Introduction
In the 14th century, Patrick, ninth Earl of Dunbar, found himself caught between the warring kings of England and Scotland, and survived by frequently changing sides. His wife was made of sterner stuff...
IN 1338, King Edward III of England saw a chance to put his own man, Edward Balliol, on the Scottish throne. So he sent the Earl of Salisbury to lay siege to Dunbar Castle on the Scottish border, while the Earl of Dunbar, Patrick, was away in France.
But Patrick’s wife Agnes, with her raven-black hair and determined character, proved to be very much her husband’s equal. She contemptuously brushed Salisbury’s attacks aside — literally. Agnes personally led her maids out with brooms to dust the castle walls wherever Salisbury’s latest assault had failed.
So it was that after five long months, Salisbury was compelled to admit defeat, and despite the best efforts of England’s King, Edward Balliol never did ascend the Scottish throne.* Black Agnes Dunbar had seen to that.
Edward was crowned king at Scone in 1332, but never recognised in Scotland, and he was quickly sent back to England. The same happened twice more, in 1333 and 1335, and in 1356 he resigned all claims to the Scottish throne in favour of Edward III of England. During all this time the Scots recognised David II (r. 1324-1371) as their King.
Précis
Hoping to put his own man on the Scottish throne, King Edward III laid siege to Dunbar Castle while the Earl, a potential threat, was away. But the Earl’s wife, Agnes, would not surrender, defiantly dusting down the battlements after each assault. After five months Edward’s men admitted defeat, and the King’s hopes never came to fruition. (57 / 60 words)
Hoping to put his own man on the Scottish throne, King Edward III laid siege to Dunbar Castle while the Earl, a potential threat, was away. But the Earl’s wife, Agnes, would not surrender, defiantly dusting down the battlements after each assault. After five months Edward’s men admitted defeat, and the King’s hopes never came to fruition.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, despite, otherwise, ought, until, whereas, whether, who.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 King. Own. While.
2 Away. Month. Wife.
3 After. Her. Very.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
