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Revealed: Scott's Waterloo souvenirs

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Published Date: 16 June 2008
By BRIAN FERGUSON
HE FAMOUSLY set off for the scene of the Battle of Waterloo as soon as he heard of Napoleon's defeat at the hands of the Allies in 1815.
Along with a poem based on the testimonies of soldiers, Sir Walter Scott also returned to Scotland with four flags he retrieved from the Belgian battlefield.

But their existence has largely been kept secret as they were hidden away at his famous Borders home, Abbotsford, where the celebrated poet and author wrote some of his most famous works – including Waverley, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe.

Plans to put them on display are now being drawn up after they were found in a search of Abbotsford by a new trust which has taken over its running.

Larry Furlong, custodian of the trust, said the banners – one French and three British – had been stored in a cupboard between Scott's study and his library.

It is believed only a handful of people have been aware of their existence since they were brought to Abbotsford.

Mr Furlong said: "The banners are obviously extremely rare indeed and aren't in a great condition.

"They may need some restoration work before they go on display for the first time."

Edinburgh-born Scott had been among the first British civilians to view the battlefield, where he began work on his poem, The Field of Waterloo, proceeds of which were to aid widows and the orphans of soldiers.

Plans are now being drawn up to put the flags on public display along with the existing treasure-trove of artefacts at Abbotsford, including Rob Roy's broad-sword, sporran and gun, and an 18th-century clock owned by Marie Antoinette.

Abbotsford was first opened to the public in 1833, five months after Scott's death. But its future has been uncertain since the death of his last direct descendent, Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott, four years ago.

About £10 million is needed to restore Abbotsford to its former glory, with an application for Heritage Lottery Funding expected in the autumn.

Members of the Abbotsford Trust, headed up by the Duke of Buccleuch, had no idea the banners even existed.

Jacquie Wright, executive member of the trust, said: "These banners were collected by Scott himself when he visited the field of battle, and he also subsequently met and dined with the Duke of Wellington."

FACT BOX

FOUGHT on Sunday 18 June, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo decisively saw the end of 26 years of hostilities between the France and other European powers.

The phrase "facing my Waterloo" has come to mean facing defeat, and features in the lyrics of Swedish pop group ABBA's 1974 Eurovision-winning song, Waterloo.

The full article contains 445 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 15 June 2008 9:44 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

JSP,

O'Connor 16/06/2008 00:37:06
I hope the Abbotsford Trust get the money they need to restore an international treasure. Sir Walter souvenired some amazing things that we are lucky enough to see today. Wonder what else is hiding in the attics?
2

Royster,

16/06/2008 08:08:03
Strange. That flag looks like a Russian Tsarist flag. Were there any Russian troops at Waterloo as part of the Allied force?
3

Royster,

16/06/2008 08:11:14
Also, why would these flags be left at the battlefield?
4

Roy,

16/06/2008 09:16:31
"HE FAMOUSLY set off for the scene of the Battle of Waterloo as soon as he heard of Napoleon's defeat at the hands of the Allies in 1815."

How long before he arrived at Waterloo to go scavenging? Ryanair didn't operate in 1815!
5

Beth Boyle,

NY 16/06/2008 10:45:31
I visited Abbottsford Last August and it is an amazing place. It's hard to believe there is no money to protect this property for all time from the Government. I guess funding Donald Trump is far more important. Sir Walter Scott was the Steven Spielberg of his day and no other author was so aware of how important it was that Scotland's History be preserved and passed on to the next generation. His novels are a bit hard to read today but the impact he made on the world can never be denied. In away you could say he is the great grand daddy of Scottish Nationalism! Movies have been made of many of his works. He was a master story teller. I was so impressed by Abbotsford I built a website in about Walter Scott! http://www.ramshornstudio.com/scott.htm
6

I should be studying,

Edinburgh 16/06/2008 11:25:55
#5 Interesting website Beth, you're right about his novels being hard to read - I'm struggling with Ivanhoe at the moment :) I think I'll have to get down to Abbotsford myself! However, I would disagree with your point about him being the 'great grand daddy of Scottish Nationalism' - I understood that although being a proud Scot, and as Scottish as you can be, he was, I believe, pro-Union. Unfortunately, today, I think he would be called a traitor by many SNP supporters. Have a good day!
7

Americanbob,

Edinburgh 16/06/2008 12:38:52
#2 and 3 The Standard (not a flag or a banner) looks more like a Prussian one to me, and they were certainly at Waterloo, this story sounds curious as: 1. It refers to one French and 3 British "banners" (see above)
2. If the one shown is one of these four and is Prussian what are the other three?
3. No British Regiment lost its colors at Waterloo to the best of my knowledge. I cannot speak for any of the many other nations troops involved.
4. As you rightly point out what Regiment would leave its colors lying around on a battlefield presumably for several months after the battle (allowing for the time it would take Scott to get to the site)
I hate to spoil a good story in the Scotsman but I fear that if Scott did collect these things in Belgium he was probably sold them by dealers who were disposing of Napoleons ill gotten gains!
8

Sedov,

Scotland 16/06/2008 13:37:59
#5&6 you do not need to be a nationalist to be proud of your country. Walter Scott was a staunch Tory and done more for tartan, and Scottish tourism than Gene Kelly and Brigadoon. The borders needs a good hostel for its poorer war veterans. Abbostford would make an ideal choice for them. I would personally support a flag day to raise funds for a worthwhile conversion from its present state of decay to a hostel for our war veterans and the sale of the above artifacts could add to the fund raising.
9

waterloo3,

Alyth 16/06/2008 14:13:15
I think that flag is Polish - it is the black double-headed eagle of the Russian Tsar on top of the blue St Andrew's cross on a white ground for the Kingdom of Poland from 1815 onwards (when it was of course ruled by the Russians). More information here: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/Flags/pl-xix.html#kop

The only 'Poles' I know of as having fought at Waterloo were Napoleon's Polish lancers, but they of course wouldn't have been carrying a Tsarist flag. I wonder who was carrying it.
10

Bauldie Willie,

Bolton 16/06/2008 16:23:53
Re the flag, The eagle appears to be that of the Holy Roman Empire with ducal arms on the wings. Unfortunately the photo is so small you can't make out any details. It's definitely not Russian or Prussian, their military standards had a fairly common pattern and although they featured a double headed eagle, it was in a completely different format.

There were a number of German formations in the Allied army commanded by Wellington and I suspect that this belonged to one of them.

Tourists from Britain were appearing at Waterloo within a few days of the battle, so Scott could easily have been there in a few weeks at most. I'm sure that he bought the flags from one of the local peasants who started looting the battlefield on the night of the battle!

I visited Abbotsford in the early 1980s and there were a number of Waterloo items on display then including a cuirass and helmet.
11

Beth Boyle,

NY 16/06/2008 19:47:12
#6 I have not made up my mind if I am pro independence. I am not talking about the SNP I am talking about national pride and nationhood. The Union may well be worth preserving but it cannot be denied there is a difference in culture between England and Scotland just as there is a difference between Ireland and Wales. Over done nationalism is an ugly thing and can cause prejudice and even violence. It cannot be denied however that the English establishment has always treated Scotland as the poor stepchild and at times has been pathetically patronizing and twee about Scottish Culture. That is what I would like to see changed if the Union is preserved. I enjoyed seeing the cottage where the Black Dwarf lived as well as the statue build of him. He was a real person and Scott based a novel on the story of his life. I also went to his grave. None of those places are marked for tourists so if you want to see them you need to contact someone in the Manor Valley or around Peebles to get some help.
12

Steve Evans,

Malta 16/06/2008 21:00:20
With the Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in 2015, its good to see some moves early into what will no doubt be a long year of celebrations. Just hope Scotland realy gets in on the act.After all the country made a terrific and proud contribution to the battle. A great time to look into your Ancestry!!
13

Navvy,

17/06/2008 01:32:42
Some very good questions none of which the article addresses. Just because it is a (reversed saltire) there seems to have been an assumption, perhaps by Scott too, that it was Scottish.
My own Scottish family arms include a double headed eagle - red, not black
14

Americanbob,

Edinburgh 17/06/2008 11:21:43
Having now seen a hard copy of the Scotsman which includes two other photographs of the "banners" I think I can revise my original guess on the origin of the one at the top of this page. The central double headed eagle is that of Austria but the reason for the background is unclear (the symbol was normally painted to cover almost the full size of the color with a white or yellow background depending on the period)
However, the other two photograph confirm my suspicion that Sir Walter was conned, one shows what purports to be a French Line infantry color - that of the 105th (sic) regiment. Whilst it is true that the 105th did lose their Eagle (the staff to which the color would have been attached) it is highly unlikely that a French unit would add "th" to the end of their numeral, the most likely endings being "e" or "eme" and whoever captured the Eagle is unlikely to have thrown away the color. i.e. It's a fake.
The second photograph shows what is more likely to be a masonic lodge flag than a military color, the clasped hand in the center do not appear on any military standards of that period and looks more like something out of the ECW.
It will be interesting to see what the experts say about these artefacts.

 

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