Story of the Stewarts

8
It is significant however, that Bower, the continuator of
Fordun, another nearly contemporaneous writer, accuses
Barbour of having misrepresented the origin of the Stewarts
in his book " in the vulgar tongue."
At the time when these books were written, the real
origin of the race, whether native or alien, must have been
perfectly well known ; and such a conflict of statement even
in that age, renders the true position all the more uncertain
to-day. Mr Burnet indeed suggests that Barbour was too
much of a courtier to ascribe to his sovereign an English,
or at least a foreign, ancestry ; but on the other hand it
seems incredible that even a courtier would have ventured,
with no shadow of foundation whatever, to ascribe to the
reigning family an origin which not only they but their
subjects must in that case have perfectly well known to be
baseless, and which could only expose both the writer and
his heroes to ridicule.
As has been indicated, these traditionary accounts were
implicitly accepted and believed in for centuries, but more
recent research has caused them to be viewed with scepticism
and at length, in many cases, with entire disbelief.
Lord Hailes, in his "Annals of Scotland," proved that
some at least of these old legendary tales were unworthy of
credit, and this view was shared by Andrew Stuart of Torrance
in his " History of the Stuarts of Castlemilk " written last
century. Neither was able, however, to give any informa-