Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on castles, particularly on themes of architecture and history. He also specialised in deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Scottish history.

Early life

Nigel Tranter was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

and educated at

George Heriot's School George Heriot's School is a Scottish independent primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff. ...

in Edinburgh. He trained as an accountant and worked in Scottish National Insurance Company, founded by his uncle. In 1933, he married May Jean Campbell Grieve and had two children, Frances May and Philip. He joined the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and served in

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in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Writings

From childhood onwards, Tranter took a great interest in

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s and their associated history. As a result, in 1935, at age 25, he published his first book, '' The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland''. Encouraged by his wife, he wrote his first novel, ''In Our Arms Our Fortune'', which was rejected by the publishers. However, ''

Trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, woundi ...

'' soon followed and was accepted by The Moray Press. Unfortunately, they went bankrupt soon after its publication in 1937, and he didn't receive any payment. Over the next few years, he wrote several more novels in the same vein: light-hearted romantic adventures in varied settings from modern-day Europe to historical Scotland. Tranter also wrote several westerns under the pseudonym Nye Tredgold to provide additional income for his family, and a dozen children's books -adventure stories aimed at 8- to 10-year-olds. War service did not stop Tranter writing, and a number of novels were published during the war years, some inspired by his own experiences. Between 1962 and 1971 Tranter published the landmark series ''

The Fortified House in Scotland ''The Fortified House in Scotland'' is a five-volume book by the Scottish author Nigel Tranter. Written between 1962 and 1970, it covers almost seven hundred buildings in Scotland which fall under the general description of "fortalices, lesser ...

'' (in five volumes). This attempted to cover the history and structure of every primarily domestic castle in Scotland, 663 buildings in all. A small number of non-domestic buildings associated with priories, churches, communal defence etc. etc. were also included. Highly regarded at the time, it is still read by those who have an interest in this specialist area. While researching the castles, Tranter realised that there were many characters and incidents in Scottish history which could be used as the basis for novels, which he tried to make as accurate as possible – while making no effort to hide his own strong Scottish identity. '' The Queen's Grace'' (1953) was his first novel to focus on an historical character (in this case,

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

), although it contained a high fictional content. Two trilogies followed: the '' MacGregor Trilogy'' (1957–1962) and the '' Master of Gray Trilogy'' (1961–1965). By this time, Tranter was well established as a writer of serious historical fiction. The fictional content decreased as he became more experienced, and his later novels were almost entirely composed around the historical record. These novels have gained a wide readership while providing a basic grounding in Scottish history to their readers.

The historian

As noted above, Tranter had a lifelong interest in Scottish castles. Initially intrigued by their architectural history, Tranter soon developed an interest in Scottish history generally. As he moved into historical novels, his research became deeper until he had amassed vast knowledge of Scotland's history to a very detailed level. His ability to retell history as a 'story' provided an accessible source for many people. As well as his novels, this knowledge was translated into such non-fiction works as '' The Story of Scotland''. Becoming intimate with so much of the historical record, Tranter formed many theories of history, some of which were contrary to established thought. These were presented throughout his books. One example of this is his belief that the stone under the

Coronation Chair The Coronation Chair, known historically as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, is an ancient wooden chair on which British monarchs sit when they are invested with regalia and crowned at their coronations. It was commissioned in 1296 by ...

is not the true Stone of Destiny, but a thirteenth-century fake which he refers to as the Westminster Stone.

Public life

Tranter was involved in many activities outside his writing. From the 1940s onwards he delivered lectures to private groups and organisations, and, as his writing career developed, he undertook many speaking engagements, including some tours to the USA. He was also invited to join—or was instrumental in setting up—many committees and community groups, in fields as diverse as

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

roads and settlement, wild fowling and

Athelstaneford Athelstaneford () is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies almost 6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north-east of the market town of Haddington and about 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Edinburgh. Battle of Athelstaneford According to popula ...

's Flag Fund. His notable involvements include: the original Scottish Convention, a cross-party pressure group established during the 1940s to encourage

devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...

(Edinburgh chairman); National Covenant Association; National Forth Road Bridge Committee;

Saltire Society The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of Scotland. Founded in 1936, the society was "set up to promote and celebrate the uniqueness of Scottish culture and Scotland’s ...

(honorary president). Following the publication of ''

'', Tranter was regularly asked for advice on the restoration of many tower houses and castles. He was closely involved in the restoration of over 60 castles, such as

Fa'side Castle Fa'side Castle (Faside Estate) has previously been known as Fawside, Falside, Ffauside, Fauxside, or Fawsyde and is a 15th-century keep located in East Lothian in Scotland. The castle is approximately southwest of Tranent, and southeast of M ...

and

Menstrie Castle Menstrie Castle is a three-storey manor house in the town of Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, near Stirling, central Scotland. From the early 17th century, it was home to Sir William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling, who was instrumental in founding ...

Death

He died on 9 January 2000, aged 90, after contracting flu, in Gullane, where his funeral and burial took place. A final eight novels were published after Tranter's death, the last book ''Hope Endures'' appearing in 2005. According to his daughter these "were all finished at the time of his death, as he always kept ahead in his writing".

Bibliography

Historical novels

Set before 1286

*''Druid Sacrifice'' (1993 by

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publishe ...

) *''Columba'' (1987 by

) *''Kenneth'' (1990 by

) *''High Kings and Vikings'' (1998 by

) *''MacBeth the King'' (1978 by

) *''Margaret the Queen'' (1979 by

) *''David the Prince'' (1980 by

) *''Lord of the Isles'' (1983 by

) *''Tapestry of the Boar'' (1993 by

) *''Sword of State'' (1999 by Hodder & Stoughton) *''Envoy Extraordinary'' (1999 by Hodder & Stoughton) *''Crusader'' (1991 by Hodder & Stoughton) *''True Thomas'' (1981 by Hodder & Stoughton)

Set between 1286 and 1603

*The Wars of Independence (1286–1329) **''The Isleman'' (2003) **''The Wallace'' **Robert the Bruce trilogy ***''The Steps to the Empty Throne'' (1969) ***''The Path of the Hero King'' (1970) ***''The Price of the King's Peace'' (1971) *The Bruce Legacy (1329–1406) **''Flowers of Chivalry'' (1987) **''Courting Favour'' (2000) **Stewart trilogy ***''Lords of Misrule'' (1976) ***''A Folly of Princes'' (1977) ***''The Captive Crown'' (1977) **''The End of the Line'' (2000) *The Jameses (1406–1542) **''Lion Let Loose'' (1967) **''The Lion's Whelp'' (1997) **''Black Douglas'' (1968) **''Price of a Princess'' (1994) **''Lord in Waiting'' (1994) **''The Admiral'' (2001) **''Chain of Destiny'' (1964) **''A Flame for the Fire'' (1998) **''A Stake in the Kingdom'' (1966) **James V trilogy ***''The Riven Realm'' (1984) ***''James by the Grace of God'' (1985) ***''Rough Wooing'' (1986) *Mary and James VI (1513–1603) **''Marie & Mary'' (2004) **''The Marchman'' (1997) **''Warden of the Queen's March'' (1989) **''The Queen's Grace'' (1953) **''A Rage of Regents'' (1996) **''Right Royal Friend'' (2003) **''Hope Endures'' (2005) **Master of Gray trilogy ***''Lord and Master'' (1973) ***''The Courtesan'' (1963) ***''Past Master'' (1973) **''Children of the Mist'' (1992)

Set after 1603

*''The Wisest Fool'' (1974) - 1603–1611 -

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

*''Poetic Justice'' (1996) - 1611-17 -

William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling (c. 1567 in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire12 February 1640) was a Scottish courtier and poet who was involved in the Scottish colonisation of Charles Fort, later Port-Royal, Nova Scotia in 1629 and Long I ...

*''Unicorn Rampant'' (1984) - 1617–1619 - John Stewart of Methven, illegitimate son of

Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond (29 September 157416 February 1624), lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a Scottish nobleman who through their paternal lines was a second cousin of King James VI of Scotland ...

*''Mail Royal'' (1989) - 1621 - David Gray *Montrose omnibus **''The Young Montrose'' (1972) - 1636–1645 -

James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 – 21 May 1650) was a Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier, lord lieutenant and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three ...

**''Montrose: The Captain-General'' (1973) - 1645–1650 *''Honours Even'' (1995) - 1650-1654 *''Triple Alliance'' (2001) - 1680-7? *''The Patriot'' (1982) - 1678–1707 - Andrew Fletcher *MacGregor trilogy **''MacGregor's Gathering'' (1957) - 1706–1708 **''The Clansman'' (1959) - 1711–1716 **''Gold for Prince Charlie'' (1972) - 1743–1746

Children's books

*''Spaniard's Isle'' (1958,

Brockhampton Press Brockhampton Press was a British publishing company, based in Leicester. Children's books Originally specialising in children's books, from about 1940, Brockhampton Press published the Asterix comic book series, many of Enid Blyton's story collec ...

) *''Border Riding'' (1959, Brockhampton Press) *''Nestor the Monster'' (1960, Brockhampton Press; paperback edition 1992,

B & W Publishing Black & White Publishing is an independent publishing house based in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 1999, the company has produced a range of titles, with more than 350 in print, including over 50 in the award-winning ''Itchy Coo' ...

) *''Birds of a Feather'' (1961, Brockhampton Press) *''The Deer Poachers'' (1961, Blackie) *''Something Very Fishy'' (1962, Collins) *''Give a Dog a Bad Name'' (1963, Collins. Published as ''Smoke Across the Highlands'' in USA, 1964, Platt & Monk) *''Silver Island'' (1964, Thomas Nelson) *''Pursuit'' (1965, Collins) *''Tinker Tess'' (1967, Dobson Books) *''Fire and High Water'' (1967, Collins) *''To the Rescue'' (1968, Dobson Books)

Non-fiction books

*''The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland 1400–1650'' (1935, The Moray Press) :Contains the sketches and notes of small castles visited throughout his teenage years and early twenties. Tranter later described it as "terribly pretentious and pretty amateurish."Bradfield, Ray ''Nigel Tranter: Scotland's Storyteller'', p 42 He expanded the format for his later work ''The Fortified House in Scotland''. *''

'' (in five volumes, c. 1963) *''Pegasus Book of Scotland'' (1964, Dobson Books) *''Outlaw of the Highlands: Rob Roy'' (1965, Dobson Books) :A study of Scottish folk hero

Rob Roy MacGregor Robert Roy MacGregor ( gd, Raibeart Ruadh MacGriogair; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero. Early life Rob Roy was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, a ...

. Reissued as ''Rob Roy MacGregor'' by Lochar Publishing (1991), and Neil Wilson Publishing (1995). *''Land of the Scots'' (1968,

) *''The Queen's Scotland'' (in four volumes, c. 1971–7) :Intended to be a detailed gazetteer of every parish in Scotland. His wife assisted him heavily and she died before it could be completed. Tranter never finished the series. *'' Portrait of the Border Country'' (1972, Robert Hale) :Revised edition published in 1987 as ''The Illustrated Portrait of the Border Country''. *''Portrait of the Lothians'' (1979, Robert Hale) *''Nigel Tranter's Scotland'' (1981, Richard Drew Publishing.

Penguin Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adap ...

edition 1983) *''Scottish Castles: Tales and Traditions'' :First published 1982 by Macdonald Publishing. Revised edition by Neil Wilson Publishing, 1993. US Edition by

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 ...

, 1993. *''Traveller's Guide to the Scotland of Robert the Bruce'' (1985, Routledge & Kegan Paul; US edition by Historical Times Inc, 1985) *''The Story of Scotland'' (1987, Routledge & Kegan Paul. Re-issued 1992, Neil Wilson Publishing) *''Footbridge to Enchantment'' (1992, Locahr publishing. Revised edition 1993, B&W Publishing) *''No Tigers in the Hindu Kush'' (Editor) (1968,

). A tribute to his son Philip who died in an accident *''flight of Dutchmen''

Westerns

Tranter claimed each of these books took him six weeks to write. He sold them outright for £100 each. They were published under the pseudonym 'Nye Tredgold'. *''Thirsty Range'' (1950,

Ward Lock & Co Ward, Lock & Co. was a publishing house in the United Kingdom that started as a partnership and developed until it was eventually absorbed into the publishing combine of Orion Publishing Group. History Ebenezer Ward and George Lock started a ...

) *''Heartbreak Valley'' (1951, Ward Lock & Co) *''Big Corral'' (1952, Ward Lock & Co) *''Trail Herd'' (1952, Ward Lock & Co) *''Desert Doublecross'' (1953, Ward Lock & Co) *''Cloven Hooves'' (1954, Ward Lock & Co) *''Dynamite Trail'' (1955, Ward Lock & Co) *''Rancher Renegade'' (1956, Ward Lock & Co) *''Trailing Trouble'' (1957, Ward Lock & Co) *''Bloodstone Trail'' (1958, Ward Lock & Co)

Awards and honours

* Honorary MA from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

, 1971 * OBE for services to literature, 1983 *

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Irela ...

Scot of the Year, 1989 * Honorary Doctor of Literature,

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

, 1990

References

External links

archive
of www.nigeltranter.co.uk memorial site {{DEFAULTSORT:Tranter, Nigel Military personnel from Glasgow Scottish historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Scottish novelists Castellologists 20th-century Scottish writers Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish children's writers Western (genre) writers British architecture writers People educated at George Heriot's School Writers from Glasgow 1909 births 2000 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British novelists British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery personnel