon the
Brytagnes (who were building the Dyke from Abercorn to Dumbarton by order of the
Romans, making it of ‘turfe,’ sustained with certain posts of timber passing athwart the
border) as they were busie in working about the same, and slue not only a great
number of labours and souldiours, which were set to labour to defend the work, but
also entering into the British borders fetched from thence a great bootie of cattaile and
other riches, etc.

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