The writing of Crockett brought me to tears
The Standard Bearer was published in 1898 but is still as powerful today, claims Brendan Gisby
Iread a chapter in a book the other night, after which I sobbed like a baby. That was a highly unusual occurrence for a battle-scarred, hardened chap like me who is well into his sixth decade. But the chapter in question, which described the death by consumption of a young Scots lass by the name of Jean Gemmell, was written so powerfully and yet so tenderly that I just couldn’t help myself.
The book I was reading is by no means some slick, modern-day tearjerker. Called The Standard Bearer, it was first published in 1898. And it was written by one Samuel Rutherford Crockett, who was born in Galloway in 1859 and died in 1914.
Sadly, most people have never heard of Crockett. Yet in his day he was a prolific author, much in public demand, with some 70 published works during his lifetime. A contemporary and competitor of Robert Louis Stevenson, he and RLS shared a mutual admiration. Unlike RLS, however, Crockett’s fame did not live on. Somewherealongthe line, the literati decided that he was “kailyard”, a derogatory term for authors who are thought to present overly sentimental depictions of Scottish life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I’ve read about a dozen of Crockett’s books so far. And each new one has become my favourite once I’ve finished it. Obviously, The Standard Bearer is my latest favourite. It’s billed as a love story, but it’s more than that, so much more. Like most of Crockett’s work, the book has everything – an historical context, violence, skulduggery and humour, as well as romance. Its characters are superbly and realistically drawn, with all of them speaking in their native Scots tongue. There are equally superb descriptions of Crockett’s beloved Galloway landscape. And there’s not a sentimental word to be found in the whole of the story!
I’ve been able to read all those Crockett books, and I intend to read a lot more of them, thanks to the valiant efforts of a feisty lady called Cally Phillips, who for the last three years has been spearheading almost singlehandedly a revival in both Crockett’s reputation and his work. During that time, Cally has republished some 40 of Crockett’s books, with many more to come. She has set up a wonderful website dedicated to Crockett, named The Galloway Raiders (http://www. gallowayraiders.co.uk) after Crockett’s most well-known book, The Raiders. And she has been successful in building a flourishing membership of the website.
So to paraphrase a more modern famous Scottish author: Choose to read unsentimental 19th-century Scottish literature. Choose to read Samuel Rutherford Crockett. Choose to visit The Galloway Raiders website. Choose to become a member of the Galloway Raiders. If you have a love for beautifully written Scots historical fiction, you’ll not regret those choices. And if enough people make the choices, perhaps one day here in Scotland we’ll be able to celebrate SRC Day as well as RLS Day. Brendan Gisby is a retired businessman. He lives in Crieff, Perthshire and runs Mcstorytellers short story website: http://www.mcstorytellers. com