Scotland May/June 2022

ANCESTRY • HISTORY • HERITAGE • TRAVEL

The world’s leading Scottish-interest magazine

Pomp & Ceremony

Wild about Arran

Castles, deer & distilleries make this island irresistible

Keeping court with the Lord Lyon

GOLF COMES HOME Celebrate the 150th Open in St Andrews

Bonnie Banks

GRAND GLASGOW Stately homes & world-class art

Epic clan lands & shoreside luxury in Loch Lomond

AT HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE

The small ship cruise fit for The Queen

ISSUE 122 May/Jun 2022 £4.95

and Spot

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Red squirrels can often be spotted on the Isle of Arran

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Editor’s letter Scotland is renowned as much for its lochs and glens, towering munros and fertile forests, as it is for its tales of outlanders and heroic clans.

For a taste of all of the above, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, where the Lowlands meet the Highlands, is the place to go, and this issue I returned to the western shores of its namesake loch to explore its clan history a little closer in On the Bonnie, Bonnie Banks (p14).

Another place that is a microcosm of Scotland is Arran, one of Scotland’s most accessible isles and the only island where you can spot all of Scotland’s ‘Big Five’ animals – red deer, otters, red squirrels, golden eagles, and harbour seals – and in Wild Isle (p73), our writer did just that.

Scotland is also renowned for its pageantry, though it can sometimes seem like its rules are only known by members of some secret club. This issue we spoke to the Lord Lyon, head of the regulatory body of Scottish heraldry, to try to get a better understanding of it all in Pomp with a Point (p56).

And of course, Scotland is a land of stories, which are woven into its landscapes. One of the stories that has always fascinated me is the tale of James Macpherson, a writer who fooled the establishment in the late 18th century, with his Ossian poems featuring epic tales of giants and Gaelic warriors, and we try to get to the bottom of it all in Hoaxer or Hero? (p68).

Nothing warms the soul like a feel-good story, though, and in this issue’s The Story Behind (p81), we hear how one group of crofters managed to take back ownership of their land, and few things can be more feel-good than that. I hope you enjoy the issue.

ANCESTRY • HISTORY • HERITAGE • TRAVEL

The world’s leading Scottish-interest magazine

Pomp & Ceremony

Wild about Arran

On the trail of red deer & castles on the isle that has it all

Keeping court with the Lord Lyon

GOLF COMES HOME Celebrate the 150th Open in St Andrews

Bonnie Banks

GRAND GLASGOW Stately homes & world-class art

Epic clan lands & shoreside luxury in Loch Lomond

AT HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE

ISSUE 122 July 2022 US/CAN $7.99

The small ship cruise fit for The Queen 001_UK_COVER_SM122 v8.indd 2

30/03/2022 08:55

COVER IMAGE:

Lochranza Castle, Isle of Arran © Allan Wright/ Alamy. Inset: Joseph Morrow, Lord Lyon King of Arms

SALLY COFFEY

Editor

editor@scotlandmag.com

@Scotland_Mag

facebook.com/ScotlandMagazine

@scotlandmagazine

Scotland 3

42

Assynt p81

Birnam Oak p42

St Andrews p61 Luss p14

Pollok House p22 Arran p73

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CONTENTS ISSUE 122

10 Notes from the isles A fierce storm disrupts things, and our friend attends a poignant Regimental church service in Inverness

12 We’ve got mail Your letters and stories of Scotland

14 On the bonnie, bonnie banks We explore the western shores of Loch Lomond to mark the national park’s 20th birthday

03 Editor’s letter 06 The Clan Courier Scotland news and the latest travel tips

09 Dates for your diary This season’s best events on both sides of the Atlantic

22 Glasgow’s greatest gifts Discover Pollok Country Park, home to a Georgian stately home and a world-class art collection

31 A royally good cruise Robin McKelvie steps on board the Hebridean Princess, a yacht Her Majesty has given her royal seal of approval to with two private holidays

61 St Andrews has a sense of individuality that you really don’t find anywhere else

31

14 © WORLD HISTORY ARCHIVE/ALAMY/JEREMY FLINT PHOTOGRAPHY/VISITSCOTLAND/KENNY LAM/ COLIN N BELL/4CORNERS IMAGES. © ILLUSTRATION MICHAEL A HILL

38 Perfect Pouch We meet a skilled craftsman who is keeping the Scottish tradition of making sporrans by hand alive

42 The king & the playwright Plays, power and witchcraft. Did King James VI really influence Shakespeare’s writing of Macbeth?

48 Glasgow High Street Take a stroll down the city’s oldest street, the history of which can be traced back to medieval times

51 The soft touch We talk to the experts to uncover why Scottish cashmere is considered the best in the world

56 Pomp with a point The Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms dates from the 14th century, but its outlook is very modern

61 The home of golf As the 150th Open heads to St Andrews, read about the history of the game in Fife’s attractive main town

68 Hoaxer or hero?

In Scotland’s Year of Stories, we discuss James Macpherson’s controversial Ossian poems

73 Wild Isle Deer, red squirrels, eagles, seals and otters can all be seen on the Isle of Arran, as our writer can attest

78 Scottish societies If you’d like to become a member of a real Scottish clan, then find the contact details here

81 The story behind...

How new music album, We Have Won the Land, celebrates a landmark victory in Scottish land reform

Scotland 5

News & events

CLAN COURIER

© JOHN PETER PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY

Stay in a Scottish castle, admire 18th-century couture, and enjoy the best of Scottish cuisine

[COMPETITION]

WIN A GREAT BRITISH HOLIDAY

There is still time (just) to enter our competition to win a holiday to Britain, which includes tickets to Edinburgh Castle, a stay in a luxury boutique hotel in the Scottish capital, plus a trip to the quaint villages and rolling hills of the Cotswolds and a five-star luxury stay in London. The closing date is 31 July 2022, and the trip can be taken between 1 September 2022 and 31 May 2023, subject to availability.

For full Ts and Cs and to be in with the chance of winning this fabulous prize, go to scotlandmag.com/ great-british-holiday-competition

[ H O L I DAY S ]

SWAP YOUR HOME FOR A CASTLE No, your eyes are not deceiving you. You really can trade in your home for a Scottish castle – at least for a week or two – thanks to a home swap scheme that costs less than £100 per year.

Love Home Swap has some incredible properties on its books, including the 500-year-old tower house, Duchray Castle (pictured), located in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, which comes with original beams, wood-panelling, and four-poster beds.

Other properties include a historic house on the banks of Loch Ness and a wooden cabin hidden away in the Highlands.

For an annual fee of £96, you can choose to do straight home swaps, where you go and stay in a home and the owner of that home comes to stay in yours, or you can accrue points and use these to ‘pay’ for holidays in other people’s homes (though in these cases other fees may apply). lovehomeswap.com

Scotland 7

[ S TAT E LY H O M E S ]

CASTLE CATWALK A rare 18th-century dress, worn by the 2nd Duchess of Atholl, is to form the centrepiece of a new period fashion show at Blair Castle, in Perthshire, this year.

Incredibly, this beautiful dress, made from hand-painted ivory Chinese silk and edged with gold thread brocade, ruffles, and pleats, lay in storage in a trunk simply labelled ‘clothes’ in the castle’s archives for years.

The dress will now go on display at the castle as part of the Castle Couture: 1740-1844 exhibition, which includes other outfits once worn by members of Britain’s high society, from the Jacobite era to Victorian times, including fashionable waistcoats and lace dresses.

Keren Guthrie, archivist at Blair Castle, said: “Pulling together this exhibition has been a fascinating journey. While we knew of some items in the archives, opening long forgotten trunks to find such treasures as the Chinese silk dress was incredibly exciting. Fans of Outlander will recognise the style as being something that Claire Randall would have worn.”

The Castle Couture exhibition will be included in the Blair Castle entry ticket price until January 2023. atholl-estates.co.uk/blair-castle

[COMMUNITY]

POWER TO THE PEOPLE Locals on the Knoydart peninsula are toasting their success, having bought Britain’s ‘most remote pub’ in what is considered a landmark deal.

Until recently, The Old Forge in Inverie, the main port in Knoydart, was owned by Belgian Jean-Pierre Robinet. However, as

8 Scotland

Megan Eaves reported in Issue 119, locals were desperate to run the pub as a community venture – having already successfully bought a large part of the Knoydart Estate in 1999.

In 2021, The Old Forge Community Benefit Society (CBS) was set up with the aim of raising money to buy the pub through crowdfunding.

Additional financial support came from the Scottish Land Fund and the Community Ownership Fund, and on 28 March 2022, the

CBS received the keys to the pub.

On a statement on their website, CBS said: “This is a momentous step towards relaunching our only local pub for the benefit of the community and all who love the Forge and Knoydart.”

It is hoped the pub will be open again by mid-April and it will be run as a non-profit, with all proceeds being reinvested in the business and other local projects. theoldforge.co.uk

News & events [TOURS]

FOLLOW THE FOOD Two of Edinburgh’s most luxurious hotels – The Witchery by the Castle and Prestonfield – have joined one of the city’s most prestigious tour operators, Sleigh’s, to offer tailor-made food trails that will give guests unrivalled access to food and drink producers from the Lothians to Perthshire and Stirlingshire.

On the chauffeur-driven ‘Taste of Scotland’ food trails, guests can visit places such as Scotland’s oldest working distillery, The Glenturret, where they can dine in its new Michelin-starred restaurant; meet the fishermen of Belhaven Lobster at Dunbar harbour; or learn about the ethos of sustainable agriculture and diversification at Old Leckie Farm.

James Thomson, owner of Prestonfield and The Witchery by the Castle, said: “To help mark Scotland’s official year of stories in 2022, we’re really excited to be working with our long-standing partners at Sleigh’s to build on our long food and drink tradition and offer our overnight guests a new tailor-made way to experience produce right on our doorstep.” sleigh.co.uk/taste-of-scotland-food-trail

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY As the world reopens, here are some forthcoming events you might want to mark on your calendar

SCOTLAND 5-27 August 2022 THE ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO, EDINBURGH This year’s show will celebrate the power of ‘voices’ through music and military precision. edintattoo.co.uk

Highlands to the Hamptons’. dressedtokilt.com 29-30 July 2022 GLENGARRY HIGHLAND GAMES, ONTARIO One of the largest of its kind in the world, this is a feast of Scottish pageantry. glengarryhighlandgames. com 31 July 2022 MONTREAL HIGHLAND GAMES, QUEBEC Discover Scotland’s rich history, with athletics, dancing and medieval combat. montrealhighlandgames. com

5-29 August 2022 EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE The world’s largest cultural arts festival transforms Scotland’s capital every August. edfringe.com

members of the Royal Family, these are the most famous games in the world. braemargathering.org

13 August 2022 THE 79TH CENTRAL NEW YORK SCOTTISH GAMES & CELTIC FESTIVAL, NY Onondaga Lake is the perfect setting for these games, featuring pipe bands and Highland dancing. cnyscottishgames.org

21 August 2022 CRIEFF HIGHLAND GATHERING, PERTHSHIRE This year’s event will be ‘The Platinum Jubilee Crieff Highland Gathering’, in honour of Her Majesty The Queen’s 70-year reign. crieffhighlandgathering. com

14-22 October 2022 THE ROYAL NATIONAL MOD, PERTH Scotland’s premier celebration of its Gaelic language. Enjoy cèilidhs, concerts and exhibitions. ancomunn.co.uk

3-4 September 2022 CANMORE HIGHLAND GAMES, ALBERTA In the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, celebrate all things Scottish, with music, sport and more. canmorehighlandgames.ca

25-27 August 2022 COWAL HIGHLAND GATHERING, ARGYLL The world’s biggest Highland Games, complete with World Highland Dancing Championships. cowalgathering.com

23 July 2022 DRESSED TO KILT, LONG ISLAND A charity event showcasing the best of Scotland’s fashion designers. This year’s theme is ‘Dress for adventure – from the

14 August 2022 PERTH HIGHLAND GAMES Held in the grounds of Scone Palace, enjoy heavyweight events and a pipe band contest. perthhighlandgames.co.uk

© CHRIS KEATCH/VISITSCOTLAND/KENNY LAM

3 September 2022 BRAEMAR HIGHLAND GATHERING, ABERDEENSHIRE Traditionally attended by

US & CANADA

10 September 2022 COVENANTER SCOTTISH FESTIVAL AND HIGHLAND GAMES, PENNSYLVANIA Heavyweight events, sheep herding and haggis – this festival has something for everyone. covenanterscottishfestival. com

Scotland 9

JOURNAL

| Window into Scotland

Notes from the Isles

This issue, our friend is reminded that by doing one’s duty, you reap the rewards Words by KATE FRANCIS

O

ne of my somewhat hubristic assertions has always been that I prefer ‘proper’ weather: rain should drench; sun should burn; the wind should be violent: there should be no boring dreich compromises. I am now regretting such idiocy.

A series of bad storms hit us recently, serious enough to have names: Dudley, Corrie, Eunice... with Gladys approaching as I write. Dudley was my nemesis. The house shook, the tiles flew like falling leaves, a fence was flattened; worst of all, the electricity was cut off for two days. I could cope with no lighting, heating, hot water, or telephone. I had a bag of half-used candles so I could read in the evening, but that was daunting because my chair is under a window and the curtains billowed out like sails and the candle flames fluttered alarmingly.

The disasters were that I was unable to re-charge my vape, and, having no internet, I couldn’t indulge my daily fix of Wordle – a ridiculous game of chance to which I am addicted. The gale also put out my Esse stove, which not only cooks my food and heats the water but acts as a heater in my kitchen, and that’s the room I live in.

For five days, Cronie and I sat, wrapped in rugs, shivering

miserably in our mutual chair, and I wore socks and gloves in bed.

Despite the winter weather, An t-Eilean Dubh (The Black Isle), has recently qualified as An t-Eilean Geal, (The White Isle): wild snowdrops carpet the woods and verges, greatly enhancing our daily walks.

On one of these, we encountered someone who was considerably hardier than I. We were climbing a path in a freezing gale, and I was thankful to be wearing thermal leggings and vest, my thickest sweater and trousers and a well-padded coat. Then I noticed an old man approaching across the ice, aided by a cromag. He was dressed in anklelength socks and gym shoes, a light cardigan, and a kilt with a shiny leather sporran. His legs were very white and, as we exchanged greetings, I wondered if he kept the Highland tradition of what should be worn under the kilt. I hoped for his sake he was breaking the rules and wearing thermal boxers.

The only disadvantage of having a base on an island is that ‘proper’ weather interrupts all ferries and planes. Many friends were cut off for days or had to cancel plans. I’m hoping that things will have quietened down by Easter when I’ve arranged to join the family over in our island retreat. Weather permitting, all my grandchildren are visiting me just before Easter, to partake in

All around us were those dear familiar faces who have been part of the 63 years of my married life

ABOVE: Kate and Cronie, her faithful Border Terrier TOP RIGHT: The Old High Church, Inverness

10 Scotland

© DOUG HOUGHTON/ALAMY

Window into Scotland |

an event that has been arranged by the eldest of them, Suzanna, who is 30, and her husband, Sam. The event is called the Doug Run, in memory of their beloved Grandpa Douglas, and entails a six-mile circular run from our front gate. Suzanna has already had a trial attempt and did it in 42 minutes. By the time I write my next column, we shall know who won.

I was recently telephoned by an ex-Cameron Highlander, an old friend who grew up with Douglas. He asked me if I was going to attend the final service at the Old High Church in Inverness. The Old High, as it is called locally, used to be the garrison church of the Camerons because there was no chapel in the barracks, and it contains many of the Regimental Colours, memorials, and record books.

The ‘High’ refers to its position on St Michael’s Mount – a small hill overlooking the River Ness – not to highchurch Catholicism – it is staunchly Presbyterian. It could be described as the cradle of Christianity in the north because St Columbus preached here in AD565 and converted the Pictish King Brude to Christianity.

The present building dates from 1772, though bits of it go back at least four centuries and a book could be written about its history.

The Old High has suffered a severe drop in parishioners and has been sold, possibly to become a music venue. The final service would be attended by many Cameron Highlander veterans, all well into their eighties, nineties and even hundreds, because the Camerons ceased to be a separate regiment in 1960 when they amalgamated with the Seaforths, so there are no youngsters at all.

Without thinking, I said I hadn’t planned to go to the service and as I spoke, I received a sharp nudge from Douglas, who keeps a strict eye on my every decision, reminding me that supporting the Regimental Family is my duty. I did a quick U-turn and said of course I’d go, and that I’d drive us there.

It was a wonderful example of that Regimental Family, which outsiders mock, but which is as close-knit as any blood relationship.

We were greeted by one of the veterans in his Cameron trews with a Cameron face mask, and led to a section of the church reserved for the regiment.

All around us were those dear familiar faces who have been part of the 63 years of my married life: people we have toured the world with, and lived, played, mourned and rejoiced with.

The service was surprisingly short for a Kirk ceremony,

journal

accompanied by the ancient organ and a choir. The sermon, was dignified and moving. When it was over, the Camerons stayed behind for a group photograph, which took almost as long as the service by the time they’d rejected the first choice of lining them up in front of a wooden crucifix commemorating the Camerons who fell at the Somme in 1916.

There wasn’t enough room in front of the cross, so all the old boys then shuffled over to stand in front of the altar.

Finally, the photographs were taken, but it was then a lengthy progress from the Kirk to our car because of all the family members who demanded a hug and exchange of news. I am so glad I went. S

Scotland 11

MAILBAG

| Your letters

WE’VE GOT MAIL A selection of messages from our readers across the globe

Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire

Can’t see yours or want to read more letters? Go to scotlandmag.com/ yourviews

OPENING OUR EYES

My wife Blanche and I enjoyed your review of Glenapp Castle as we have had the pleasure of spending a night there several years ago when it was owned by the McMillan family. It is a charming castle. I don’t remember seeing the Churchill portrait – possibly it is an addition of Paul and Poppy Szkiler, the present owners.

Jack Hunter’s 2008 book A Flight Too Far, The story of Elsie Mackay of Glenapp, gives more detail on Elsie’s remarkable 1928 failed attempt to fly westward non-stop from England to Long Island, USA, against the prevailing winds in a single engine plane.

Elsie’s double ambition was to make the more difficult first east-west solo crossing of the Atlantic by plane and the first either way by a woman. She realised she needed help and eventually hired a very experienced ex-RAF pilot Captain W G R Hinchliffe, who had lost his left eye in a wartime flying accident.

Hinchliffe would fly the plane with Elsie as co-pilot. The two took off in 1928 and were never seen again. Not surprising, because in the previous seven months seven fliers, including two women, had died attempting the east-west crossing. In 1927, American Charles Lindbergh had been the first person to make a solo, non-stop flight by plane across the Atlantic. Charles flew west-east.

John B McMillan, FSA Scot, by email

The Editor, Scotland, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ

12 Scotland

editor@scotlandmag.com facebook.com/ScotlandMagazine

RESPECT YOUR ELDERS

Thank you for a brilliant magazine. I am well-entertained each issue and learn a lot about beautiful Scotland. However, in the latest issue March/April 2022 (121) I read that Campbeltown Picture House is Scotland’s oldest surviving purposebuilt cinema, but isn’t it The Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness?

Gazelle Buchholtz, by email EDITOR REPLIES: You are quite right Gazelle, though the Campbeltown Picture House is one of the oldest, opening in 1913, it was predated

by The Hippodrome in Bo’ness, which opened in 1912. Sorry, our mistake.

@Scotland_Mag @scotlandmagazine

© WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS FOR PUBLICATION

MORE THAN A FLIGHT OF FANCY

I want to thank Vaishnavi Ramu for the lovely and informative article Born and Bred in Issue 120 of Scotland.

Not being from Scotland, I didn’t make the connection with its diversity and the British Empire and colonialism, but, of course, I should have.

Thanks for running this article.

Robin Wallace, by email

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TRAVEL

| Loch Lomond

On the Bonnie, Bonnie Banks To mark 20 years of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, we explore Clan Colquhoun country, with its luxurious lochside hotels, acres of land for exploration, and traditional Highland games Words by SALLY COFFEY

14 Scotland

Loch Lomond |

travel

Scotland 15

| Loch Lomond

© IAIN MASTERTON/IAN DAGNALL/ALAMY/JUNE CAIRNS/iSTOCK. © ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL A HILL

travel

B

“

TOP TO BOTTOM: Fishing boats moored on the loch at Aldochlay, on the west bank of Loch Lomond; the Laird of Luss built tenant cottages for quarry and mill workers in the village of Luss in the 1850s

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y yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes, Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond, Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae, On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.”

This Scottish anthem, supposedly a Jacobite reworking of an earlier song, which is still sung with gusto at many a gathering and gig, does little to dampen the romance of Loch Lomond, and nor should it.

Loch Lomond and its surrounds, which were packaged together as Scotland’s first national park 20 years ago, is an epic landscape, where the Lowlands meet the Highlands. It’s a place of icy-blue waters, fringed with lush forests and wooded glens and guarded by mighty mountains – not least Ben Lomond, the most southerly of all of Scotland’s munros.

I’ve driven the A82, the road that snakes round its western shores, more times than I can remember, and yet, I’m never less than staggered by the sight of the enormous expanse of Loch Lomond peeping through a bank of trees, or the

haughty monolith of Ben Lomond, which can play tricks on you, appearing to be straight in front of you on the west side of the loch, when really she’s been firmly planted on the eastern shores all the time.

For those who prefer to travel by public transport, the western shores of Loch Lomond are excellently serviced by trains and buses and you can get here in less than an hour from Glasgow.

This is Clan Colquhoun country – the Lowland Clan who were arch enemies of the MacGregors, have held much of the land in and around Loch Lomond for centuries.

Luss, a village on Loch Lomond’s western shores, has been in the heart of Clan Colquhoun lands for more than 600 years, since the marriage of Robert, the 5th of Colquhoun, and the daughter of the 6th Laird of Luss, in the 14th century.

It is said early Colquhouns were Celtic priests and hereditary guardians of the ‘bachuil’ or crozier (a sort of bishop’s staff) of St Kessog, a monk from Ireland who lived

Loch Lomond |

travel

It’s a place of icy-blue waters, fringed with lush forests and wooded glens and guarded by mighty mountains

on one of Loch Lomond’s many isles – Inchtavannach.

It’s possible the clan were even descendants of the saint; certainly they were offered certain sacred protections – in 1323 Robert the Bruce declared the area three miles around the church of Luss a holy refuge.

However, at some point over the centuries the staff has been lost. The Helensburgh Heritage Trust believes it could have been hidden away or destroyed around the time of the Battle of Glen Fruin in 1603, in which many members of Clan Colquhoun were massacred by MacGregors in the crescendo of an ongoing feud.

The MacGregors paid a heavy price for their victory in the battle, as by then Clan Colquhoun had gained royal support.

Shortly afterwards, King James VI passed an Act of council, which effectively outlawed the whole clan – even uttering the name MacGregor was done on pain of death.

The current clan chief is Sir Malcolm Colquhoun, 31st of Colquhoun, 33rd of Luss, and though parts of the lands

Scotland 17

travel

| Loch Lomond

once belonging to the clan have been sold off, Luss Estates, of which he is chair, still spans more than 40,000 acres and runs community and tourism ventures, including the charming Loch Lomond Arms Hotel in the village of Luss.

An elegant coaching inn, housed in a 17th-century building, there are just 14 rooms and five cottages at the Loch Lomond Arms, while guests can choose from three dining areas – the more formal dining room, the cosy bar, and the sophisticated library – which all serve the same seasonal, modern Scottish menu. It’s all been decorated in the style of a traditional hunting lodge, so expect roaring fires, deep sofas where you can leaf through perfectly bound books, stuffed birds, and trophy horns and antlers.

In the 1850s the then Laird of Luss had the attractive tenant cottages built for workers at the nearby slate quarry and in the estate’s cotton mills and sawmill. Sadly, the old museum, which once told the story of the clan and the village has now closed, but pop into the Luss General Store – a boutique selling Scottish gifts (much of it locally made) – owned by Luss Estates, and staff may be able to share some of their local knowledge.

The one place you’re most likely to find people willing to talk about the clan’s history, is at the annual Luss Highland Games, which has been held here since 1875, and which this year takes place on 2 July.

It’s one of the most picturesque settings for Highland

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CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: Highland games have been held in Luss since 1875; Loch Lomond is surrounded by lush forests and mountains; the Loch Lomond Arms hotel in the village of Luss

© RIK HAMILTON/ELIZABETH LEYDEN/ALAMY/BENJAMIN CURRIE/SHUTTERSTOCK

games that I’ve ever seen, with the River Luss rumbling past the field to one side, the clear waters of Loch Lomond twinkling in the background, and the hills of Luss framing the picture beautifully.

Though disappointingly they no longer include competitions for sock knitting or making shepherd’s crooks, this once local event has become one of the most popular of all of Scotland’s Highland games. It includes traditional competitions such as hill racing, tossing the caber and hammer-throwing, with plenty of pipes and Highland dancing, too.

For lochside luxury, with no shortage of activities to make the most of Loch Lomond’s huge outdoor playground, Cameron House, a sweeping five-star resort, is the place to stay. It’s spread out across such a large area (44 hectares) that guests are encouraged to make use of the courtesy shuttle service between the main hotel, Cameron Spa, and the golf courses. Suited concierge will even offer guests a lift to the marina, but that’s just a short walk away.

The main Scottish Baronial-style hotel building, where most of the guest rooms can be found, was home to the wellconnected Smollett family for 300 years, which included Tobias Smollett, an influential 18th-century writer, in their number.

Many famous figures have stayed here as guests of the family, from James Boswell and Samuel Johnson during their trip around the Highlands, to Empress Eugénie of France,

Princess Margaret and Lord Louis Mountbatten, and Winston Churchill.

Those who were children (or parents of children) in the area in the 1970s and 1980s probably remember the site best as the Cameron Bear Park, when 32 bears lived on the shores of Loch Lomond, but since the 1990s Cameron House has been a hotel (though there have been a few owners in that time).

In 2021 the hotel reopened having completed major restoration work following a fatal fire in 2017, and there’s been a buzz of excitement ever since.

Many of the 140 bedrooms, which feature tartan blankets, Paisley wallpaper, remote-controlled blinds and smart TVs, have views out over the loch, and the facilities are so well thought-out that you may wonder whether there’s any point in stepping outside the hotel at all.

For families, there is a plush cinema, an excellent leisure pool, plus a pool table and foosball, in the pub. Adults and escaping parents will want to take the concierge up on their offer for a lift out to Cameron Spa, with its outdoor infinity pool, or play a few rounds on one of the two golf courses.

There are numerous dining options, from the hearty fare at the Cameron Grill, to the small, delectable (but innumerable) dishes on the tasting menu at Tamburrini & Wishart, which has a private members’ club atmosphere and a no-kids policy.

But it’s in the extra-curricular activities that Cameron House really excels.

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travel

| Loch Lomond

ABOVE: Cameron House was home to the Smollett family for 300 years, and hosted famous guests such as Samuel Johnson, Princess Margaret, and Winston Churchill

20 Scotland

From spring to autumn, the hotel runs seaplane tours, taking off from a pontoon on the loch, giving guests a bird’s eye view of spectacular scenery on a flight covering as much as 110 miles, before delivering you back in front of the hotel.

The Celtic Warrior, the hotel’s motor cruiser, takes guests out for tours of some of the loch’s islands, and then there is falconry, pony trekking, and clay pigeon shooting.

For guests at both Cameron House and the Loch Lomond Arms Hotel, 4x4 Adventures Scotland offers a thrilling way to see more of Clan Colquhoun country.

As a passenger you’ll be driven in a Land Rover Discovery or Defender high into the hills, through Glen Douglas (passing some of the land that was sold to the MOD in the 1960s – look out for signs of magazines built into the hillsides) before going off-road for some sublime views of Loch Long, the Arrochar Alps, and of course Loch Lomond.

And the best bit? You get to take the wheel yourself while your expert instructor fills you in on the history of the land.

Looking down on scenes below from your high vista, though there may be a small village here, or a lochside hotel there, what’s exciting in this region is the feeling that little of the landscape has changed for millennia, and that the place that those Jacobites sang about, and which clansmen fought so hard to protect or control, is still every bit as bonnie as it ever was.

And what can be more thrilling than that? S

PLAN YOUR VISIT CAMERON HOUSE Take a seaplane trip for aerial views, a private cruise on Loch Lomond, or go off-road in Clan Colquhoun country. You’ll never be short of ideas at this resort hotel. cameronhouse.co.uk

LOCH LOMOND ARMS A boutique hotel with elegant interiors and delicious dishes featuring produce sourced direct from the Luss Estate, in the pretty village of Luss. lochlomondarmshotel.com

for other customers. facebook.com/ auchentullichfarmshop

GETTING THERE Luss is just a 45-minute drive from Glasgow, following the M8 northwest out of the city before joining the A82. Trains from Glasgow Queen Street take just 45 minutes to reach Balloch at the southern end of the loch. From here, buses can take you into Luss, or your hotel should be able to organise a transfer.

AUCHENTULLICH FARM SHOP

GET INSPIRED

For local produce, and farmfresh ice cream, you can’t go wrong with this shop, just make sure you leave some

For walks, cycle routes and cruises around the national park, go to lochlomondtrossachs.org

HO US E | GARDENS | MAZ E | SHOP & EAT | STAY

Escape

to Scotland

Escape the hustle and bustle to a world of sanctuary when you visit Scone Palace. If you really feel like getting away from it all, why not stay in our Balvaird Wing, the luxury self-catering apartment set within the Palace.

◆ The Crowning Place of Scottish Kings and the site of the Stone of Scone.

◆ Roam around the glorious and extensive grounds and gardens which feature the Murray star maze, Pinetum, playground and kitchen garden.

◆ Browse around our Food and Gift Shops,enjoy fresh, home-made refreshments in our Coffee Shop.

◆ Stay in our 5-star, luxury self-catering

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Scone Palace, Perth, Scotland 01738 552300 | help@scone-palace.co.uk

www.scone-palace.co.uk

Scotland 21

HISTORIC HOUSES

| Pollok House & Burrell

THIS IMAGE: The magnificent, Georgian Pollok House was first built in 1752

Words by FIONA LAING

GLASGOW’S

greatest gifts Pollok Country Park, in Glasgow’s Southside, is home to one of the greatest art collections in the world and a grand Georgian stately home, both of which were gifted to the city 22 Scotland

historic houses

Scotland 23

© JOHN CARROLL PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY/ALAN MCATEER

Pollok House & Burrell |

GRAND

| Pollok House & The Burrell Collection

S

tand in Pollok Country Park and you could be in the heart of the countryside – there are woodlands, fields, and Highland cattle. Of course, you are not in the countryside but in Scotland’s largest city, and though the rural idyll is something of an illusion, the two world-class cultural attractions are not.

The Burrell Collection is housed in a modern, awardwinning building designed specifically for its art. Pollok House is also filled with works of art, but it is a considerably older stately home.

That the Burrell Collection and Pollok House – and their valuable contents – are open to visitors is thanks to the generosity of wealthy Glasgow families, as both were gifted to the City of Glasgow.

The Burrell Collection is the star of Glasgow’s cultural scene this year, as it has recently reopened following a £68 million six-year refurbishment of its ageing building.

With the finest Chinese ceramics, medieval stained glass, tapestries, and French art, the 9,000-piece collection is an art experience like no other.

The galleries invite you to admire the objects while simultaneously distracting you as the light changes on the whim of the clouds as it floods in through the glass walls, which in turn reveal the woodland drama outside.

Turn a corner and there’s another treasure to cast its spell over you. A group of porcelain Qing Dynasty Immortals, ‘China’s superhuman heroes’, remind me where my passion for Chinese art was first ignited.

The exotic colours and forms fascinated me when I first visited the Burrell Collection in the 1980s, sending me off in search of Oriental designs on my subsequent travels.

Today these small figures, with their inscrutable expressions and flowing china robes, enthral me again.

Elsewhere, paintings hang at child-friendly heights, while videos and interactive features open the experience to everyone.

The refurbishment has opened more gallery space, improved energy efficiency, and allowed a fresh take on displaying its treasures.

Of course, the world-class stars of the collection are the late Gothic and early Renaissance works, which include tapestries, stainedglass, furniture, sculpture, Chinese jade and ceramics.

24 Scotland

CLOCKWISE, Degas is the headline star in terms of FROM LEFT: 19th-century French artworks.

A stained-glass The collection was amassed by Sir panel in the Burrell William Burrell (1861–1958), a Collection; Pollok House; Christmas Glasgow-born shipping merchant at Pollok House; who made a fortune that allowed the Music Room him to indulge in his lifelong passion for art and antiques.

By his 40s, Burrell was a respected collector and benefactor, donating artworks to the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition.

However, it was not until the 1930s that Sir William formed the idea of handing his collection over to public ownership. And when he eventually did, in 1944, he set very specific conditions on the location of the building (which he also funded) wanting it in a rural setting to protect the items from the high pollution levels of the industrial city.

Sir William specified it should be within four miles of Killearn in Stirlingshire and not less than 16 miles from the Royal Exchange in Glasgow. The city council was unable to change his mind on these conditions.

No decision on the location had been made by the time Sir William died in 1958 and it was only when the Pollok estate was presented to the city in 1966, that a site was found.

After an international design competition, construction began in 1978, with the Burrell Collection opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 1983.

The excitement around the Burrell Collection was palpable, people flocked to see the collection and it spearheaded the transformation of Glasgow into the worldrenowned city of culture we know now. Today, rediscovering the collection feels just as magical.

Gifted to Glasgow by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, Pollok Country Park is the remnant of a much larger estate owned by the Maxwells for more than 700 years.

It came to the city with an art collection and Pollok House, a fine mansion house beside the White Cart Water.

First built in 1752 and remodelled 150 years later by Sir John Stirling-Maxwell, founding member of the National Trust for Scotland, today’s visitors can explore an Edwardian home set in elegant Georgian plaster-encrusted rooms.

Sir John’s father, Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, was an expert on Spanish art, writing in 1848 the first English language books on the subject, Annals of the Artists of Spain.

Sir William’s inherited fortune funded an outstanding collection of Spanish art, which includes pieces by Goya, and El Greco. When Sir William died, the works were divided between his two sons, and those inherited by Sir John remain to this day at Pollok House.

Scotland 25

© CSG CIC GLASGOW MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES/GLASGOW LIFE/PRISMA BY DUKAS PRESSEAGENTUR GMBH/ALAMY/NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND.

Pollok House & Burrell | historic houses

grand

| Pollok House & The Burrell Collection

Sir John’s improvements to the compact Georgian design of Pollok House introduced many modern features, including kitchens, electric lights, and central heating.

The design by Edinburgh architect, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, had to accommodate his inherited art collection, as well as the family library.

The sympathetic extensions enhance the original rooms, with the library and its thousands of books the most delightfully elegant space overlooking a parterre.

The grand entrance hall was one of Sir John’s first alterations and it offers a sumptuous welcome, with marble floors, mahogany bannisters, and elegant plasterwork.

However, the rooms overall do not feel ostentatious – they are more often comfortable in the style of a wealthy early 20th-century family. They are decorated with favourite heirlooms or contemporary pieces, such as a portrait of Sir John’s wife, Lady Christian, by Sir James Guthrie, one of the Glasgow Boys.

It is this intimate scale that is the charm of Pollok House.

It makes much of its setting beside the river, with views of the park and the pretty stone bridge commissioned by an earlier Sir John in the late 1750s.

There are formal terraces, walled gardens and a rhododendron walk that owe much to the 20th-century Sir John’s keen interest in horticulture.

Sir John devoted much of his life to public service: first as CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: A fragment of the ‘Temple Pyx’; Sir William Burrell; ‘Luohan’ figure; 16th-century tapestry

PLAN YOUR VISIT THE BURRELL COLLECTION Admire the Burrell’s world-class collection of tapestries and stained-glass and explore objects spanning six millennia, from prehistoric artefacts, through Chinese ceramics to ground-breaking works by the Impressionists.

The glass-walled cafe, with its emphasis on Scottish produce, is the perfect spot to reflect on the art. Open daily, entry to the museum is free, but temporary exhibitions may be charged for. burrellcollection.com

POLLOK HOUSE Cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, you can explore the Edwardian family’s elegant living rooms and their extraordinary possessions, and see how the servants lived in their vast downstairs quarters. The Edwardian Kitchen cafe serves modern-day favourites to hungry house or park visitors. nts.org.uk/visit/places/pollok-house

GETTING TO POLLOK COUNTRY PARK The park’s main entrance is near to Pollokshaws West station, 10 minutes from Glasgow Central. The Burrell Collection is a 15-minute walk and Pollok House about one mile from the main entrance.

Buses pass the Pollokshaws Road entrance with a journey time to the city centre of about 20 minutes.

26 Scotland

grand

a politician and then serving on the committees of many of Scotland’s important public projects.

Although a major landowner – he also owned the Corrour estate on the edge of Rannoch Moor – he used his connections and position to help ordinary people, giving land for Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, a school, and allotments, as well as supporting social housing and open spaces.

Oral histories gathered by the National Trust for Scotland show his generosity was extended to the people who worked on the estate.

Catherine Wilson describes how she and her mother were allowed to stay in their home on the estate for 16 months after her father died, before being re-homed in a cottage in Damshot. She says: “The fact that my mother ended up in that cottage in Damshot for 21 years after my father died said something. He did look after his workers, there’s no doubt about it.”

As well as financial aid, Sir John gave his time and influence where he could, particularly in terms of Scotland’s inter-war development. Sir John became involved in many of Scotland’s cultural institutions, including the National Galleries and Ancient Monuments Board.

He was deeply interested in the countryside and especially timber production, and subsequently became chairman of the Forestry Commission.

Sir John helped establish the Association for the Preservation of Rural Scotland in 1926 and then hosted the discussions which led to birth of the National Trust for Scotland in 1931.

Those talks were in the cosy wood-panelled Cedar Room at Pollok House and when the trust was formed, Sir John gifted Crookston Castle, within the estate, as its first property.

He was the trust’s president from 1944 until his death in 1956 and so it’s fitting that the National Trust for Scotland now cares for the house on behalf of the city. Sir John also believed strongly that access to recreational spaces was vital for the well-being of society, and the fact that this beautiful country park is still free to wander is a wonderful and longlasting part of his legacy.

The City of Glasgow Council has invested substantially in the 360 acres of Pollok Country Park, with sustainable transport improvements complementing the Burrell’s rebirth and existing recreational facilities around the park.

It has also been instrumental in the successful bid for £13 million from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, bringing the park’s stables and sawmill back to life.

Part of the project will focus on the Clydesdale horse and the A-listed stables will be transformed into a heritage centre celebrating one of Scotland’s iconic breeds and its role in Glasgow’s history.

Sir William Stirling-Maxwell was a renowned breeder of Clydesdales, and the horses were a popular attraction for park visitors until the stables closed. Two of Pollok’s Clydesdale horses are the models for the Kelpies beside the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk.

This small rural area of Glasgow is a true melting pot. It melds history and art from across the world with the lives of Glaswegians, and engages and inspires its visitors on many levels. Whether you come to gaze at paintings or for a walk in the park, you are sure to leave enriched. S

Scotland 27

© CSG CIC GLASGOW MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES

Pollok House & The Burrell Collection |

Enjoy a great day out in Glasgow’s Pollok Country Park The park is the city’s largest green space and home to the beautiful 18th century Pollok House and the newly refurbished Burrell Collection. It’s easy to reach by train or bus from Glasgow city centre, and the free electric shuttle bus makes it easy to get around and enjoy all the park has to offer. Or you can take in the beautiful surroundings on a ten minute stroll between the two attractions and you might even see the famous Pollok Highland Cattle fold on the way!

Pollok House Pollok House is Glasgow’s own stately country house.

The Maxwell family lived for six centuries on the site, but the main part of the present house was built in the mid-18th century – an example of Georgian grandeur that would be at home in a Jane Austen novel. Pollok’s crown is its art collection. Sir William Stirling Maxwell amassed an extraordinary number of Spanish paintings, and portraits of the Habsburg monarchy hang alongside powerful religious scenes. Downstairs is an eye-opener to the scale of work it took to run this magnificent house. Booking recommended.

Gardens and grounds free to enter.

nts.org.uk

The Burrell Collection

Free entry

Following major refurbishment and redisplay, The Burrell now offers a fantastic day out for all ages. The Collection is one of the greatest ever accumulated by one person, consisting 9,000 objects, including works by Rodin, Degas and Cézanne, medieval European art and Chinese and Islamic art. Innovative displays tell the story of collector Sir William Burrell, his family and the objects, including the Wagner garden carpet, one of the earliest surviving Persian garden carpets in the world.

burrellcollection.com

Pollok Country Park - FREE bus route

10 MINUTES WALK

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Our Vessel: "Fleur de Lys", is ideal for cruising these sheltered waters, with spacious accommodation, full of nautical character, for a comfortable life at sea. What a treat it is for our guests to travel to the remotest corners of the Hebrides and have their luxury holiday accommodation travel with them!

The Food: Our onboard chef is passionate about food and the fabulous local produce of the west coast of Scotland.

Dinner is a highlight on our cruises; the Skipper dines with the guests, recounting the stories of the day, while discussing options for the following day's adventures.

Day Sea Tours & Ch

Our Crew: Provide the warm, safe, stress-free and

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are home to many wonderful species. Of course, we cannot guarantee wildlife will put in an appearance near our vessel, which makes it extra special when it does.

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St Kilda

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THE TWO BYRES contemporary design and comfort with timeless views

Photo: ©Alistair Nicholls

Photo: ©Alistair Nicholls

Photo: ©Margaret Soraya

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SUMMER

WINTER

FACILITIES INCLUDE: The Cairnwell chairlift will run from May to September/October (weather permitting) and has hooks for mountain bikes. You can ride down the mountain on the land rover track.

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Enjoy the wild beauty of the Isle of Skye from our 5i holiday home.

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30 Scotland

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The Hebridean Princess |

CRUISING

Words by ROBIN MCKELVIE

A royally good

CRUISE

© ROBIN MCKELVIE

In the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, we step aboard the yacht Her Majesty has enjoyed two private holidays on

THIS IMAGE: The Hebridean Princess passes through the Corran Narrows on Loch Linnhe INSET: Writer Robin McKelvie

Scotland 31

CRUISING

| The Hebridean Princess

CLOCKWISE, FROM THIS IMAGE: The ship stops at Tobermory; the Queen and Princess Anne boarding the Hebridean Princess; Robin and his wife Jenny

32 Scotland

The Hebridean Princess |

CRUISING

© JOHN PETER PHOTOGRAPHY/PA IMAGES/ALAMY

W

hen the Royal Yacht Britannia and Prince Charles sailed out of Hong Kong in 1997 into the pages of history, Her Majesty The Queen, bade a sad farewell.

Farewell to a retired maritime steed who had led her and her family on so many glorious adventures around Scotland’s west coast. It was not long, though, before the British Royal Family had found a stand-in just as grand – a remarkable ship that today anyone can sail on, in the wake of royalty on a luxurious adventure fit for a monarch.

The MV Columba on the face of it seems an unlikely stand-in, or she did at least in her years as a 2,112-tonne, 235ft-long, five-deck vessel with a 46ft beam, which was much more used to ferrying passengers and their vehicles out to the Hebrides.

She harboured a secret, though, a secret that was to render her the perfect Britannia substitute. MV Columba had led a double life since being launched in Scotland in 1964, with the Ministry of Defence commissioning her as one of the UK’s ‘Citadel Ships’. In the event of nuclear war, she was ready to spirit the high heid yins off to the safety of the deep ocean blue.

This dual role meant she was built with reinforced bulkheads, a flurry of cabins and a much larger galley than you normally see on a Scottish ferry. When she was put up for sale by the precursor of CalMac she was snapped up to be converted into a luxury liner. The Columba was then totally transformed and renamed the Hebridean Princess, relaunched in 1989 by the Duchess of York and registered in the ship’s birthplace of Glasgow.

The Hebridean Princess and her crew are deeply proud of the royal connections, as I found when I stepped back on board recently for a voyage around the Hebrides.

Scotland 33

cruising

| The Hebridean Princess

A plaque proudly commemorates the royal launch, and a signed portrait of the Queen with Prince Philip hangs above reception. The Queen has chartered the Hebridean Princess twice: firstly, for her 80th birthday in 2006, and then again in 2010 for another royal birthday.

More recently, the producers of The Crown are rumoured to have been interested in filming on board – no wonder, this is a vessel that just oozes royal romance.

On the old-world bridge, complete with an original Chadburn to communicate with the engine room – it still rings as the order is given to take her to sea full steam ahead – I meet Captain Richard Heaton.

This accomplished Englishman – all the officers are British – was aboard both Her Majesty’s voyages. “The first time I was second officer, so as the navigator I spent some time chasing the charts the royals enjoyed poring over in the Tiree Lounge planning their adventures,” he smiles.

“The second time, we marked up a second set of charts so ma’am could always have them to hand. Basically, they were just a lovely family

enjoying a lovely family holiday, visiting many of the places they used to enjoy going to on Britannia.”

I can see why the royals enjoyed poring over charts in the Tiree Lounge so much. With its sweeping arch of windows offering an endlessly shifting panorama of the isles, the lounge is the social hub of what feels more like an exclusive and relaxed extended Scottish country house party than a ship.

There are only a maximum of 50 guests (and 38 crew) at any time aboard the Hebridean Princess, and a warm welcome and patter of conversation always awaits in the Tiree, as does a glass of Taittinger – in the UK, the Hebridean Princess is second only to London’s Savoy in their volume of orders for the fine champagne.

Like all the food and drink on board, from sumptuous breakfasts to afternoon teas, and plush dinners, the bubbly is included.

Think of the best parts of Scotland’s rich culinary larder and the chances are you’ll be served it aboard. You can breakfast on Scottish smoked salmon or kippers, maybe a tian of west coast crab for lunch, and at dinner tuck into a roasted loin of Pentland lamb.

Then there are the barbecues out on deck, starring Highland beef and Gigha halibut, when the weather allows.

Dining aboard is like having your own floating country house restaurant; one where you can spot bottlenose

The producers of The Crown are rumoured to have been interested in filming aboard — no wonder, this is a vessel that oozes royal romance 34 Scotland

The Hebridean Princess |

cruising

Dining aboard is like having your own floating country house restaurant; one where you can spot bottlenose dolphins and minke whales out of the window

© PA IMAGES/ALAMYY

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: The Isle of Bute Cabin; the Royal Family on one of their cruise holidays; expect five-star service and luxury food and drink aboard the Hebridean Princess; Captain Richard Heaton performs the Address to a Haggis for his guests

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cruising

| The Hebridean Princess

En route is an ever-changing cinematic widescreen of brooding hills, starched white sand beaches and plunging glens

LEFT TO RIGHT: Richard Heaton, Captain of the Hebridean Princess; the ship sails past Kisimul Castle, in Barra

dolphins and minke whales out of the window. And I have.

All the excursions are also included in the cruise price. The hardworking crew generally manage to get guests ashore at least once a day, though of course you are welcome to stay onboard cosseted in stressfree luxury.

No single excursion is the same. In four trips on the Hebridean Princess I’ve eased into a flat calm Village Bay in St Kilda, been skilfully beach landed on the Shiants in a decent swell, and made another beach landing on Islay that offered easy access by bike to the local distilleries.

Then there are their fast RIBs, which spirit you off for an adrenaline-pumping ride to check out the local birdlife.

The Hebrides need little introduction to anyone with a love of Scotland, but imagine being on a floating hotel that effortlessly transports you between these wonderful islands. En route is an ever-changing cinematic widescreen of brooding hills, starched white sand beaches and plunging glens. The Hebridean Princess offers not so much a taste of Scotland, but a glorious, life-affirming smorgasbord.

When you’re back on the ship after a day walking or cycling – they’ve got mountain bikes aboard for guests to use – your cabin awaits. It’s all tastefully tartan, alive with hardwoods and plush soft fabrics. My latest cabin had a lovely big bath and views fore so I could watch us push on towards the next island from the comfort of my bed.

Of course, room service waited for a cheeky nightcap dram. The

JOIN THE ROYAL LINE Cruises on the Hebridean Princess start from £1,550 per person for a four-night sailing. Many passengers are repeat guests, so book ahead, especially for the most popular cruises, such as the voyage to St Kilda. hebridean.co.uk

36 Scotland

Hebridean Princess could scarcely be more comfortable, nor indeed more Scottish.

This sense of Scottishness reaches its zenith on one of the gala dinner nights when our haggis is piped into warm applause and Burns is recited with aplomb by chief purser, Iain Gibson, an Islay man who brought gentle charm to the evening with his stories, jokes and warm smile.

This authentic sense of Scotland also comes across in the entertainment.

Some trips have a fiddler aboard, or an accordion player. I’ve had cruises where cèilidhs in the Tiree Lounge after dinner were a regular occurrence; even one memorable cèilidh on the deck in the Hebrides as the sun came down. Following a porpoise back into Oban Bay, where the ship is based for most of her cruising season, the sun sets on another Hebridean Princess voyage. As I reluctantly leave a world where you want for nothing, on a cruise that brilliantly showcases Scotland’s finest scenery, I chat to Heaton who is taking her back to sea that evening.

I ask if it is a “royal sailing”? He laughs and says, “Every sailing on the Hebridean Princess is a royal one, we want everyone to feel like they’re being treated like a king or queen.” And there is no doubt that in that they gloriously succeed. No wonder the Royal Family are so enamoured with their new Britannia. S

made in scotland

| Sporran Maker RIGHT: Sporrans are an essential item of Highland dress, worn to accompany a kilt

T

he making of sporrans has been a part of Scottish culture for centuries. The exact origins of sporrans are unknown, but it is believed that they originated in the 12th century as part of the male Scottish Highland dress.

A survival of the medieval purse, the sporran (Gaelic for purse) was in essence the Highlander’s pocket, as they wore kilts rather than trousers.

Traditionally, the sporran, often made of animal skin, was worn around the waist and was gathered at the top by simple drawstrings, and was used to carry oats and other items.

Over the years the purpose of a sporran transformed into a way to carry ammunition for Highland soldiers and daily rations, while the three tassels featured at the front, whose original purpose was to hit flies away from the food kept inside, remained.

Today, a sporran has evolved from its basic design into a decorative and essential item of Highland dress, which accompanies a Scotsman’s kilt. They are worn for anything from weddings to special events and significant celebrations, including St Andrew’s Day and Hogmanay, and today they are used to store cash, keys, and mobile phones. Sporrans are still widely used in pipe bands and for ceremonial purposes in the UK and Canadian military too.

According to the Heritage Crafts Association, the art of making sporrans by hand is now an endangered craft with only a handful of workers remaining in Scotland. One leading light in upholding the craft is William E Scott and Son, a family-run business that has been at the centre of the sporran making industry for decades.

Four generations have been at the helm of this company where the tricks of the trade and intricacies of the craft have been kept in the family as the business has passed from father to son over the years. The business has been serving the people of Edinburgh and its customers for almost 90 years since it was established in 1937. William E Scott and Son still operates from premises in the heart of Edinburgh, where it has been based for more than 50 years.

I met up with Eddie Docherty at the company premises in Causewayside, Newington, to find out more about this fascinating tradition.

Eddie tells me: “I am a sporran maker by trade and joined the team after leaving school, aged 16, in January 1977, with the help of my sister, who worked there.

“She recommended me to the owner, Malcolm, and I have worked here ever since.”

When Eddie started, there were 22 members of staff, including Malcolm’s grandfather, who worked two days a week, aged 90 38 Scotland

PERFECT POUCH The craft of making sporrans by hand is at risk, due to cheap imports, but one company is determined to continue making quality products Words and photos by JEREMY FLINT

Sporran Maker |

made in scotland

Scotland 39

made in scotland

40 Scotland

| Sporran Maker

Sporran Maker |

made in scotland

Eddie is a highly skilled craftsman in all aspects of the manufacturing process, and the craftsmanship is evident to see in the unique designs When Eddie started, there were 22 members of staff including Malcolm’s grandfather who worked two days a week, aged 90. “I worked with both Malcolm’s father and grandfather and learnt the ropes of making sporrans from Malcolm,” he says.

Today, there are three other staff members who work at the company, including Ann who machine sews, Susan who hand sews and Alasdair, responsible for the admin and IT. “It’s a fantastic place to work, everyone gets on and there is a nice family rapport,” says Eddie.

While Eddie has been with the company for more than 45 years, he’s a newbie compared to some. “One of our staff recently retired after 63 years of service,” he says.

Eddie has loved his job ever since taking up his apprenticeship. He says: “I have learnt how to create beautifully sophisticated sporrans and really enjoy the process of making them by hand. I like everything about the job and all of the different aspects of making each of the parts. No two days are the same, the job is very varied and there are always different things to do.

“One day I am run off my feet with orders, then the next day is a bit quieter; either way, we make and send sporrans out every day.” Eddie also makes buckles and belts by hand and machine.

Continuing the company’s role and reputation as pioneers in sporran design, Eddie produces an exclusive collection of sporrans, which he manufactures by hand, including dress, semi-dress, and day sporrans.

“Each sporran is made from scratch with the opportunity to choose your own design,” he says.

They are made from a range of materials such as leather, skins (including seal skins from Greenland), fur and metal.

“I punch holes in the front piece using a hydraulic machine to add the bolts and fixings later.” The gussets (sides) are then hand cut, stitched and binded (by glue) to the front and back pieces before adding the cantle (metal top part), tassels (using wire) and belt chain to form the ornately decorated pouch.”

It’s a team effort with certain parts being machine sewn by Ann and hand sewn by Susan.

Eddie truly is a highly skilled craftsman in all aspects of traditional sporran manufacture and the fantastic craftsmanship is evident to see in the unique sporran designs made at William E Scott and Son, which is Scotland’s largest sporran supplier, and exports its collection worldwide.

While demand is good, there is an increase in competition

from cheaper, mass-produced imports from overseas.

Besides the pre-designed sporrans, Scott and Son makes incredible customised products for its clients. Eddie says, “when Artisans of Scotland want something unique, they approach us with a design, and we build a sporran to their requirements. These are my favourite type of commissions as we can create different sporrans by blending various materials together such as a light-coloured seal skin with black tussles to give a new and distinct style.”

Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers is another favourite client of Eddie’s and one of the company’s biggest customers.

They work closely together to create different sporrans to match Gordon’s exclusive tartan designs. Eddie says, “Gordon will pick his own materials for these sporrans, including different skins and leather gussets and we will create them for him.”

Extremely proud of the part he has played in maintaining this wonderful, traditional Scottish craft, Eddie says, “I hope to pass on my skills to the next generation of makers and keep the wonderful heritage and traditions of sporran making alive.” S

CLOCKWISE, FROM FAR LEFT: Each sporran is crafted by hand; a range of materials are used to make the sporrans, such as leather and seal skins; Eddie Docherty has been making sporrans since he was 16; each pouch is decorated with tassels; a hydraulic machine is used to add bolts

If you would like to find out more about William E Scott & Son’s sporrans or order one yourself, go to sporranmaker.com

Scotland 41

© NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND/AF FOTOGRAFIE/ALAMY

secret stuarts

42 Scotland

| History

History |

secret stuarts

LEFT TO RIGHT: King James VI and I, King of Scotland 15671625; William Shakespeare

THE KING AND THE PLAYWRIGHT It’s unknown if Shakespeare ever travelled to Scotland, but perhaps his decision to set Macbeth here was influenced by some higher power Words by PAUL STAFFORD

M

ist hangs over the wintry River Tay, obscuring an ancient oak tree whose aged branches, thick like the arms of a caber-tosser, are propped up by crutches.

It is the same kind of weather that envelops the scenes of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth as the king is slowly consumed by the ramifications of his dishonourable deeds.

It was fitting weather then, because this oak – known as the Birnam Oak – is the celebrated sole survivor of its species from the original wood that once lined the riverbank just outside Birnam. Aged over 500 years old, it is the only tree remaining that would have stood when Shakespeare was immortalising this very wood with his quill.

“Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until

Great Birnan (sic) Wood to High Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him” (Act IV, Scene I) So goes the prophecy, leading Macbeth to believe that he would therefore never be defeated. Macbeth replies: “Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix his earth-bound root?”

The play depicts the twisted rise of a noble soldier, Macbeth, to the Scottish throne after he murders King Duncan – a grisly act that triggers a trail of bloody deeds until Macbeth is killed by Macduff, and Duncan’s son Malcolm is declared king.

It was Shakespeare’s only play set in Scotland. Despite there being no concrete evidence to suggest the Bard ever

44 Scotland

© VISITSCOTLAND/KENNY LAM/CHRONICLE/ALAMY/PAUL STAFFORD

History | travelled north of the border, it became known as ‘the Scottish play’, and one theory is that a certain king may have aided or at least influenced Shakespeare’s writing of it.

“You could argue that Shakespeare is trying to make Scotland less of a knowable space,” says Professor John Jowett, Deputy Director of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham. “In the opening scenes, Scotland is a place under attack from all directions, but often we don’t know where we are [physically] in the play.”

Even if he were writing blind, Shakespeare stumbled onto a convenient truth. At the time the play is set (the early 11th century), kings of Scotland had no official seat, instead moving between sites across the country, to make their whereabouts unknowable to their assorted foes. The play’s geographical uncertainty also creates a foggy atmosphere, laced with dread and foreboding, further clouded by paranoia and guilt as the play progresses.

Dunsinane Hill and Birnam Wood emerge later as key locations around which much of the action becomes focused, thanks to the witches’ prophecy.

This is where Shakespeare reveals himself to be far more aware of Scotland than we might presume.

As Professor Jowett notes, the two locations are “symbolically strategic. Looking north [from Dunsinane Hill] you’re looking right at the Highland Boundary Fault and the Tay gorge beyond Birnam, where the old way into the Highlands would have run.”

Effectively, the Scottish crown’s salvation comes from the direction of the Highlands. Even though Malcolm enlists the help of the English to overthrow Macbeth, he underlines that Macbeth’s defeat was a Scottish victory.

As the crow flies, the Birnam Oak is 13 miles from Dunsinane Hill. A muddy track leads up Birnam Hill, away from the Birnam Oak’s fixed, earth-bound root. Either side of the path, birch trunks mottled white and grey stand like emaciated sentries. From the hill’s peak you can see the silver gleam of the River Tay cutting a languorous, meandering course southwest towards Perth, circumventing the Sidlaw Hills, which appear russet, like an old blood stain in early December. All but one, that is.

Dunsinane Hill is an emerald rebel, with thick grass growing over the contoured outlines of its battlements.

secret stuarts

CLOCKWISE, Dunsinane’s peak is unnaturally flat, FROM LEFT: betraying the presence of a former Birnam Oak; settlement, but also of a botched ‘Daemonologie’ 19th-century dig that revealed little

by King James; the River Tay information. Here and there some mammal or other has dug at earth, revealing bits of masonry. The peak affords excellent panoramas of Dundee, Fife, Perth and indeed back north.

Across the Tay stands Birnam Wood and the Highlands, exactly what Macbeth, King of Scots, would have seen from his battlements.

The only known maps of the area that Shakespeare could have consulted at the time were by Timothy Pont and date to the turn of the 17th century.

Although ‘Dounsinnan Hill’ is mapped, there’s no indication of a fort or ruin. There is no mention of Birnam Wood either.

Holinshed’s Chronicles were the primary historical source available to Shakespeare for most of his historical plays. But the sections on Scotland are apocryphal in places, translated from John Bellenden’s original Scots version. Shakespeare then took further creative licence with them. But perhaps he had somebody else feeding him information?

“King James comes to the English throne in 1603,” explains Dr Nicola Royan, an expert in early Scottish literature, as well as kingship and national identity, at the University of Nottingham.

“He understood kingship from the inside and he also understood the power of theatre,” she says.

Having ruled as King James VI of Scotland since 1567, James acceded to the English throne as King James I upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I. James was quick to adopt Shakespeare’s theatre company, who changed their name from the ‘Lord Chamberlain’s Men’ to the ‘King’s Men’. And one could certainly argue that if it weren’t for King James, there may not have been a Scottish play at all.

“Importantly, the play is first performed in 1606, which is just post-gunpowder plot,” says Royan.

This context allows us to see Macbeth in a whole new light. It’s not only a play warning us about the corruption of power, but an allegory aimed at those who may have sought to remove King James I from the English throne.

Despite there being no concrete evidence to suggest the Bard ever travelled north of the border, it became known as the ‘Scottish play’ Scotland 45

secret stuarts

| History ABOVE: King James V and Queen Mary of Guise, British School, 16th century

“Macbeth is a play anxious about inheritance and expresses confidence in divine fate,” explains Royan, “Shakespeare fillets down the true story. He does away with years of good rule by Macbeth.”

This helps explain why Shakespeare took liberties with Scottish history in the first place. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in which Guy Fawkes et al attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament, was one of many attempts on King James’s life. Shakespeare may have been hinting that James’s progeny would accede to the throne regardless, which was indeed what eventually happened with Charles I in 1625.

One other aspect of Macbeth may have been designed to please the king and Scottish audiences. In Holinshed’s Chronicles, Macbeth is said to have met “nymphs or faeries” on the moors. King James, however, was obsessed with hunting witches at the ABOVE: time (a topic eloquently explored by ‘The Witches Kirsten Henton in the Sept/Oct 2020 in Macbeth’, edition of Scotland), proving a cruel and

by Alexandremurderous barb to his own reign. In Gabriel Decamps, C19th 1597, he even wrote and released a

46 Scotland

book called Daemonologie, concerning itself with all things double, double, toil and trouble.

It’s highly probable Shakespeare read this text, giving him added impetus to open Macbeth with the three witches, whom he names the ‘weird sisters’. Calling them weird sisters was merely an extension of the Bard’s love for double entendre, for in Scots the word ‘weird’ means fate, fortune, or destiny, again nodding to the idea of divine fate, as well as their role in prophesying Macbeth’s own rise and fall.

Some people don’t like the idea of Macbeth being called the Scottish play, given that it was written by an Englishman.

But given the lack of detailed history or cartography available at the time, that we know of, the Bard’s work seems even more impressive.

Whether King James advised the Bard on the play, we’ll likely never know. But when you consider Shakespeare’s love for double entendre and hidden meaning, we can really begin to appreciate that Macbeth offers genuine, indirect historical insight and value to our understanding of Scotland, even if we’re none the wiser about the real Macbeth, King of Scots, by the final curtain. S

© WORLD HISTORY ARCHIVE/ALAMY

Shakespeare may have been hinting that James VI’s progeny would accede to the throne regardless, which was what happened

CITIES

| Historic Streets

Historic Streets

Words by JOSEPHINE JAY

GLASGOW HIGH STREET Once the artery of the city, Glasgow’s story can be told through its High Street, if you know where to look

48 Scotland

© DORLING KINDERSLEY LTD/GRANGER HISTORICAL PICTURE ARCHIVE/

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trip to Glasgow without visiting the High Street is a wasted one. The High Street is Glasgow’s oldest and most significant street; it forms the main artery of the city and can easily trace its history back to medieval times.

It has played home to many significant figures in Glasgow’s history, such as the inventor James Watt, economist and philosopher Adam Smith, and poet Thomas Campbell.

Officially consecrated in 1197, Glasgow Cathedral at the far end of the street (where it turns into Castle Street) is dedicated to Saint Kentigern – also known as Saint Mungo – the patron saint of the city, and is the oldest building still in use in Glasgow City.

Saint Mungo is best known for his four miracles, which are commemorated in the City of Glasgow’s Coat of Arms. The Bird represents a robin he brought back from the dead after being cruelly stoned by his classmates, the Tree represents a fire he allegedly restarted with only a hazel switch, the Bell represents a bell he brought back from Rome, and the Fish represents a ring cast into the river by a jealous lover and found by Saint Mungo in the belly of a salmon.

Glasgow Cathedral played a major part in the development of the city, attracting commerce, pilgrims and visitors who eventually settled and contributed to the growth and prosperity of the area.

The original buildings of the University of Glasgow, gifted by Lord Hamilton in 1460, were initially located on the High Street. Indeed, after its opening, the university held some of its first classes in the cathedral’s charter house.

In 1563, Mary, Queen of Scots granted additional land to the university, which allowed for growth and expansion. The original metal from the gateway and crest were re-purposed into the gatehouse of the

© MONICA WELLS/ALAMY/GLASGOW LIFE

CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: The Saint Mungo mural; the Glasgow Coat of Arms; Glasgow Cathedral

new university campus located on the other side of town when the lands were sold to the City Union Railway Company in 1863.

In 1297, The Battle of the Bell O’ The Brae occurred on the High Street during the First War of Scottish Independence. The Bell O’ the Brae is said to have taken its name from the tolling of the bell heard at funerals, translated into that ‘dreid bell.’

As legend tells it, Sir William Wallace and three hundred men, having ridden all the way from Ayr, stormed Glasgow Castle, ousting one thousand English soldiers with the odds firmly stacked against them.

This battle occurred two months before Wallace’s stand at Stirling Bridge and was beneficial in raising morale and support for his cause.

In 1605, the Trades House was formed. The first meetings took place in an alms-house on the corner of the High Street as at that time, the electorate of the city was split into two main groups: the Merchants and the Craftsmen. The purpose of the Trades was to protect the 14 historic crafts of the city and settle disputes whilst fostering talent and dispensing charitable aid. The Trades House exist to this day, having migrated to Glassford Street.

In the 1730s, Daniel Burrell set up a dance studio on the High Street.

As the city expanded, so had the tastes and demands of the elite. Dazzling balls and continental waltzes lit up the building and in 1750, the first postreformation theatrical performance was held here. This was not met with enthusiasm by all, however, and in 1754, an angry mob led by Methodist Preacher, George Whitfield descended upon the building and promptly levelled it.

The economic boom of the Industrial Revolution saw the population of the city of Glasgow grow exponentially.

Additionally, the Great Famine in Ireland coupled with religious persecution saw a large influx of migration to the area. As the city expanded, the importance of the High Street dwindled by comparison and the administrative functions of the city drifted westward to the area known as Merchant City.

By the mid-1800s, the High Street and surrounding area had fallen into disrepute and housed a variety of slums spread across the closes and wynds. Thomas Annan, a Scottish photographer, was asked to document the area before the city demolished the run-down areas. In total, he produced some 35 photographs of the area – recording the poverty and destitution of the street.

In the years since, more recent complaints concerning the upkeep of the High Street have surfaced as 2016 saw one local shopkeeper complain of raw sewage running through the tenements. One of the city’s oldest pubs, the Old College Bar was sadly demolished last June.

It closed its doors for the last time shortly before the first lockdown and, unfortunately, structural damage caused by a fire necessitated demolition.

In the days since the Battle of the Bell O’ The Brae, and the balls of the 18th century, the High Street has settled down somewhat, but it remains a vital part of the city, though perhaps its days of battle and brimstone are best put behind it. S

Scotland 49

Scottish Heritage USA, Inc.

Putting pride in your heritage to work for you A Non-profit Organization providing student scholarships for highland dance and bagpiping and making charitable donations to the National Trust for Scotland and other non-profit organizations that promote Scottish tradition, history, crafts and culture here in the states and abroad Scottish Gaelic studies at UNC Chapel Hill was largely funded by Scottish Heritage USA for the academic years of 2018-20 and plans are currently in process to fund a Department of Gaelic Studies at UNC! WE ARE ALSO A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE GRANDFATHER MT. HIGHLAND GAMES CULTURAL VILLAGE!

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Cashmere |

made in scotland

Words by SALLY COFFEY

The soft touch Scottish cashmere is considered the best in the world, thanks to a combination of our textile heritage and natural landscape

C

ashmere, that super-soft wool from the Kashmir goat, a breed that originated in the Kashmir region of India, has long been considered the finest material for knitting and weaving cosy scarves and jumpers.

The wool is so soft as it is the downy undercoat grown beneath coarser, weather-proof hair by the goats, which keeps them warm in winter, and which is then shed in spring and summer.

Empress Joséphine, wife of Napoleon, is said to have popularised the wearing of Kashmir in the French court after her husband brought her back a pashmina Kashmir shawl from an expedition in Egypt.

It’s easy to see how the fashion travelled from the French court to the Scottish court (with the name becoming anglicised along the way) encouraging Scottish mills to begin spinning the yarn into fine fabric to exploit this new trend. But

what’s harder to see is how a little country in western Europe became the world leader (at least in terms of quality) of luxurious garments spun from a raw material that originally comes from Asia.

Jenny Urquhart, Chairman of Johnstons of Elgin, says the truth is, many people don’t know exactly why the cashmere industry in Scotland has proved so successful, but that the outstandingly soft water that runs through our country plays a big part.

Jenny says: “The soft, Scottish water near our Elgin and Hawick mills is part of what makes our cashmere so unique. It’s one of the reasons why Scottish cashmere has acquired a reputation the world over for its natural softness.”

Elgin

Hawick

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made in scotland

| Cashmere

If anyone knows Scottish cashmere, it’s Johnstons of Elgin, a name that’s almost as synonymous with cashmere as cashmere itself is with Scotland.

And Jenny is right in that Scottish cashmere is classed as such as it is washed and softened in Scottish water and spun and knitted here.

Jenny says that having such good quality water means that Scottish cashmere can be treated more gently than cashmere produced in other parts of the world, reducing the need for chemicals.

“This is in sharp contrast to other regions,” Jenny says, “where the cashmere is often softened artificially at the end of a process which has involved significant chemical damage to the fibre.

Scottish cashmere is the real thing. The best quality cashmere in the world.”

And aside from our natural assets, Scotland’s long heritage of weaving and knitting has also served us well.

Johnstons of Elgin has been in operation since 1797, when its founder, Alexander Johnston, established Elgin Mill on the banks of the River Lossie, in Moray, in the northeast of Scotland. The company first produced cashmere products in 1851 and since then it has spent many, many years fine-tuning the processes.

Jenny says: “We have been working with the world’s finest cashmere for almost 200 years, and we continue to use the gentlest manufacturing processes, along with soft Scottish water, to protect our delicate fibres.

“We take care creating our iconic cashmere knitwear, so our customers can enjoy beautiful, luxurious products that last for more than a lifetime.”

The Elgin mill is one of the last few vertical mills in the UK, and Johnstons of Elgin still carries out all the processes from raw cashmere and fine woollen fibres right through to the finished product.

Good quality water means that Scottish cashmere can be treated more gently than cashmere produced in other parts of the world 52 Scotland

Cashmere |

Today, Johnstons of Elgin’s original mill is complemented by a knitting mill in Hawick, a Borders town that has long been associated with the knitwear industry.

Johnstons of Elgin was relatively late to arrive in Hawick, only opening its second mill here in 1980. Other cashmere makers have had mills in the Borders town for much longer.

Located at a meeting place of two rivers – the Teviot and Slitrig Water – Hawick had plenty of water to power its mills, plus its green fields provided plenty of grass for sheep, and so when Bailie John Hardie began introducing stocking frames here in 1771, it wasn’t long before others started to follow suit.

By 1815, spinners and weavers began to move from the home into mills, including big names such as Pringle, with cashmere first produced in Hawick in the 1830s by John Laing and Sons.

Hawico, formerly known as The Hawick Cashmere Company, opened its mill on Duke Street in the town in 1874 and has been making cashmere here ever since.

made in scotland

The Hawick Cashmere Company (now Hawico) opened its mill in 1874 and has been making cashmere ever since Though, like Johnstons of Elgin, Hawico has since expanded out of the mill town to open shops in Edinburgh and even London, each piece is still made in the Hawick factory, and it remains a family business.

To produce its cashmere cardigans, sweaters, and scarves, Hawico draws on over a century of traditional skills, which combined with technology advancements, mean customers can be assured of high-quality cashmere garments – if you’re looking for cashmere gifts to take home from Edinburgh, take a trip to Hawico’s upmarket shop on Grassmarket.

William Lockie, known affectionately as ‘Lockies’, is another family knitwear business that has been operating in Hawick since Victorian

LEFT TO RIGHT: At Johnstons’ Hawick mill you can book a tour; cashmere is washed and softened in water before it is spun and knitted into garments

Scotland 53

made in scotland

| Cashmere

© JONATHAN CARROLL

times and prides itself on employing skilled workers from the same local families, who have been employed for generations.

Like Hawico, it opened shop in 1874, and it is revered for the quality of its cashmere knitwear today, which is made to last and keep its shape, and the company supplies cashmere garments to the shops of Savile Row. But what about the Scottish cashmere of the future? Like all well-made garments, the cashmere industry is having to compete with cheaper products, often of inferior quality.

Another firm based in Hawick, Barrie, came close to closing in 2012 but was saved by Chanel,

The hope is that as cashmere prices continue to rise across the world, customers will return to the high-quality garments made in Scotland 54 Scotland

a loyal customer eager to secure the future of its cashmere sweaters going forward.

The hope is that as cashmere prices continue to rise across the world, customers will return to the high-quality garments made in Scotland, but the key is in ensuring these heritage skills don’t get lost in the meantime.

Jenny says: “In a world where processes are becoming automated, we work hard to attract all individuals, from all walks of life into our hands-on apprenticeship programmes. We share skills passed down through generations while providing training in cutting-edge technology to allow our highly skilled craftsmen and women to produce the finest quality, beautiful products.”

You can play your part in supporting the Scottish cashmere industry by buying cashmere garments and visiting some of the heritage sites in and around Hawick (madeinhawick.com), including taking a tour of Johnston’s Hawick mill, where you can see the craftmanship that makes Scottish cashmere the best in the world. S

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Cashmere is made using traditional methods; Hawico has been making cashmere since 1874; skilled craftsmen add finishing touches to the garments; cashmere is spun and dyed to make colourful garments

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Scotland 55

heraldry

| The Lord Lyon

Pomp with a point In the first of a new series on historic organisations, we look at the crucial role the Lyon Court plays in protecting Scotland’s heraldry Words by RODDY MARTINE

56 Scotland

R

esplendent in decorative tabards of gold, scarlet, and blue, with black and gold bicorn hats, the Heralds and Pursuivants of Scotland are to be seen on parade whenever there is an important display of national pageantry.

But there is far more to these symbolic remnants of a bygone age than meets the eye.

Although the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms is known to date from the 14th century, its mythology lies deep in the mists of a long ago land of Celts and Druids, where High Sennachies were primarily held responsible for recording the genealogies of the ruling houses of Scotland.

In a medieval world preoccupied with primogeniture, it was critical to have a judicial authority to oversee pedigree, precedence and inheritance. European Chivalry – collectively knights, noblemen and horsemen – placed immense importance on heraldic devices, the coats of arms, shields, crests and monograms, which not only confirmed but displayed personal status and provenance. This was how the ruling elite recognised one another and how they held on to their inherited property and land. And Scotland was ahead of the game.

The earliest written record of a ‘Lyoun Herauld’ dates from 1377. The first recorded holder of the office was one Henry Greve, during the reign of King Robert III, who attended the coronation of King Henry IV in London in 1399. The title of ‘Lyon’ derives from the lion depicted on the Coat of Arms of Scotland, a heraldic symbol first employed in the reign of King William the Lion in the 12th century.

By 1400, a scion of the powerful House of Douglas occupied the senior post and by 1437, the role had passed to Alexander Nairn of Sandford. Other luminaries followed, often in an ambassadorial position, but from 1542 to 1554, during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the best remembered is the flamboyant poet/playwright Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount. His Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis is the work for which he is best known.

Throughout the second millennium the office of Lord Lyon King of Arms played a unifying role in Scotland’s turbulent history. Both King Edward I of England and Oliver Cromwell sought to undermine Scotland’s stability by destroying its national archives, but they were unsuccessful.

Charters and ancient land rights held and hidden by prominent families survived, forming the bedrock of the current system.

By the late 15th century, England too had its College of Arms, or Herald’s College, founded in 1484 with a royal charter from Richard III. The Lord Lyon’s English equivalent is the Earl Marshal, and England has its own heraldic officers. Several similar heraldic institutions with equal authority survive throughout the European Union, but it is to Scotland that the widely spread clan and family diaspora of the New World still return.

Before his death in 1677, Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, established the Public Record of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. During the 1745 Jacobite Rising, Sir Alexander Brodie of that Ilk, despite being a Hanoverian sympathiser, remained neutral towards the rebellious sympathies of his staff. Lord Lyon from 1890 to 1927, Sir James Balfour Paul was author of the nine-volume The Scots Peerage.

In the 20th century, Sir Thomas Innes of Learney (Lyon from 1945 to 1969), and his son Sir Malcolm Innes of Edingight (Lyon from 1981 to 2001) added great distinction

The Lord Lyon | to the office within a changing world order.

In 2022, the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms remains a government body housed at New Register House in Edinburgh, and the fees charged for a Grant of Arms or similar patents, are paid to HM Treasury. Both the Lord Lyon and Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records, who oversees Letters Patent, are appointed by the Monarch on the recommendation of the First Minister of Scotland.

The Lord Lyon must hold a legal qualification in order to exercise criminal jurisdiction over all heraldic matters.

Another responsibility is to grant new arms and patents, and to confirm proven pedigrees and claims to existing arms, as well as to officially recognise the authenticity of Clan Chiefs after due diligence.

The Court of the Lord Lyon is fully integrated into the Scottish legal system with a dedicated prosecutor known in Scotland as a Procurator Fiscal. It is further charged with the

organising of State ceremonies in Scotland when Her Majesty The Queen is in attendance.

Such events include the State Opening of the Scottish Parliament, the installation of Knights of the Thistle, and the making of Royal proclamations and announcements (such as when a General Election is called) from the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh.

Other offices within the Lyon Office portfolio include a Heraldic Painter, a Ceremonial Development Officer, the Lyon Macer, and an Honorary Vexillologist (flag developer).

For ceremonial occasions, there are three Heralds at Arms – Marchmont, Rothesay and Islay; three Pursuivants of Arms In Ordinary – Carrick, Ormond and Unicorn; two Heralds of Arms Extraordinary – Angus and Albany; and three Pursuivants of Arms – Linlithgow, Falkland and March. There are also four Private Pursuivants of Arms – Finlaggan, Slains, Garrioch and Endure, who

heraldry

LEFT TO RIGHT: Joseph Morrow, the current Lord Lyon King of Arms, has been in the role since 2014; the Governor Installation ceremony, 2021

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heraldry

| The Lord Lyon

58 Scotland

© RICHARD GASS/ALAMY/VISITSCOTLAND

The Lord Lyon | are each independently employed by members of the Scottish nobility and Clan Chiefs to perform ceremonial activities.

Dr Joseph Morrow CBE, KStJ, QC, DL, FRSE, the congenial incumbent of the office, was sworn in as Lord Lyon King of Arms by the Lord President of the Court of Session in 2014.

It was an unexpected but innovatory appointment as he had previously served as Her Majesty’s Commissioner for the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, and President of the Additional Support Needs Tribunal for Scotland.

An Honorary Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral of Dundee, Vice Lord Lieutenant of the City, and former Grand Master Mason of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, he has brought a fresh and modernising approach to his great office.

Dr Morrow’s fascination with heraldry began at the age of 10. His parents were dedicated church goers and during Sunday sermons, the young Joseph’s attention was caught by

all the armorial bearings surrounding him. His imagination took flight as he realised that all of those shields on display belonged to real families whose names are embedded in the history of Scotland.

“What impressed me most was that I was living in Scotland and these armorials gave me an insight into both the past and present,” he reflects. “Those images made me think about the values that have been rooted in Scotland from time immemorial; qualities of decency and fairness shared by all Scots wherever they are in the world.”

When the Heraldry Society was launched in 1977, he immediately signed up as a member but kept a low profile while pursuing a legal career. When the post of Lord Lyon was advertised in 2013, he applied as an outsider.

It was the fulfilment of a dream, he admits, and remains candidly forthright about wanting to modernise the system, to reach out across Scotland and beyond. “There is such a lot of ignorance about what we do,” he admits. “One of my main missions is to provide a contemporary understanding of the role. Public engagement is therefore very important.”

To this end, he has lectured extensively throughout Scotland and prior to the pandemic spent four weeks in Australia, and attended Highland Gatherings in Ontario, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Later this year he plans to go to Grenville, and he has been asked to preach in the National Cathedral in Washington DC. A posthumous Coat of Arms was recently granted to Scotland’s National Bard through the Robert Burns World Federation [as reported in Issue 119 of Scotland] and in April he will give a talk on the subject during Tartan Week in New York.

Since his appointment, the Lyon Court has sworn in its incoming Officers of Arms at ceremonies in Glasgow and Dundee. “We need to be seen out-and-about more and for the public to understand what we do,” he says.

He is particularly enthused about the recently launched community flag competitions held in Wick, Skye and Maryhill. “Some areas had over 350 design submissions,” he says with delight.

One of the positive aspects of the Covid-19 restrictions, is that The Lord Lyon has been able to reach out to new audiences more effectively through both Zoom and The Court of the Lord Lyon’s new YouTube channel. Later this year there are plans to launch The Lord Lyon Society, a charitable foundation with HRH The Princess Royal as Patron. A Festival of Scottish Heraldry is planned for Saturday 3 December 2022.

Keeping up with the times has naturally thrown up a spate of challenges in terms of heraldic expression, not least with regard to the role of women, same-sex marriages, and diversity. Dr Morrow regards this with equanimity. “It’s just a part of living in an evolving society,” he says.

A true romantic, Dr Morrow talks about walking down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. “As you get older it’s easier to walk downhill,” he quips. “However, there are centuries of Scottish and European heraldry on the buildings [in the capital and throughout Scotland]. Look at the Mercat Cross in Parliament Square, the dinner service at Glamis Castle in Angus, or on the ceiling and windows at Mount Stuart on Bute.

“Consciously or subconsciously, the trappings of the past and the guidelines they provide for the present and the future are inescapable.” S

heraldry

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute features some impressive heraldry on its windows and ceilings; the Lord Lyon delivering a Proclamation for COP26 in Glasgow; a parade during the Dissolution of Parliament

Scotland 59

138 South Street, KY16 9EQ 01334 474331 info@sprosongallery.com Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am-1pm / 1:30pm-5pm

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60 Scotland

St Andrews |

travel

THE HOME OF GOLF As the Open returns to St Andrews for its 150th anniversary, former student of the town, Henrietta Easton, explains the significance of golf here

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| St Andrews PREVIOUS PAGE AND THIS PAGE, RIGHT: The 18th hole of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews; colourful fishing cottages lining St Andrews harbour, with the town pier in the foreground and the ruins of St Andrew’s Cathedral and Castle in the background

The world’s greatest players will descend on Fife’s well-groomed town to try and claim the Claret Jug 62 Scotland

ILLUSTRATION: © MICHAEL A HILL IMAGES: © 2018 REIMAR/SHUTTERSTOCK/IAIN MASTERTON/ALAMY

F

rom 10-17 July 2022, the home of golf will host the 150th Open at the world-famous Old Course at St Andrews.

The world’s greatest players will descend on Fife’s wellgroomed town to try and claim the Claret Jug – the tournament’s trophy – and the pretty Scottish seaside town will be abuzz with crowds of golf fans, novices and tourists alike.

The first reference to golf in the historic town of St Andrews was in 1552, but the game appears to have been around earlier than that, having evolved from a game played in the 15th century around St Andrews and Fife, when players would attempt to hit a pebble over sand dunes and around tracks using a bent stick or a club.

In fact, the sport became so popular that in 1457, with an invasion from the ‘auld enemy’ on the horizon, King James II was forced to ban the sport, as many Scotsmen were neglecting their military training in favour of a good old game of golf.

In 1502, the game gained the royal seal of approval when King James IV of Scotland became the world’s first golfing monarch. Thanks to this royal endorsement, the popularity of the game spread quickly, with King James VI of Scotland being the first to play golf in England, while his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots had introduced the game to France when she was studying. The common golf term ‘caddie’ actually derives from the name for Mary’s French military aides, known as cadets.

In 1754 the St Andrews Society of Golfers was formed to compete in its own annual golf competition, and the first ever 18-hole course was constructed at St Andrews in 1764, establishing the now recognised standard for the game. The club was honoured with the title ‘Royal and Ancient’ by King William IV in 1834, and the course was then established as the world’s premier golf club.

Although not the first course to host the Open Championships, which was held at Prestwick Golf Club in 1860, nowhere else has hosted the competition as many times as The Old Course at St Andrews, first

St Andrews |

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| St Andrews

64 Scotland

St Andrews |

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© 2019 NADEZHDA KLIMENKOVA/SHUTTERSTOCK/REALIMAGE/JOHN BRACEGIRDLE/ALAMY

CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: St Andrew’s Castle and Castle Sands beach, with its tidal swimming pool; the town’s main street, Market Street, has many shops, pubs and restaurants; red-gowned students admiring the medieval architecture of the university’s St Salvator’s Chapel and Quad

doing so in 1873 and hosting it a record 28 times after that, most recently in 2015.

The Old Course, as well as being iconic as the ‘home’ of golf, is also notorious for being difficult, as players are subject to Mother Nature’s wrath. Although the Open is held in the summer, Scottish weather can be unpredictable, and being almost on the beach, the course is particularly windy at times.

Although the sport is, rightly, ingrained into this wee town’s history, with golf shops and the dedicated R&A World Golf Museum, just metres from the course itself, there is plenty to enjoy for those not bothered by golf, too.

The pretty cobbled streets, idyllic fishing cottages, golden beaches and grand medieval architecture makes this town particularly picturesque and the perfect place to wile away an afternoon.

Named after St Andrew the Apostle, the town’s cathedral was built in 1158, and was once the centre of the medieval Catholic Church in Scotland. Although now in ruin thanks to the 16th-century Scottish Reformation, its dramatic positioning on the cliff overlooking the sea, and its turbulent history make it a must-see for your visit to the town.

Perched next to the cathedral on a rocky promontory overlooking a small, almost hidden beach, aptly named Castle Sands (where there is a tidal swimming pool that is perfect for a summer’s dip), St Andrew’s Castle completes the equation.

Built towards the end of the 12th century to serve as a residence for the Bishops of Scotland, the castle has changed hands and fallen foul to many wars during its lifetime. When bishops were abolished in Scotland in 1592 the castle rapidly fell into ruin, and in 1801, the Great Hall collapsed and most of it plunged into the sea.

TEE OFF ELSEWHERE PRESTWICK GOLF CLUB

ROYAL DORNOCH

The birthplace of the Open Championship, and designed by golf legend Old Tom Morris, teeing off at Prestwick Golf Club is a rite of passage for any golf fan. Just 30 miles north of Glasgow, the course is built on the rolling sandy land between the beach and the hinterland and is really quite spectacular. prestwickgc.co.uk

Situated on the stunning Dornoch Firth, most serious golfers will make a pilgrimage to the natural links Royal Dornoch at some point in their lives, and it’s easy to see why. The course itself is wild, isolated and truly spellbinding. There are records of golf being played here as far back as 1616, so it is steeped in history too. royaldornoch.com

GLENEAGLES

MACHRIE LINKS

Gleneagles is one of the greatest names for golf in Scotland, and home to three of the top courses in the country. In the heart of Scotland, beneath the beautiful Ochil Hills, the five-star Victorian mansion hotel and spa boasts 850 acres of grounds and is the only venue in Europe to have hosted the Ryder and Solheim Cups. gleneagles.com

On the beautiful Hebridean Island of Islay, Machrie Hotel and Golf Links is a golf experience like no other. An 18th-century farmhouse, with a modern, relaxed feel, the hotel sits on seven miles of pristine beach, while the newly-redesigned Machrie links are wild, desolate and contemporary. Escapism at its finest. themachrielinks.com

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| St Andrews

PLAN YOUR VISIT For some classic, yet modern Scottish fare book a table at Forgan’s, a St Andrews culinary institution with a buzzy atmosphere, regular live music and a cèilidh every Friday. forgans.co.uk For a ‘sit on the beach and enjoy the sunset’ kind of evening, Cromar’s fish and chips has been voted the best fish and chips in Scotland twice. Perfection. cromars.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY For golf lovers, there really is only one choice of accommodation. The Old Course Hotel sits right on the course itself, looking out over the sea and the rest of the town. With a spa, fine dining and a perfect little pub, Jigger Inn, for a post-round pint, you’ll want for nothing. oldcoursehotel.co.uk

views. Perfectly perched on a cliff overlooking the sea and out towards the town, this five-star hotel exudes luxury, and has its own golf course. fairmont.com

WHAT TO SEE St Andrew’s Cathedral and Castle Both managed by Historic Environment Scotland and within a stone’s throw of each other, the castle and cathedral are the foundation of the town’s history and a must-see for your visit. historicenvironment.scot Just yards from the first tee of the Old Course, The R&A World Golf Museum explores golf from its origins to the global game it has become today. The restaurant has fabulous views of the beach and golf course too. worldgolfmuseum.com

FIND OUT MORE A little further out of the town, the Fairmont, St Andrews, has unrivalled

Students will break into the castle walls after their annual Graduation Ball in June to watch the sunrise from the ruins The ruins that remain are maintained by Historic Environment Scotland and visitors can walk what is left of the walls, and peak into the notorious dungeons. Its positioning makes it exceptionally beautiful, especially at sunset. If you’re into secrets and traditions, rumour has it that students will break into the castle walls after their annual Graduation Ball in June to watch the sunrise from the ruins.

The university is also worth a nosy around as it is famous for being the third oldest university in the English-speaking world, the oldest in Scotland and, of course, for sparking the romance between two popular young British royals.

Founded in 1413, the beautiful and old university buildings are scattered throughout the town, with the medieval St Salvator’s Chapel and Quadrangle built between the coastal-facing road, The Scores, and the cobbled North Street, leading down to the cathedral. On a Sunday

66 Scotland

For more on this year’s Open championship, go to theopen.com

ABOVE: morning during term-time you might spot There are stunning red-gowned figures walking along the views at the Old precarious top path of the town’s pier, as the Course Hotel students take part in the traditional pier walk in their unique academic dress – this is quite a sight to see and it is worth giving it a go if you don’t mind heights.

Hidden in a courtyard on South Street behind some decadent wrought-iron gates, the university’s St Mary’s College, which houses the School of Divinity, is also an enticing spot to soak up some sunshine, and not well known by tourists. Sit on the grass under a beautiful tree supposedly planted by Mary, Queen of Scots herself.

St Andrews has a sense of individuality that you really don’t find anywhere else. Whether it’s the university buzz, the joy of a seaside town, the iconic medieval history, or its fame for being the home of golf, there truly is something for everyone.

In terms of this summer’s Open, golf fan or not, there will be something magical about seeing the 150th anniversary of the championships played on the most famous course in the world, where the game itself was invented, 600 years ago. Welcome to St Andrews. S

© RICHARD TAYLOR/4CORNERS IMAGES

WHERE TO EAT

Hand Crafted in Scotland

www.woodenbathsltd.com

Edinburgh’s famous fossil shop

5 Cowgatehead, Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 1JY 0131 220 1344 • www.mrwoodsfossils.co.uk Scotland 67

literature

| Ossian poems

HOAXER OR HERO? In Scotland’s Year of Stories, we investigate whether Highlander James Macpherson was really the fraudster he was made out to be, or just a very good storyteller Words by JANICE HOPPER

T

he tale of the 18th-century Ossian hoax is one of the most complex and unusual yarns of the times.

It grabbed headlines, involved influential figures around the world, and was the talk of the town.

A simple version of this narrative sets the scene during the height of Enlightenment Edinburgh, when a young Scot, James Macpherson, ventured to his Highland homeland in the 1760s to interview native Gaelic speakers and storytellers, to track down ancient tales that had been passed down the centuries by oral tradition or captured in ancient manuscripts.

Remarkably, the young man swiftly struck gold, uncovering the poems of a 3rd-century bard called Ossian, who told the tale of Fingal, a Scottish warrior king.

Such finds were declared remarkable works to rival the likes of Virgil and Homer. Macpherson’s collection of translations, Fingal, was published to great acclaim in 1762, quickly followed by Temora and The Works of Ossian.

Macpherson became a celebrity, invited to the most refined coffee houses and gatherings, from Edinburgh to London.

When something seems too good to be true, it often is.

Critics such as Samuel Johnson called for the written sources Macpherson claimed to have found to be shared. When these weren’t forthcoming, the Scot’s great finds were declared a sham and his celebrity status quickly shifted to that of a cause célèbre. Centuries of investigation now suggest that the Ossian poems were most likely a combination of original material, borrowed folklore and personal embellishment, but writing off Macpherson’s poems as a ‘hoax’ is too simplistic.

It’s essential to explore the background and context to this story. Firstly, nobody becomes a sensation overnight or on their own. In the 1750s Macpherson studied at the University of Aberdeen, where classical scholar, Thomas Blackwell,

Macpherson was taken under the wing of a more ambitious and hugely respected figure in the literary world 68 Scotland

opened his eyes to the fact that the ancient Highland and Gaelic culture he complacently grew up with held authentic cultural value.

From the nurturing role of Blackwell, Macpherson was taken under the wing of a more ambitious and hugely respected figure in the literary world, Hugh Blair of the University of Edinburgh, and Britain’s first dedicated chair of English Literature.

Blair financed Macpherson, arranged for the publication of the Ossian poems, and wrote a preface to Macpherson’s Fragments of Ancient Poetry, published in 1760.

Blair didn’t ask to be misled or actively orchestrate a ‘hoax’, but he, and the Scottish literary establishment, had

© LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTS/GL ARCHIVE/ALAMY

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The title page of James Macpherson’s ‘Fingal’, first published in 1762; a portrait of James Macpherson

by Sir Joshua Reynolds, which now hangs in London’s National Portrait Gallery

© IAN DAGNALL/JAN HOLM/ALAMY/HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND/ DUNVEGAN CASTLE COLLECTION

Ossian poems | literature

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| Ossian poems

TOP TO BOTTOM: Fingal duelling with the ghost of Loda, by Asmus Jacob Carstens (1754-1798); Samuel Johnson

by Sir Joshua Reynolds

70 Scotland

an appetite for Scotland to shine, following the 1707 Act of Union and the decimation of Jacobite forces at Culloden in 1746.

While the Edinburgh literati usually set themselves apart from the ‘uncivilised’ Highland north, post-Culloden there would have been an awareness that Scottish and Gaelic culture was at best being ‘Anglified’, at worse being stamped out.

The clock was ticking to gather Scottish material before it disappeared forever, and so checks and balances were possibly overlooked.

In a wider British picture, the timing was ripe for rugged tales of Scotland.

Since the genuine threat of wild Highlanders had been exterminated and the Highland Clearances were actively underway, Britain was poised to embrace a Romantic view of Highland Scotland, of warriors and lore.

Ossian offered up palatable wild Celts that entertained the readers of the day. Macpherson is commended with sowing the seeds of the Romantic movement itself.

Let’s also note that the Ossian works, however they came together, were deemed of such quality that they attracted great minds and admirers, including Thomas Jefferson, and Goethe. Artists, such as Nicolai Abildgaard, Jean-Auguste -Dominique Ingres and Girodet, were inspired by Ossian to put brush to canvas. Hoax or not, the Ossian works had an inherent worth of their own, and their artistic legacy is rich.

It’s also important to analyse the character of Macpherson, to understand more. James grew up close to Ruthven Barracks (a British army fort), in the shadow of Culloden,

where the Jacobite cause was crushed – he was just 10 years old when the Jacobites fell.

Growing up surrounded by such bloodshed must have left its mark.

Those around him who’d stood up for what was ‘right’ had been brutally cut down on the battlefield or during reprisals. Where did being brave and heroic get you, if not six feet under? To say his moral compass may have been skewed is an understatement.

At the time of the alleged hoax, Macpherson was relatively young and perhaps eager to please. Youth doesn’t excuse a global hoax, but it’s surprisingly easy for situations to spiral out of control when a young outsider is attempting to please the establishment.

Equally, growing up near a battlefield where life was cheap (1,300 men fell at Culloden in less than an hour), James may have felt that opportunities must be grasped whether they were moral or immoral.

Lastly, before Ossian, Macpherson was a nobody. In a time when social mobility was desperately limited, James opened doors for himself. The money flowed in, enabling him to buy a vast country house in Inverness-shire. He became a Member of Parliament, sired a raft of illegitimate children, and even visited America.

Macpherson certainly does not come across as a particularly nice man – he always ensured he came out on top – but as he relaxed in his luxurious Highland villa, perhaps he considered the life of a rich ‘hoaxer’ as being preferable to that of a morally upstanding outlander’s life of limited means.

Today, the Ossian hoax is still debated, with scholars arguing that Samuel Johnson was so scathing of the notion of a Scottish literary culture and ignorant of oral tradition that his dismissal of Macpherson’s work was heavy handed.

Arguably, the standard dichotomy of Macpherson being either a hero or a hoaxer is too black and white. If the poems have fake elements to them, then Macpherson comes across as a self-centred individual, who was capable of creating great works of literature. He’s no hero, but he’s contributed significantly more to the world than a mere hoax.

It’s ironic that Macpherson and Johnson both lie in the South Transept of Westminster Abbey so they can argue together till eternity. Ultimately, Macpherson ignored the golden rule of storytelling and writing – to never become the story’. S

© NPL DEA PICTURE LIBRARY/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES/COURTESY DR JOHNSON’S HOUSE

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Arran |

WILDLIFE

WILD ISLE Deer, red squirrels, eagles, otters, and seals can all be seen on and around the Isle of Arran, as Robin McKelvie and his children discover

W

© TIM GRAHAM/ALAMY

“

ill we see all the Big Five daddy?”, asks my youngest as we roll off the ferry under the brooding hulk of Arran’s hills.

We’re here for a week, so I’m cautiously optimistic, with Arran the only isle to boast red deer, otters, red squirrels, golden eagles, and harbour seals. It doesn’t end there, with sea eagles, basking sharks and even whales – not to mention Scotland’s first all-island snorkel trail – thriving around Scotland’s wildlife isle.

Scotland’s seventh largest island, and the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, is often eulogised as ‘Scotland in Miniature’, which metaphorically it certainly is.

The Highland Boundary Fault sears right through Arran’s heart, gnarling the north into a wildscape of soaring mountains, tumbling glens, and gushing burns. The south is gentler: rolling hills, thick forests and spirit-soaring stretches

of sand. Arran sports a brace of whisky distilleries and breweries (gin too), castles, stone circles, and its own Highland Games: it’s the nation in microcosm.

Scotland in miniature’s wildlife is writ large too, the whole island hailed and protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Just a few minutes after leaving the ferry we shake off the island’s largest village of Brodick in search of one of Scotland’s few red squirrel hides.

Arran is the only isle in Scotland with a red squirrel population, thanks to the absence of invasive greys. We don’t even make it to the hide. We must slow to let one of these gorgeously bushy tailed charmers amble across the road.

Then another. Both my daughters yelp. Minutes later in the hide we have to be deadly quiet, though. We’re rewarded

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| Arran

CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: A wild otter poses for the camera; Brodick Castle and Gardens has its own red squirrel hide; a red squirrel enjoys some supper on the Isle of Arran

as a trio of squirrels break cover in the thick forest to grab a snack right in front of us.

We try to push north, but around the next bay we’re stopped by a colony of seals, another of the Big Five. A dozen seals have dragged themselves up on to the rocks by the road at Merkland Point to bask in the sun’s rays.

A local man cycling pauses to see why we’ve stopped.

Then he just smiles and continues when he realises it’s ‘only’ seals. On Arran day-to-day interactions with wildlife are the glorious norm, not the exception.

Easing across the Highland Boundary Fault the land rises and the big hills unfurl like a cinema curtain pulling back.

Pure, glorious technicolour nature.

It feels like a David Attenborough BBC documentary as we scan for wildlife.

Craggy Alpine-sharp peaks and ridges tear across the skyline, but we’re drawn to something in the foreground.

There he is. The monarch of the glen: the mighty red deer, the largest land mammal in the UK. He stands stoic in a whisp of mist, antlers warning any rivals off his patch. There is no doubting this is his glen. Then comes a moment that would have us struggling to contain the excitement of Attenborough were he truly in the back seat narrating.

As we turn away from the stag, we catch sight of a golden eagle rising high into the thermals in the crags. This close there is no mistaking this elegant giant for a buzzard.

By the time we descend off the hills to the Highland village of Lochranza we’ve only one of the Big Five to go. We gather our thoughts in the café at Lochranza Distillery, where local venison is on the menu – it’s Scotland’s more sustainable and healthier red meat I assure the girls.

Afterwards we find a few hinds nosing around our car, then another stag mooching up the fifth fairway at the local golf course. Just as thoughts turn to a coffee on the beach, in the shadow of Lochranza Castle, there they are – two otters busying their way along the shore. We watch them flip in and out of the water – my girls reckon they’re playing rather than fishing; it looks like it. So Big Five ‘done’ before sunset on our first day! Very Arran.

My daughters are thrilled at seeing all the Big Five so quickly. Daddy is mildly disappointed, as now I must think up more things to spot, though this too turns out to be a joy.

My thoughts drift back to when I brought a London friend around the Firth of Clyde on a small ship cruise with Majestic Line. Sailing into Lochranza he was delighted at the seal colony we visited on the tender ashore, speechless at the basking shark that spent a couple of hours circling our ship in languorous loops and then tripped over a stag leaving the pub – quite a first evening on Arran.

We’re out of the car and immersing ourselves in nature now. Literally. Marine Arran is a wonderland I’d never explored before in over a dozen visits to Arran. Our timing

‘‘As we turn away from the stag, we catch sight of a golden eagle rising high into the thermals in the crags’’ 74 Scotland

© IMAGES: KEITH SHUTTLEWOOD/STEPHEN MILLER/KEITH J SMITH/ALAMY © ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL A HILL

wildlife

Arran |

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wildlife

| Arran

PLAN YOUR VISIT ARRAN ALPACAS An Alpaca trek on Arran is a novel but beautiful way to enjoy the natural environment of Arran. arranalpacas.co.uk

ARRAN SNORKEL TRAIL Take a closer look at marine life above and below the water on a snorkelling tour along Arran’s coastline. scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/ snorkel-trails/

BELLEVUE FARM Meet the animals and buy fresh milk and

76 Scotland

delicious cheeses at this lovely farm. bellevue-arran.co.uk

GETTING THERE There are two Caledonian MacBrayne ferries you can take to Arran – from Ardrossan to Brodick, or from Claonaig on the Kintyre peninsula to Lochranza in the north of the isle. calmac.co.uk

TOURIST INFORMATION Visit Arran is a font of inspiration of where to go and what to do on the isle. visitarran.com

is good as local maritime body Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) have just helped set up half a dozen snorkel trails. We’re the first people ever to test out the new trail at Whiting Bay. Don a snorkel mask and Arran is transformed. The hills are swapped for billowing sea grass alive with scuttling crabs and darting sand fish. Bright anemones remind me of the Great Barrier Reef and with wet suits on it’s no struggle snorkelling here. We’re in the water for over an hour; it feels like five minutes, and I literally have to haul the girls out. Three times over the week we don our masks and explore more sites below again.

Cutting inland we leave the more touristy east coast behind in search of the Shiskine Valley. I always end up here on Arran, drawn to what is today the island’s only inland community – before the Clearances most people lived inland – by the fact my family hail from a wee steading here at Kilpatrick.

I’d never really searched for wildlife, but co-owner of Arran Alpacas, Tom Jessop, introduces me to the myriad local birds of prey and smaller birds, too. We take the well cared for alpacas for a walk and then stargaze in the perfectly clear sky outside our posh glamping pod. The soundtrack? The resident local owl.

My last stop is at Bellevue Farm. A farm may seem a strange place to end a wildlife pilgrimage. But this one shows what can be done by farmers with a genuine passion and affection for their animals and their role in the environment. They also appreciate what can be the positive power of tourism.

We meet pigs, cows, and lambs, helping look after the animals both in the fields and the impressive new byre they’ve built for visitors. You can buy Arran milk and farm fresh meat to take away. We enjoy them in one of their cosy cottages as the girls join the dots between what we see and what we choose to eat.

Bellevue Farm is famous amongst foodies. Milk from the Shiskine Valley – famously creamy, from cows grazing on the lush local grass – is at the heart of Bellevue Creamery, which conjures up superb brie and camembert, plus multi awardwinning Arran Blue.

I meet the owner, Calum Chaplin, who introduces me to his new creation, a Swiss hard cheese, White Stag. It’s named after the elusive Arran white stag. I’ve never seen him. The girls are desperate to. We resolve to come back to Scotland’s wildlife isle to find him, alongside myriad creatures on the isle that may be famous for its Big Five, but which offers so much more. S

© VISITSCOTLAND/ALLAN WRIGHT/JIM MONK/ALAMY

CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: Glen Rosa in the spring; the 13th-century Lochranza Castle; seals bask in the morning sunshine

Arran |

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SCOTLAND | Scottish Societies

SCOTTISH SOCIETIES If you are interested in joining any of these Scottish Societies, please contact them at the address shown and they will be happy to provide you with membership information.

Clan International ClanCunningham Cunningham international

Armstrong Clan Society

Open to Cunninghams all Cunninghams and associated Open to all and associated familiesfamilies from from the the District of of Cunninghame.

District Cunninghame.Write Writeto: to: David Pickens David Pickens 5441 Mockingbird 5441 Mockingbird Dr. Dr. St. Knoxville, TN TN 37919 Knoxville, 37919 Visit our website at: Visit our website at:

Arms awarded by the Lord Lyon in 1985. We invite descendants of the Armstrongs, Crosiers, Fairburns, Groziers and Nixons thru their paternal or maternal lines to join this famous family. We are tax-exempt and publish the ARMSTRONG CHRONICLES quarterly for our worldwide membership.

www.clancunninghamintl.org www.clancunninghamintl.org

Forbes Clan-Forbes.org

www.armstrong.org Chris Armstrong, President Armstrong Clan Society P O Box 346 Flowery Branch, GA 30542 Membership is open to those descended from Baird, Barde, Bard, Beard, Beaird, Byrd, Bayard, Bardt, Barth and Biard or varied spellings of the name of Scottish origin.

In addition to the Society newsletter and the opportunity to associate with fellow clansmen, members may query the Society genealogist, whose database contains over 100,000 entries of Bairds and related names. For information write: Clan Baird Commander Richard Baird of Rickarton, Ury and Member of the Lochwood, President, Stonehaven, Scotland Scottish Clans and Dr. Debra Baird, Convenor Associations, Inc. www.clanbairdsociety.com

@ClanForbesSociety president@clan-forbes.org Sign up for a free e-newsletter!

Clan Cumming Society USA Established 1997

G. Allen Cummings, Secretary 330 S Middleton Drive Unit 203

clanblair.org

Website:

Russell McCrary Email: clanmembership@clanblair.org

Clan President Jim Dougherty welcomes into membership all who are connected with this great border family.

Contact Information:

Clan Blair Society Membership cordially invited from Blair descendants, and other interested parties.

CLAN ELLIOT SOCIETY, U.S.A.

Calabash, NC 28467

www.clancumming.us

Please direct inquiries to: Membership-Treasurer Matt Elliot PO Box 75, Smithfield KY, 40068 https://elliotclan-usa.com

Family of Bruce International, Inc., USA

THE THE CLAN FRASER FRASER SOCIETY SOCIETY CLAN OF OF

Family of Bruce International, Inc., USA, the only such organization recognized by the hereditary chief of the Name of Bruce, The Rt. Hon. Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, is a non-profit organization established to create kinship amongst its family members and promote interest in the Family of Bruce and its history. Membership is open to persons who qualify by surname, by descent, or by recognized septs: Carlisle, Carruthers, Crosby, Randolph and Stenhouse. Associate membership is also available.

SALTOUN SALTOUN

Membership inquiries should be directed to: Donald E. Bruce, FSA Scot President 1051 Eagle Ridge Trail Stillwater, MN 55082 bruce1051@comcast.net

Polly A. (Bruce) Tilford, Secretary 5561 Earl Young Road Bloomington, IN 47408

www.familyofbruceinternational.org

HOUSE OF BURNETT, INC.

Sanctioned by James C.A. Burnett of Leys,

Chief of the Name, and Head of the House of Burnett

Contact: Jackelyn A Daugherty, Secretary PO Box 666 Topock, AZ 86436 (928) 788-9434 jdaugherty@1791.com

Celebrating 175 years of Home, Family and Love.

708-447-5092 | ChicagoScots.org 76 Scotland

Carol Morton-Bianchini, Secretary Clan Douglas Society of North America PO Box 6974, Portland, OR 97228 Phone: 971.300.8593 DouglasSecretary@comcast.net

Clan Dunbar

DUNBARS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! Join your clan, wherever you are, and learn more of the illustrious history of the great family that once owned huge amounts of Scotland.

Meet the warriors, maidens, bish-ops and merchants whose talent, bravery, politics and poetry made the name reverberate throughout the Middle Ages.

Under the leadership of Sir James Dunbar, BT, Chief of the Name, and Chieftain David C. Dunbar, Clan Dunbar is now The Scottish Home International.

2800 Des Avenue **Exciting DNAPlains Project ** Clan Tour of Scotland with focus on N.history Riverside, Dunbar plannedIL for 60546 summer of 2019 ** Interactive Clan Website ** Genealogists CONTACT: Kathryn Dunbar, Secretary, PO Box 1493, Tomball, TX 77377-1493; Chieftain@ClanDunbar.org

www.ClanDunbar.com

NORTH AMERICA AMERICA NORTH

LOVAT

LOVAT Operating under the authority of Operating under the authority of The RT. Hon. Lady Saltoun, The RT. Hon. Lady Saltoun, Chief of the name of Fraser Chief of the name of Fraser The RT. Hon. Lord Lovat, The RT. Hon. Lord Lovat, Of the Clan Fraser of Lovat Of the Clan Fraser of Lovat Registered members are invited to share in the bond Registered members are invited to share in the bond of this heritage and receive The Nessie newsletter. of this heritage and receive The Nessie newsletter.

For membership and information please visit: For membership and information please visit:

w w..c a..c co ww ww cffs sn na om m Organized July 1975 The first worldwide Clan Graham Organization

CLAN GRAHAM SOCIETY Ne Oublie • “Do Not Forget” to join us!

www.clangrahamsociety.org www.facebook.com/ClanGrahamSociety

Scottish Societies | SCOTLAND

Clan MacInnes

Int’l Assn. of Clan MacInnes (Aonghais)

April Rich Membership Chair 218 Oxbow Drive Willimantic, CT 06226 clanhaymembership@hotmail.com

www.clangregor.com For membership contact Keith MacGregor P.O Box 56, Redding Ridge, CT 06876 kmac1@optonline.net.

Peter Lawrie, Secretary 6 The Esplanade, Broughty Ferry, Dundee DD5 2EL Scotland

Clan MacDougall Society of North America, Inc.

Clan MacDougall Society Clan MacDougall Society of North America, Inc. of North America, Inc. Valerie McDougall VP Membership

Valerie McDougall VP Membership

PO Box 338047 PO BoxMcDougall, 338047 Valerie VP Membership Greeley, CO. 80633 80633 MacDougall MacDowall MacDougall MacDowall POGreeley, BoxCO. 338047, Greeley, CO. 80633 Home Page:ww.macdougall.org Email:membership@macdougall.org HomeEmail:membership@macdougall.org Page:ww.macdougall.org • www.macdougall.org Email: membership@macdougall.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/clanmacdougall Facebook: www.facebook.com/clanmacdougall www.facebook.com/clanmacdougall Names with Clan MacDougall of Argyll Names Associated with Clan MacDougall of Argyll Names Associated withAssociated Clan MacDougall of Argyll and Clanof MacDowall of Galloway and Clan and MacDowall Galloway Clan of MacDowall Galloway

Macoual Coul MacCoul Coul MacoualMacCoul Coul MacCulloch Dulothe MacCowan MacConcher MacDugle Conacher MacConcher MacConacher Conacher MacConacher Conacher MacClintock MacDoual M’Gowall MacDowall Coyle MacCoyle MacDill Coyle MacCoyle MacDill Coyle MacCowan MacDougall MacLintock McDowell Dole MacDole Dole Mcdougle McDoll MacDole Dole MacHale MacLugash McDoll MacCullich Dowdle MacHowell MacDugal Macoual MacCullagh Dulothe MacDulothe Dowdle Dulothe Dowdle MacDulothe Doual MacKichan MacDowal MacConcher McLintock MacDoual McDougal Doual MacDoual Doual McDougal Dougal MacLinden MacDill McCown MacDougall MacDougald Dougal MacDougallDougalMacdowell MacDougald Dougle MacLucas McLullich McDoll Mactheul Mcdougle Dougle Mcdougle DougleMcCulloch McDougald Dugal MacCoul MacDulothe McDougald McCown MacDugal MacDugle Dugal MacDugal Dugal MacLintock MacDugle Dowall MacConacher McDougal MacNamell MacDowal Dowall MacDowal DowallMacowen MacDowall MacDowel MacCoyle MacDougald MacDowall MacClintock Lullich MacDole McHoul McDougald McDowell MacLuke Macdowell MacDowell MacdowellMacDowell McDowell Lullich May MacCullich Lullich McLullich MacCullich Spelling Variations Vary McLullich or Omit the Mac, Mc McCulloch MacCullagh MacCulloch McCulloch MacCullochMacCullagh MacLintock McLintock MacClintock MacLintockMacClintockMcLintock McCown MacCowan Macowen MacCowanMcCownMacowen Mactheul MacHale McHoul MacHale MactheulMcHoul McCown MacHowell MacCowanMacHowellMcCownMacCowan M’Gowall MacNamell MacKichan M’Gowall MacKichan MacNamell MacLintock MacClintock MacLinden MacLintockMacLinden MacClintock MacLuke MacLucas MacLugashMacLucas MacLukeMacLugash Spelling Spelling Variations May Vary or Omit the Variations Mac, Mc May Vary or Omit the Mac, Mc

www.ClanHay.com The American Branch of the First Family of Scotland welcomes inquiries from descendants of Hay / Hayes / Haynes, Constable, Delgatie, Erroll, Gifford, Leith, MacGarra, Peebles and Turriff

Clan Irwin Association Chief and Patron

Alexander H. R. Irvine of Drum, 27th Baron of Drum & Chief of the Name.

Contact: Susan Irvine McRae 5607 Bryar Rose Drive Ooltewah TN 37363-6540 susan.mcrae@clanirwin.org

www.clanirwin.org

www.facebook.com/groups/clanirwin IRWIN, IRVINE, IRVIN, IRVING, ERWIN And the many other spellings of the name

KENNEDY SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA

cordially invites membership inquiries from all descendants of Kennedy and the Clan Septs: Cannaday Kanaday Cassels Cassillis Carrick MacUlrick MacWalrick Ulric (some spellings may vary)

Colleen Caldwell, Membership Chairman Kennedy Society of North America 2115 Pierpont S. Estates Morgantown, West Virginia 26508 c_caldwell83@yahoo.com www.kennedysociety.net

Clan MacLaren Society of North America

MACLAREN MACLAURIN LAWRENCE LAWSON LOW[E] LOW[E]RY LAW[E] PATTERSON MACPATRICK MACRORY

Recognized by the Chief of Clan MacLaren Mark McLaren, FSA Scot President greatscot@earthlink.net Membership invited from all U.S. residents of or connected to the name in any of its recognized forms.

INQUIRIES TO: Roger H. Johnston 107 Stellamar Drive Hutto, TX. 78634 texscott2020@gmail.com Visit the Clan Website: http://www.clanmacgillivray.net

Clan Hamilton Society

Hamiltons and those of Hamilton descent are cordially invited to join the Society.

Visit our website: http://www.clanhamilton.org

Inquiries should be sent to: Sherri Lambert, Treasurer PO Box 5399 Vernon Hills, IL 60061

The Clan Hannay Society

For those with family names of Hannay, Hannah, Hanna and Hanney.

Membership Sec: Mrs. Jacquie Hannay 5 Picket Cross, Bankend Road, Dumfries DG1 4AH SCOTLAND www.clanhannay.org

Clan MacKinnon Society Since 1891

Family | History | Philanthropy | Fun Septs: Love, MacKinney, MacKinning, MacKinven, MacMorran, Morren, Sherry

www.TheMacKinnon.com ClanMacKinnonSociety@gmail.com / @The_MacKinnon @TheMacKinnon

Worldwide, we welcome descendants of all spelling variations, including (Mc)Angus, (Mc)Canse, (Mc)Ginnis, (Mc)Guenis, (Mc)Inch, (Mc)Innes, (Mc)Innis, (Mc)Kinnis, (Mc)Masters, (Mc)Neish, (Mc)Ninch, and more.

Scott Mcinnis, Member Services: scott@macinnes.org or visit: www.macinnes.org

CLAN MacLELLAN John B. McClellan, Jr. Treasurer Clan MacLellan 383 Ash Brook Lane Sunnyvale, TX 75182-3250 treasurer@clanmaclellan.net

Welcomes MacLellans and their descendants regardless of surname spelling to join in preserving our heritage.

Family names include: MacClellan(d), McClellan(d), McLellan(d) Scholarships available for Scottish studies.

Visit our website: www.clanmaclellan.net

Clan Macnachtan Association Worldwide

Descendants of the CLAN MACNAUGHTON are invited to join our Worldwide Association to learn and share our MacNaughton and Scottish heritage. For more info go to: clanmacnaughton.net or contact Mary Nivison Burton, Membership Secretary at: membersec@clanmacnaughton.net New Second Edition!

A History of the Clan Macnachtan Paperback available through Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca

Clan MacNicol of North America Chief John MacNeacail of MacNeacail and Scorrybreac Clan MacNicol, a small but vibrant Clan active in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and the U.S.A. From the misty Isle of Skye, the Hebrides and the Northwest Highlands, the sons and daughters of MacNicol, Nicol, Nicolson (and of other spelling variations) have spread to six continents. Nearly two centuries ago, the Chiefly line emigrated to Australia where it thrives to this day.

Membership open to all who acknowledge the Clan Chief as its leader and wish to join the Society.

New members receive a copy of the book on Clan history and two Clan newsletters during the year.

President and Deputy Membership Secretary Jeremy Nicholson Website www.clanmacnicol.org E-mail presidentna@clanmacnicol.org Postal Address P.O. Box 501166 Atlanta, GA 31150-1166, USA

Canadian Membership Secretary Jacques McNicoll Website www.clanmacnicol.org E-mail mcnicollclan@videotron.qc.ca Postal Address 202 rue Berlioz Apt. 203, Verdun, Québec H3E 1B8, Canada

ClanMacRae MacRaeSociety Society Clan ofofNorth NorthAmerica America Granted GrantedArms Armsinin2008 2008

We invite MacRaes of all We invite MacRaes of all spelling variations and their spelling variations descendants to joinand ourtheir Clan descendants to join ouryour Clan MacRae Society.

Learn MacRaeMacRae Society. history Learn your Scottish and family lineage!

Scottish MacRae history and

family lineage! www.macrae.org Need more info? Contact: www.macrae.org Bruce McRae, President

303-670-9611 Need more info? Contact: brucewaynemcrae@gmail.com 1

Bruce McRae, President 303-670-9611 brucewaynemcrae@gmail.com Give your society the exposure it deserves, our 100,000 Scottish interest readers

are keen to connect with their clans and associations.

To book your society in Scotland email: Sophie.Easton@chelseamagazines.com Scotland 77

SCOTLAND | Scottish Societies Clan Nisbet, a Borders family, welcomes Nesbit/Nisbet and all various spellings worldwide.

Share our history and learn about Alexander Nisbet, Scotland’s famous author of heraldry.

For more information, visit www.ibydeit.org or contact Dave Nesbitt Harvey, President, at dharvey@ibydeit.org.

CLAN POLLOCK

For membership information please visit us at www.clanmactavish.org www.facebook.com/ClanMacTavish or contact: Clan MacTavish Treasurer

Among the Most Ancient Families of Scotland. If you are a descendant of Pollock, Pollok, Pook, Polk, Polke, Paulk, Poalk, Poalke, Poulk, Poolke, Pogue, you are cordially invited to contact: Archie D. Pollock, Jr. P. O. Box 404, Greenville, Ky 42345 (615) 456-1699 apollockis@comcast.net

The Clan MacThomas

150 Washington Avenue Albany, New York 12210

www.standrewssocietyalbany.org “Relieve the Distressed” “Faire Sans Dire”

NC Scottish Heritage Society

Clan Ross America Representing the great Highland Clan of Ross

506 Shinnecock Court New Bern, NC 28562

since 1976

Join us to learn more about your highland heritage and an opportunity to publish your own research

www.theargyllcolonyplus.org Like Us On Facebook

CLAN MAITLAND SOCIETY

Crest Badge Of Clan Member

Chev. Raymond L. Morehead, GOTJ, FSA Scot.

President/Chief Elect 6522 194th Avenue E. Bonney Lake, WA 98391 1-253-219-8736 E-mail: raymond@clanmuirhead.com

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Defenders of Freedom, Mindful of Knowledge & Labor

Clan Sinclair Association, Inc. (U.S.A.) Do you know who came to North America almost 100 years before Columbus’ famous voyage?

Prince Henry Sinclair in 1398

Dedicated to the preservation of the legacy of the families McCuistion, McCuiston, McQuiston, McQuistion, McQuesten, McChristian, McQuestion, McQueston and all variations thereof in the United States, who are descendants of Uisdean, son of Alexander McDonald, Lord of the Isles, Earl of Ross and Justiciar of the Highlands. Uisdean is also a descendant of Robert the Bruce, hero-king of Scotland.

Contact: BJ McCuiston, Secretary, PO Box 2193 Gilroy, CA 95021-2193 or billiejo@garlic.com

n Young Cla

Come join (and enjoy) your Sinclair family President Tom H. Robinson TomHRobinson@aol.com

Membership Contact Keith A. Sinclair ClanSincMembership@gmail.com

For a list of spelling variations and septs Website: www.clansinclairusa.org

A charitable & social “We organization formed to promote fellowship among those surnamed Young, descendants of any Scotsman and anyone interested in all things Scottish.

Ride!”

For membership information, contact Linda Young-Sheiko Membership Secretary (616) 581-2229

clanyoungmembership@yahoo.com www.clanyoungsociety.com

If you would like to see your Clan advertised in Scotland Magazine, please contact Sophie Easton: sophie.easton@chelseamagazines.com Don’t miss out on your chance to reach our loyal readers every issue!

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Clan Uisdean, USA

SOCIETY

www.clanmaxwellsociety.com

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www.standrewssocietymilwaukee.org Contact: Tom Westgaard, FSA Scot Phone 414-421-1598 P.O. Box 210288 Milwaukee, WI 53221-8005

Clan Maxwell Adair Maxton Blackstock Mescall Dinwiddie Monreith Dinwoodie Moss Edgar Nithsdale Herries Paulk Kirk Peacock Kirkland Polk Latimer Pollo(c)k Latimore Sturgeon MacKittrick Wardlaw PO Box 3225, Staunton, VA 24401

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Paul D Ross, President Virg Bumann, VP Membership 1015 Archer St. San Diego, CA 92109 membership@clanross.org info@clanross.org www.clanross.org

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CHIEF: IAN MAITLAND The Earl of Lauderdale WE ARE ALL RELATED! Contact your local society NORTH AMERICA Rosemary Maitland Thom Rthomnvprdcan@aol.com www.clanmaitlandna.org AUSTRALIA Amanda Maitland 6/1 Hinemoa Avenue, Normanhurst NSW 2076 clanmaitland@yahoo.com.au NEW ZEALAND Judette Maitland 33 Disley Street, Highbury, Wellington 6012 NZ judette@xtra.co.nz We welcome all with Maitland, Lauderdale, Maitlen and similar name spelling. See the entire list and your family history at: www.clanmaitland.org.uk

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Andrew MacThomas of Finegand, 19th Chief, welcomes members.

Please direct inquiries to: Cathy McComb Ludemann North American Branch membership-na@clanmacthomas.com

Supporting the work of the National Trust for Scotland and providing grants to non-profits promoting and preserving Scottish Tradition, history, crafts and culture. shusa457@gmail.com www.scottishheritageusa.org

FOUNDED 1803

CA

www.clanmacthomas.org

MacOmie MacOmish Tam Thom Thomas Thoms Thomson

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SEPT NAMES

P.O. Box 457, Pinehurst, NC 28374

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Combie McColm McComas McComb(e) McCombie McComie McComish

SCOTTISH HERITAGE USA, INC.

St. Andrew’s Society of Albany

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23 Garland Rd. Lancaster, NH 03584

150 East 55th Street - 3rd Floor New York, NY 10022 David M. Murphy, 103rd President Tel. 212/223–4248; Fax 212/223–0748 www.standrewsny.org

CA

Clan MacTavish

1756

Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York

Cash - MacTavish - Stephenson - Stevens Stevenson - Thompson - Thomson

membershipsecretary.mactavish@gmail.com

Founded

REL I

Anyone bearing the name MacTavish or any of the recognized connected names and their descendants and all variant spellings are invited to join us to celebrate our history. Members receive a newsletter, the “Non Oblitus” and support in doing family genealogy.

Nesbitt Nisbet Society of North America

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The only organization authorized and under the patronage of the 27th Hereditary Chief of Clan MacTavish, Steven MacTavish of Dunardry.

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CLAN MACTAVISH Inc.

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Real-life tales |

THE STORY BEHIND… New music album, We Have Won the Land, celebrates a landmark victory in Scottish land reform in the north-west Highlands. Here, musician Rory Matheson explains how the album came about

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mid lockdown’s many challenges, as musicians, we were able to find a faint silver lining – time. Time to create, time to practice, or even time to forget about music altogether.

After several years of non-stop music-making, I decided to do the latter – get away from the city for a few months and head home to Assynt. It was during this time at home, while reading the book We Have Won the Land that I had the early idea for this record.

The book, written by John MacAskill, gives an in-depth account of the Assynt Crofters’ Trust’s historic and extraordinary campaign to buy back the land from foreign landowners in the early 90s.

Although slightly before my time, my family were involved

in the campaign from the very beginning and are still part of the Trust today. Next year (2023) will mark 30 years since the Trust officially became owners of the North Lochinver Estate, which was later renamed the ‘North Assynt Estate’, therefore it seemed a perfect time to help celebrate – and remind people about – the outstanding achievement of the Assynt Crofters’ Trust.

The parish of Assynt sits on the west coast of Sutherland in the north-west Highlands of Scotland. In 1989 the wealthy Vestey family renamed a 21,300-acre section of the parish as ‘North Lochinver Estate’ and sold it for just over £1 million to a Swedish land speculator, who in 1992 went into liquidation.

ABOVE: The village of Drumbeg on Loch Drumbeg in front of the spectacular Quinag mountain, in Assynt

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| Real-life tales

TOP TO BOTTOM: Friends Graham and Rory worked together to compose the music for the album; the album artwork depicts the beautiful landscape of Assynt

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The estate was then to be broken into several lots and sold separately to clear outstanding debts. Not one of these transactions considered the interests of the people who lived and worked on the land.

After hearing that the estate was once again up for sale, several public meetings took place, and it was subsequently decided that the crofters themselves would try to raise enough money to bid for the land – a proposal some judged to be impossible.

A steering committee, formed of representatives from each of the 13 townships that made up the estate, was set up to guide the project initially. The Assynt Crofters’ Trust was formed in the summer of 1992 to begin formal negotiations.

After two unsuccessful bids that year, it was third time lucky, and in February 1993 the crofters’ third bid was successful, and they bought the land for £300,000. This was a euphoric victory for the crofters of Assynt, who now own the land they live and work on. Their success is also recognised as being deeply influential on land reform in Scotland.

This album, We Have Won the Land, celebrates this unprecedented success. It is a duo album, and the other half of the duo is the great mandolin and fiddle player from Orkney, Graham Rorie.

Graham and I are great friends and we have worked together on many projects over the years, and yet we have never had the chance to compose music together for an album of our own, and therefore this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Almost exactly a year after the initial idea, we

took a trip up to Assynt and rented a cottage for a week-long residential writing retreat. We used the brilliant timeline set out in the book to help us plan the musical shape of the album and managed to write all the tunes we needed in our week north. A few weeks later we met in Glasgow to start organising and arranging the material we had written in Assynt, before heading into rehearsals with an incredible band of musicians.

A great thing about this project was that we were able to select our ‘dream band’ and, to our delight, everyone from that band was available and willing – another advantage of the ‘time’ lockdown granted. The album features Anna Massie on guitar, Fraser Stone on drums and percussion, Charlie Stewart on bass, Craig Baxter on bodhrán, Tiernan Courell on flutes and whistles, and Kristan Harvey on fiddle.

Graham also played fiddle, mandolin, and electric tenor, and I played piano and accordion.

As well as the instrumental tracks, we were also joined on a couple of numbers by the great Gaelic singer James Graham, from Lochinver. The physical album comes with detailed sleeve notes explaining the story and inspiration behind each track, which can be enjoyed alongside the music.

As a result, we hope the music on this album pays homage to the crofters of Assynt and helps somewhat to celebrate the Trust’s amazing achievement in the months leading up to their 30th anniversary. S ‘We Have Won the Land’ will be available to stream on all major platforms and can be purchased on CD or via download from 22 April 2022. grahamrorie.com/we-have-won-the-land

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@glenscotiamalts

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James Morrison A Celebration 1932 - 2020 6 - 25 June 2022 scottish-gallery.co.uk