April 1913

The critic was Historicus, the pseudonym of a writer to the editor of the E&L.

The antagonist was 21-year old Christopher Grieve, later known internationally as the writer Hugh MacDiarmid.

The gardener was 81-year old Matthew Welsh, a former forester and estate caretaker.

The first assault was in a long letter by Historicus, who gave detailed criticisms of 16 alleged faults in the content of a lecture by Clement Armstrong in February 1913 to the Eskdale & Liddesdale Archaeological Society about ‘The Borders in the Early Centuries’.

This drew strong criticism from Christopher Grieve:

‘Historicus’ responded by saying that he was only challenging Clement Armstrong’s content and not his honour and integrity.

Meanwhile another writer to the editor, ‘M Welsh’ (using his real name), sought to take ‘Historicus’ to task on one of his 16 points of criticism, and lambasted the use of a pseudonym, saying that ‘it is taking an unfair advantage, I do not say cowardly, to shoot at a man in the open from behind the shelter of a stone wall’.

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