[MR] Wikipedia: Death of Saint Margaret of Scotland

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, Especially Scots and Saxons:

On this day in 1093, the most remarkable Queen Consort of Scotland,
Margaret of Wessex, died.

Margaret was the daughter of Edward the Exile and a Hungarian (or German)
noble woman, Agatha. Her father was recalled as the possible successor to
English King Edward the Confessor. Edward the Exile was dead two days after
he returned to England in 1057, probably assassinated.

When William the Conqueror won the English throne at the Battle of
Hastings, Margaret's family fled to northern England. After a failed
uprising by the Saxon barons in 1068, the family took a ship for the
continent and an eventual return to Hungary. The ship was blown off course
and made landfall in Scotland. The refugees were given protection by King
of Scots, Malcolm III (yes, of Shakespeare fame), and he and Margaret
married in 1070.

Malcolm gave Queen Margaret a free hand in religious matters. She is
credited with reforming the rather backward Scottish church, and bringing
it into alignment with Rome. She was also personally pious, and personally
fed beggars, orphans and the poor.

She is incorrectly credited with founding the Queen's Ferry, which operated
across the Firth of Forth. The ferry was already there, but Margaret built
hostels on both banks for pilgrims headed to St. Andrews Cathedral, and
talked Malcolm into making the ferry free to pilgrims.

Queen Margaret was already near death in 1093 when she learned Malcolm and
their eldest son Edward had been killed at the Battle of Alnwick on 13
November. She too passed away hours later, and was buried in
Dunfirmline Abbey, her favorite church.

For her piety and service to the church, plus posthumus miracles, Margaret
was canonized in 1249 or 1259.

More about Queen Margaret is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Margaret_of_Scotland .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆