John Barbour wrote that Robert the Bruce broke a favourite axe killing Henry de Bohun at the Battle of Bannockburn. Accounts tell that the English knight lowered his lance and charged at Bruce. The Scot stood his ground. At the last minute, Bruce side-stepped the charge, bringing down his axe on the challenger’s head. [1]
John Barbour was a Scottish poet who died on 13 March 1395, probably in Aberdeen.
He is best known for his epic poem The Brus, which tells the story of the life and heroic deeds of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland who famously defeated the English army at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
Not much is known about Barbour’s early life. He was born in Aberdeen around 1320 and was educated at the University of Oxford. He assumed the archdeaconry of Aberdeen in 1356, a position he held until his death.
During his time as archdeacon, Barbour wrote The Brus, which was completed in 1376. It was probably written under the patronage of Robert II, grandson of Robert the Bruce, who ascended the throne in 1371, and in whose court Barbour held several posts. Written in Middle Scots and consisting of more than 13,000 lines of poetry, it is a romance verse, a sweeping poem that celebrates the life of The Bruce and the age of chivalry. Barbour received the gift of ten pounds Scots, and in 1378 a life pension of twenty shillings.
The Brus is considered one of the most important works of Scottish literature and has played a key role in shaping Scottish national identity. Its robust vocabulary and lively description of action have ensured the poem is still read today and appreciated for the glimpse it gives into medieval history.
The only evidence of Barbour’s final years is his signature as a witness to sundry deeds in the “Register of Aberdeen” in 1392. According to the obit-book of St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen he died on 13 March 1395 and state records show that his life-pension was not paid after that date. Barbour made provision for a mass to be sung for himself and his parents, an instruction that was observed until the Reformation. He was buried in the grounds of his Cathedral, from where his marble memorial has since been moved to an inner wall.