“Black n Blue”

Epic of the House of Dunlop

From this small hill by the Glazert Burn

They bequeathed a Soul unto our Name

From Hist'ries Heart we may discern

Who We are and from Whence we came

Whose Bearer's deeds did Greatness earn

For Dunlop, Dunlap, DeLap Same

Yes, listen to this Dunlop Lore

Relate to you and then explain

That even through the blood and gore

There was much lost, but much to gain

  Though many conflicts and World War

Find so much Love in each refrain

From Scotland’s Breast they didst arise

Into the mists to run and hide

And soon they learned by their demise

Both Women and Men, side by side

It’s in their land that value lies

But Death will come with Rising Tide

In 82 the Eagles rode

To claim our hill on which we lay

They taught us much, but did erode

Our Celtic Souls, which did decay

Then to the East the Roman strode

400 years the bastards stay

From Ireland green the Gael did come

They killed our kin, the Brittanni

Proud Fergus took Dunadd’s kingdom

And brought his Stone to reign on high

Our Children with his mix to become

What the Roman, who’s gone, wouldst call “Scotti”

The Scot, the Pict, on both our flanks

Damnoni no more, the Tribe is done

MacAlpin chose then to close the ranks

Pict and Scot would become just One

From the East on down to brown Clyde’s Banks

We would all then be known as brave Alban

Down from the North the terror grew

With longships and spears bringing their doom

At the Dun near the Lop, the many were few

For the Viking was strong and needed more room

With hair that is bright and eyes that shine Blue

Their bloodline was left in many a womb

Strathclyde joined Alba in late 900

950 brought Lothian into the mix

But for 400 years the Viking’s homestead

Covered the Land in its mortar and bricks

When the Treaty of Perth finally said

That “Scotland” is born in 1266

The Normans then came and claimed all the land

And castles we built until we did drop

Against feudal power n’er was a stand

For these, our own kings, we dared not to stop

King David of Scotland whose will did demand

That De Morville be given the Hill of Dunlop

Dunlop of Dunlop, that strong Celtic Thane

Was named the Huntsman so he could stand tall

Morville made De Ross the lord of domain

(They came from a land that once was called Gaul)

The Hill was called Boarland from where Normans would reign

The Dunlop now built a place called HuntHall

In 1066 on the cold Glazert Burn

About five miles West from Dunlop Hill

The first Hunthall tower rose on the turn

A credit to the brick builder’s skill

But the Huntsman called for his royal return

For the Dunlop of Dunlop he felt he was still

 The Homes of our Family, aye, of our Clan

The castles on Macharnock moor

Over 1000 years we took our stand

On the hearth of the proud Dunlop Lore

First in the shire of the Dunlop man

Now the fourth House built in (18)’34

The first seen written was Dominus Will

Whose noble name we find in a phrase

Signed in 1260 with hand, ink and quill

With barons and earls he did so praise

That twixt Ross and Irvine was legally still

A monetary matter for them to appraise

When Edward First had come to ground

His English men with arms of steel

An Oath he asked of Nobles bound

And forced Our noble Scot to kneel

A Ragman’s Roll he passed around

Fitz Robert de Dullope, also called Neil

Many proud men then carried the Name

Alexander, Constantine, James and John

Fathers and sons and grandsons the same

Some used their brains and some used their brawn

Some were invisible, some were of Fame

Some were like Kings; some were mere pawns.

At Culloden the darkness came over us all

We were on both sides like many a Scot

Named John, Stephen, Will and Michael

In Civil war so bravely they fought

Sir Wallace and Dunlop and others gave all

Prince Charlie’s brave effort was all for the naught

On the way home Sir Thomas did say

“To my House, John, a rest have ye earned”

To the Wallace they went, at Craigie did stay

And his daughter John met, his heart overturned

They married quickly, a debt to repay

Six daughters, five sons for children he yearned

He passed way too soon, this John of that age

And Frances went down into a vision of gloom

But a Burns laddie came with words of a sage

And her role was a sponsor, but a friendship would bloom

With the master of words that melted a page

His name was Robbie, who was weaving that loom

When England and Scotland became just one state

And freedoms were released for which we hard-fought

Fran Dunlop  was there when Scots Honors, ornate

Were sealed to their fate in a dark ‘Boro lot

One also was there to, with ink, illustrate

When they “rose” from the dead: our own Walter Scott

 While  Alexander began "Presby" to preach

It forced him to leave Home for Carolina sticks

Sir Andrew the "20th" to General did reach

 Served the King in America in 'seventy-six

 James the 21rst went "into the breach"

and Captain John MP survived politics

The "Ilk Dunlop" was held by Sir Admiral Hugh

and son Vice Admiral James during Family Line peaks

But went to Keith Wallace in gay '92

and Arthur Dunlop of the 23rd Sikh's

Found lately, our title is given unto

a good man in Devon:, It's currently Keith's

Let us speak next bout what is so true

In more country's roles we also did play

From Scotland to Ireland and then carried onto

The white ships that took us so far away

To America, Australia and Canada new

We settled in and determined to stay

More to Come

Mike Dunlap