Cultural Aspects of the Stevenson Way

In the Time of Kidnapped

Stevenson wrote Kidnapped mainly for two reasons:

1. To highlight the injustice around the killing of Colin Roy Campbell and the subsequent execution of James of the Glen
2. To highlight the difference between the Highland and the Lowland cultures at that time

(1) The trial and subsequent hanging of James of the Glen has been called "Scotland's greatest miscarriage of justice". Through Kidnapped and the follow-up book Catriona, Stevenson sought to highlight this injustice.

(2) That difference between the Highland and the Lowland cultures is portrayed by Stevenson through the characters of David Balfour and Allan Breck Stewart. There is a point in the book where David says to Allan that he would be happy to be tried by any jury in the land. Whereupon David replies that justice is handled quite differently in the Highlands, with the inference that David would be found guilty of taking part in the murder just because he was there at the time. The trial of James of the Glen was presided over by the Duke of Argyll and the jury consisted of Colin's family and other Campbells - little chance of justice from this Highland court!

Historically, Scotland has always had close ties to France "The Auld Alliance" and Stevenson draws on this in Kidnapped. The Scottish Lairds had fled to France and Allan became the key link between the Lairds and their tenant clansmen. Having been in the French army at some point, Allan is quite proud of his French uniform and is reluctant to leave it behind. In real life it is rumoured that Allan actually was executed by the guillotine during the French Revolution.

Stevenson describes the remote Scottish landscapes in great detail as David Balfour and Allan Breck Stewart make their way across Scotland. Today, walkers can still experience these wild, remote Scottish landscapes that form the backdrop of the novel.

In Today's Culture

• Links with France - over the years teenagers and adults from France have walked parts of the Stevenson Way. The teenage groups, in particular, have integrated well with Scottish teenagers with much fun and shared experiences.
• There is a wide variety of seafood available on the Island of Mull, providing a rich culinary experience. This is in sharp contrast to David Balfour who only had wilks to eat.
• Walking across the Ross of Mull there are several ruined villages, caves and field systems from the time of Kidnapped onwards. There is also an excellent museum in Bunessan with photographs, farming implements, research material, etc.
• The West Highland Museum in Fort William has an excellent collection of Highland life across the centuries. Of particular interest is that on display is what is believed to be the actual gun that shot Colin Roy Campbell.