Spotty's Little Known Facts

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Robert the Bruce came up in Only Connect. The name Bruce is thought to be Scottish (or common in Australian university Philosophy departments ). It is a little known fact that King Robert's family were not Scottish, but principally Norman. His ancestor had come over with William the Conqueror and the family name was up to and including his father 'de Brus' or 'de Bruis' from the area they originally hailed from (Bruis castle, Normandy). It was changed to 'the Bruce' so his new subjects could pronounce it.

I read some of Vincent van Gogh's correspondence recently in which he said that the reason he signed with just his first name was that the French, his adopted countrymen, always mangled his surname (as most of us continue to now).

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Robert the Bruce came up in Only Connect. The name Bruce is thought to be Scottish (or common in Australian university Philosophy departments ). It is a little known fact that King Robert's family were not Scottish, but principally Norman. His ancestor had come over with William the Conqueror and the family name was up to and including his father 'de Brus' or 'de Bruis' from the area they originally hailed from (Bruis castle, Normandy). It was changed to 'the Bruce' so his new subjects could pronounce it.

He was known as The Bruce because he was the head of the 'clan' in one of the thirteen competing branches who claimed the Scottish crown - all of them descendants or direct heirs of Anglo-norman families established north of the border, like John Comyn, known as The Comyn (actually there was The Black Comyn, and a The Red Comyn) and John Balliol known as The Balliol. amongst themselves in person they were known as de Brus, d'Comyn, and de Balliol. They neither changed it nor encouraged others to use either form because amongst themselves in formal correspondence they used the English form of surname taken from their estates and were respectively Annandale (later Carrick), Badenoch, and Galloway. They were known to the lowland Scots as Mor Bruce, Balvenie and Toom Tabard. Robert the Bruce, John Comyn, and John Balliol are all much much later written transliterations from the original names Raibert de Bruis, Iain Comyn (occassionally Johannus Comus), and Jean de Ballioll (occassionally Sean Ballioll or Johannes Balliol) that are attested in contemporary documents.

[bobo the clown]

Robert the Bruce came up in Only Connect. The name Bruce is thought to be Scottish (or common in Australian university Philosophy departments ). It is a little known fact that King Robert's family were not Scottish, but principally Norman. His ancestor had come over with William the Conqueror and the family name was up to and including his father 'de Brus' or 'de Bruis' from the area they originally hailed from (Bruis castle, Normandy). It was changed to 'the Bruce' so his new subjects could pronounce it.

He was known as The Bruce because he was the head of the 'clan' in one of the thirteen competing branches who claimed the Scottish crown - all of them descendants or direct heirs of Anglo-norman families established north of the border, like John Comyn, known as The Comyn (actually there was The Black Comyn, and a The Red Comyn) and John Balliol known as The Balliol. amongst themselves in person they were known as de Brus, d'Comyn, and de Balliol. They neither changed it nor encouraged others to use either form because amongst themselves in formal correspondence they used the English form of surname taken from their estates and were respectively Annandale (later Carrick), Badenoch, and Galloway. They were known to the lowland Scots as Mor Bruce, Balvenie and Toom Tabard. Robert the Bruce, John Comyn, and John Balliol are all much much later written transliterations from the original names Raibert de Bruis, Iain Comyn (occassionally Johannus Comus), and Jean de Ballioll (occassionally Sean Ballioll or Johannes Balliol) that are attested in contemporary documents.

You only know that because you Googled it

That's cheat'n.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

^^^^^
I
Oh no I didn't. I knew that coz I knows History.
His subjects (as Monty put it) were the lowland Scots who spoke a form of English called Lallans. The highland Scots spoke Gaelic, and there were also English, Manx and Norse speaking communities. The famous Scottish clans were later than the earlier lowland clans and came about due to the fact that the Alban Scots were a mixture of Picts and Irish Scotti. The picts were matrilineal and the Scotti patrilineal which meant nobody knew who owned what until the Anglo-nirmans came along and established the clan system which basically said it doesn't matter who your mother or father was, it's your Lord that counts
Hence The Bruce, The Fitzherbert, The Kennedy etc.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

And I got most of that from my own database which I've been compiling for the last 40 odd years, and didn't bother Mr Google one wink of his sleep. I've been considering going on Mastermind and showing off big style by having the specialist subject: World History From The Beginning Until Today... That's a little known fact.

[TANGODANCER]

How come Mel Gibson's never been mentioned in all this?

[Lord Kangana]

Because he played William Wallace?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

How come Mel Gibson's never been mentioned in all this?

It's a little known fact that Mel Gibson's a tosser..
Err, strike that. (apparently, it's well known).

[TANGODANCER]

Because he played William Wallace?

Bit of a joke LK. Braveheart was actually the name for Robert the Bruce apparently and not Wallace. Old Mel always seems to be charging about waving a flag and routing the English. Just a bit of mild fun.

[Annoyed Grunt]

And I got most of that from my own database which I've been compiling for the last 40 odd years, and didn't bother Mr Google one wink of his sleep. I've been considering going on Mastermind and showing off big style by having the specialist subject: World History From The Beginning Until Today... That's a little known fact.

Your own database? Are you Jimmy Wales?

[Montreal Wanderer]

Because he played William Wallace?

Bit of a joke LK. Braveheart was actually the name for Robert the Bruce apparently and not Wallace. Old Mel always seems to be charging about waving a flag and routing the English. Just a bit of mild fun.

I believe they called his actual heart Braveheart (not him) post-mortem and it was taken on an (unsuccessful) crusade by Jamie Douglas as per Bruce's instructions. Eventually it (or an acceptable facsimile) made its way back to Scotland.

[bobo the clown]

Tony Burrows ... the best know singer you've never heard of.

In the late '60's session singer Tony Burrows decided he fancied making it in his own right. So he created 'The Ivy League' (alongside Cooke and Greenaway, to become songwriting legends .... also in 'David & Jonathan' and 'Blue Mink'). The Ivy League developed into 'The Flowerpot Men' which included for a time Jon Lord later of Deep Purple, and had the massive hit "Let's Go To San Francisco".

Even if you are in your 20's that song will be known to you.

Not satisfied with that, yet still reluctant to use his own name, he created a number of other groups, normally becoming one-hit wonders ;
Edison Lighthouse ... "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"
White Plains .... "My Baby Loves Lovin' ", "When You Are A King" and ""Julie, Julie, Julie Do Ya Love Me"
The Pipkins' novelty song .... "Gimme Dat, Gimme Dat, Gimme Dat Ting"
The First Class .... "Beach Baby"

He regularly sang (mimed) on two different hit songs on the same Top of the Pops shows. On one occasion he sang on two and was "Pan's People'd" for a third AND was part of a fourth group invited up to wave the programme to close at the end credits.

He also sang lead vocals on The Brotherhood of Man's "United We Stand" and a good few more.

There, consider yourselves educated.

[Bruce Rioja]

Those songs are probably the best known songs that I've never heard of too.

[bobo the clown]

Youtube or Spotify them Bruce. You've heard of every one.

An Internet pint on it.

[Harry Genshaw]

had the massive hit "Let's Go To San Francisco".
Even if you are in your 20's that song will be known to you.

Thought that was a bold claim to make Bobo as the only song I knew about San Francisco was the Scott McKenzie one and I'm in my 40s!

Any road I You Tubed it. Nope never heard it before! Honest!

[bobo the clown]

had the massive hit "Let's Go To San Francisco".
Even if you are in your 20's that song will be known to you.

Thought that was a bold claim to make Bobo as the only song I knew about San Francisco was the Scott McKenzie one and I'm in my 40s!

Any road I You Tubed it. Nope never heard it before! Honest!

I am amazed. Truly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiK79FlEFAI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bobo the clown]

OK .... try not to Google this ;

It's pretty well know that The Move's Flower's In The Rain was the first song ever played on Radio 1.

1. What was the second
2. What was the first song on Radio 2.

Clues ....
1. A Britishish band singing about an American city
2. A very appropriate song title, from a Musical Film

[Worthy4England]

Bee Gees - Massachucetts?

[bobo the clown]

Bee Gees - Massachucetts?

Yup.

1 down, 1 to go.

[TANGODANCER]

had the massive hit "Let's Go To San Francisco".
Even if you are in your 20's that song will be known to you.

Thought that was a bold claim to make Bobo as the only song I knew about San Francisco was the Scott McKenzie one and I'm in my 40s!

Any road I You Tubed it. Nope never heard it before! Honest!

I am amazed. Truly.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiK79FlEFAI

Likewise. I thought everybody'd been to San Fransisco, wearing flowers in their hair...