Lot flees from Sodom

Lot (Hebrew: לוֹט, Modern Lot Tiberian Lôṭ ; "veil"; "hidden, covered")^[1] is a man from the Book of Genesis chapters 11-14 and 19, in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Notable episodes in his life include his travels with his uncle Abram (Abraham, the Patriarch of Israel); his flight from the destruction of Sodom, in the course of which Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt; and the seduction by his daughters so that they could bear children.

Both Christians and Muslims revere Lot as a righteous man of God.^[2] As a son of David, Jesus Christ is a descendent of Lot through David's great-grandmother Ruth, who is descended from Lot's son Moab. There are no stories in the Qur'an attributing drunkenness and incest to Lot – such ideas being rejected by Muslims – Lot is regarded as a prophet of Islam.

Lot's lineage[link]

Lot and his father Haran were born and raised in "Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 11:28,31) in the region of Sumeria on the Euphrates River of lower Mesopotamia, roughly four thousand years ago.^[3] Haran died in that land before his father Terah. (Genesis 11:28)

Lot's travels[link]

Genesis 11:26-32 gives the "generations of Terah", Lot's grandfather, who arranged for their large family to set a course for Canaan where they could reestablish a new home. Among the family members that Lot travelled with was his uncle Abram, (later called Abraham), one of the three patriarchs of Israel.

Haran settlement[link]

En route to Canaan, the family stopped in the Paddan Aram region, about halfway along the Fertile Crescent between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean.^[3] They settled at the site called Haran where Lot's grandfather, Terah, lived the rest of his days. He was 205 years old when he died. (Genesis 11:32)

Land of Canaan[link]

Genesis 12 reveals Abram's obedience to the LORD at the age of 75, in continuing his journey to the land of promise. Though Abram's father, Terah, stayed behind, his nephew Lot went with him.^[v.1-4] There is no mention of Lot having a wife yet. They went southwestward^[4] into the land of Canaan, to the place of Sichem,^[v.5-6] the present day West Bank of Nablus.^[3] Later they travelled south to the hills between Bethel and Hai,^[v.8] before journeying further toward the south of Canaan.^[v.9]

Northern Egypt[link]

After dwelling in the land of Canaan for a little while, there was a famine, and they journeyed further south into Egypt.^[v.10-20] After having dwelt in Egypt for some time, they acquired vast amounts of wealth and livestock, and returned to the Bethel area.^[Gen.13:1-5]

[edit] Plain of Jordan

Depiction of the separation of Abraham and Lot by Wenceslaus Hollar.

Genesis 13 discusses Abram and Lot's return to Canaan after the famine had passed and the lands became fertile again. They traveled back through the Negev to the hills of Bethel.^[v.1,3] With their sizeable numbers of livestock and always on the move, both families occupying the same pastures became problematic for the herdsmen who were assigned to each family's herd.^[v.6,7] The conflicts between herdsmen had become so troublesome that Abram lovingly recommended to Lot that they should part ways, lest there be conflict amongst "brethren".^[v.8,9]

Although Abram gave Lot the choice of going north (the left hand), in which case he would go south (the right hand), or if Lot chose south, Abram would go north, Lot instead looked before him beyond Jordan and saw a well watered plain, and chose that land, for it was like "the garden of the LORD", before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the formation of the salt sea. (Genesis 13:9-11) Abram then headed south to Hebron, staying within the land of Canaan. (Genesis 13:12,18)

Captivity of Lot[link]

Lot had encamped on the green Jordan plain among the cities of the plain and initially pitched his tent toward Sodom. About eight years^[5] before he moved there, the kings of the five cities had become vassal states of an eastern alliance of four kingdoms under the leadership of Chedorlaomer king of Elam, whom they served for twelve years, but "the thirteenth year they rebelled." (Genesis 14:1–4) The following year the four armies with Chedorlaomer returned and at the battle of the vale of Siddim, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell in defeat.^[v.5–10] Chedorlaomer spoiled the cities and took captives as he departed, including Lot, who by then "dwelt" in Sodom.^[v.11,12]

When Abram heard what had happened to his "brother" Lot, he armed a rescue force of three hundred and eighteen of his trained servants and pursued and caught up to the armies of the four kings in the area of Dan.^[v.13,14] He divided his forces and attacked at night from more than one direction, and the kings fled northeast. The pursuit continued and the "slaughter of Chedorlaomer", and the other kings was completed at Hobah north of Damascus. Abram brought back "his brother Lot" and all the people and their goods. (v.15–24)

Fleeing Sodom's destruction[link]

Twenty four years after Abram and Lot began their sojourning, the LORD changed Abram's name to Abraham, and gave him the covenant of circumcision.^{[Genesis 17]} Not long afterward, "the LORD appeared" to Abraham, for "three men" came to visit and have a meal with him, and after two left to go to Sodom, "Abraham stood yet before the LORD."^{[Gen.18:1-22]} Abraham boldly pleaded on behalf of the people of Sodom, where Lot dwelt, and obtained assurance the city would not be destroyed if fifty righteous were found there. He continued inquiring, reducing the number to forty five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally if there were ten righteous in the city, it would be spared.^[18:23-33]

Genesis 19:1 ¶ And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
² And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
³ And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

After supper that night before bedtime, the men of the city, young and old, gathered around Lot's house demanding he bring his two guests out that they might "know" them. Lot went out and closed the door behind him and prayed that they not do such wicked things, and offered them his virgin daughters, that had not "known" man, that they might know them instead, and do with as they pleased. His response infuriated the men of Sodom who accused him of being judgmental and they threatened to do worse to him than they would have done to the men.^{[Gen.19:4–9]}

Before they could harm Lot and break into the house, the "men" pulled Lot back in and struck the intruders with blindness, and revealed to Lot that they were angels sent to destroy the place. This allowed a window of opportunity for Lot to make preparations for him and his family to leave. When he went out to his sons in law that married his daughters, to warn them to flee, they treated him as one that mocked.^{[Gen.19:10–14]}

As the day began to dawn, the angels urged him to hasten and leave, and when he yet lingered, the angels took hold of the hands of Lot, his wife and two daughters and transported them beyond the city and set them down, and the angel told Lot: "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."^{[Gen.19:15–17]} Lot argued that if he went to the mountain some evil would cause his death, and he requested to be allowed to flee instead to the "little" city which was closer. (The city of Bela was later called Zoar because it was little.) His request was accepted, and they headed for Zoar instead.^{[Gen.19:18–22]}

Genesis 19:23 ¶ The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
²⁴ Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
²⁵ And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
²⁶ But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Mount Sodom, Israel, showing the so-called "Lot's Wife" pillar composed, like the rest of the mountain, of halite.

From where Abraham was that morning, in an elevated region, he could see the dense smoke billowing up into the heavens from the ruined cities.^[v.27,28]

Instead of both brimstone and fire, Josephus has only lightning as the cause of the fire that destroyed Sodom: "God then cast a thunderbolt upon the city, and set it on fire, with its inhabitants; and laid waste the country with the like burning, as I formerly said when I wrote the Jewish War."^[6]

Lot and his daughters[link]

An account of Lot and his daughters in Genesis 19:30-38

Genesis 19:30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
³¹ And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
³² Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
³³ And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
³⁴ And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
³⁵ And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
³⁶ Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

The older daughter conceived Moab (Hebrew, lit., "from the father" [meh-Av]), father of the Moabites;^[v.37] the younger conceived Ben-Ammi (Hebrew, lit., "Son of my people"), father of the Ammonites.^[v.38]

Incest[link]

Artemisia Gentileschi, 1635–1638 - The seduction of Lot became a popular topic in Baroque Art: if in general the women are portrayed as seductresses and the mood as ribald, the female artist Artemisia Gentileschi's portrait diverges sharply, showing the women fully clothed and the mood as solemn.^[7]

The presumptive incest between Lot and his daughters has raised many questions, debates, and theories as to what the real motives were, who really was at fault, and the level of bias the author of Genesis Chapter 19 had. However, such Biblical scholars as Jacob Milgrom,^[8] Victor P. Hamilton,^[9] and Calum Carmichael^[10] postulate that the Levitical laws could not have been developed the way they were, without controversial issues surrounding the Patriarchs of Israel, especially regarding incest. Carmichael even attributes the entire formulation of the Levitical laws to the lives of the founding fathers of the nation, including the "righteous" Lot (together with Abraham, Jacob, Judah, Moses, and David), who were outstanding figures in Israelite tradition.

According to the scholars mentioned above, the Patriarchs of Israel are the key to understanding how the priestly laws concerning incest developed. Incest amongst the patriarchs includes Abraham's marriage to his half-sister; Sarai^{[Gen.20:11,12]} the marriage of Abraham's brother, Nahor, to their niece; Milcah ^{[Gen.11:27-29]} Isaac's marriage to Rebekah, his first cousin, once removed;^{[Gen.27:42,43;29:10]} Jacob's marriages with two sisters who are his first cousins;^{[Gen.29:10,Ch.29]} and, in the instance of Moses's parents, a marriage between nephew and aunt (father's sister).^[Exod.6:20] Therefore, it surely mattered to the lawgiver how the issues of incest pertained to these Patriarchs and they are the basis for the laws of the Book of Leviticus, chapters 18 and 20.^[11]

Other scholars also state that the Levitical laws against incest were created to separate the lifestyle of the Israelite from the sinful lifestyle of the cursed people of Canaan,^{[Gen.9:22-28]} despite any incestual involvements the Patriarchs had had in the past.^[12] The Levitical laws were needed for a developing nation who needed to be seen as different from the world, cleansed and blameless: The first step starting with circumcision.^{[Gen.17:1,10;Ch.17]} So nothing could be held against the Patriarchs for incestuous behavior because this was part of progressive development, from the ways of the world (coming out of Chaldea) to becoming blameless before their God.^{[Gen.17:1][citation needed]}

Religious views[link]

Jewish view[link]

In the Bereshit of the Torah, Lot is first mentioned at the end of the weekly reading portion, Parashat Noach. The weekly reading portions that follow, concerning all of the accounts of Lot's life, are read in the Parashat Lekh Lekha and Parashat Vayera.

In the Midrash, a number of additional stories concerning Lot are present, not found in the Tanakh, as follows:

• Abraham took care of Lot after Haran was burned in a gigantic fire in which Nimrod, King of Babylon, tried to kill Abraham.
• While in Egypt, the midrash gives Lot much credit because, despite his desire for wealth, he did not inform Pharaoh of Sarah's secret, that she was Abraham's wife.

Christian view[link]

Despite Lot's flaws, Christians view him as a righteous man and draw upon New Testament scriptures that make direct references to his day, such as:

• In Luke 17:20-32, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. This triggered a topic that Jesus addressed his disciples about, concerning "the days of the Son of Man". In his discourse, he likened this time to the days of Lot and reminded his followers about what happened to this man's wife.
  Main article: Lot's wife

• Simon Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, reminded the Early Christians about Sodom and Gomorrah and spoke of Lot as being a righteous man amongst the wicked...

"and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)"

- 2 Peter 2:6-8 (NKJV)

[edit] Islamic view

Lut (Arabic: لوط‎) (circa 1900 BC?),^[13] is the Islamic version of the Hebrew Bible's Lot. He is considered to be a messenger of Islam and a Prophet of Islam in the Qur'an.^[14]

According to Islamic tradition, Lut lived in Ur and was a nephew of Ibrahim (Abraham). He migrated with Abraham to Canaan in Palestine. He was commissioned as a prophet to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.^[15] His story is used as a reference by Muslims to demonstrate Islam's strong disapproval of homosexuality. He was commanded by God to go to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah to preach to his people on monotheism and to stop them from their lustful and violent acts. Lot's messages were ignored by the inhabitants, thus, Sodom and Gomorrah were subsequently destroyed.

Some major differences between the story of Lot in the Qur'an and the story of Lot in the Bible is that the Hebrew version of Lot's wife leaves Sodom with her husband, looks back, and is turned into a pillar of salt.^[16] In the Qur'an, Lot's wife stays behind in the city and is destroyed.

The Hebrew text also includes the subsequent story of Lot being induced to incestuous relations with his own daughters. The Qur'an says that Lot is a prophet, and holds that all prophets were examples of moral and spiritual rectitude. Though it is not altogether clear in the Hebrew story that Lot consented to this action, in Islam these stories of incest are considered to be false.

Art gallery[link]

This section looks like an image gallery. Wikipedia policy discourages galleries of random images of the article subject; please improve or remove the section accordingly, moving freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons if not already hosted there. (February 2012)

The seduction of Lot by his daughters was frequently represented in Renaissance Art:

The seduction of Lot became a popular topic in Baroque Art:

Popular culture[link]

• In the science fiction stories "Lot" (1953) and "Lot's Daughter" (1954) by Ward Moore, the Bibilical story of Lot and his daughters' survival from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is reinterpreted as the story of the survival of a modern American family in the aftermath of nuclear war.
• The movie, MaClintock's Peach, released as Nobody Knows Anything has a scene in which Lot (played by Mitch Rouse) watches his wife (played by David Pasquesi ) turn into salt.
• The story of Sodom and Gomorrah was told in a 1962 film starring Stewart Granger as Lot with Anouk Aimée and Pier Angeli and directed by Robert Aldrich.
• The song "Pillar of Salt" by the Thermals is a reference to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

See also[link]

• Battle of Siddim
• Book of Genesis
• List of Hebrew Bible stories
• Lot's wife
• Mount Sodom
• Sodom and Gomorrah

Judaism

• Parashat Noach
• Parashat Lekh Lekha
• Parashat Vayera.

Islam

• Biblical narratives and the Qur'an
• Lut

Controversies

• Homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah
• The Bible and homosexuality

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Calmet, Augustin (1837). Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible. Boston: Crocker & Brewster. LCC BS440.C3. 

References in the Qur'an[link]

Note: There are many references to Lot in the Qur'an. The following are some of them.

• Lot's prophecy: Quran 26:161, Quran 7:80–84, Quran 15:67–77, Quran 26:160–168, Quran 29:28–31
• Angels appear to Lot: Quran 11:77–80, Quran 15:61–66
• Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: Quran 11:82, Quran 26:169–175, Quran 27:54–58
• Lot's wife: Quran 11:81, Quran 15:60, Quran 29:32
• Praise for Lot: Quran 37:133–138, Quran 54:35

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lot

Look up Lot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Our People: A History of the Jews - Abram and Lot
• A Pillar of Salt - A lesson from Lot's wife
• Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914). " Lot". The New Student's Reference Work. Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co.. Wikisource 

A person is a being, such as a human, that has certain capacities or attributes constituting personhood, the precise definition of which is the subject of much controversy.^{[vague language]} The common plural of "person", "people", is often used to refer to an entire nation or ethnic group (as in "a people"), so the plural "persons" is often used in contexts which require precision such as philosophical and legal writing.

Etymology[link]

In ancient Rome, the word "persona" (Latin) or "prosopon" (πρόσωπον: Greek) originally referred to the masks worn by actors on stage. The various masks represented the various "personae" in the stage play, while the masks themselves helped the actor's voice resonate and made it easier for the audience to hear.^[1]

In Roman law, the word "persona" became used to refer to a role played in court, and it became established that it was the role rather than the actor that could have rights, powers, and duties, because different individuals could assume the same roles, the rights, powers, and duties followed the role rather than the actor, and each individual could act in more than one role, each a different "person" in law.^{[tortured english][citation needed]}

The concept of a "person" was further developed during the Trinitarian and Christological debates of the first through sixth centuries. Since then, a number of important changes to the word's meaning and use have taken place, and attempts have been made to redefine the word with varying degrees of adoption and influence.

Many modern speakers of colloquial English conflate the meanings of role and actor, which can result in some confusion when they try to enter into legal discourse.^{[citation needed]}

Personhood[link]

An abstract painting of a person by Paul Klee. The concept of a person can be very challenging to define.

Personhood is the status of being a person. Defining personhood is a controversial topic in philosophy and law, and is closely tied to legal and political concepts of citizenship, equality, and liberty. According to law, only a natural person or legal personality has rights, protections, privileges, responsibilities, and legal liability. Personhood continues to be a topic of international debate. Historically, personhood was questioned during the abolition of slavery, the fight for women's rights and animal rights, debates about abortion, fetal rights and reproductive rights as well as debates about corporate personhood.^[2]

Various specific debates have focused and continue to focus on questions about the personhood of different classes of entities. Historically, the personhood of animals, women, and slaves has been a catalyst of social upheaval. Today, most living adult humans are usually considered persons, but depending on the context, theory or definition, the category of "person" may be taken to include such non-human entities as animals, corporations, sovereign states or other polities, estates in probate, artificial intelligences, or extraterrestrial life; and may exclude some human entities in prenatal development or those with extreme mental impairments or injuries. A deceased person may be considered a person or property, depending on jurisdiction.

Personal identity[link]

What does it take for individuals to persist from moment to moment — or in other words, for the same individual to exist at different moments?

Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of persons through time. That is to say, the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time can be said to be the same person, persisting through time. In the modern philosophy of mind, this concept of personal identity is sometimes referred to as the diachronic problem of personal identity. The synchronic problem is grounded in the question of what features or traits characterize a given person at one time.

Identity is an issue for both continental philosophy and analytic philosophy. A key question in continental philosophy is in what sense we can maintain the modern conception of identity, while realizing many of our prior assumptions about the world are incorrect.

Proposed solutions to the problem of personal identity include continuity of the physical body, continuity of an immaterial mind or soul, continuity of consciousness or memory, the bundle theory of self, and proposals that there are actually no persons or selves which persist over time at all.

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Lukes, Steven; Carrithers, Michael; Collins, Steven, eds. (1987). The category of the person: Anthropology, philosophy, history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-27757-4. 
• Cornelia J.de Vogel The concept of personality in Greek and Christian thought. In Studies in philosophy and the history of philosophy. Vol. 2. Edited by J. K. Ryan, Washington: Catholic University of America Press 1963. pp. 20–60
• Puccetti, Roland (1968). Persons: A Study of Possible Moral Agents in the Universe. London: Macmillan and Company. 
•  "Person". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. 
• Korfmacher, Carsten (May 29, 2006). "Personal Identity". The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://www.iep.utm.edu/p/person-i.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-09. 

External links[link]

Look up person in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Rights of Non-Human Persons Program (Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies)

Scott Benjamin Laird (born in 15 May 1988) is a defender who plays for League One side Preston North End.

Laird began his football career as a trainee at Plymouth Argyle, progressing through the club's centre of excellence. He spent a total of eight years on the club's books, but only managed to make one first–team appearance for the club. In 2006, he was loaned out to Tiverton Town, playing a total of 20 games for the club, scoring four times. He was later loaned to Torquay United in September 2007, making two appearances for the side. Another loan spell followed, this time to Stevenage in late 2007. Laird impressed under manager Peter Taylor and signed on a permanent basis at the start of February 2008 for an undisclosed fee.

He has been a first–team regular since his move, and was the club's Player of the Year for the 2009–10 season, a season in which the Hertfordshire side won promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history. His success as a Stevenage player continued the following season, as he played an integral role in the club's 2010–11 campaign, helping Stevenage earn promotion to League One. He left Stevenage when his contract expired in 2012, and joined fellow League One side Preston North End. Laird has also represented Scotland at youth level, captaining the Scotland U16 team. However, Laird was called up for the England C side in April 2009, starting in a game against the Belgium U21 team.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Laird began his football career as a trainee at Plymouth Argyle's centre of excellence.^[3] He made the hour journey to Plymouth from his Bridgwater home in order to train with the club every Tuesday and Thursday.^[4] Laird attracted interest from Scottish side Rangers in 2003, with the SPL club enquiring about the player after his performances for Scotland in the Victory Shield.^[5] No move materialised, and he continued to progress through the youth system at Home Park, and was offered a professional contract at the age of 17 by manager Tony Pulis in February 2006.^[6] During his time as an apprentice, Laird lived in a hotel "just for apprentices" with Luke Summerfield, Reuben Reid, and Chris Zebroski, and described the experience as a "great way to grow into football".^[4]

The following season, Laird joined Tiverton Town of the Southern Football League on an initial one month loan in September 2006.^[7] He made his debut for the club in Tiverton's 2–1 victory against Wealdstone,^[8] and played in the following game against Cheshunt.^[9] The loan was extended for a further five months, and Laird scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 defeat at Hemel Hempstead Town on 5 April 2007.^[10] Two days later, he scored twice in Tiverton's 3–1 home win against Cirencester Town, netting both of his goals in the space of four minutes to give Tiverton a two goal lead.^[11] A week later, he scored again, netting the opening goal of the game as Tiverton lost 4–1 to King's Lynn.^[12] Laird played a total of 18 games for the club, scoring four times from a central midfield role.^[13] Laird returned to Plymouth ahead of the 2007–08 season, and was subsequently handed his Plymouth debut in a 2–1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup, playing the whole match and assisting Plymouth's second goal.^[14] However, he did not appear in the first–team for Plymouth again and was loaned out to nearby Conference National side Torquay United a month later.^[15] Laird made his Torquay debut in a 5–2 victory against Kidderminster Harriers at Aggborough,^[16] and also featured in a 3–2 victory over Weymouth.^[17] Although his loan at Torquay was extended in November,^[18] he did not make any more first–team appearances for the club,^[19] and so played just twice for Torquay United during his two-month loan spell.^[19]

Stevenage[link]

A month after returning to his parent club, Laird was loaned out to another Conference National team in the form of Stevenage on 31 December 2007.^[20] He made his Stevenage debut a day later in a 2–1 win over Rushden & Diamonds.^[21] Laird impressed under manager Peter Taylor and signed on a permanent basis at the start of February, for an undisclosed fee.^[22] He featured regularly at left–back during the second half of the 2007–08 season,^[23] and scored his first goal for Stevenage in a 4–1 victory away at Histon – a 35 yard strike into the top right hand corner of the net.^[24] The following season, under the new management of Graham Westley, Laird featured regularly again, playing 51 games in total for the Hertfordshire side, scoring three times in total.^[25][26] Laird scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season in Stevenage's first win of the season; a 3–1 victory away to Barrow in August 2008.^[27] His second goal of the campaign came in an FA Cup tie against Horsham,^[26] while his third goal of the season came in Stevenage's last regular Conference National fixture of the season in a 2–1 defeat away to Mansfield Town.^[28] Laird was also a key part in the side's successful FA Trophy campaign,^[29] featuring in six matches. However, he missed the final at Wembley Stadium as a result of being sent–off in the defeat to Cambridge United in the Conference National play-off semi-final.^[30] In his absence, Stevenage beat York City 2–0 in the FA Trophy final.

Laird continue to impress at full-back for Stevenage in the first half of the 2009–10 season. He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over Histon at Bridge Road in August 2009; the ground he coincidentally scored his first ever Stevenage goal in 2008.^[31] In September 2009, Laird scored a highly significant goal when his 85th minute strike ensured Stevenage beat local rivals Luton Town 1–0 at Kenilworth Road in the first ever league meeting between the two clubs.^[32] He scored a similar looking goal in a 4–0 win over Barrow,^[33] before also scoring the winning goal in a victory over Oxford United; stroking home a second half penalty to score the only goal of the game.^[34] Laird's fifth goal of the season followed shortly after, when he converted another penalty in a 2–0 win against Forest Green Rovers.^[35] He scored another goal from the penalty spot ten days later in a 1–0 win over Gateshead.^[36] Laird made 53 appearances during Stevenage's promotion-winning campaign, more than any other player for the club during the season,^[37] scoring a total of six goals.^[37] He was also voted as Stevenage's Player of the Year at the end of the season, as voted for by Supporters Association members and season ticket holders at the club.^[38] Laird signed a new two–year contract with the Hertfordshire club in May 2010. He was voted as the 2009–10 Young Player of the Year at the National Game Awards.^[39] At the Football Conference's Annual Presentation Dinner, Laird was also named in the Team of the Year, alongside fellow Stevenage defenders Ronnie Henry and Mark Roberts.^[39]

Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Laird scored in Stevenage's pre-season friendly victory over Histon.^[40] He started in the club's first ever Football League fixture, a 2–2 home draw with Macclesfield Town.^[41] In September 2010, in games against Cheltenham Town and Torquay United respectively, Laird was used as a left midfielder, as opposed to playing in his usual left-back position.^[42][43] He reverted to the left-back spot in Stevenage's 1–0 win over Lincoln City at Sincil Bank.^[44] He scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season from the penalty spot, in a 2–1 win over Burton Albion in October 2010.^[45] A week later, he missed the chance to double his goal tally for the season, missing a second-half penalty in a 0–0 draw against Morecambe.^[46] Coincidentally, Laird's second goal of the season came in the reverse fixture against Morecambe in January 2011; he scored from close range following John Mousinho's cross to give Stevenage the lead.^[47] Just three days later, Laird scored his third goal of the season, netting with a curling effort from 25 yards out to give Stevenage their third goal of a 3–0 win against Rotherham United.^[48] Laird was initially credited with scoring an 87th minute winner in Stevenage's 1–0 away win at Crewe Alexandra on 19 February 2011, but the goal was eventually given to team-mate Byron Harrison.^[49] At the age of 22, Laird captained Stevenage for the first time in their 1–0 loss to Hereford United on 8 March 2011.^[50] In the club's following match, against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park, Laird was sent-off for two bookable offences, although Stevenage held on to win the match 1–0.^[51] Laird's fourth goal of the campaign came in Stevenage's 3–3 draw against Bury on 7 May 2011, as he opened the scoring with a strike from 25 yards out.^[52] He played a total of 54 games during the 2010–11 season, scoring four goals.^[53] This included three appearances in the 2010–11 League Two play-offs following Stevenage's sixth placed finish.^[54] Following a 3–0 aggregate victory over Accrington Stanley,^[55][56] Stevenage earned promotion to League One after a 1–0 win against Torquay United at Old Trafford on 28 May 2011, with Laird playing the whole game.^[57]

Laird played in Stevenage's first ever League One fixture on 6 August 2011, playing the whole match in a 0–0 home draw against Exeter City.^[58] He was a crucial player in the club's first win of the season, assisting Chris Beardsley in the 91st minute as Stevenage beat Bournemouth 3–1 at Dean Court.^[59] Laird's first goal of the campaign came four days later, on 20 August, scoring with a header from Robin Shroot's corner to ensure Stevenage came from two goals down to draw against Hartlepool United.^[60] He also scored against Huddersfield Town on 8 October, scoring with a first time finish to briefly restore parity in an eventual 2–1 loss.^[61] Laird's impressive start to the 2011–12 season resulted in a "number of Championship clubs" tracking the player.^[62] Laird scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against Sheffield United on 5 November, converting from the penalty spot with eight minutes remaining.^[63] A week later, on 12 November, he scored the only goal of the game as Stevenage defeated Hartlepool United 1–0 in the FA Cup.^[64] Laird's fifth goal of the campaign came on 26 December, scoring Stevenage's fourth goal in a 6–1 away victory at Colchester United, calmly scoring from close range following a well-worked free-kick.^[65] He was on the scoresheet once again in Stevenage's 4–2 home win against Milton Keynes Dons in January 2012, heading in Luke Freeman's cross to ensure Stevenage overcame an early deficit to take the lead.^[66] The left-back scored his seventh goal of the campaign in manager Gary Smith's first league game in-charge, a 1–0 away victory at Sheffield Wednesday.^[67] He scored further goals in draws against Chesterfield and Sheffield United respectively, taking his goal tally to nine for the season.^[68][69] Laird finished as the club's second highest goalscorer for the campaign, as Stevenage missed out on a third successive promotion following a play-off semi-final defeat.^[70] At the end of the season, it was announced that Laird had rejected an improved contract offer and would be leaving the club on a free transfer when his contract expired.^[71][72] Laird made 230 appearances during his four years with the club, scoring 23 goals.^[73]

Preston North End[link]

In May 2012, it was announced that Laird had signed for League One side Preston North End on a free transfer.^[74] The move reunited him with former Stevenage manager Graham Westley.^[75]

International career[link]

Despite being born in England, Laird represented Scotland at youth level, captaining the Scotland U16 team all the way up to U20's level.^[76] He played in all three of Scotland's games in the Victory Shield in 2003, scoring twice, with Scotland finishing as joint winners of the tournament alongside England.^[4]

Laird was called up by Paul Fairclough for the England C side in April 2009,^[77] and subsequently started in England's 1–0 defeat to Belgium U21 the following month.^[78]

Personal life[link]

Laird was born in Taunton, Somerset, and grew up in Bridgwater.^[1][73] He supported Rangers as a boy, and states that Brian Laudrup was a player he always aspired to play like.^[79] Laird also supports Ipswich Town.^[79] He says that Guti is the best player he has ever played against.^[79] Laird's grandmother gives him a one pound coin every time he scores a goal, something that she has done ever since he started playing football.^[79]

Laird's father, Craig, was appointed as manager of Weston–super–Mare in May 2010, having previously managed Southern League Division One South and West outfit Bridgwater Town.^[80][81]

Honours[link]

Stevenage

• FA Trophy (1): 2008–09
• Conference National (1): 2009–10
• League Two play-offs (1): 2010–11

Individual

• Stevenage Player of the Year (1): 2009–10
• Conference National Team of the Year (1): 2009–10

Career statistics[link]

As of 29 May 2012.

References[link]