A King’s Death at Kinghorn

On a dark and stormy night in 1286, the future of Scotland was about to change forever. King Alexander III had finished a council in Edinburgh late in the evening and his mind had drifted to his lovely wife back over the Forth in Kinghorn. After a few too many drinks, Alexander decided he had to see her.

His advisors all told him to wait until morning, it would be a long journey in awful weather. Refusing to listen, Alexander threw on his cloak, saddled his horse and rode out into the night. The boatman at Queensferry wasn’t happy but followed his King’s orders to set out across the dark waves.

They made it safely to Fife but on arriving at Inverkeithing, Alexander was strongly advised to spend the night there. He was only 10 miles away now though and nobody was going to hold this headstrong King back. He rode back out into the storm, along the winding coastal path towards Kinghorn.

He never made it to his Queen. At some point his horse slipped and Alexander fell, breaking his neck. The King had no surviving sons and his country was on the verge of chaos. His only heir was his granddaughter Margaret, known as the Maid of Norway, who died on her voyage to Scotland. The power struggle that followed was unavoidable and the Scottish Wars of Independence had begun.