Tapestry of the Boar

Tranter gives us the source of the Lion Rampant as the symbol of the Scottish Throne. We see how William the Lion dropped the Black Boar on Silver which used to be the symbol for the King of Scots and Alba and took up the Red Lion Rampant on Gold. This book is the story of Hugh de Swinton, second son of a second son of a Merse Lord and distant kin to the Earl of Dunbar. Hugh rises through the ranks of society by fame of the Boars he slays and exploits as a scout with his illegitimate half brother Duncan in the rising of the Earl of Galloway. He draws the attention of King Malcolm the Maiden. He is chosen by the King to help find a proper location for the first Hospital in Scotland at Soutra and plan it out. For this he receives a Lairdship which he splits with his brother and is Knighted. With this fame and the further rebellion of Somerled and the Earl of Ross he comes to the attention of the Thane of Arbuthnott and Mearns. He slays a great boar and leads the Thanes men. Hugh then falls in love with the Thanes only daughter and heir and tries to prove himself worthy of her hand in marriage. This eventually requires the consent of the now King William the Lion for he and his sons will become Thanes of Arbuthnott. A good story which is a little slow from the beginning but picks up speed as I got comfortable with Hugh and watch him climb the social rungs and fall in love "Tranter style". This is a fun story and explanation to the beginning of the Royal Lion Rampant of Scotland.