Help with a reference to a historical source from Scotland

Hi, I'm from Germany and I'm currently studying there. I'm in my 5th semester studying History, and for a seminar on Scotland's medieval history, I need to write an essay (12-15 pages, so relatively short). However, my English isn't very good (as you can see from this text, I'm struggling to write it). My topic is the role of violence in the Lanercost Chronicle. My main challenge is the source itself. It's lengthy and in English. Also, the literature I consulted is exclusively in English. I find it quite challenging. I've already extracted various things from the source using the Voyant tool, like the frequency of violence and various verbs and words such as blood, deceit, robbery, etc. My professor generally wants an overview of how violence is portrayed – whether it's against churches, Jews, or women. What also interests me is violence in the form of revenge, which hasn't been articulated clearly yet. For instance, Edward I quartered, hanged, and beheaded William Wallace, but interestingly not Robert de Bruce. However, he did so to Bruce's brother and some of his followers. Is there anyone familiar with this topic who could help me?

How do I best approach this? Does anyone know the source and could provide me with some tips, page numbers, etc.? I don't have to examine the entire source. Still, it's expected that I focus on a specific section, analyze and interpret it, and, of course, place it in its historical context. I've already delved into Scottish history, but it's challenging. After all, one grows up in their own country with its history, and sometimes learning history can be similar to learning another language – truly challenging . I appreciate your help in advance. :smile:

Reply 1

cheadle

Your English is very good btw - you don't need to be worrying about that.

I can't answer on the specific text, just generally on how to cite the source.

I found the source online https://archive.org/details/chronicleoflaner00maxwuoft/page/10/mode/2up

Page numbers are clearly visible, so as long as you cite this or another similar source n your bibliography and include the URL so that the marker can check it.

I got the following advice from a relevant website that might help https://www.history.org.uk/student/resource/3211/using-historical-sources

"Source interpretation: written sources
[start]Identify the source. Is it primary or secondary? Who wrote it? When was it written? What kind of document is it? Where was it published? How widely was it circulated? What is it about?[/start]
[start]Put it in its context. What events had happened or were happening when this was written? Specifically, what was happening where this was written? Who was the intended audience and what bias might they have had?[/start]
[start]Consider the author and their purpose. Who was the author? Consider their race, gender, religion, nationality, heritage, party affiliation, socio-economic class, and their job. Is there bias? Is the author trying to persuade, incite, enlighten, explain or deceive their audience? Why was it written and for whom? Was the author paid to write this? Or bribed or threatened? Where did it first appear: a newspaper, a diary, a letter or a propaganda flyer?[/start]
[start]Evaluate the information. Read the information, summarize it, and identify keywords, examples of bias and intention. Are there footnotes or citations? Does it reference other documents or events? What is the document about and how does that help you understand the period? What is the overall theme? How similar is it to other documents from the same period? How does the author claim to have their information? What assumptions does the author make? Is the author expecting any resulting action, sentiment or opinion from the audience?"[/start]

Good Luck!

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 2

PiNi9191

Thank you, I have already found the source. However, I'm having trouble navigating through it. I need to present the role of violence based on this source, and I'm finding it difficult.

Reply 3

cheadle

Could you get an app to read the source aloud? Then you could make notes as you listen? Not sure how practical a suggestion this is though.

Reply 4

PiNi9191

The source is old and only available as a scan. Of course, I can paraphrase it, but then words will be lost. It's frustrating that I got this source. The topic is quite interesting, but difficult. Especially since I don't know Scotland's history 100% at that time. It's the time of the first War of Independence. thanks for your help

Reply 5

cheadle

The link to the source that I sent you earlier has a read aloud tool.
I think I've probably reached the limit of much I can help! All the best with it!