Last Of The Celtic Kings Traditional Cache
Lactodorum: Rather than keep this cache temporarily disabled (which should only be used for shortish periods) I'm archiving it. If/when the cache is ever replaced I'll gladly unarchive it assuming it still meets the guidelines.
Lactodorum
UK Admin
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This Victorian memorial marks the spot where Scotlands last Celtic king fell to his death - an event that completely changed the course of Scottish history.
Whilst still a child Alexander III succeeded his father, Alexander II, as King of Scotland. At the age of 10 he married Margaret, daughter of Henry III of England and sister to the future Edward I. Alexander III was a strong-willed king who firmly believed in the Independence of Scotland and of the Scots. As a result of his marriage there was little conflict with England and he successfully withstood false claims of sovereignty, both by his father-in-law and his brother-in-law.
Alexander also proved to be a wise and capable King. He built upon the foundations laid by his father and bound the Nation together. He presided over a Scotland largely at peace and with that came rising prosperity and an expansion of Burghs and trade. The whole Nation prospered as never before. He acquired the Hebrides and the Isle of Man from Norway through the Treaty of Perth in 1266 after the defeat of King Haakon at Largs, and this confirmed the emergence of Scotland as a European kingdom of some rank. As part of the peace-making, his daughter married Haakon's grandson, Eric II and together they had a daughter who later became Queen of Scotland for a brief time.
Alexanders wife died in 1275 and the deaths of his children, David in 1281, Margaret in 1283 and Alexander in 1284, left him without a male heir. The King was only 44, and he decided that the best way to avoid a constructional crisis was to remarry and have more sons, so in October 1285 he wed Yolande of Dreux.
Five months later, on the 19th of March 1286 King Alexander III was in good health and maintained firm control of his country - indeed there was nothing to threaten Scotlands independence at this time. He had spent the day at a meeting in Edinburgh and in the evening he set off to return to Fife where Yolande, was waiting for him at Kinghorn. The weather was stormy, bitterly cold, wet and with a strong wind, but despite pleas from his nobles to stay in Edinburgh, the King was determined to return to his wife and rode to Queensferry. There the Ferryman tried to persuade him not to cross the Firth but it was to no avail. Alexander made a slow crossing as the oarsmen struggled against the elements. Eventually they arrived at Inverkeithing where it was so dark that the Saltmaster only recognised his King by his voice. The King again rejected requests to travel no further and asked for two guides to finish his journey with him. Off they rode but in the darkness the King and his companions were separated and he galloped onwards alone, when he was almost at his destination, his horse stumbled on the cliff edge and the king was thrown to his death. His distraught courtiers found his body at the base of the cliffs the following morning and messengers were despatched with the sad news. The nation was left to mourn an energetic, effective monarch who had brought them peace and prosperity.
Alexander's death marked the start of many years of conflict, power struggles and disruption in Scotland. At the time of his death, his heir was his three year old grand-daughter, however she died on her way back to Scotland from Norway and the succession was left open to claimants. Edward I of England was asked to arbitrate, but instead he tried to take over and this led to the long and bloody Wars Of Independence, to Robert the Bruce and then the Stewarts who in turn became kings of both countries.
His death not only marked the end of the direct line of Scottish Kings descended from Kenneth MacAlpine, but was also a turning point in Scottish History. His reign was to be described by future generations, poets and historians, as ‘The Golden Age’. This is still remembered every March when Scots gather at the memorial to pay tribute to Alexanders achievements (best not try to find this cache on that day then!)
Parking conveniently situated a few metres down from the cache.
You will need to bring a pen or pencil with you - and watch out for Yolandes ghost which is still said to haunt the area, looking for her lost love.
Whilst you are here, spare a moment to think about what might have happened if Alexander had not been in such a rush to get home that night. What if he had not taken the ferry to Fife? Or if he had not rode on in the dark? What if he had lived and had a son again? The history of Britain might have been very different.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jurer'f gur zrgny?