THE PENCIL, LARGS THE PENCIL MONUMENT, LARGS THE PENCIL MONUMENT was erected in 1912 to commemorate the Battle of Largs. The Pencil is built of whinstone and stands 70 feet high and is topped by a conical cap. The western islands and coast of Scotland had been under Norse control since the early 12th century. The lords who ruled over the islands and small kingdoms along the coast acknowledged the overlordship of the Norwegian kings. In the middle of the 13th century the Scottish kings Alexander II and his son Alexander III tried to annexe the area to Scotland.King Hakon of Norway retaliated by assembling a large fleet of warships and sailing around the northern tip of Scotland and down the west coast to the Firth of Clyde. A severe storm on 30 September drove several Norse vessels ashore near Largs. While the Norse attempted to salvage their ships, a Scottish force arrived under the command of Alexander of Dundonald, Steward of Scotland. In a mix-up worthy of a comed...