David Crawford, or Crawfurd or Craufurd, (1665–1726), of Drumsoy, was a Scottish

Historiographer Royal Historiographer Royal is the title of an appointment as official chronicler or historian of a court or monarch. It was initially particularly associated with the French monarchy, where the post existed from at least 1550, but in the later 16th and 1 ...

Life

He was the son of David Crawford of Drumsoy, and a daughter of James Crawford of Baidland, afterwards Ardmillan, a prominent opponent of the Covenanters. He was educated at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and called to the bar. Crawford was appointed historiographer for Scotland by Queen Anne. Crawford died in 1726, leaving an only daughter and heiress, Emilia, who died unmarried in 1731.

Works

In 1706 Crawford published his ''Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, containing a full and impartial account of the Revolution in that Kingdom begun in 1567. Faithfully published from an authentic manuscript''. The manuscript was, he said, presented him by Sir James Baird of Saughton Hall, who purchased it from the widow of an episcopal clergyman. The ''Memoirs'' were dedicated to the

Earl of Glasgow Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle. The first earl was subsequently one of the commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Union uniting the Kingdom of England and the King ...

, and the stated aim in publishing them was to provide an antidote to

George Buchanan George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...

's ''History''. On 27 July 1706 Crawford wrote to

George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie FRS (1630–1714), known as Sir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet from 1654 to 1685 and as The Viscount of Tarbat from 1685 to 1703, was a Scottish statesman. Life He was born at Innerteil, near Kinghorn, Fi ...

describing his appointment and controversy over the ''Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland''. He wrote "the title of historiographer is a terrible eyesore to some folks." For more than a century Crawford's work was taken as a genuine unedited transcript of the manuscript, and relied on by

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment phil ...

, William Robertson, and other historians.

Malcolm Laing Malcolm Laing (1762 – 6 November 1818) was a Scottish historian, advocate and politician. Life He was born to Robert Laing and Barbara Blaw at the paternal estate of Strynzia or Strenzie, on Stronsay, Orkney; Samuel Laing and Gilbert Laing ...

in 1804 published ''The Historie and Life of King James the Sext'' as contained in the Belhaven manuscript, a prototype of Crawford's ''Memoirs''. Laing asserted that the ''Memoirs'' of Crawford were akin to a forgery. Passages unfavourable to Mary, Queen of Scots had been omitted, and statements taken from the published works of

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...

John Spottiswood John Spottiswoode (Spottiswood, Spotiswood, Spotiswoode or Spotswood) (1565 – 26 November 1639) was an Archbishop of St Andrews, Primate of All Scotland, Lord Chancellor, and historian of Scotland. Life He was born in 1565 at Greenbank in ...

James Melville of Halhill Sir James Melville (1535–1617) was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer, and father of the poet Elizabeth Melville. Life Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith, in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason ...

, and others added. Another version of the original text, the Newbattle manuscript of the ''Historie of James the Sext'', in the possession of the Marquis of Lothian, was published by the

Bannatyne Club The Bannatyne Club, named in honour of George Bannatyne and his famous anthology of Scots literature the Bannatyne Manuscript, was a text publication society founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history ...

in 1825. Thomson, Thomas, ed.
''The historie and life of King James the Sext: being an account of the affairs of Scotland from the year 1566 to the year 1596'', Edinburgh (1825)
/ref> Crawford was also the author of: * ''Courtship-a-la-mode, a comedy'', 1700. * ''Ovidius Britannicus, or Love Epistles in imitation of Ovid'', 1703. * ''Love at First Sight, a comedy'', 1704.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, David 1665 births 1726 deaths Historians of Scotland 18th-century Scottish historians

Life

Works

See also

Notes