Blind Harry

aliases

Harry, Blin Harry, Hary or Henry the Minstrel

Blind Harry (c. 1440 – 1492) is renowned as the author of The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace, more commonly known as The Wallace. This was a lengthy poem recounting the life of William Wallace, the Scottish independence leader, written around 1477, 172 years after Wallace's death.

The Lord High Treasurer's accounts of 1473–1492 recorded payments to him for performances at the court of James IV. Blind Harry was given gifts of money by the King at New Year, as were other minor courtiers, but a payment on 2 January 1492 seems to relate to the singing of a ballad accompanied by two Gaelic harpers, "Ersche clareschaw", mentioned in adjacent entries.

He is mentioned by William Dunbar in his Lament for the Makeris early in the 16th century. Historian John Major also wrote about Harry in 1518. These sources differed on whether or not he was blind from birth, but Harry almost certainly seems to have had a military background.…more

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Books with Blind Harry

	Blind Harry's Wallace by Blind Harry 3.65 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 1488 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wallace Book by Edward J. Cowan (Editor) 4.44 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2007 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scottish Literature: An Introduction by Alan Riach 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2022 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lay of the Last Minstrel: Sir Walter Scott and the Border Minstrel Tradition by Rupert Ferguson 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2001 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scottish Nationalism by H.J. Hanham 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 1969 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Robert Henryson by Matthew P. McDiarmid 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1983 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scottish Pageant: 55 BC - AD 1513 by Agnes Mure Mackenzie (Editor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1946 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Older Scots Literature by Sally Mapstone (Editor) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2005 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Taking Liberties: Scottish Literature and Expressions of Freedom by Ian Brown (Editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2016 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rewriting the Past in Scottish Literature, 1350 - 1550 by Kate Ash-Irisarri 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2025 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars