SCOTS H e r i t a g e
m a g a z i n e
Official magazine of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
Welcome
Ceud mìle fàilte I
t is with great pleasure that I’m able to introduce the latest issue of Scots Heritage. As you may have gathered from our logo on the front cover, this quarterly publication is now the official magazine of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, of which I am the convenor. We’ve agreed to this tie-up because Scots Heritage is focused on being of service to Scots at home and abroad by exploring our history and culture, and examining how the past impacts upon modern Scotland and its diaspora. In that sense, our aims overlap to a large extent. There are now features which cover genealogy, great Scots, the events that shaped Scotland, iconic Scottish buildings and traditional artisan crafts, but I’ll also be writing a Clan focus in each issue. This time I’ve chosen to focus on the house of Gordon from Aberdeenshire and I hope you enjoy the results. Above all, this magazine has been designed to meet the needs of you - the Scots at home and abroad. We want to know what you think, and not just of our makeover but about all matters Scottish, so why not drop us a line at editor@scotsheritagemagazine.com and let us let us know what’s on your mind.
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Above all, Scots Heritage has been designed to meet the needs of you – of Scots at home and overseas
e Yours ay
Contributors ALLAN MASSIE One of the country’s most prolific and respected commentators explains why Bannockburn belongs to the Unionists too.
ALISTAIR MOFFAT The genealogist, historian and geneticist launches a new feature looking at the Scottish roots of prominent members of the diaspora.
ANGUS BLACKBURN Scots Heritage’s chief photographer captures stunning images of Scotland and its people as autumn gives way to winter.
Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, Contributing Editor
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Culture
10 PICTURE PERFECT Images of Autumn turning to Winter by our chief photographer
64 ARTIFACTS The Lewis Chessmen are one of the country’s most important arcaelogical finds 70 BUILT TO LAST Iconic stronghold Eilean Donan is known as The Castle of Dreams 82 CARVING HISTORY The remarkable untold story of sculptor and artist Andrew Currie
COVER Our cover this month is Sir
Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor and was taken by Angus Blackburn.
90 ST ANDREWS DAYS The Old Grey Toun of St Andrews is a great place for a spring break 96 MACSHAMSI Is Donnachadh MacShimsi a real clan chief or just a colourful charlatan? 98 WHISKY The Scottish Government’s plans for a new tax on the Water of Life
Clans 40 CLAN GORDON Sir Malcolm McGregor on Castle Gordon, home of Clan Gordon 46 BLUFFER’S GUIDE Ten fascinating Clan Gordon facts 48 HEARTLANDS Ten essential Clan Gordon landmarks
Insid 114 MCLETTER FROM AMERICA Our new columnist Susan McIntosh explains why the US’s Scottish disapora must remember its roots
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Contents
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Regulars 08 NEWS from Scotland and the Scots 17 LETTERS Your letters to the Editor
26 SUBSCRIBE To subscribe call +44 (0)1631 568000 or go online to www. scotsheritage magazine.com
Heritage 18 THE HISTORY MAN Allan Massie on the modern battle for the legacy of Bannockburn 26 THE EVENTS THAT SHAPED SCOTLAND How the Declaration of Arbroath changed history 32 PHOTO ESSAY Stunning images of Perth in a bygone age show how the Fair City has changed 56 TEN OF THE BEST We unveil Scotland’s most magnificent lost houses and castles 58 FLYTE CLUB How 16th century poetry jousts spawned today’s American rap-battles
88 SUBSCRIBE Subscribing to Scots Heritage couldn’t be easier 100 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
People 50 LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE The heartbreaking tale of a doomed wartime love 66 ACCESS ROOTS First part of a regular column where we chart the ancestry of some well-known overseas Scots 86 HEADS OR TAILS Artisan sporran maker Kate Macpherson and the art of taxidermy
80 LYON HEART Marchmont Herald Adam Bruce on how Scottish heraldry is alive and well
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102 BOOKS Latest literary offerings 107 PUZZLES Pit your wits against our Scottish puzzles 108 SOCIAL SCOTS Who’s been seen out and about 110 CLANS AND SOCIETIES
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The Good Doctor: celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of David Livingstone
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News
Why is Scotland in the red? It may come as no surprise to anyone who has wandered our glens or our cities, but Scotland is officially the most red-headed nation in the world. While 1 to 2% of the world’s population is ginger, in northwest Europe that figure goes up to between 2 and 6%, depending on the country. In Scotland, however, a staggering 13% of the population – or 650,000 people – have red hair, while 30% (or 1.6 million Scots) are unknowing carriers. It takes two carriers to produce a red-haired child, with a 25% chance of red hair from the resulting birth. Thanks to large-scale emigration to the USA from Scotland and Ireland (where 10% of the population have red hair and 46% are carriers), the largest population of red-haired people in the world is in America, where estimates of the ginger population vary from 6 to 18 million. The research – undertaken by ScotlandsDNA, a company that is closely involved in academic research into our Angle, Viking, Pict and Celtic genetic history – shows that red hair is a reaction not to cold but to a lack of sunshine. In Sweden, for instance, there are on average 5.4 hours of sunshine a day, while there are just 3.1 in Scotland. Virtually everyone with red hair is a direct descendant of one of the first three people to have had red hair. People with Cysteine-red hair (carried by 10% of British people) and Tryptophanred (9% of British people) are descended from two different men who lived in West Asia 70,000 years ago, while those with Histidine-red hair (2.5% of the UK population) are descended from a European who lived 30,000 years ago. For more information: www.scotlandsdna.com
Left: 13% of Scots are red-haired, the highest proportion in the world. Above: The archetypal image of the Scotsman.
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A stitch in time Over the next two years, teams of embroiderers with Scottish connections from 25 nations will take part in a unique project to create a massive tapestry. They will use the tales of their own and their ancestors’ migration to each produce up to ten 50cm ‘story panels’, which will then be stitched together to form one huge tapestry that will form a centrepiece of the 2014 Homecoming. The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry project is led by the team of volunteer embroiderers behind the Prestonpans Tapestry, a 104m-wide Bayeux Tapestry-style work which celebrates the journey made by Bonnie Prince Charlie from France, through the Highlands, to victory at Prestonpans. For more details, see www.scottishdiasporatapestry.org 8 www.scots.com
News
Left: Creating the Diaspora Tapestry. Right: Brian Cox at a New York Tartan Day Parade.
This year’s Tartan Day Parade in New York will be led by Grand Marshall Brian Cox. Cox, the well-known Hollywood actor, is from Dundee but now lives in New York. He has featured in films as diverse as the Bourne trilogy, The Flying Scotsman, Rob Roy and Braveheart, and will be at the head of the parade, which starts at 2pm on 6 April at West 45th Street and marches up Sixth Avenue to 55th Street. From its humble beginnings in 1999, the Tartan Day Parade has grown to become a highlight of the New York calendar, with hundreds of pipers, thousands of marchers and many more thousands of onlookers cheering from the sidelines. ‘The Parade is not just an opportunity for Scots and Scots-Americans to celebrate their heritage as they march up Sixth Avenue,’ says Cox. ‘It allows groups from the city and contemporary Scotland to get their message across as widely as possible.’ The night before the Parade, a ceilidh will be held at the Abigail Adams Building in Manhattan. With Scottish dancing, singing, foot-stomping, food and the odd dram, this enjoyable evening is now one of Tartan Week’s most popular events. For more information: www.nyctartanweek.org
Donald Bowers Photography / Shutterstock
Cox leads Tartan Day Parade in NY
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SCOTS HERITAGE’S CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER ANGUS BLACKBURN SHOWCASES THE BEST THAT SCOTLAND HAS TO OFFER
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Picture perfect
Image: Five Highland cows follow the barrels from the new Abhainn Dearg (Red River) distillery at Uig, on Lewis.
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Picture perfect
Above: 2009 World Pipe Band champions, Simon Frazer University from Vancouver. Left: Stephen King throws the hammer at the 2009 Oban Highland Games, Mossfield Park, Oban. Previous page: A piper prepares for the World Pipe Band Championships on a wet Glasgow green.
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Right: The annual ‘gathering’ of the sheep on Shetland. Far right: The World Wars Experience at the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune in East Lothian.
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Picture perfect
When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice� Robert Frank 15
Letters
Letters Gardener’s world
r e t t e l Star
g of the
erin ing in July 2009 for the Goath m o c od Park e ro m ly o H Scotland ers event in H
b to the clan mem I travelled mensely enjoyed arade of p he T e im . th le d , n st a a so Clans more burgh C n in e v d e E ly it to b a d eet w h and prob nds from Holyroo unity to m was a rt o p a p b o the be and pipe erie and d the glo camarad om aroun fr rs e b sense of m e s ed clan m that plan e. like-mind d to hear d. I xperienc e te l in u o rf p e p d scrappe eply disa truly won dd I am de Stirling have been n the ban To this en in p to jum o tivities. athering is G n 4 la 1 p 0 c d 2 ry a for a e revise anniversa tional d that th urn 700th lanned by the Na b nderstan k u c o n n a p B Dear y ition e d d th a d e f as alr ce in a wagon o is event w duled to take pla ying th tr f r, o e v Editor y e a How d sche just a w n a is d is n a th c tl t n Sco esse e s tha Trust for so it seem ut from what is in , g n ri e th a llo to The G rrassing fa of any emba t. id n o e v v a undreds e e to n of th iefs and h o be h ti c a ld ll n u e la o c c n w the ca an 150 whom f th o y re n o a a m m rld, sh to There are ss the wo d hard-earned ca ties acro n ie a Scotland c rt in so o t n p n p cla lan eve their su c d d n te le a ic to willing and ded one. rganised won’t be re e roperly o th p y it From Russia what a p in 2014 – tosh, in c with love Evan Ma ity C rk o I was fascinated to learn New Y il a m from your article on CathBy e erine the Great about the Scottish involvement in the Russian Empire. I was sadly unable to make Over the moon the recent exhibition staged by the I found your short piece on National Museum of Scotland and Neil Armstrong – ‘First Man on the Russian State Hermitage as my the Moon Landed in the Muckle yearly visit to Scotland fell just two Toon’ – very touching. I think days after the exhibition closed, so it really speaks of Armstrong’s I was very happy to read up on the character that he visited a small events of her reign. Borders town, with only a tenuous I was particularly interested in the connection, knowing it would role of her Scottish architects – I mean so much to the inhabitants. The fact that his death had no idea that so many Scots had was treated with so much respect by the residents of helped build and design imperial Langholm just goes to show how much the townsfolk apRussian palaces and bridges! Thank preciated his kind gesture. you for an insightful article. Barney Ford, Marilyn Robertson, By email Texas SCOTS No. 59 published February 2013. © Scots Heritage Media in partnership with Scottish Field. Editor: Richard Bath Creative Editor: Heddy Forrest Deputy Editor: Tim Siddons Staff Writer: Morag Thorburn Sub-editor: Judy Diamond Contributing Editor: Sir Malcolm MacGregor Designer: Mark Duncan Artworker: Andrew Balahura Photographer: Angus Blackburn Advertising Sales: Fiona MacLeod Bennett Publisher: Wyvex Media Ltd SCOTS is published four times a year in February, May,
August and November. ISSN 1445-6699 SCOTS HERITAGE UK & Europe PO Box 1, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4HB, Scotland. Tel: +44 (0)1631 568000. Fax: +44 (0)1631 568001 SCOTS HERITAGE North America PO Box 32510 Fridley MN 55432 USA. Fax: 763 571 8292. Email: pubminisys@yahoo.com SCOTS HERITAGE Australia CRM Australia, GPO Box 1846, Sydney, NSW 2001. Tel: 02 8227 6486 Fax: 02 8227 6410 Email: scots@crmaus.com.au
Thank you for your article on Dunvegan Castle. I visited Skye last summer, and spent a day wandering round the imposing building, with its beautiful views over the sea towards Lewis and Harris. As mentioned in your account, the grounds are indeed ‘an amazing horticultural experience’ – and the photos of the gardens really do them the justice that they deserve. Frankie Brown, New South Wales Australia
Landowners brought to book I thoroughly enjoyed the last issue of Scots, and was especially pleased with the book review section. The Last of the Druids and The Poor had No Lawyers look to be very interesting. In fact I’ve already ordered the latter book because its subject is one which I feel very strongly is not focused on enough by those charged with safeguarding Scotland’s heritage. How large tracts of Scotland’s ‘common land’ came to be owned by a small handful of aristocratic landowners, never to be returned, is a scandalous, albeit fascinating, tale. Mark Douglas, New Zealand By email
SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, SCOTS HERITAGE MAGAZINE, FETTES PARK, 496 FERRY ROAD, EDINBURGH EH5 2DL EMAIL EDITOR@SCOTSHERITAGEMAGAZINE.COM WEBSITE WWW.SCOTSHERITAGEMAGAZINE.COM
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y r o t s i h e h T man
Right: Our new columnist Allan Massie is a prolific journalist and historical author whose 30 books include 20 novels. He was once described by Gore Vidal as ‘the master of the long-ago historical novel’.
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The history man
aimed ownership of The Nationalists have cl tually a victory Bannockburn, but it is ac all Unionists too that should be hailed by Words Allan Massie Image Angus Blackburn
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ext year is the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn, the decisive battle in the Scots Wars of Independence. It will also be the year of the Independence Referendum in which we are invited to end the three hundred year old Union with England. It would be naïve to think that this is only a coincidence. There are many Scots who think that a mediaeval battle has very little to do with the country today, but others find the memory of Bannockburn inspiring and their hearts swell with pride as they sing ‘Scots Wha Hae’ or ‘Flower of Scotland’, our unofficial national anthem with its line about the English king ‘Proud Edward’ being sent ‘homeward, tae think again’. These Scots hope that the memory of Scotland’s hero-king Robert the Bruce may tilt the balance in favour of a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum. Of course Scotland today bears almost no resemblance to the Scotland of the early fourteenth century, and the Wars of Independence were, in part at least, a war between different branches of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy (most of the signatories of the Declaration of Arbroath of 1320 had French names rather than Scottish ones). Yet those who think this irrelevant to the commemoration of Bannockburn, and indeed of that Declaration which made the case for Scottish Independence, are equally right. Bannockburn mattered and still matters, but it does not necessarily do so in the way that today’s Scottish Nationalists suppose, however the memory of Wallace and Bruce may stir the emotions. For the point is that Unionists celebrate Bannockburn just as Nationalists do. Bannockburn and the Wars of Independence ensured that Scotland was never a conquered, and subsequently colonised, country as Ireland was. The failure of the first two Edwards to conquer Scotland ensured that the two kingdoms would remain separate till James VI of Scots inherited the English throne in 1603. The significance of this cannot be exaggerated. It has determined the nature of our relationship with England. There have been Scots who, ever since the parliamentary Union of 1707 – which created the United Kingdom – have resented England’s preponderance and the inability of Englishmen often to make any distinction between the UK and England. Nevertheless, Scots within that Union have had no cause to feel inferior, as a conquered people will, or to indulge in the understandable hatred of England that conquest and domination inspired in so many Irishmen.
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The Union of 1707 was admittedly controversial; many opposed it at the time. Yet within half a century Scots generally recognised that it was beneficial. Sir Walter Scott put it like this: the Union was ‘an event which, had I lived in that day, I would have resigned my life to have prevented, but, which being done before my day, I am sensible was a wise scheme.’ It had led, as he wrote in the Tales of a Grandfather, ‘to a happy change from discord to friendship, from war to peace, and from poverty and distress [in the old pre-Union Scotland] to national prosperity [in the Scotland of his own time].’ There is such a thing as nationalist Unionism, and Scott was himself a good example of it, always protective of Scottish interests and critical of English interference or indifference. The historian Colin Kidd has argued that much early Nationalism was indeed a form of Unionism, concerned to improve the Union rather than to break it. It is in this light that one should view devolution and the establishment of the Scottish parliament which some Unionists - myself, I now regret to say, among them - mistakenly opposed. Introducing his proposals for that Parliament, the Labour Secretary of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar, said it would make for ‘the better governance of Scotland and the United Kingdom’. He aimed, as an earlier Home Rule group had put it, ‘to make the Union more harmonious, by removing causes of friction’. There is still a nationalist Unionism, and this is why the SNP’s hope that celebration of the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn will help them win the referendum may prove vain. Unionists can join in these celebrations wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm, because the Wars of Independence helped to preserve, or perhaps more accurately to create, a strong Scottish national identity, and thus eventually to ensure that the Union formed in 1707 was a partnership, not an English takeover. Unionists in the summer of 2014 should therefore engage eagerly and happily in the commemoration of Bannockburn, but they should do so waving the Union Flag as well as the Scottish Saltire, because it was Bruce‘s victory, following on the defiance of William Wallace, which eventually made Union in the form that we know possible.
Victory at Bannockburn means that the Scots within the Union have had no cause to feel inferior, as a conquered people will
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Words Stuart Kelly
The good
doctor EXPLORER, MISSIONARY AND ANTI-SLAVERY CAMPAIGNER, DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S STORY STILL INSPIRES 100 YEARS AFTER HIS BIRTH
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Antonio Abrignani/shutterstock
iven that he was almost the archetypal eminent Victorian, the absence of David Livingstone from Lytton Strachey’s witty and irreverent Eminent Victorians requires a bit of thought. In many ways Livingstone was a prime target – a man whose myth might easily be punctured, whose questing spirit might be contrasted with his sullen personality, whose achievements were often less significant than the announcements of his achievements, and a man whose contradictions could easily be skewered by Strachey as hypocrisies. But Strachey held fire. Samuel Smiles, the author of that preeminently Victorian book, Self-Help, had included Livingstone in both his most famous work and in his 1884 book, Men of Invention and Industry. It was there that Livingstone became a legend. Of course, his own writings – initially and snappily entitled Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa; including a sixteen years’ residence in the interior of Africa and a journey from the Cape of Good Hope to Loanda on the West Coast: thence across the Continent, down the River Zambezi, to the Eastern Ocean by David
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David Livingstone
Above: An eye on the future – ‘I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward,’ he famously said.
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Livingstone, LL.D, D.C.L., Fellow of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow: Corresponding Member of the Geographical and Statistical Society of New York; Gold Medallist and Corresponding Member of the Royal Geographical Societies of London and Paris, FBA, Etc. Etc. – had begun the process. However, the reviews were remarkable in their outspokenness that Livingstone was not really a writer. The novelist Margaret Oliphant, writing for Blackwood’s Magazine, said: ‘It is to the credit of this generation, which loves “style” so much, and is greatly influenced by literary graces, that a work so entirely devoid of both should, nevertheless have attained so remarkable a popularity.’ She had realised something unwittingly: Livingstone’s lack of style was proof of truth. That lack of ‘style’ formed the basis for the canonisation that Smiles so adroitly exploited. Livingstone was not a writer but an adventurer – indeed, more than that, he was the acme of the can-do spirit which Smiles claimed underpinned the Empire. More even than his exploits as a missionary, naturalist and explorer – perhaps more even than his role as a major proponent of colonial imperialism – Smiles cast David Livingstone as a self-made man. Livingstone, to be fair, did so too. Livingstone was born in Blantyre in 1813, the second of seven children. Sent to work at the age of ten in the cotton mill of H Monteith & Co, his childhood was far removed from his latter role as Her Majesty’s Consul for the East Coast of Africa. The family was deeply religious, and Livingstone was evidently attracted to the idea of missionary service from an early age. Smiles records how ‘he even carried on his reading amid the roar of factory machinery, so placing the book upon the spinning jenny which he worked that he could catch sentence after sentence as he passed it’. Livingstone persuaded his father that a medical education would allow him to enter missionary work, and at first intended to evangelise in China. Studying both at his manual labour and latterly at Anderson’s College and the University of Glasgow furnished him with the relevant degrees. Smiles enthused that he ‘accordingly economised his earnings’ and ‘never received a farthing of help from any other source’. The First Opium War meant that China was no longer an option for missionary work, and
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Livingstone was an adventurer – indeed, he was the acme of the can-do spirit that some claimed underpinned the Empire
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Antonio Abrignani/shutterstock
David Livingstone
Top: Livingstone went missing on his third and final expedition but was tracked down by Henry Morton Stanley. Far left: Lytton Strachey, who left Livingstone off his list of eminent Victorians. Left: Victoria Falls.
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GLOBAL INFLUENCE Putting Livingstone on the map – all these places were named in his honour BLANTYRE City in Malawi named after Livingstone’s home town. LIVINGSTONE TOWER One of the main buildings of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow – he had studied medicine there when it was known as Anderson’s University. LIVINGSTONE MOUNTAINS A range in Alberta, Canada. LIVINGSTONE HOUSE A government building in Stone Town, Zanzibar, provided by the sultan in 1866 for the explorer’s use. LIVINGSTONE Town in Zambia which is home to a museum and the Livingstone Museum. LIVINGSTONE STREET in Westmere, Auckland, New Zealand. LIVINGSTONIA A town in Malawi. SCOTTISH LIVINGSTONE HOSPITAL in the town of Molepolole, west of Gaborone in Botswana. LIVINGSTONE FALLS On the River Congo, named by Stanley. LIVINGSTONE PLACE A street in the Marchmont area of Edinburgh.
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Livingstone turned instead to South Africa. His guiding principle was ‘Christianity, Commerce and Civilisation’: he believed that legitimate commerce would undermine the slave trade, and that moral improvement would lead to Africa taking its place as a partner in the imperial project. As such, he left an ambiguous legacy. On one hand, he was clearly part of the colonial expansion which Desmond Tutu once summarised as the exchange of land for bibles. But many other African politicians admired his sense of African self-determination. Livingstone did not believe that Africans were inherently of some lower order, but that the triple influence of capitalism, culture and the church would allow them to participate as equals. Livingstone was posted to Africa in 1841 and by 1856 he became the first European to cross southern Africa from coast to coast. He explored the upper Zambezi and in 1855 found Mosi-oaTunya, ‘the smoke that thunders’, renaming it Victoria Falls. Livingstone returned to Britain in 1857 and published his memoirs (Murray, the publisher, later brought out an abridged popular edition and infuriated Livingstone by stripping away the numerous fellowships and degrees which had garlanded the first edition). He fell out with the Missionary Society who thought he concentrated more on exploration than proselytising, and therefore returned to Africa under the auspices of the government in 1858. His work did not impress his superiors, and there are numerous references to his taciturn temper, sensitivity
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David Livingstone
I can come to no other conclusion than that Dr Livingstone is out of his mind and a most unsafe leader,’ said John Kirk, his physician
Top: Livingstone’s statue in Edinburgh. Below: Two images of the journalist and explorer Stanley, who was sent by the New York Herald to find the missing Livingstone.
to criticism and inability to get along with fellow explorers (his physician, John Kirk, said: ‘I can come to no other conclusion than that Dr Livingstone is out of his mind and a most unsafe leader’), all of which perhaps explains why his third expedition was privately financed. This expedition was to locate the source of the Nile, a quest that had obsessed explorers. It was on this trip that he famously lost contact with the outside world for six years. He was found by Henry Morton Stanley at Lake Tanganyika on 10 November 1871. Nowadays, almost any schoolchild, if asked what they know about Livingstone, will not reply with the words Smiles made famous (‘I am prepared
to go anywhere, provided it be forward’) but Stanley’s ‘Dr Livingstone, I presume?’ Unfortunately, Stanley more than likely never uttered the words. It is suspicious that those pages are missing from his diary, and Livingstone himself makes no mention of the celebrated greeting – in fact, the words first appear in print in August 1872. Livingstone died of internal bleeding and malaria on 1 May 1873. His body was returned to Britain, to be interred in Westminster Abbey, though his heart was purportedly buried in Africa. It seems fitting that he missed being waspishly described by Lytton Strachey: for all his moodiness and humourlessness, there was something undeniably heroic about him. SCOTS heritage spring 2013 25
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Heartland/Shutterstock
Cry
freedom IN THE FIRST OF A SERIES ON THE EVENTS THAT SHAPED SCOTLAND, WE LOOK AT HOW THE DECLARATION OF ARBROATH HAS ECHOED THROUGH THE AGES
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The Declaration of Arbroath Words Mary McGrigor & Richard Bath
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cottish thinkers and philosophers have left an indelible mark on the world. Whether it’s Adam Smith, Rabbie Burns, David Hume or any one of dozens of scholars and philosophers, Scotsmen of note have bequeathed to the world a formidable intellectual legacy. As Voltaire once said: ‘We look to Scotland for our idea of civilisation.’ Yet for all the philosophical ferment of the Enlightenment, or the homespun wisdom of Dumfries’s muckle makar, Scotland’s greatest contribution to civilisation was not high moral principle but a piece of politically expedient theatre that was written in the white-hot heat of crossBorder battle with perfidious Albion. Rather than a document of noble intent, this was a declaration which had an entirely different set of outcomes from those envisaged by the nobles who signed it. For while the Declaration of Arbroath, which was sent in the form of a letter to Pope John XXII in 1320, was ostensibly a bald assertion of Scottish independence from England, it contained small print and caveats which continue to affect the world in which we live in a way that was never anticipated by its creators. The thrust of the letter drafted by Bernard of Kilwinning, the then Chancellor of Scotland and Abbot of Arbroath, and which was signed by 51 Scots noblemen, was to protest that Scotland was an independent nation and not, as the Pope had decreed in 1305, a territory subject to Edward I’s feudal overlordship. Its secondary purpose, however, was to try to get Pope Clement V’s excommunication of the deeply religious Robert the Bruce - imposed after he murdered his hated rival for the throne, the Red Comyn, Lord of Badenoch Left: Robert the Bruce’s kingly ambitions provided the before the altar at the Greyfriars Kirk in backdrop for the Declaration. Dumfries in 1306 - lifted. Above: The most famous passage To achieve both of these ends, however, from the Declaration of Arbroath. the Scots had to square a philosophical circle thanks to the presence of John Balliol or ‘Toom Tabard’ (empty coat). After the death of Margaret, the Maid of Norway in 1290 left a void of power, 13 Scottish noblemen claimed
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The Declaration was ostensibly a bald assertion of Scottish independence from England
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The Declaration asserted that should the king fail to safeguard his people’s independence, it was their prerogative to replace him
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the kingship, leading to so much confusion that Edward I of England was asked to adjudicate. With hindsight, it is little wonder that he chose Balliol, a pliable placeman whose arcane claim to the throne was that his mother Devorguilla was the neice of King Malcom IV. But even Balliol, who was forced to accept Edward as his overlord, bridled when he was summoned to London in 1294 and told to supply men and money for Edward’s French war, while his nobles openly rebelled and signed the Auld Alliance. As asserting Scottish independence effectively relied upon placing Bruce’s claim above that of Balliol – the man in whose name William Wallace and Andrew de Moray had risen in 1297 to claim a stunning victory at Stirling Bridge before defeat at Falkirk led to Wallace’s execution and a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Edward’s forces – a novel concept was aired for the first time. Sovereignty, asserted the Declaration of Arbroath, was no longer divine or in the gift of the Scottish king. Should a king such as Balliol fail to safeguard his people’s independence, then it was the prerogative of the people to replace him with a new king who could perform this key function. In the context of 1320, that meant Bruce: this was six years after he had been crowned as king Above: William Wallace’s victory at the Battle of by the Countess of Buchan, and had Stirling Bridge in 1297 pursued a brutal guerrilla campaign was an important moment against English rule that climaxed with in the Wars of Scottish his decisive victory at Bannockburn. Independence. Left: The Wallace Monument is The idea that this constituted popular framed by Stirling Bridge. sovereignty in the minds of thirteenthcentury nobles is far-fetched; the Declaration was simply a mechanism by which the Scots hoped to simultaneously assert their independence SCOTS heritage spring 2013 29
Left - Stephen McCluskey/Shutterstock
The Declaration of Arbroath
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SCOTS heritage
Only six weeks later, Robert the Bruce died of leprosy. He was just 54
and confirm the legitimacy of a leader who was hamstrung by his excommunication. The concept of a binding contract between king and subjects was more than a pretext: it was also a ready-made dog-ate-my-homework excuse for their flouting of Papal authority because by the time the Declaration reached the Papal court in Avignon, Bruce had already been crowned despite the fact that Balliol was alive and in Papal custody. However, the Scots were desperate and clearly believed that Bruce was the only man capable of stopping Edward II’s armies ravaging Scotland. Indeed, the text of the Declaration is explicit on this point: ‘To this man [Bruce], in as much as he saved our people, and for upholding our freedom, we are bound by right as much as by his merits, and choose to follow him in all that he does.’ But it is also true that the most famous passage from the letter would have left Bruce in no doubt that if he had any truck with the English, he would have been removed from the throne: ‘We have been set free, by ... our most tireless prince, king and lord, the lord Robert ... and, for as long as a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.’ It was not, however, these arguments which settled the issue, but the usual mix of hard-headed politics and the logic of military might. The Pope decided to accept the arguments contained in the Declaration largely because the Scots promised to support his Crusade to the Holy Land if he found in their favour. Even then he struggled to make up his mind, momentarily issuing six papal Bulls in support of Edward II’s claim to Scotland in 1321 before the newly-crowned 15-year-old Edward III renounced all English claims to Scotland in 1328, allowing the Pope to confirm Scottish independence, lift Bruce’s excommunication and give Scotland the right to crown its own king. Six weeks later, Bruce died of leprosy, aged just 54. Yet for all the larger political issues that the Declaration of Arbroath attempted to solve, the law of unintended consequences decreed that it will not be remembered primarily for establishing the principle of an independent Scotland or for affirm30 www.scots.com
Above: The Tyninghame copy of the Declaration. Top right: The Declaration was sent to Pope John XXII in 1320. Centre right: John Balliol pays homage to Edward I. Bottom right: Statue in Arbroath.
ing Bruce’s right to rule (both of which were effectively settled on the battlefield at Bannockburn in 1314) or even for lifting Bruce’s excommunication. Instead, the Declaration of Arbroath will be remembered primarily for the revolutionary principle that it is the people who bestow upon the monarch the right to rule, and that if he forfeits their trust then he forfeits the crown. Even then, to the nobles who signed the Declaration, it was they who bestowed that authority, not the hoi polloi – any idea of popular sovereignty would never have occurred to the blue bloods whose signatures and seals adorn the Tyninghame copy of the Declaration. But it was this principle which was taken and adapted, and which has since been the foundation stone for the profound political changes that have followed in the wake of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. The exact extent to which the Declaration of Arbroath influenced the Founding
The Declaration of Arbroath Fathers has been hotly debated; what is not in question, though, is that it did directly contribute to the document’s drafting. Not only did President George W Bush say as much when addressing the launch of Tartan Day in April 2008, when he cited the Scots’ ‘strong dedication to liberty and their tradition of freedom’, but the evidence is there for all to see. Not only were over half of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence born in Scotland or of Scottish extraction, but there were direct lines of political thought back to Caledonia. James Wilson, for instance, arrived in America from Fife in 1765 as a 23-year-old, fresh from his studies at the Enlightenment hotspots of the universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow. He became one of the architects of the new America and was one of only six men to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The effect of the Declaration of Arbroath upon Thomas Jefferson, the man who almost single-handedly drafted the Declaration of Independence, is equally clear. Not only was Jefferson directly descended from King Robert I of Scotland, but as a law student at William and Mary College he studied philosophy under William Small, a Scottish professor who Jefferson wrote became ‘like a father’ to him. Not only did Jefferson learn his political values at Small’s side, but he also consorted with Scottish émigrés like Patrick Henry (it was Henry’s inflammatory ‘Give me liberty, or give me death!’ speech against British rule in 1775 which helped ignite the American war) and Alexander Donald of Geilston. The exact degree to which the Declaration of Arbroath informed America’s Declaration of Independence remains a source of controversy. Yet there is no doubt that the principles upon which America’s repudiation of British rule were founded – which now dominate political thought worldwide – owe much to the moment almost 700 years ago when Bernard of Kilwinning sat down to work out how to rid Scotland of an unwanted would-be overlord. SCOTS heritage spring 2013 31
SCOTS heritage
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Bygone Scotland Words Morag Thorburn Image Perth Musuem & Art Gallery
The lost
city PERTH HAS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE NATION’S STORY AND HAS SEEN MANY CHANGES IN ITS THOUSAND YEARS OF SETTLEMENT
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erth has a rich history and we can tell as much about this interesting city from what can no longer be seen by visitors today as we can from the impressive buildings, landmarks, bustling shopping streets and many green spaces of the modern city. The face of the Fair City has been changed by great and notso-great men throughout its history; by the followers of John Knox and Oliver Cromwell, and later by the slum clearers, town planners and developers of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. This collection of images brings us a vision of the Left: A men’s ward at the old County and City of important and impressive Perth Royal Infirmary in municipal buildings and York Place. Biblical texts landmarks that have vanand a new year’s greeting ished over time, as well as decorate the walls. Two nurses keep an eye on focusing on the people of proceedings. Perth and their day-to-day
The face of the Fair City was changed forever by John Knox and Oliver Cromwell
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Bygone Scotland
These images provide us with a real insight into how the people of Saint John’s Toun lived
lives in a bygone age. These photographs, which depict workplaces, living environments, streets and meeting places, give us a tangible taste of life as it was then in Scotland’s Fair City. Indeed, by exploring lost Perth in images we can get a real insight into how the people of Saint John’s Toun lived. Despite its classic definition as a city, in the 1990s the government and the Scottish executive came up with a list of approved cities, from which Perth was omitted. In fact it was only last year that Perth regained its city status as part of the celebrations to mark the Queen’s Jubilee, making it Scotland’s seventh city. The inspiration for this photo essay comes from the book Lost Perth by Jeremy Duncan.
Left: A horse-drawn coal cart, with a little girl trotting barefoot behind, turns into High Street from South Methven Street. Above: Clothes watcher Bob Sidey on the North Inch, washing billowing behind him and cloth bleaching in front. One wonders if the dog kennel had wheels too.
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SCOTS heritage
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A portrait of the day to day lives of the people of Perth in a bygone age
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Bygone Scotland
Left: A horse-drawn bus heavily laden and on the point of departure from Scone to Perth. Far left: A group of salmon netsmen working on the shores of the not-so-silvery Tay, just downstream of Perth, c.1870.
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SCOTS heritage
Photographs of workplaces, streets and meeting places give us a tangible taste of life as it was in the Fair City 38 www.scots.com
Bygone Scotland
HISTORIC PERTH Find more images like these in the book: LOST PERTH By Jeremy Duncan is published by Birlinn Limited and priced at £14.99. WWW.BIRLINN.CO.UK
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Left: An interior view of Campbell’s Dye Works. Below: An aerial view showing the full extent of the city-centre operations of Pullar’s Dyeworks. The factory was bounded by Kinnoull Street, Mill Street, Castle Gable, Cherry Lane and Union Street.
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SCOTS heritage
Words & images Sir Malcolm MacGregor
Gordon
Castle ‘THE WINDY BOG’ IS A WINDOW ONTO THE HISTORY OF CLAN GORDON
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he Gordons are one of the great families of the north-east of Scotland. Their origins are Anglo-Norman and, like many such families, they moved north from the Borders in the late 12th century. Their destination was the lands northwest of Aberdeen, and it was here in the small Speyside village of Fochabers that Castle Gordon, the original seat of the chiefs of the Gordons, was built in about 1470 by the 2nd Earl of Huntly. The modern-day A96 north-west from Aberdeen takes you through the old towns of Inverurie, Huntly and Keith to Fochabers in Morayshire. Here on the River Spey lies Gordon Castle in all its splendour. This is the heart of Gordon country, rich 40 www.scots.com
in history and tradition. Up until 1994 it boasted its own regiment, the Gordon Highlanders. Rapid expansion in the 17th century made it one of the largest country houses ever built in Scotland, but the present-day castle is just an eighth of what it was. Nonetheless, the approach through the gates, past the curling pond and down the long drive is impressive. Then you come upon the castle and its massive 90ft tower. It oozes history. The castle bore the name Bog o’ Gicht or the Windy Bog until the Marquis of Huntly was elevated to a duke in 1684; little wonder he changed its name to the more romantic Gordon Castle. The 4th Duke of Gordon was a keen breeder of setter dogs, and the Gordon Setter is renowned
Clan Gordon
Left: Castle Gordon and its imposing 90ft tower. Above: Zara and Angus Gordon-Lennox, who have worked hard to transform the estate.
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SCOTS heritage
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Clan Gordon
Opposite: The Huntly arms. Above: Gordon Highlander sporran and bonnet. Right: Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox, future Lt-General Sir George Gordon-Lennox, the Duke of Richmond & Gordon.
around the world. The legendary Scottish Regiment, the Gordon Highlanders, was raised at the Castle. It was the 4th Duke’s wife, the acclaimed Duchess Jean, who famously gave potential recruits a kiss if they signed up. The opportunity to be that close to a Duchess must have been irresistible, and it did not take long to fill the ranks. The 5th Duke, the ‘Cock o‘ the North’, not only commanded the regiment at Waterloo but was also responsible for the legalisation of the whisky industry (which became a useful source of income as many distilleries, such as Glenlivet and Glenfiddich, lay within the bounds of the estate). When he died with no direct heir in 1836, the Marquessate of Huntly passed to his cousin and the dukedom went into abeyance. The lands went to his sister who was married to the Duke of Richmond - who was created Duke of Gordon in his own right. The 9th Duke of Gordon sold his estates in 1938 and the castle fell into disrepair before it was bought back by a distant relative, Lieutenant General Sir George Gordon-Lennox, who stepped in after the Second World War. Much of the stronghold had to be knocked down due to dry and wet rot, but Gordon-Lennox managed to save some of it to be the family home it is today. It is his grandson Angus Gordon-Lennox and his wife Zara who now run the estate. Brimming with energy and ideas, at home in estate tweed, the young couple have transformed the place into a magnificent family home and centre of various projects. As Angus says, ‘Gordon Castle was forgotten over the years. Our aim is to put it back on the map.’
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The estate concentrates on four main areas: farming, holiday lets, salmon-fishing on the Spey and an events business. The fishing is huge, with eight beats which can take 40 rods a day and which are serviced by nine ghillies working under head ghillie Ian Tenant, who has worked here for most of his life. Some 1,500 fish are caught each year on this stretch of the Spey, which is one of the biggest stretches of privately owned water in the country. The river is prime fly-water, meandering its way past red bluffs and Scots Pine woods. Fly-fishing here is done in the traditional manner, with 14-16ft rods and heavy reels so that the line can be thrown a good distance. The Spey is one of grand old rivers of Scotland and, as with many such good Scottish beats, Gordon Castle has its own flies: the Gordon Castle, Cascade and Garden
Duchess Jean famously gave recruits to the Gordon Highlanders a kiss for signing up
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SCOTS heritage
Below: A homage to the salmon inside the castle. Right: Head ghillie Ian Tenant. Bottom: Castle Gordon ghillies in the 1800s.
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The Cock o’ the North not only commanded the regiment at Waterloo, he was responsible for the legalisation of the whisky industry
Ally Shrimp are all favourites. The castle is very much the centre of life around Fochabers. Since 1923 there has been a Highland games in the castle grounds, and last year it attracted some 8,000 people – pretty remarkable for a private venue. Some world records were set at the Gordon Castle Games, such as George Clark’s amazing feat of throwing the 28lb hammer 77 feet. Another project gaining shape which will benefit the local area is the walled garden. Built in 1804, it’s the second largest in Scotland, extending to eight acres. It’s a complex
undertaking, but the regeneration has produced 60 tons of raspberries a year. In its heyday vegetables grew prolifically and fruit abounded: cherries, figs, apricots, nectarines, pears, almonds, apples and plums. ‘It’s a big project but we want to restore it to its former glory – then add a bit extra,’ says Zara. The aim is not only to produce fruit, vegetables and herbs, but to make the garden a highly attractive visitor centre. Home-grown lotions and potions, garden products, luxury goods and food and drink are all planned, while essential oils can be extracted from the plant leaves and roots. It should lead to a place of horticultural excellence and become a valuable visitor attraction. Big plans are afoot at Gordon Castle. Angus and Zara have come home from London, leaving the city to make a life in the Highlands. Both want to make the estate the centre of the community around Fochabers. There are certainly plenty of reasons to visit the castle – there is real history here, from the raising of the Gordon Highlanders to the legalisation of whisky (yes, you can thank the Gordons for letting you drink the Water of Life!). The Cock o’ the North is the clan chief ’s title. On seeing the castle one can see why: the power and breadth of the house of Gordon easily rivalled that of Clan Campbell in the west, or Clan Mackenzie in the northern Highlands. The green and darkblue tartan with yellow stripe will not be ignored. The Gordon-Lennox family descend directly from chiefs who fought at major battles, such as Harlaw, Flodden, Pinkie, Glenlivet and Alford. The 2nd Duke supported Prince James Edward, the Old Chevalier, in the 1715 Jacobite uprising, contributing some 2,000 men to the Highland Army, and in more recent times they fought at Waterloo and in the First and Second World Wars. There’s a strong military tradition in the family that goes back hundreds of years, with the portraits in the Octagonal Hall breathing personality into some of that history, while the medals and flags of Grenadier Guards’ companies make it all the more real. It is a testament to the work of the family that all this is brought to life. Many of the old ways of salmon fishing are seen in original black-and-white photographs. Some of the old rods are on display, as are buckle-strapped wading shoes. From the almostcompleted walled garden to the fishing history and military connections, there is the palpable sense of the past at Gordon Castle, but in a modern era.
Clan Gordon
SEATS OF POWER Castles associated with Clan Gordon HUNTLY CASTLE The castle was granted to Sir Adam Gordon after the Battle of Bannockburn. Originally called Strathbogie Castle, it was renamed in 1445 after Sir Alexander Gordon was made Earl of Huntly. It was the seat of the chief of Clan Gordon until the 17th century. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk BALMORAL Bought in the 15th century by Alexander Gordon, Balmoral remained in the family’s hands until 1662. Sir Robert Gordon acquired the estate in 1830 and after his death in 1847 it was bought by Prince Albert. www.balmoralcastle.com AUCHINDOUN CASTLE Built in 1480, this castle near Dufftown was sold to Sir Adam Gordon in 1567 but was derelict by 1725. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk FYVIE CASTLE Fyvie Castle dates back to the 13th century. It was the site of an open-air court held by Robert the Bruce and was the childhood home of Charles I. The Gordons owned the castle between 1733 and 1887. www.nts.org.uk URQUHART CASTLE Situated on the banks of Loch Ness, this iconic castle witnessed a great deal of conflict in its 500 years as a fortress. The castle was in the hands of the Earls of Huntly between 1476 and 1509. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk GLENBUCHAT CASTLE The castle was built in 1590 for John Gordon and his new wife. An excellent example of a ‘Z’ plan castle, it remained in the Gordon family until 1738. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk CRAIG CASTLE Lying just north of Lumsden in Aberdeenshire, Castle Craig was built in 1510 by a grandson of the famous Jock O’Sgurdargue and remained in the family until 1892. ABOYNE CASTLE Aboyne Castle has been in the Gordon family since 1449 and remains the private family residence of the present Marquis of Huntly, the Chief of Clan Gordon. It is not open to the public. Follow SCOTS heritage magazine get updates now 45
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Bluffer’s
guide
Right: 5th/7th Gordon Highlanders on Parade in 1945/46. Below: Members of Clan Gordon fought on both sides at Culloden in 1746.
TEN IMPORTANT FACTS THAT EVERY ASPIRING MEMBER OF CLAN GORDON SHOULD KNOW
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The Clan Gordon crest consists of a stag’s head sitting on a bejewelled crown surrounded by a belt, with the word ‘Bydand’ (steadfast, abiding) running across the top. The coat of arms is a blue shield with the heads of three boars on the front, topped by a helmet of armour. The Clan Gordon standard is a pennantshaped flag with the Saltire, the Clan Gordon crest, red sashes with ‘AnGordonach’ and ‘Bydand’ written on them, interspersed with rock ivy leaves.
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Sir Adam Gordon (died 1402) was the last of the direct male line of Clan Gordon. In 1408 his only daughter, Elizabeth, married Sir Alexander Seton, who took the surname Gordon. Their son, Alexander, was knighted in 1439, became Lord Gordon in 1441 and, in 1445, was created first Earl of Huntly by James II. The 6th Earl became a Marquis in 1599 (it is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland) and the 5th Marquis was made a Duke by Charles II in 1684.
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The origin of the Gordon name is not clear cut. Many believe it has French roots, whilst it has also been claimed to derive from the ancient Turkish city of Gordium. However, the first recorded Gordon in Scotland was Richer de Gordun, who was granted lands in and around the village of Gordon, which is near Kelso in Berwickshire, in the 12th century. The Gordons moved into Aberdeenshire in the 14th century – Sir Adam Gordon was a good friend of William Wallace and was granted lands in Huntly by Robert the Bruce for his efforts during the Wars of Independence. 46 www.scots.com
There are a number of tartans associated with Clan Gordon. The regimental tartan (also known as the Gordon modern or military tartan) dates from 1794, when the Duke of Gordon was looking for a uniform for the Gordon Highlanders. Other Gordon tartans include Dress, Ancient, Weathered, Muted and Red or Huntly. There is also a Gordon of Abergeldie tartan, the sett of which was reconstructed from the scarf worn in a portrait of Rachel Gordon hanging in Abergeldie Castle, painted in 1723.
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Originally known as the 100th Regiment of Foot, then the 92nd Highlanders, The Gordon Highlanders were raised in 1794 by the 4th Duke of Gordon to fight in the French Wars. He was assisted by his wife, the Duchess Jean Gordon, who wore a highland bonnet and regimental jacket and, it is said, would place a golden guinea between her lips and offer to kiss any man would take the king’s shilling.
Clan Gordon
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The chief of Clan Gordon is known as The Cock o’ the North. The current chief is Granville Charles Gomer Gordon (born 4 February 1944), 13th Marquis of Huntly and Earl of Aboyne until 1987, when he succeeded his father, Douglas Gordon, 12th Marquis of Huntly. He was educated at Gordonstoun and lives at Aboyne Castle. He has one son and three daughters.
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Famous Gordons include: ‘Gordon of Khartoum’; Charles George Gordon, Lord George Gordon, who instigated the infamous Gordon Riots; legendary cartologist Sir Robert Gordon of Straloch, the first student at Aberdeen University; and Lord Byron, George Gordon Byron, the 6th Baron Byron. Sir Adam Gordon was one of the three Scottish nobles who delivered the Declaration of Arbroath to the Papal court at Avignon in 1320. Perhaps less well known was the eccentric, devil-worshipping ‘Wizard of Gordonstoun’, Sir Robert Gordon (1647-1704), who lived in the building which is now the famous school.
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Rival clans to Clan Gordon include Clan Lindsay, Clan Douglas and Clan Forbes, with whom the Gordons had a longrunning feud during the 15th and 16th centuries, reaching a climax in the 1520s with both sides murdering each other relentlessly. In 1536 the Early of Huntly accused the Master of Forbes of conspiring to assassinate King James V, after which Forbes was tried and executed. Throughout the remainder of the century the warring clans left Aberdeenshire in a state of complete lawlessness.
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In 1924 the Kennel Club officially designated the Black and Tan Setter as the Gordon Setter in recognition of the role played by Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, in establishing the breed in the early nineteenth century. A keen country sportsman, the Duke built magnificent kennels and crossed his dogs with other followers of the breed. Indeed most Gordon Setters, though not all, can be traced back to the Gordon Castle strain.
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Clan Gordon played a significant role in the Scottish Wars of Independence, and fought at Halidon Hill in 1333. In 1388, clan chief Sir John Gordon was killed during the emphatic defeat of the English at the Battle of Otterburn. The clan had mixed allegiances during the two Jacobite rebellions: in 1715 the 2nd Duke of Gordon supported the Old Pretender and fought at the Battle of Sheriffmuir, while his son the 3rd Duke stayed loyal to the Crown during the ’45. However, his brother, Lord Lewis Gordon, raised two Jacobite regiments and fought against the Hanoverians at the Battles of Inverurie, Falkirk and Culloden. SCOTS heritage spring 2013 47
SCOTS heritage
Culloden Moor The Battle of Culloden Moor on 16 April 1746 was the final and decisive conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745, ending Bonnie Prince Charlie’s challenge for the Scottish throne. The battle itself lasted just over an hour, but claimed the lives of 2,000 Jacobites and 300 government troops. There were Gordons on both sides at Culloden: the 3rd Duke of Gordon led a regiment against the Jacobites, whilst his brother, Lord Lewis Gordon, led two Jacobite regiments. The Culloden Moor visitor centre and exhibition opened in 2007 and tells the fascinating story of the battle, and the Jacobite Rebellion in an exciting and innovative way. www.nts.org.uk/culloden
Heart
lands TEN PLACES THAT ALL MEMBERS OF CLAN GORDON SHOULD VISIT BEFORE THEY DIE
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2 THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS MUSEUM Based in the former Aberdeen home of 19th century Scottish artist Sir George Reid, this five-star visitor attraction is a fascinating insight into the history of the Gordon Highlanders. Amongst the artifacts in the museum’s extensive archive are important collections of uniforms, badges, medals and regimental memorabilia. The exhibitions are enhanced with interactive displays, sound stations, films and models. www.gordonhighlanders.com
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ABOYNE HIGHLAND GAMES Instituted in 1867, the annual Aboyne Highland Games take place on the first Saturday of August on Aboyne Green, situated in the centre of the village, and attract almost 10,000 visitors and participants. The patron of the Games – which consists of 90 arena events from heavy and light athletics to piping, Highland dancing, a tug o’ war competition, trade, craft and snack stalls and loads for kids – is the Marquis of Huntly, Chief of the Clan Gordon. This year’s Games will take place on Saturday 3 August – definitely a great day out for the whole family. www.aboynegames.com
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RUTHVEN KIRKYARD At the heart of the beautiful little village of Ruthven, roughly halfway between Huntly and Keith, lie the remains of St Carol’s Kirk, which has been a ruin since the mid-18th century. The only surviving tomb – an effigy of a knight in armour – is that of Thomas Gordon of Daugh, known as Tam o’ Riven, who lived in the 1400s. Tam and his brother, Jock o’ Sgurdargue, are generally acknowledged as the ‘faithers o’ a’ the Gordons’; Tam alone fathered over twenty children.
Greenknowe Tower For at least three centuries Clan Gordon was most closely associated with the Scottish Borders, owning land in and around the village of Gordon in Berwickshire. Just to the west of the village is Greenknowe Tower, which sits in lands obtained by the Setons in the early 15th century after Alexander Seton married Elizabeth Gordon. The tower was built in 1581 by James Seton and the date, his initials and those of his wife, Janet Edmonstone, are inscribed above the door. The tower is now in the care of Historic Scotland. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
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Clan Gordon
FLODDEN FIELD NORTHUMBERLAND ThisThis year marks the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden, also known as the Battle of Branxton, fought on 9 September 1513 between an invading 30,000-strong Scots army led by King James IV and an English army of around 20,000 commanded by the Earl of Surrey. The brutal conflict witnessed the death of many thousands of men – the best estimate is 1,500 Englishmen and 10,000 Scots, including King James IV and the flower of Scotland’s knights – in a matter of a few hours. Clan Gordon was one of many that fought at Flodden, led by Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly. www.flodden.net
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7 Monument to 5th Duke On the top of Lady Hill in Elgin, Scotland’s smallest city, on the site that used to house Elgin Castle, is a monument to George Gordon, the 5th Duke of Gordon, who was an MP and a general, commanding the Gordon Highlanders regiment, which was raised by his father the 4th Duke in 1794. The 24-metre high statue was erected in 1839, and was placed on a pillar in 1855.
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GORDON CASTLE Clan Gordon’s spiritual home is Gordon Castle, located in Gight, near Fochabers. Built in the 1470s, it was enlarged in the 1770s by the 4th Duke of Gordon and remained the seat of Clan Gordon until 1836. The estate offers a range of sporting activities – with the Gordon Castle and Brae Water salmon fishing beats being amongst the most famous in the world – while the self-catering accommodation makes the castle a great location for weddings and other events. This year’s annual Gordon Castle Highland Games will be held on Sunday 19 May. www.gordoncastle.co.uk
Clan Gordon played a significant part in the Scottish Wars of Independence, notably during the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333. However, it was Adam Gordon’s efforts at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 that earned him his knighthood and lands in Aberdeenshire from Robert the Bruce. The old Bannockburn Heritage Centre, just outside Stirling is closed, and a new state-of-the-art facility will be opening in 2014. In the meantime a temporary exhibition space is in its place, which is still well worth a visit. www.nts.org.uk
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Glenlivet Distillery The Gordon estates range from Deeside to Speyside, encompassing some of the most famous whisky distilleries. It was the 5th Duke of Gordon who, recognising the need to regulate the production of whisky that was being carried out by his tenants in Glenlivet and Strathdon, sponsored an Act of Parliament in 1823 that legalised the distilling of whisky. The first licensed distillery was Glenlivet, which was established in 1824 on land provided by the Duke. www.theglenlivet.com
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SCOTS heritage
Words Xa Milne
Love in a cold climate
FORGOTTEN LETTERS ILLUMINATE THE PAIN OF WAR SEVEN DECADES AFTER THE CAPTURE OF THE 51ST AT ST VALERY
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here were mixed reactions from my family when I suggested cataloguing private wartime letters written between my grandparents from 1939-1940. Who did they belong to? Were they anyone else’s business anyway? All I knew was that this was the family treasure and the entire collection of letters, which I had found in a dusty old box after my grandmother’s death, was at risk of being forgotten about. I wondered if my grandmother Anna, known for her quick outbursts, would mind me reading these intensely beautiful, heartfelt documents. A phone call from the Lothians & Borders Regiment to my older brother proved to be the deciding factor. Did we have any photographs of our grandfather, Harry Younger, for the big 70-year celebratory events in June in St Valery? Were the family going to come? ‘You must be so proud of him,’ the archivist added.
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Love in a cold climate My grandparents wrote long letters to each other every other day thoughout the time that he was in France, but until I read these 100 or so letters I knew very little of Harry, apart from the odd whispered comment about him being a truly honourable and kind man with a love of practical jokes. His premature death in 1940 clearly caused untold pain, leaving my 13-year old dad and his three younger siblings without a father. Reading those letters, which he repeatedly asks Anna to save so they can be read later, Anna and Harry’s profound love for each other shines through, as does their determination that the world would one day be a better place. It was this belief that made 40-year-old Harry give up a comfortable job in the family brewery to accompany his Territorial Army regiment into battle. Just after the outbreak of war against Germany in September 1939 he wrote: ‘If these notes survive 100 years it will be interesting to know what the Britons of 2039 think of the events of 1939. To us it seems that Germany under Hitler and the Nazis has abandoned all pretension of adhering to any sort of moral code, and by her cold-blooded policy of annexing small and unoffending neighbour states and treating them brutally, has left no other course open to us but to stand up to Hitler and say, “Thus far and no further”.’
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Timeless charm Harry’s regiment was part of the predominantly Scottish 51st Division that formed the rearguard which covered the evacuation of Dunkirk and was captured in its entirety at St Valery. If his letters are fascinating historical documents, their charm is in their timeless preoccupation with the mundane; in the way they discuss farming techniques, sustainability and self-sufficiency in the face of soaring inflation; in the way they ponder the finer aspects of growing their own vegetables, building up a herd from scratch, planting crops and running a dairy. Anna’s frustrations about being in sole charge are met with sympathy and understanding, while the plans for building their new house at Baro, their farm near Haddington, are discussed and modified even as war rages around them. Even seventy years later, their shared pleasure at jointly building up their estate is palpable. The descriptions of the changing seasons and sightings of wildlife are lent a deep poignancy by their proximity to the violence of war. The greatest joy of all was the way the unreserved support and news of home kept him going. ‘As far as your letters are concerned I don’t think I could endure without them, so now there’s encouragement to you to keep them up. I just devour all the small details of Baro life.’
Harry’s death in 1940 caused untold pain, leaving my 13-year-old dad and three siblings fatherless
Faithful, yet having no faith He quotes Harold Nicolson in the Spectator, who describes some soldiers he sees marching along, as ‘faithful, yet having no faith’. My grandfather agrees: ‘We are faithful in that we’re out here, prepared to fight if need be, but when we stop to think, what faith can one have? No doubt Provi-
Opposite page left to right: Major Harry Younger; Harry’s wife Anna. Above: Socialising in the months before the outbreak of war shattered domestic bliss. Left: Baro farm near Haddington in East Lothian, the Youngers’ home.
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dence has some big scheme and we are all part of it, but the immediate prospect of nothing but hating and starving and lying and killing is not conducive to faith, is it? I write that tonight with conviction and yet tomorrow morning I shall go for a run before breakfast and I shall see a fine sunrise, and I shall hear a yellowhammer singing, and I shall smell the west wind coming off the good earth, and I shall be happy and shall shrug my shoulders and say, “oh well!” it may all come right and anyhow it is a lovely morning!’ After a record cold winter in France he notes that ‘Spring is long in coming’. He observes snowdrops, catkins and pussy willows. As they move north towards the Belgian border in early May to join the 51st Division, he notes the improvement in the countryside, the steep valleys, woods and wild flowers. Harry and his Commanding Officer Mike Ansell, a self-confessed flower enthusiast, gather wild lily of the valley, iris, narcissus and orchids for the mess table. The scenery, he writes, is not unlike his beloved East Lothian. If he closes his eyes and dreams, if he substitutes conifers for hard woods and did away with its orchards, it really might pass for Scotland. He writes to Anna of revelling in 52 www.scots.com
Love in a cold climate her every word about home. He luxuriates in her descriptions of curlews and chaffinches, delights in the progress of flower beds. The jumping trout in the pond and his son Nicholas’s solo trip in the canoe - ‘these pictures live so vividly for me’. Throughout their long separation Anna and Harry’s loyalty is unbroken, but they acknowledge the difficulty of living apart. ‘Your letter of the 21st tickled me greatly with its tale of the train of admirers who wish to take you out,’ Harry wrote. ‘Well, it’s not for me to blame them; I think they show remarkably good taste.’ ‘Swallow your wrath’ Harry supports Anna’s determination to run the farm single-handed and lauds her animal husbandry. He asks her to send him a list of the heritage fields which are being cropped that year and is thrilled with the planting diagram she sends him. As Anna’s relationship deteriorates with Alan the dairyman, Harry tries to intercede: ‘He must not be allowed to go. You will have to swallow your wrath, however right your case might be, in the interests of a happier Baro.’ At the beginning of May when milk supply has ceased at Baro, Harry points out that ‘we have taken over from our predecessors Left: ‘Harry and Anna’s a cow [called] Daisy and we have children shortly before found a versatile sergeant to milk it. the outbreak of war It reflects pretty poorly on Alan that in 1939. Below: On the slopes in happier he cannot get you any milk at Baro, times. and here I am, very much on active service, supplied with my morning pint! Please send me a canvas bucket as mine leaks.’ In one of his last letters, he tells her of a ‘pipe of peace’ letter which he has sent Alan, hoping that all his wishes about the place had been met and that a profit for the year would be shown. The bounty of Baro Throughout the letters there are references to the food and small luxuries that Anna sends out at regular intervals. Oatcakes and marmalade, Ryvita, ginger nuts, dried peaches and Cox’s pippins are shared with fellow officers who find the local food hard to stomach. Harry vows to cut down on fruitcake and cancels his request for a slab, but supplies from Baro ease the privations of life in France, as he writes in March: ‘We had Baro pheasants and my Devonshire cream for dinner so I was hailed as the bounteous provider.’ There are constant demands for snapshots of the family, which he keeps in a crocodile skin wallet in his ‘battle dress’. Sharing the fate of Stonewall Jackson Books were also a mainstay of Harry’s time soldiering in France. He devoured John Buchan, Walter Scott, Daphne du Maurier, and loved Henderson’s Life of Stonewall Jackson, identifying strongly with Stonewall, who hated war but felt his duty to be stronger than his hatred. The flow of parcels is not one way. Harry sends back gifts for his family: a chess board for Gavin, a
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box of coloured silks and sewing material for Bridget, a cannon for Simon, a putting-together game for Nick, violet soap for Anna. At Easter he sends Anna a ‘mythical egg full of love and kisses’. He bemoans the fact that he will not be hunting for eggs in the rockery at home. On a more practical note he demands medal ribbons, boot laces, razor blades, candles, toothbrushes, pillow cases and a chamois pen wiper (‘just the sort of thing you can’t buy here for love nor money’). Anna is detailed to send him a cane made from Baro wood. At the end of May, after repeated manoeuvres in the field, he admits he’s become used to the rations and hardly cares whether Ryvita turns up or not. On the 1 May Harry asks Anna if she has remembered to say, ‘rabbits’. He jokes that he is glad it is dry because he is going to spend the night with his ‘merry men in the green wood’. By mid May letter writing has become very difficult. As the war progresses and the action intensifies, Harry becomes resigned to whatever fate has in store. ‘I love to know that you pray for me and think of me constantly. I do the same for you and that does bind us together. For the rest we must grit our teeth and set our
As far as your letters are concerned, I don’t think I could endure without them, so now there’s encouragement to keep them up. I just devour all the details of Baro life
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Love in a cold climate
Clockwise from top left: Harry (far left) plans how to halt the German advance; Anna; Harry; clowning around on manoeuvres in France in 1939. Below: Anna’s letter to her husband Harry was returned undelivered because ‘the adddressee is reported deceased’. A note from the padre who buried him was attached.
eyes on the final and successful outcome of this horrible business.’ Even as he wrote, the northern tip of the Maginot line, which had been pummelled by a heavy bombardment yet had fended off attack after attack with woefully outdated weapons, was breached by the Germans. Harry’s letter crossed the Channel as Hitler’s stormtroopers crossed the Somme. Harry was under no illusions, yet even as the German invasion of Western Europe becomes an unstoppable conquest his letters focus on the trivial - is she alright dining alone every night? - and go out of their way to allay Anna’s fears. ‘We are in the Forest of Arden and it is raining, hence the splodges. We have withdrawn to a quiet region after rather an active ten days and have made ourselves pretty snug in the forest. I have built a leafy bower for my abode and am comfortable so long as it does not rain too heavily.’ Eventually, the inevitable capitulation is upon them. On the morning of 12 June 1940 the French 9 Corps, which includes the 51st division, surrendered. St Valery was surrounded, and with Rommel and his army approaching from the West there was no choice. Those British soldiers who tried to commandeer fishing boats to escape found that the beaches were being raked with machine gun fire. Yet still men tried to escape, men of duty like my grandfather. He and Mike Ansell holed up in a barn in the hope of evading capture before stealing
a boat and heading for home. Only they never got there. A French farmer saw them hiding out and informed the British that they were 5th Columnnists, Germans disguised in British uniforms. Harry was killed instantaneously and Mike Ansell was blinded. Anna did not know for six weeks that he had died.
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Gone but not
forgotten 1 A SURPRISING NUMBER OF SCOTTISH CASTLES AND MANSIONS HAVE FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR OR HAVE VANISHED ENTIRELY. HERE ARE TEN OF THE MOST MAGNIFICENT OF THESE LOST TREASURES
4 Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire Hamilton Palace was once the grandest house in Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695 by the architect James Smith, with a new north front designed by William Adam in the 1730s and completed in 1842. The house was used as a naval hospital during World War One, but in 1921 neglect, combined with subsidence from nearby coal mines, led to the house being demolished.
2
ALLOA HOUSE, CLACKMANNANSHIRE
Alloa House was the 17th century addition to Alloa Tower – the ancestral home of the Earls of Mar since the 15th century. When Clackmannan County Cricket Club was founded in 1868, the Earl of Mar and Kellie gave the club permission to play on the lawn in front of Alloa House and to use part of Alloa Tower as a clubhouse. Alloa House was destroyed by fire in 1800 – but the robustly-built tower survived and is now a museum which is open to the public.
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DOUGLAS CASTLE, LANARKSHIRE
Cavers House, Borders The house, near Hawick, was built between 1750 and 1884 on the site of a castle that was inhabited by the Balliols in the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1952 the house was gutted to help the post-war reconstruction. At the time, James Palmer Douglas, the 23rd laird, said: ‘I tried to sell it – at any price. I approached the Council and the Government. I asked my MP, I offered it to the National Trust, but nobody would take it.’
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Various castles housing the Douglas family have occupied this site since the 1300s; their history was Sir Walter Scott’s inspiration for his last novel, Castle Dangerous. In 1757 work began on a huge, castellated mansion, designed by the Adam brothers, though it was never fully completed. In the 1930s coal was mined in a nearby park to alleviate local unemployment. Unfortunately this caused severe subsidence, leading to the castle being demolished in 1938.
Top ten – lost houses
5
Panmure House, Angus
LANGTON HOUSE, BORDERS
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A property has stood on the Lands of Langton, near Duns, since the 1100s and, in 1566, Mary, Queen of Scots spent a night there. The first Langton House, built in the 17th century, was the second largest in Berwickshire. In 1886 a new 16-bedroomed house was built and, in 1876, a giant redwood – which is still standing – was planted by Prime Minister William Gladstone. Sadly, the house was demolished in 1950.
CRAWFORD PRIORY, FIFE
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Lying about 3 miles from Cupar, the house, which was not really a priory, was built in 1758 by the Earl of Crawford. It was rebuilt in 1809 to the designs of David Hamilton, and in 1811 James Gillespie Graham extended the property in ecclesiastical gothic style, giving it the look of a priory. Tragically, the house – which was once described as ‘perhaps the most important gothic priory house in Scotland’ – beDALQUHARRAN came too costly to run, leading parts of it to be closed off. CASTLE, AYRSHIRE Crawford Priory was abandoned entirely in 1971 and Situated near the village of Dailly, the left to rot. castle was built by Robert Adam in 1789-92 for his brother-in-law. In the early 1900s the castle was a youth hostel until the Second World War, when it became a school for the deaf. It was then sold to a merchant from Girvan who was forced to remove the roof to avoid paying increasingly prohibitive rates. Now all that remains is the masonry shell. Plans are underway to redevelop the site into a luxury hotel and leisure complex, including a golf course.
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LOUDOUN CASTLE, AYRSHIRE
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Built in the early 1800s for the Countess of Loudoun and Moira, the castle – which had 90 rooms and a 10,000 volume library – was known as ‘the Windsor of Scotland’. Legend speaks of a secret tunnel running from the castle to Cessnock Castle, two kilometres away. In 1941 the fabric of the building was destroyed by fire, and the shell remains a category A listed building. In 1995 the site became an amusement park, which closed in 2010.
In 1666 the 2nd Earl of Panmure contracted master mason John Milne to design a new house on his estate in Angus, which was completed in 1686. The whole estate was forfeited by the 4th Earl after the Jacobite uprising in 1715, although it remained in the family when it was passed to the Earls of Dalhousie. Fox Maule commissioned David Bryce to extend Panmure in the 1850s in the Scottish baronial style. The ‘big hoose’, as it was known, eventually fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1955.
Dupplin Castle, Perthshire Dupplin Castle was a mansion house in Strathearn, about five miles from Perth. It was actually the third Dupplin Castle, and was built by the Earls of Kinnoull to replace an earlier castle that was destroyed by fire in 1827. The house was designed by William Burn and cost around £30,000. In 1911 the house was bought by whisky baron John Dewar, who was enobled 1st Baron Forteviot in 1916. The spot must be jinxed, because the castle was again gutted by fire in 1934, and was demolished in 1967.
10
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Flyte club
Words Tim Siddons Image Roy Summers
Flyte
club
IN THE 16TH CENTURY SCOTS ‘MAKARS’ HURLED VILE POETIC INSULTS AT EACH OTHER IN FRONT OF THE KING IN LYRICAL JOUSTS WHICH HAVE ECHOES OF HIP-HOP’S RAP-BATTLES
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Left: Two costumed guides at Stirling Castle’s royal palace – a venue for flyting in the 15-17th centuries – re-enact the ancient poetic duel.
hat do hip-hop music and sixteenth-century Scotland have in common? Not much, you’d assume. But hip-hop – which developed in the The Bronx, New York in the 1970s – actually has its roots in the court of James IV and the Scottish art of flyting. ‘Flyting’ is an old Scots word meaning ‘quarreling’ or ‘contention’, and referred to poetic competitions between the 15th and 17th centuries between Scottish poets, or makars. These lyrical jousts, which took place in public arenas in front of a crowd, involved each poet taking it in turns to spit lines of invective at the other, with the crowd deciding the winner. Similar forms of lyrical combat appear between Achilles and Aineias in Homer’s The Iliad, and in Beowulf, between Beowulf and Unferth, and are evident in Norse, Arabic and Japanese poetry, but the Scottish form probably derived from the filid, a class of professional Gaelic poets, or the
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jesters of the European courts, made famous by Shakespeare’s fools. The best known example of flyting is The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie, which was the basis for a number of imitations, including Answer to the King’s Flyting by Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount, written in response to an insulting poem about him written by his patron, James V, and The Flyting Betwixt Montgomerie and Polwart, printed in 1621. But what has flyting got to do with hip-hop? Surely hip-hop music is just potty-mouthed gangsters with big pants and heavy jewellery rapping about their sexual conquests and huge egos while dissing (putting down) other rappers. The essence of hip-hop, though, is the ‘rap’ or ‘freestyle’ battle made famous in the 2002 film, 8 Mile, starring
What has flyting got to do with pottymouthed gangsters with big pants?
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Flyte club
rapper Eminem, in which two rappers trade insults, the winner being the rapper with the best delivery, lyrics and crowd response. Initially the rap battle was believed to have its origins in the 1970s. The American linguist, William Labov, observed young, black American adolescents ‘playing the dozens’, or ‘sounding’ – taunting each other in the strongest terms about their personal hygiene, sexual prowess, and mothers – a game that originates from the African slave trade, when old, deformed or injured slaves were grouped together in a ‘cheap dozen’ sale to slave owners. To be sold like this was the ultimate humiliation. However, the similarities between the rap battle and flyting are much stronger and, like the ‘dozens’, linked by the slave trade. Flyting was practised by the Scottish nobility, as well as gentlemen further down the social order – it was these men who emigrated to the Caribbean and America between the 16th and 18th centuries and became plantation, and slave, owners. In 2008, an American academic, Professor Ferenc Szasz, uncovered evidence that Scottish slave owners taught flyting to their African slaves and this is backed up by another American professor, Willie Ruff of Yale University. The similarities between flyting and rap battling are striking. For a start, in both two people engage in a verbal duel in a public space, the winner being the one with the best put-downs. The crowd response is also crucial to both: the last line of Dunbar and Kennedy’s flyting states, ‘juge ye now heir quha gat the war’ [You be the judge of who won the war]. The type of put-downs contained in flyting are almost identical to those made by rapLeft: ‘The Dozens’ were pers in a freestyle battle. In The Flyting humiliating auctions of of Dumbar and Kennedie a lot is made useless slaves which were thought to have of the east/west division between Dunspawned rap battles. bar (from East Lothian) and Kennedy (from Ayrshire). Dunbar mocks Kennedy’s western roots with the lines, ‘Thy trechour tung hes tane ane heland strynd / Ane lawland ers wald mak a bettir noyis’ [Your treacherous tongue has assumed a Highland manner / A Lowland arse could make a better noise]. The east and west coast rivalry amongst rappers is infamous, culminating in the murders of Tupac Shakur (west coast) and The Notorious B.I.G. (east coast) In The Flyting Betwixt Montgomerie and Polwart, printed in 1621, Ayrshire nobleman Alexander Montgomerie, makar to the court of James VI, puts down Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth, from The Merse
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The type of putdowns contained in flyting are almost identical to those made by rappers in a freestyle battle
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Below: Rapper Eminem (right) in the film 8 Mile, whose rap battles replicate the flyting duels of the 16th Century Scottish court. Right: A page from The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie.
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in the Borders, with these lines: ‘Foule mismade mytting, born in the Merse / Leave off thy flytting, come kisse my erse.’ The verse requires no translation, except for the word ‘mytting’, which means dwarf. Another put-down in a rap battle involves sexual jibes about your opponent, which also happens in flyting. Kennedy calls Dunbar a ‘Haltane harlot’ and Dunbar responds that Kennedy is a ‘glengoir loun’ [syphilitic ruffian], and ‘Lene larbar, loungeour, baith lowsy in lisk and lonye’ [a lean, impotent layabout, louse-ridden in loin and groin]. While rap lyrics are festooned with choice language, the profanity contained in the flytings printed between the 16th and 18th centuries is even more shocking. The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie was once famously described as ‘500 lines of filth’, while Sir Walter Scott called it ‘the most repellent poem known to me in any language’. The poem not only contains one of the oldest printed references to the ‘s’ word when Kennedy calls Dunbar a ‘schit but wit’, but also one of the earliest references to the ‘f ’ and ‘c’ words – an alphabet soup of profanity that would make even rappers wince. Rap and flyting lyrics are intended to be witty, clever and, above all, amusing, with the humour in both immature and scatological. Some flyting insults are very funny, such as when Dunbar tells Kennedy, ‘Thy bawis hingis throw thy breik’ [Your testicles hang through your breeches] and ‘Thy gane it garris us think that we mon de / I conjure thee, thow hungert heland gaist’ [Your face reminds us that we must die / I summon you, you hungry Highland ghost], or when he calls Kennedy a ‘Herretyk, lunatyk, purspyk, carlingis pet’ [Heretic, lunatic, pick-pocket, old woman’s fart]. Kennedy gave as good as he got, calling Dunbar a ‘dirtfast dearch’ [besmirched dwarf], the ‘Generit betwixt ane scho beir and a deill’ [the spawn of a
she-bear and a devil] and a ‘crabbit, scabbit, evil facit messan tyke’ [A crabby, scabby, ugly lapdog], telling Dunbar that ‘Thy dok of dirt dreipis and will nevir dry’ [Your arse drips with excrement and will never dry]. The greatest exponents of rap have combined sophisticated wordplay with complex rhythms (and the odd expletive or two) to make them the most successful artists of the modern age. The same is true of 16th century flyters: William Dunbar was the Eminem of his day, and a sign of his popularity is the fact that The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie was one of the tracts in Scotland’s first printed book, in 1508. So before you diss and dismiss hip-hop as a vulgar art from the streets of modern America, don’t forget it began in the Jacobean courts of Scotland, and take comfort in the thought that somewhere right now, William Dunbar could be flyting, or freestyling, with Tupac or the Notorious B.I.G.
Flyte club
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY Three further ways in which Scotland has influenced America THE GOOD – GOSPEL MUSIC When an American academic, professor Willie Ruff, heard a black Presbyterian church in Northern Alabama singing in the old black Baptist way by lining out the hymns – where a church elder called a precentor gives the first line of the hymn in an acapella call-and-response format – he was told that it was part of their Presbyterian tradition, and so he went on a search for white Presbyterians who sang in similar fashion. His search took him to the Isle of Lewis, where he heard Gaelic psalms sung in a very similar way. The language and the words were different, but the emotion and the style of lining out were identical. Large numbers of Gaelic-speaking Highlanders and Hebrideans arrived in North Carolina and for many years the black African slaves owned by these Scottish emigrants only spoke Gaelic. It follows that the religious culture of the Presbyterian slave owners was adopted and adapted by the African slaves. THE BAD – SCOTTISH SLAVE OWNERS It is well-known that the Scots played a huge part in the British Empire and were key players in the new and highly profitable plantations of the West Indies and North America, particularly the Chesapeake, where Glasgow merchants played an increasingly important role in the burgeoning tobacco trade. Central to this success was the growth of the Atlantic slave trade. Between 1700 and 1770 the slave population of the Chesapeake grew from 13,000 to 250,000 and by 1775 blacks made up nearly a third of the population, almost 60 per cent of the total number of blacks in America. Most of these blacks were slaves, and most worked on the tobacco plantations, many of which were owned by Scots. Slaves usually took their owners’ surnames, and that is why there are large numbers of African-Americans today with Scottish surnames. The same is true of the Carribean, which is why there are more Campbells per square kilometre in Jamaica than in Scotland. THE UGLY – THE KU KLUX KLAN Recent studies have discovered the Scottish roots of the notorious American far-right organisation, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). According
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to one scholar, the KKK was formed by a group of six ‘horse whisperers’ from a secret society of ploughmen in Buchan, after they had been drafted into the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The secret society in Buchan, whose practices involved pagan rituals and devil worship, used ancient herbal concoctions to give them their apparently mysterious power over their horses, and forged links with the Masonic movement. Six of these horsemen became cavalry officers and set up the KKK as a hellfire club, only later becoming the more familiar and feared far-right group. Another historian also claims that General John Gordon, the descendant of an Aberdeen emigrant, who became one of the most celebrated commanders in the Confederate army, was appointed Grand Dragon in Georgia of the Ku Klux Klan’s ‘Invisible Empire’, in Georgia following the Civil War. The most infamous symbol of the KKK – the burning cross – also has a Scottish origin. The ‘Fiery Cross’ – Crann Tara – was used by clan chiefs to summon an army during times of crisis. Two men, each with a fiery cross, ran shouting the war cry and naming the place and time of rendezvous. In this way the Clan could be assembled very quickly. It was last used during the ‘45 by Lord Breadalbane, when a cross went around Loch Tay in three hours to raise an army and prevent them joining the rebels.
Flyting lyrics are intended to be witty, clever and, above all, amusing
SCOTS heritage
Words Kirsten Waller Images National Museums of Scotland Below: Ninety-three chessmen were found on a beach at Uig on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis in the early 1800s.
Chess
hoard THE LEWIS CHESSMEN ARE ONE OF SCOTLAND’S MOST SIGNIFICANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURES
T
he gruff little features of the soldiers, with their clenched jaws and worried eyes, have a cartoonish brilliance. Whether or not a comical appearance was intentional in the design is debated by historians, but there’s no doubt that the characterful nature of the Lewis Chessmen is much admired. They were originally found on a beach at Uig in the 19th Century and were first exhibited at the Society of Antiquaries for Scotland in April 1831. It is thought that they were made in Norway in the 12th or 13th century, and then taken to Lewis at a time when the island was still part of the Norwegian Kingdom. Historians believe that the pieces may be parts of several separate chess sets, as the numbers of certain pieces vary widely. The pawns, for example, number only 19 out of 93 pieces. However, it is also thought that they were used for other games, such as a Nordic game known as Hnefatafl. For the most part, the chessmen are split into two groups: a larger group of 82 that reside in the British Museum, whilst the remaining 11 live in the National Museum of Scotland. Some of the pieces were briefly reunited in 2009, when 24 figures from the London collection and six from the Scottish made a tour of Scotland. More recently, a different set of figures has reached the Isle of Man, an island that was once also under Viking rule. In honour of their visit, the Post Office has launched a series of six commemorative Manx stamps, proving that, although the chessmen are over 800 years old, their popularity shows no sign of waning.
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Artifacts
The chessmen were taken to Lewis when the island was still part of the Norwegian Kingdom SCOTS heritage spring 2013 65
SCOTS heritage
Words Alistair Moffat
O
n a summer Sunday afternoon in the 1890s, a schoolteacher on the Isle of Lewis, Donald MacIver, visited the deserted township of Carnish. Beside him in his pony and trap was his uncle, Domnhall Ban Crosd. As they rounded the bend from the little valley of the Red River, a vast Atlantic panorama opened beyond Uig Bay. The old man had not seen his birthplace, the beaches and the township for more than 40 years. He had been only a child when the Carnish families were cleared off their crofts in 1851, and, like many, he had sailed for a new life in Canada. Like many hard-working Scots, he had found prosperity in the New World. But when Domnhall Ban saw that the houses of township had all been cast down and instead of people there were only sheep, he wept. ‘Chaneil nith an seo mar a bha e, ach an ataireachd na mara’ [There is nothing here now as it was, except for the surge of the sea]. Much moved by the old man’s tears, Donald MacIver wrote An Ataireachd Ard, a poem and later a song that understood better than any other the pain of loss and of leaving, how hearts were torn out as the white-sailed ships slipped over the western horizon. It is a stunning lyric. When the ships slipped over the horizon, almost all of the emigrants on board knew that it would only be in dreams that they could once again behold the Hebrides. As they stood on deck to catch
An ataireachd bhuan, . Cluinn fuaim na h’ataireachd ard n uai Tha torann a’ch isd. Mar chualas leam-s’ ‘nam pha as tru gun , Gun mhuthadh h’d. A’ sluaisreadh gainneimh n trag an, bhu An ataireachd . Cluinn fuaim na h’ataireachd ard Sna coilltean a siar, Chan iarrain fuirech gu brath. Bha m’intinn ‘s mo mhiann A riamh air lagan a’bhaigh. Ach iadsan bha fial agh An gniomh, an caidreamh ‘s an dion Air scapadh gun h... Mar thriallas ealtainn roimh nam The eternal surge of the sea, surge. Listen to the roar of the mighty is n ocea the of The thundering As I heard it in my childhood, Without cease, without pity, re. Washing over the sands of the sho sea, the of ge The eternal sur surge. Listen to the roar of the mighty In the woods of the west, I would not want to wait forever. My mind and my longing the cove. Were ever in the little hollow by action, But those who were gracious in er ght lau in and In friendship Are scattered without protection y. Like a flock of birds before an enem
Access
roots
HISTORY, PREHISTORY AND CUTTING-EDGE DNA TECHNOLOGY IS DISCOVERING THE TRUE REACH OF THE SCOTTISH DIASPORA
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Genealogy
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When the old man saw that the houses had all been cast down, he wept Main image: Caption to
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SCOTS heritage
a last glimpse of the islands, they intuited that a sense of loss would never leave them. Known as ionndrain in Gaelic, it translates as ‘missing’; a part that would be forever missing, left behind in the straths, the glens and the mountainsides. But it need be missing no longer. The digital revolution of the last 20 years or so has equipped billions of human beings with access to universes of information through their tablets, laptops and phones. And, through the digitisation of Scotland’s excellent civic records, the censuses, the registers of births, marriages and deaths, parish records and other written sources, it has made the sad journey of Domhnall Ban Crosd much more unlikely. Those who wish to 68 www.scots.com
understand their Scottish roots, can shine a light into the darkness of the past and access all of that information quickly and easily. Websites such as ScotlandsPeople allow the great diaspora profound insights into its past. Even more recently, cuttingedge science married to history and prehistory has enriched that backward journey. Since St Andrew’s Day (of course), 2011, ScotlandsDNA has enabled its customers to go far beyond the limits of the written record. By testing for ancestral DNA, it has taken the story of the Scots back into deep time, into the mists of prehistory and answered an ancient question – who are the Scots? In an entertaining historical paradox, it turns out that all of them were emigrants from somewhere else as Scotland was repopulated
Genealogy
Culloden, more than 20,000 clansmen, women and children left Scotland. Departure, often forced, carried on into the 19th century. Many sailed for the Americas and their influence has been profound. An astonishing 22, exactly 50%, of all US presidents claim Scottish ancestry – including Barack Obama (even if he also claims Irish forebears, the O’Bamas). But the role of Lowland Scots was also Left: Barack Obama claims Scottish ancestry. determinant. In one Above: The Clearances memorable tableau, at emptied the Highlands. the inauguration of Riafter the end of Below left: Our new chard Nixon in 1969, he the last ice age. writer, Alistair Moffat. was photographed with Using both the outgoing Lyndon of these new Johnson and the preacher, Billy resources, we plan a quarGraham. All of their ancestors terly series that will employ hailed from the Scottish Borboth digital genealogy and ders, the heartland of rugby, and genetic testing through Scotthe square jaws and brooding landsDNA to discover the past brows reminded some of three of some of our most famous grizzled veteran players, perexiled sons and daughters. haps the Langholm front row. And they are to be found There are many particularly all over the world. The Scots Scottish enclaves still proud of have long been intrepid traveltheir ancient identity. Parts of lers and emigrants struck out the Carolinas in the USA were in all directions: eastwards to settled by migrants from Argyll Poland, Russia and the Baland Skye, while the South Island tic; south to Africa, Australia of New Zealand, and especially and New Zealand; westwards the city of Invercargill, cleaves to the USA and Canada. strongly to its Scottish roots. But The Clearances emptied the perhaps the most poignant was Highland glens over a long Cape Breton on the Atlantic coast period. Between 1763 and 1775, of Canada. Gaelic is still spoken in the aftermath of defeat at
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and it used to be widely heard in the streets of towns and villages until the 1930s. Now the Gaelic speech community has dwindled dramatically but the memories of the old traditions survive. The celebrated Canadian writer and Cape Breton native, Alistair MacLeod, recalled: ‘My grandmother gets up and goes for her violin, which hangs on a peg inside her bedroom door... ‘She plays two Gaelic airs. Her hands have suffered stiffness and the lonely laments waver and hesitate as do the trembling fingers on the four taut strings. She is very moved by the ancient music and there are tears within her eyes.’ Alistair’s mother may weep, but her descendants need not. Digital technology has brought Scotland much closer to all her children. Those who disappeared all those years ago into the crowded streets of big cities or were scattered like birds to the corners of the Earth, or whose names became their only memory of the mother country – through DNA and genealogy they can rediscover who they are and who they were. When Gaelic speakers meet new people, they don’t ask the usual, tedious question – what do you do? Far warmer, far more interesting is Co as a tha thu? Who are your people? Now you can find out. www.scotlandsdna.com SCOTS heritage spring 2013 69
Exactly half of American preseidents claim Scottish ancestry, including Barak Obama
SCOTS heritage
Words Elizabeth Swiergala Images Angus Blackburn
The castle of
dreams CONSIDERED AN ICONIC SCOTTISH CASTLE, EILEAN DONAN IS AN ANCIENT STRONGHOLD REBUILT LESS THAN A CENTURY AGO
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Eilean Donan Castle
Above: Eilean Donan sits in splendid isolation amid three sea lochs in the western Highlands.
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Eilean Donan Castle
L
egend has it that in the 13th century there was a wealthy Matheson chief who lived around Kintail in the west of Scotland. His son is said to have drunk from a raven’s skull and in so doing gained understanding of the speech of birds – in particular the birds’ prophecy that his ‘father would wait upon his son’. When the chief heard this, he banished his son from his house. During his wanderings the young man came to acquire hogsheads of gold. He returned to Kintail, where the chief unknowingly invited the rich newcomer to a feast, and at the table waited on his guest. In this way the original prophecy came true, and so impressed King Alexander II, who ruled between 1214 and 1249, that he asked the young Matheson to build a castle on Eilean Donan. The isle occupies a remarkable defensive position, sitting amid three sea lochs – Long, Alsh and Duich – and surrounded by steep mountains. The castle remains a romantic icon of Scotland. Indeed, although it appears to have stepped straight out of history, the castle we see today is largely due to the dedication of an early20th-century renovation. Its original foundations were built after the Battle of Largs in 1261 in which the Norse crown lost its claim to the western seaboard of Scotland. Indeed, even the medieval castle was itself built on the more ancient foundations of an early-medieval fort, of which only the vitrified defence lines can now be seen. Left: An impressive Tradition has it that by chandelier hangs above warding off marauding the dining table, while portraits of former clan Norsemen and successfully defeating Haakon, King chiefs look on from the solid stone walls. of Norway, in 1263, Clan Mackenzie was granted a deed of possession to the lands of Kintail, in the county of Ross, by King Alexander III. The Macraes first came to
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It occupies a remarkable defensive position, sitting amid three lochs and surrounded by steep mountains
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This page and opposite: The carefully restored kitchen is filled with copper pots and earthenware crockery – and representatives of the early 20thcentury staff. Top right: The new hearth came complete with heraldic detail.
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Eilean Donan Castle
Kintail in the 14th century, having earned a reputation as fighting men while in the service of the Lovats. After agreeing to provide the same service to the Mackenzies, they were nicknamed the ‘Mackenzies’ shirt of mail’, a relationship which proved beneficial for both parties as the Macraes went on to become hereditary constables under the Mackenzie earls of Seaforth. Even with the aid of the Macraes, though, the Mackenzies had difficulty holding onto their lands during the turbulent 16th century. In 1539 the Mackenzies, together with the Macleods,
contested Donald Gorm Macdonald of Sleat’s claim to the Lordship of the Isles. Indeed, Donald Gorm sailed with 50 birlinn to lay siege to Eilean Donan, which was defended only by the Constable John Dubh Matheson and his watchman. Though the Constable was killed, the passing Duncan Macrae secured the fortified castle and, using his last arrow, killed the attacking Donald Gorm. After the 1603 Union of Crowns and the 1707 Acts of Union, the Mackenzies and the Macraes continued to support William Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Seaforth, and the House of Stuart’s claim to the crown. However, the Rising of 1715 was doomed when the French promise of military aid failed to materialise following the death of Louis XIV on 1 September 1715. The Battle of Sheriffmuir took place on 13 November of that year before the Old Pretender had even landed on Scottish soil, and although the Jacobites were not defeated by the Hanoverian forces, the inconclusive outcome effectively ended the First Rising. It also proved to be a dark day for the Macraes – it was said there were 58 new widows in Kintail by nightfall. The Old Pretender returned in 1719, this time aided by allies from Spain. Though Spain had sent nearly 5,000 men, only two ships carrying 300 Spaniards landed at Eilean Donan, to be joined by the Macraes under Seaforth, Rob Roy and a group of MacGregors. While the garrison at Eilean Donan was waiting for reinforcements, three Hanoverian
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The battle proved to be a dark day for the Macraes. It was said there were 58 new widows in Kintail by nightfall
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Eilean Donan Castle
All three frigates bombarded the castle for an hour, continuing the destruction all of the following day
frigates arrived. The captain of one of them sent a boat ashore under a flag of truce, but when the Spanish defenders fired on the boat, all three frigates bombarded the castle for an hour. They continued the destruction all of the following day. In the evening, raiding parties rowed ashore and found, according to the logbook, ‘an Irishman, a captain, a Spanish lieutenant, a sergeant, one Scots rebel and 39 Spanish soldiers, 343 barrels of powder and 52 barrels of musquet shot’. The crew from the frigates then spent two days and 27 barrels of the captured gunpowder demolishing the castle. When the Jacobite forces were overwhelmed at the nearby Battle of Glen Shiel just two months later, the 1719 uprising was at an end, leading to the forfeiture of the lands of the Earl of Seaforth, including those leased to their allies the Macraes of Kintail. Even to this day it is said a ghost of one of the Spanish garrison wanders around Eilean Donan. The castle remained untouched for nearly 200 years until Lieutenant-Colonel
Image: This gorgeous view out of the kitchen window would have been as good as that enjoyed by any cook or servant in the whole of Scotland.
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John Macrae-Gilstrap bought it in 1912 as a focus for Clan Macrae, planning to leave it as a picturesque ruin. During the First World War, when he was away on active service, he left Eilean Donan in the hands of Farquhar Macrae of Auchtertyre, an exceptional stonemason, who, fired with enthusiasm after seeing a vision of the castle in his dreams, persuaded the Lt-Colonel to restore Eilean Donan to its original glory. In honour of Farquhar’s vision, Eilean Donan is often called the Castle of Dreams. The restoration took place between 1920 and 1932, and is largely faithful to the original medieval plan (which has since been found), including the tower – a main feature of the medieval castle. An arched bridge was also built to give access to the island. The current head of the Macrae clan, Marigold Macrae, has during the past 25 years overseen one of Eilean Donan’s busiest periods. She has worked with boundless energy and passion, travelling the globe as head of the clan, to secure both the past and the future of Eilean Donan. The castle is also continually evolving. In September 2012 a stained-glass window designed by Macrae-Gilstrap’s grandson John Reytins was incorporated into the banqueting hall, celebrating the 100 years since the castle was bought, while a grey field gun from the First World War is stationed at the nearby war memorial and fountain in memory of the Macraes who perished between 1914 and 1918. Eilean Donan, with its rich history, remains an enduring emblem of Scotland. Its image is used around the world to suggest the national heritage and character of the Highlands – a stark, romantic beauty, resilient to storms of all kinds, a fortress of dreams. 78 www.scots.com
Above: Crow-stepped gables, arrow slits and gothic-style arches present a forbidding façade. Right: Low ceilings and thick stone walls are a feature of the interior.
Eilean Donan Castle
IF WALLS COULD TALK Eilean Donan through the centuries WARS OF INDEPENDENCE Robert the Bruce sheltered here in the winter of 1306-7. LEFT-HANDED The tower features one of only two left-handed spiral staircases in a British castle, built because the reigning monarch held his sword left-handed (many tower houses in the Borders belonging to the Kerr Clan had left-handed turnpike stairs for this reason). IMPENETRABLE Eilean Donan’s walls are up to 14ft thick in places. HEADS YOU LOSE When the Earl of Moray visited in 1331, the Mackenzies rounded up and executed 50 criminals then displayed their heads as a mark of respect to their visitor. STAR OF THE SCREEN Eilean Donan has been used as the setting for several films, most notably Highlander in 1986 and the James Bond epic The World Is Not Enough in 1999.
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CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME In 1983 the Macrae family set up the Conchra Charitable Trust to care for the castle. BISHOP DONAN The island (‘eilean’) is named after Bishop Donan, an Irish monk martyred on Eigg in 617. A monastic cell on Eilean Donan was dedicated to his memory. FOR MORE INFORMATION www.eileandonancastle.com
It captures the character of the Highlands – a stark, romantic beauty, resilient to storms, a fortress of dreams
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Words Adam Bruce Image Angus Blackburn
Lyon
heart
THE HERALDIC LYON COURT IS NOT AN ANACHRONISM, BUT THE LIVING, BEATING PULSE OF SCOTLAND’S BODY POLITIC
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any people believe that heraldry in Scotland died out long ago, but they’re wrong. I’m living proof of that: until recently I was the Unicorn Pursuivant (pronounced ‘per-sev-ant’) but was promoted to the office of Marchmont Herald by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, which makes me part of living, breathing history. The Lyon Office advises Scots all over the world who want to apply for a coat-of-arms or to inherit arms carried by an ancestor, and is busier now than at any time since the 15th century. We are probably the oldest surviving court of protection for intellectual property in the world. The Lyon Office is run by the Lord Lyon, who oversees Scotland’s heraldry and ceremonial occasions of state, and has six main officers: three Heralds (Rothesay, Snawdoun and Marchmont, who was originally the King’s representative in the Border ‘marches’) and three Pursuivants (Ormond, Dingwall and Unicorn). Snawdoun works fulltime alongside Lyon, but the rest of us assist as time allows on our particular areas of expertise, whether it’s genealogy, the law of heraldry, ceremonial, heraldic art or legal and Scots history. A particular joy of my role is to work Main image: Adam with families and clans who have lost Bruce, wearing the their chief. As I’m interested in heraldry, traditional silk tabard I’m working with the MacEwan and of Marchmont Herald Ewing families to help them choose at the Lyon Court. their clan chief, and am also hopeful that in New Zealand we may have found the chief of the MacDonalds of Glencoe. We also have formal public duties. We attend the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to support the Lord High Commissioner who is
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the Queen’s representative at the Assembly. In the summer we attend the Queen if she holds a service for the Order of the Thistle and we help install each new governor of Edinburgh Castle. We also announce that there is to be a general election by marching down the Royal Mile from the Signet Library to the Mercat Cross – accompanied by trumpeters and a military escort – where Lyon reads the writ dissolving the Westminster Parliament. We also take part in the opening of the Scottish Parliament, escorting the Scottish crown in a partial recreation of the pre-1707 ceremonial. Not all our duties are ancient: we escorted the Queen down the Thames as part of the Jubilee River Pageant, which was damp but awe-inspiring. Our job is to announce that the sovereign has something to say; in the old days we were basically his ambassadors who would try to make peace before battle and pick up the pieces afterwards. Today our role is mainly ceremonial, but we add colour and keep these traditions alive – and have some fun along the way.
The Lyon Court is busier now than at any time since the 15th century
Heraldry
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Shaiith/shutterstock
Carving
history WHEN A HISTORIAN DISCOVERED HIS SCOTTISH ANCESTOR’S MEMOIRS IN A FARMHOUSE ATTIC NEAR MELBOURNE IT LED HIM ON A FASCINATING ARTISTIC TREASURE HUNT Words Bob Johnstone
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Carving history
T
he brand-new, multi-million-pound Visitor Centre at Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, boasts a stylish restaurant called Ochiltree’s Dining. Guests curious about the name need only look outside, where a stone statue of Edie Ochiltree stands. The statue was carved around 1871 by my great-great-grandfather, the Border sculptor Andrew Currie, whose bicentenary fell in November, and whose hand-written memoirs I recently uncovered in a distant cousin’s farmhouse attic near Melbourne. It was probably a study for his life-size figure of Edie Ochiltree, which passersby on Edinburgh’s Princes Street may view on the north-east buttress of the Scott Monument. Edie Ochiltree was the ‘gaberlunzie’ - the lighthearted wandering beggar - in Scott’s novel The Antiquary, published in 1816. Like many of the Great Minstrel’s characters, Edie was based on a real person, Andrew Gemmels, who during the eighteenth century was well known throughout the Scottish Borders. ‘He had been a soldier in his youth, and his entertaining stories of his campaigns, and the adventures he had encountered in foreign countries, united with his shrewdness, drollery, and other agreeable qualities, rendered him a general Above: Currie’s finest favourite,’ said a near-contemporary source work is on Edinburgh’s of Gemmels. ‘This secured him a cordial welScott Monument. come and free quarters at every shepherd’s Inset right: Self-taught sculptor Andrew Currie. cot or farm steading that lay in the range of his extensive wanderings.’ Evidently the itinerant lifestyle agreed with him because Gemmels died in 1793 aged 106. In addition to Edie Ochiltree, the Scott MonuSCOTS heritage spring 2013 83
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ment’s 63 other character statues include Old Mortality, also carved by Currie from the eponymous novel. For a sculptor, being chosen to contribute to such a prominent landmark was a high honour, especially for a passionate Scott-ophile like Currie. As a boy, the sculptor met the writer several times through his uncle Andrew Lang, who clerked for Scott while the latter was Sheriff of Selkirk. Currie and his chums used to sneak into the Court House to watch ‘the Shirra’ trying cases, with the proceedings providing excellent free entertainment. ‘In later life,’ wrote his sometime pupil Lillias Cotesworth, Currie ‘delighted in the Waverley novels, and immense was his satisfaction when asked to undertake two of the figures for Scott’s monument in Edinburgh. He threw his whole soul into the work.’ In The Antiquary Scott provided a detailed description of Edie Ochiltree for the sculptor to draw on: ‘A slouched hat of huge dimensions; a long white beard, which mingled with his grizzled hair; an aged but strongly marked and expressive countenance, hardened, by climate and exposure, to a right brick-dust complexion; a long blue gown with a pewter badge on the right arm; two or three wallets, or bags, slung across his shoulder, for holding the different kinds of meal, when he received his charity in kind from those who were but a degree richer than himself.’ All these items Currie faithfully reproduced, adding a begging bowl in the figure’s left hand and a stout staff in his right. Other touches included ‘knee-breeches, somewhat out at the knees and much requiring repairs, and his waistcoat, which seems also to have suffered from the elements’. That left the problem of how to render the gaberlunzie’s face. Currie’s research was meticulous. The Border poet Sir George Douglas records that he ‘took great pains to make the acquaintance of a descendent of Edie Ochiltree, for the express purpose of studying the family features.’ The result is a visage which sports an expression that is, as Cotesworth put it, ‘sly and waggish,’ or – to use a good Scots word – ‘pawky’. Unlike the other sculptors who contributed statues to the Scott Monument, Currie had no formal qualifications, having only begun his career as a sculptor in his mid-forties after his health failed him. But, as the Border writer William Shillinglaw Crockett put it, Currie ‘did extraordinarily well for one who, late in life, changed his occupation to carve a livelihood in the service of art.’
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Andrew Currie was born in 1812 into a downwardly-mobile Selkirkshire family. His forebears had been gentlemen farmers, but for families with too many sons there was never enough land to go round, nor money to buy more. Currie’s grandfather became a tenant farmer on land owned by the Duke of Buccleuch, while his father William claimed to have been cheated out of his inheritance. A precocious child who demonstrated artistic talent, the family talked of sending Currie to Edinburgh for drawing lessons but, to his everlasting regret, he did not go. Instead he was apprenticed, not to a stone-mason, which was the conventional career path for sculptors, but to a millwright in Denholm, near Hawick. In 1835, on completing his apprenticeship, he obtained a position at HM Dockyard at Chatham in Kent. Before heading south, the youngster showed his work to William Allan, future president of the Royal Scottish Academy. The painter advised him that, though his sketches were creditable for a beginner, he should concentrate on sculpture. Returning from England four years later, Currie set up his millwright’s workshop in Earlston. In his spare time he continued to carve. ‘He was always busy with his knife,’ wrote Lillias Cotesworth. ‘During leisure hours, he shaped many skilful bits of foliage and lifelike representations of birds, every delicate feather showing.’ Currie showed his best pieces in the window of his workshop. Lillias’s father William Cotesworth commissioned him to carve a wooden bookshelf for the library at nearby Cowdenknowes House, which was to be the beginning of his artistic career. Having turned professional, Currie needed a studio to allow him to sculpt on a more ambitious scale; access to potential customers was also essential. He found the solution in Darnick, a village on the outskirts of Melrose. Darnick’s most attractive feature was its proximity to the home of Sir Walter Scott. Following the Great Minstrel’s death in 1832, Abbotsford became a mecca for literary pilgrims. Tourists wanted souvenirs to take home, so Currie catered to this passing trade. Indeed, according to Lillias Cotesworth, ‘he lived chiefly by selling to tourists busts and bas-reliefs of Sir Walter Scott, Burns, and copies in wood or plaster of ornaments from Melrose Abbey.’
Currie and his chums sneaked into Selkirk courthouse to watch Sir Walter Scott try cases, which provided excellent entertainment
Carving history
Left: Currie’s statue of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd. Far left: He also immortalised the much-feted Victorian explorer Mungo Park.
In 1859, within a couple of years of moving to Darnick, Currie won his first large-scale commission in stone, the monument in Selkirk to Mungo Park, the African explorer. This was quite a coup for a novice, especially considering that Currie’s rival, Alexander Handyside Ritchie, was a fine artist who had learned his craft in Rome. Family connections were crucial to Currie’s success. His aunt had married one of the Park brothers, while his mother had been engaged to another. Perhaps most importantly, his cousin and childhood chum, Selkirkshire sheriff-clerk John Lang, chaired the monument’s selection committee. Being local was also crucial in winning his next big commission, the statue of the Ettrick Shepherd, James Hogg, the Border poet and author whose most notable work was Confessions of a Justified
Sinner. Like his subject, Currie was a native of the Ettrick Forest, and as a young lad he had attended Yarrow Kirk alongside the shepherd. First-hand knowledge helped Currie achieve what was universally agreed to be a good likeness. Unveiled in front of an enthusiastic crowd of two thousand at St Mary’s Loch in June 1860, the Ettrick Shepherd is his masterpiece in stone. Currie’s other major works include the statue of Robert the Bruce on the esplanade at Stirling Castle and the figure of a Border reiver at Netherby Hall (to which Young Lochinvar famously came ‘out of the west’ in Scott’s poem Marmion). Andrew Currie died in 1891, aged 78. He is buried in Weirhill Cemetery, Melrose, not far from Abbotsford. There, in addition to Edie Ochiltree, several of his other works may be seen. SCOTS heritage spring 2013 85
SCOTS heritage
Words Morag Thorburn Images Angus Blackburn
Heads or
tails
KATE MACPHERSON MAKES SPORRANS FROM UNUSUAL ANIMALS IN HER HIGHLAND WORKSHOP
I
nspired by the badger head sporrans worn by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, taxidermist Kate Macpherson creates sporrans from ethically sourced and road-kill animals. At the moment she is working on sporrans made from badgers, foxes, a pine marten and a brown hare, but as well as these indigenous animals, she creates sporrans from exotic animals too. Amongst these include a kangaroo, a genet cat and a zebra; and she is always surprised at the popularity of buffalo testicle sporrans. The more exotic animals come from antique shops and sometimes even from grannies’ attics. Any animal brought into the country must hold the appropriate licences. Nothing is ever shot in order to make a sporran, with game dealers and road-kill accounting for most of the animals used. It takes around six weeks to make a fox or badger head sporran and Kate often finds herself developing a relationship with the animals while working on them. ‘I often don’t tell people I’ve finished their sporran, so it can hang around in the workshop a bit longer.’ Sporrans can be created from any animal with the appropriate licence, the only other limit is imagination, although Macpherson would never make a sporran out of a family pet, as from a taxidermy point of view it would be impossible to make it look as the owner remembered. She attracts very little criticism, receiving only the occasional email suggesting she should use fake fur. But her art is ecologically sound, while the production of fake fur is not. A complete mixture of people buy the sporrans, from the Tartan Army to the military, gamekeepers, and collectors. They travel all over the world, with a fox going to the Falkland Islands, a pheasant to Tokyo and one sporran even heading to Kazakhstan. www.katemacphersonsporrans.co.uk
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At the moment she is working on sporrans made from badgers, foxes, pine martens and brown hare
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Traditional artisans
Image: Taxidermist Kate Macpherson with one of her owl sporrans.
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new look
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SCOTS H e r i t a g e
m a g a z i n e
Now the official magazine of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, the new-look Scots Heritage magazine is an unbeatable read. With features on clans, genealogy, great Scots, the events which forged a nation, and a wealth of articles on Scottish history and culture, no other magazine is as successful at keeping Scots at home and abroad in touch with their heritage. To subscribe to Scots Heritage call the subscriptions number, fill out the form opposite and post to the relevant address or visit the website and click on subscribe. It couldn’t be easier.
www.scotsheritagemagazine.com
SCOTS heritage
Words Stuart Kelly
David Livingstone
The good
doctor EXPLORER, MISSIONARY AND ANTI-SLAVERY CAMPA IGNER, DAVID LIVINGSTONE’S STORY STILL INSPIRES 100 YEARS AFTER HIS BIRTH
G
iven that he was almost the archetypal eminent Victorian, the absence of David Livingstone from Lytton Strachey ’s witty Flyte club and irreverent Eminent Victorians requires a bit of thought. In many ways Livingstone was a prime target – a man whose myth might easily be punctured, whose questing spirit might be contraste d with his sullen personality, whose achievements were often than the announcements Tim Siddons less significant of hisWords achievem Summers and a man whose Image Roy ents, contradictions could easily be skewered by Strachey as hypocrisies. But Strachey held fire. Samuel Smiles, the author of that preeminently Victorian book, Self-Help, had included Livingstone in both his most famous work and in his 1884 book, Men of Invention and Industry. It was there that Livingstone became a legend. Of course, his own writings – initially and snappily entitled Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa; including a sixteen years’ residence in the interior of Africa and a journey from the Cape of Good Hope to Loanda on the West Coast: thence across the Continent, down the River Zambezi, to the Eastern Ocean by David
Flyte
Antonio Abrignani/shutterstock
club
HURLED VILE POETIC IN THE 16TH CENTURY SCOTS ‘MAKARS’ THE KING IN LYRICAL INSULTS AT EACH OTHER IN FRONT OF RAP-BATTLES HIP-HOP’S OF JOUSTS WHICH HAVE ECHOES
Above: An eye on the future – ‘I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward,’ he famously said.
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W Left: Two costumed guides at Stirling Castle’s royal palace – a venue for flyting in the 15-17th centuries – re-enact the ancient poetic duel.
hat do hip-hop music and sixteenth-century Scotland have in common? Not much, you’d assume. But hip-hop – which developed in the The Bronx, New – actually has 1970s the York in its roots in the court of James IV and the Scottish art of flyting. ‘Flyting’ is an old Scots word meaning ‘quarreling’ or ‘contention’, and referred to poetic competitions between the 15th and 17th centuries between Scottish poets, or makars. These lyrical jousts, which took place in public arenas in front of a crowd, involved each poet taking it in turns to spit lines of invective at the other, with the crowd deciding
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the winner. Similar forms of lyrical combat appear between Achilles and Aineias in Homer’s The Iliad, and in Beowulf, between Beowulf and Unferth, and are evident in Norse, Arabic and Japanese poetry, but the Scottish form probably derived from the filid, a class of professional Gaelic poets, or the
jesters of the European courts, made famous by Shakespeare’s fools. The best known example of flyting is The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie, which was the basis for a number of imitations, including Answer to the King’s Flyting by Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount, written in response to an insulting poem about him written by his patron, James V, and The Flyting Betwixt Montgomerie and Polwart, printed in 1621. But what has flyting got to do with hip-hop? Surely hip-hop music is just potty-mouthed gangsters with big pants and heavy jewellery rapping about their sexual conquests and huge egos while dissing (putting down) other rappers. The essence of hip-hop, though, is the ‘rap’ or ‘freestyle’ battle made famous in the 2002 film, 8 Mile, starring
What has flyting got to do with pottymouthed gangsters with big pants?
SCOTS heritage spring 2013
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SCOTS heritage
Words Tim Siddons Images Angus Blackburn
St Andrews
days STEEPED IN HISTORY AND BURSTING WITH GREAT SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS, ST ANDREWS – THE HOME OF GOLF – IS THE PERFECT DESTINATION FOR A SCOTTISH SPRING BREAK
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St Andrews
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ack in the Dark Ages, St Andrews – then called Kilrymont – was a tiny settlement of fishermen and farmers. This all changed in the late 11th and early 12th centuries when pilgrims began flocking to worship the relics of St Andrew. The town grew quickly, with the construction of two cathedrals, two friaries and the castle. Another important influence in the expansion of the town was the founding of the university – which the oldest in Scotland – in 1413. And because of its religious importance, and with a steady influx of students, medieval St Andrews also became an important centre for trade and commerce; a bustling hive of tradesmen and merchants. It is believed that golf was first played in the town in the 15th century, although the first written record of golf in St Andrews was in 1552. Since then, the town has become synonymous with the game, and most pilgrimages to St Andrews these
Image: The West Sands, where the opening sequence of the Oscarwinning film, Chariots of Fire, was filmed.
SCOTS heritage spring 2013 91
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This page: The spectacular ruins of St Andrews Cathedral. Top right: The pier at the East Sands.
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St Andrews
days tend to be to its many superb golf courses, including the world famous Old Course. St Andrews today manages a perfect balance between the old and the modern. The town is fully equipped for the 21st century, with superb shopping, luxurious and contemporary accommodation and dining and museums with state-of-the-art technology. There are even St Andrews walking tour apps. Yet the town’s past is on constant show; the original medieval street layout has been retained and the historic core of the town is actually much as it would have looked four hundred years ago. There are a number of guided walks and tours – including an open-top bus tour – but with a map and a sturdy pair of shoes you can easily visit all of St Andrews’ historic sites yourself. Amongst the must-see sites include St Andrews Cathedral, which took 150 years to build and was once Scotland’s largest church. A ticket to the cathedral museum also includes entry to St Rule’s Tower, which dates from the end of the 11th century and is part of the first church in St Andrews. The view from the top of this 108-ft tower – reached via a very narrow
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spiral staircase – is fabulous. The ruins of the castle and its excellent visitors centre are also well worth a look. St Andrews also has its fair share of outstanding museums. The St Andrews Museum, in Kinburn Park, is a child-friendly A-Z exhibition exploring the heritage of the town, and the St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum also offers a fascinating insight into days gone by. The Bell Pettigrew Museum holds a wonderful collection of Victorian natural history displays, and the British Museum of Golf is an absolute must for golf enthusiasts. Finally, the Museum of the University of St Andrews charts the long history of the university – where Prince William and Kate Middleton met and fell in love. The museum also has an upstairs viewing gallery with unrivalled views of the West Sands. For those with kids, the idea of traipsing around a multitude of museums might fill you – and your children – with dread. However, there are plenty of other activities available for a more family-friendly experience. If the weather is on your side, the large, sandy beaches of the East and West Sands are excel-
St Andrews manages a perfect balance between the old and the modern
SCOTS heritage spring 2013 93
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St Andrews
St Andrews
Image: The magnificent view of St Andrews and the Fife hills from the top of St Rule’s Tower.
lent. Why not try your hand at land-based traction kiting, for example. Other child-friendly venues include the East Sands Leisure Centre, the Botanic Garden and the St Andrews Aquarium. St Andrews also has an abundance of independent shops, delis and art galleries, which are scattered throughout the town amongst the bigger high-street names, making the town a great place to pick up something unique. St Andrews also holds a wide variety of cultural and foodie festivals, and regular productions at the famous Byre Theatre all helped the town pick up a Creative Place Award in 2012. There are plenty of dining options available in St Andrews. The Seafood Restaurant, Road Hole Restaurant and Rocca have 3 AA Rosettes, whilst Esperante,
The turbulent years TOASTED HERETICS The 16th century was the most chaotic and violent in the history of St Andrews – and it was all down to religion. The staunch anti-Protestant Archbishop of St Andrews, Cardinal David Beaton, orchestrated the trial and execution of several ‘heretics’, including leading Protestant George Wishart, whose burning at the stake in 1546 caused widespread unrest and led to Beaton’s assassination in the same year. There are a number of reminders of these terrible times, such as Martyrs Monument, on The Scores, and markings on the cobblestones indicating where individual executions took place.
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number forty and The Terrace Restaurant have 2 AA Rosettes. There are also plenty of good, cheaper options, including great fish and chips. In terms of accommodation, there are endless options to suit any budget; from camping to self-catering, B&B to excellent quality guest houses and hotels. For those wishing to really push the boat out, the five-star Fairmont St Andrews and Old Course Hotel are both excellent, as are the four-star Macdonalds Rusacks Hotel and Rufflets Country House Hotel. So whatever you might be into, whether it’s history – religious, medieval, academic or otherwise – golf, shopping, good restaurants, or if you fancy a few days with the family, St Andrews really does have it all.
JOHN KNOX The famous Calvinist firebrand was educated at St Andrews University and was present when George Wishart was arrested by Cardinal Beaton. Knox was a formidable preacher, and after a particularly volatile speech in 1559, Knox’s supporters sacked St Andrews Cathedral and effectively ended the town’s religious influence in Scotland. Knox also authored the fantastically titled rant against female monarchs, The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regimen of Women. THE PERSECUTION OF WITCHES The Reformation eased the problems for Protestants but signalled new fears for suspected witches. Many of these were thrown into the sea below The Scores and deemed innocent if they drowned, but guilty – and burned at the stake – if they managed to swim to shore. FOR INFO ABOUT ST ANDREWS www.standrews.co.uk
There are plenty of activities for a familyfriendly experience
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? i s m a h MacS
Right: Dundonian businessman Donnachadh MacShimsi – aka Duncan Simpson – defends his right to take on the established clan system and declare himself chief of the Clan MacShimsi.
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Talking point
who has set up Is Donnachadh MacShimsi, himself to be his own clan and declared a charlatan? its chief, a visionary or Words Lachlan Macdonald Image Paul Reid
Image Paul Reid/Angus pictures
T
his clannish stuff can be hellish difficult to grasp. When, for instance, is a man who tells you that he’s a clan chief not really a clan chief? Why are some clans not actually clans but families? How long does your clan need to have been established before you’re classified as a Grown-up Clan rather than a Wee Sept? How many people need to share the same surname before you can join the party? And how many battles do your ancestors need to have fought before you can claim genuine tartan-clad, skean dhu-sporting provenance? Such are the issues which have clearly been occuying the mind of Donnachadh MacShimsi of late. The answer from the Dundee businessman – who is known to friends and family as plain old Duncan Simpson rather than by his Gaelic sobriquet – was that if he wants to set up a clan then he jolly well will set up a clan.To all intents and purposes that’s what he’s done. After shelling out £29.95 (roughly $50) on the title The Laird of Lochaber, which is available on the internet, he was able to set up an online clan called the Clan MacShimsi (motto: ‘Vallo proposia, Terraquod Flo – ‘Defend family, land and crown’) with a few clicks of his mouse. It is, unsurprisingly, not a state of affairs about which everyone is entirely happy. The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs has accused him of being ‘a bogus chieftan’ and argued that he is bringing the whole clan system into disrepute. ‘We need to notify people to beware of people out there posing as chiefs,’ said Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, the convenor of the Standing Council. ‘Scotland has attracted a number of these people who have set themselves up as something that they are not. ‘The title Clan Chief carries legal, historical, authentic weight. This man in Dundee is holding the system up to ridicule because he was self-appointed with no authority and no authenticity and people are just being misled.’ This is not a new issue. Indeed, the Standing Council was set up in 1952 precisely to stop the clan system being exploited. In the age of the internet, it is easier than ever for people to set up their own organisation and as difficult as ever for potential clansmen and women – especially those from overseas – to establish an organisation’s bona fides. At first sight, Clan MacShimsi – Gaelic for Clan Simpson – certainly looks pretty convincing. Simpson set the clan up 12 years ago and uses the title
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the Laird of Lochaber on his website, although he insists that he was given the title – along with a scroll and a square metre of peat bog – as a gift and doesn’t take it seriously. His website carries an archive of ‘clan photos’ which includes photos of him with various dignitaries, including Alex Salmond, posing at Downing Street, next to a Jaguar car and a helicopter. His young daughter, ‘Lady Lauren MacShimsi’ also features, although there are no signs of any actual clan members. In a section marked ‘Meet your Clan Chieftain’, the website reads: ‘The current Laird MacShimsi hails from a line of proud, hard-working and disciplined men, who as former lairds of the clan have instilled this discipline and desire to succeed down the bloodline.’ It is all, says MacGregor, a sham. ‘The MacShimsi is a make-believe clan that has no history of living or fighting together,’ he said. ‘He has set himself up as the chieftain and if I were a Simpson I’d join up even though there is no such clan.’ Simpson has no intention of giving up his status without a fight, however, claiming that the Lord Lyon, which vets clan chiefs, has told him that his clan and tartan is ‘perfectly valid’, a claim which seemed to come as news to the Lord Lyon’s office. Although the Simpsons are historically not a clan in their own right but a branch of the Fraser Clan (interestingly, war hero Simon ‘Shimi’ Fraser was the 15th Lord Lovat). The 2,000 members of Clan MacShimsi – who are not charged and receive a free certificate – presumably agree with Simpson that ‘people throughout the world [feel] a kinship and a need to belong to their roots in Scotland.’ Why, asked Simpson, are the Frasers a legimitmate clan when the Simpsons are not? ‘We are a young clan, but in 100 years, who knows, we might be as common as Clan MacGregor,’ he said. ‘I don’t know why anyone is getting upset as we are not treading on anyone’s toes. I haven’t asked to join this council of clans. It is a family thing. You can become a member of the Clan Fraser and wear the Clan Fraser tartan but at the end of the day there are far more Simpsons than there are Frasers, so why on earth should we be subordinate to them?’
He is a bogus chieftan. The MacShimsi is a make-believe clan with no history of living or fighting together. People are just being misled
SCOTS heritage spring 2013 97
SCOTS heritage
Words Lachlan MacDonald
tax Sin
CAN SCOTLAND REAP THE REWARDS OF ITS FLOURISHING SCOTCH WHISKY INDUSTRY?
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hisky is big business in Scotland: after oil, it’s our biggest industry. Not only that, but it is a business which is growing at a prodigious rate, with sales up in each of the past seven years, even sustaining that progress through the worst recession since the 1930s. Indeed, at times the industry’s only problem has been to produce enough of the Water of Life to keep up with the burgeoning international demand. The developing world in general, and the BRIC countries in particular – that’s Brazil, Russia, India and China – have gone mad for the stuff, pushing up prices and profits. Old distilleries have been dusted down and relaunched, while new distilleries continue to be built in the most unlikely of places, such as Fife, the Isle of Lewis and in the Borders. Money and investment have poured into the production of Caledonia’s amber nectar. 98 www.scots.com
All well and good you might think, but as far as the Old Country goes there is one small problem. With approximately 95% of whisky produced in Scotland now being sold outside of the country, virtually all of the country’s production is exempt from taxes (£1.6bn of taxes are levied on whisky that is consumed domestically, but this currently goes to the Government in London). Should Scotland become independent in 2014, however, the Scottish Parliament would seek to raise taxes on whisky sold outside of Scotland. While there are many benefits to the increased production and general vibrancy of the whisky industry – which sustains 41,000 jobs north of the border and contributes an estimated £800m to the Scottish economy, plus £30m in tourist-related income – none of the three
Money and investment have poured into the production of Alba’s amber nectar
Whisky
Left: It was once primarily a crofter’s tipple, but now the Water of Life is savoured in every corner of the globe.
dominant distillers are Scottish-owned. So, as with the country’s fish-farming industry and in an echo of the furore over systematic tax avoidance by multinationals such as Starbucks and Amazon, virtually all of the estimated £3bn of profits from Scotland’s £5bn whisky industry go straight to shareholders in London and New York (Diageo), Paris (Pernod Ricard/Chivas Brothers) and Bermuda (Bacardi/Dewar’s). This is an issue which has apparently been occupying the thoughts of Alex Salmond and the SNP, who are desperate to demonstrate that an independent Scotland could be economically viable should the nation vote ‘yes’ in the Autumn of 2014. ‘I think the benefits to Scotland from the whisky industry are really quite disappointing,’ Professor John Kay, a former economics adviser to the First Minister, told a recent BBC programme called Scotched Earth. ‘The largest producers are not based in Scotland. Their profits go mostly to people who are not resident in
Scotland. They don’t pay much tax in Scotland and we don’t think they pay much tax in the UK.’ The upshot is a plan, which was floated by Kay but which is understood to enjoy the support of the SNP, to tax each bottle of whisky £1 (approximately $1.60), ostensibly for the use of Scottish water. Kay says that such a tax – which the SNP already has the power to levy as water regulation has already been devolved to the Scottish Parliament - would contribute £1bn in revenue to Scotland, a huge figure when put in the context of Scotland’s existing tax revenue of £28bn. Because Scotch whisky cannot legally be produced anywhere else there is no prospect of the industry moving elsewhere. The SNP believe that this so-called ‘tartan tax’ would have no effect on sales. Sir George Mathewson, the former chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland who was part of Salmond’s Council of Economic Advisers along with Kay, admitted that even a tax of 50p per bottle could lead to higher prices, but countered that this ‘would not be a major percentage of the sales price. I don’t believe it (the industry) would be substantially harmed and I believe the success could be spread around a little more.’ The industry is, unsurprisingly, horrified. ‘Scottish-made whisky is competing in tough international markets where it is up against other whiskies and spirits,’ said Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, ‘so I cannot see why any government would apply a production tax which would make Scotch whisky less competitive overseas against other drinks which are cheaper to produce and cheaper to sell.’ Peter Lederer, a director of Diageo, which has 40% of the world’s whisky market, said that the tax would send out all the wrong signals about investing in an independent Scotland. This is one, as they say, which looks set to run and run. SCOTS heritage spring 2013 99
SCOTS heritage
Q Where was playwright Robert McLellan describing when he wrote: ’It is an ageless sang this auld isle sings In a burn born alang the scree fute] By riven craigs where the black raven brings The still-born lamb to its nest by the rowan rute?’ A
The Isle of Arran, or Eilean Arainn, in his poetic work ‘The Arran Burn’.
Q What is a ‘wee free’? A A ‘wee free’ is a slightly derogatory nickname for a member of the Free Church of Scotland, which is regarded by many as one of the last bastians of puritanism and sabbatarianism. They became known as ‘wee frees’ because the current Free Church is descended from the minority group which broke away to maintain its independence when the original Free Church merged with the Presbyterian Church in 1900.
PHOTOGRPAH: F C INGLIS, EDINBURGH
Q What is a spurtle? A A spurtle is a wooden stick used for stirring porridge, a bit like a wooden spoon with no bowl on the end. The word is derived from the Latin ‘spatula’, meaning ‘flat piece’, and the Greek ‘spathe’, meaning ‘a blade’. It probably came into the Scots language from Scandinavia.
Q Who was William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ character based on? A
Mac Bethad mac Findlaich, or Ri Deircc (the Red King), was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death on 15 August 1057. He was also known as the King of Alba. The play Macbeth presents a highly inaccurate picture of his reign and (reputedly) his personality.
Q What is the meaning of the name ‘Fletcher@’? A The name Fletcher means ‘arrow maker’ and is found all over Scotland. The Fletchers followed the clans for whom they made arrows. In Argyll they are associated with the Stewarts and Campbells, while in Perthshire they are associated with the MacGregors.
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Questions & Answers
Q What was the Darien Venture?
A
It began as an ambitious scheme to establish a Scottish colony in Panama by William Paterson, a Scot who had made his name as one of the founding directors of the Bank of England. His plan was to set up a trading colony in a place called Darien on the Isthmus of Panama. However, the Spanish had already claimed control of that part of Panama. Undeterred, 1,200 settlers set sail from Leith harbour on 4 July 1698, arriving at Darien on 2 November. However, it soon became clear that this was far from the rich and fertile land that the expatriates had expected and after months of hardship, many casualties to disease and the threat of Spanish attack, the colony was eventually abandoned. Unfortunately, a second expedition left Scotland in August 1699, knowing nothing of the fate of the first colony. They fared no better than the first group of settlers and of the 1,302 who travelled in this second expedition, only a handful ever made it back to Scotland. The venture was a disaster for Scotland and a blow to the country’s morale and economy, and led directly to the Union of 1707.
Q When was the last wolf in Scotland killed? A Wolves were considered such a threat to travellers in Scotland during the reign of James VI that special houses called ‘spittals‘ were erected on highways for their protection.
In Sutherland, inhabitants of the parish of Eddrachillis were forced to bury their dead on the island of Handa to prevent wolves from digging up the graves of their loved ones. In Atholl, coffins were made wolf-proof by making them out of flagstones. It is likely that wolves became extinct in the Scottish Lowlands during the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, when large tracks of forest were cleared. Wolf populations reached their peak in the second half of the 16th century. Mary, Queen of Scots is known to have hunted wolves in the forest of Atholl in 1563. Official records indicate that the last Scottish wolf was killed by Sir Ewan Cameron in 1680 in Killiecrankie, Perthshire, although some reports claim that wolves survived in Scotland up until the 18th century and even beyond.
Q Where is the oldest tomb or gravestone in Scotland?
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In 2009, archaeologists found a tomb, dating back 4,000 years, in Forteviot, Perthshire. Inside the tomb, the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler was found, buried on a bed of white quartz pebbles and birch bark with a bronze and gold dagger, a bronze knife, a wooden bowl and a leather bag. When it comes to the oldest gravestone, it wasn’t until the early 1600s that dates and initials were carved on headstones. According to one authority, the oldest dated gravestone in Scotland is said to be the Rutherford stone, dated 1623. It can be found at St Serf’s Graveyard in Dunning, Perthshire. SCOTS heritage spring 2013 101
SCOTS heritage
In print A selection of literature to ensure that your reading has a truly Scottish perspective Scotland’s Lost Gardens By Marilyn Brown This book sheds light on the cultural history of Scotland through the nation’s now vanished gardens. An impressively well illustrated guide – especially considering the subject matter – the 30 years of research undertaken by Brown in order to produce this book are evident in the content. Readers who are familiar with the empty spaces where these gardens once stood will be amazed by the scale of what once was. There is something here for gardeners and historians alike.
RCAHMS Hardback £30
The Highland Clans By Alistair Moffat This historic guide can be enjoyed equally by reading from cover to cover or dipping in and out of as a useful reference guide. Alistair Moffat is an academic with the rare ability to write for ordinary people who wish to learn about history without getting bogged down in endless facts and figures. The many illustrations bring the characters, places and battles to life.
A Dictionary of Scottish Phrase and fable By Ian Crofton This fascinating guide to curious items, sayings, songs, legends and anything else Scottish is intensely browsable and highly addictive. Scotland’s answer to Revd Dr Ebenezer Cobham Brewer’s Victorian Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. A handy reference guide and a must read for anyone with an interest in Scotland’s rich cultural tapestry, this a funny, witty and entertaining read.
Birlinn, hardback £25
Thames & Hudson, paperback £7.95
Crown, Covenant & Cromwell: The Civil Wars in Scotland 1639-1651 By Stuart Reid This is an great book on an important but under-studied era in Scottish history. Reid doesn’t concentrate on the causes of the Great Civil War or the role of Scottish troops, but takes a forensic look at the battles themselves. There is also a fascinating examination of the roles of Generals such as Alexander Leslie, James Graham and Oliver Cromwell.
Pen & Sword, hardback £19.99
Clydebuilt: The Story of George Reith By Marista Leishman This is a fascinating biography of George Reith, the bullying and often bad-tempered visionary who rose from humble origins in eighteenth century rural Scotland to play a pivotal role in realising the potential of the Clyde. Leishman’s book does justice to Reith and his vision, whose key role in turning Glasgow into the second city of the Empire makes him such an important figure in Scottish history.
St Andrew Press, paperback £12.99 102 www.scots.com
The Way We Were Victorian & Edwardian Scotland in Colour By John Hannavy Old photographs are undoubtedly a great way to gain an understanding of how Scotland was. For some readers, black and white images can make people and places seem difficult to relate to, so many of the images in this book are reproduced using colour lithograph printing techniques in a generally successful attempt to bring them to life.
Whittles Publishing, paperback £18.99
Books
History of Skye By Cailean Maclean This is the third edition of the classic History of Skye, originally published in 1930. This volume preserves the text of the original with the addition of new illustrations, a biography of the author and a glossary of place-names.
The Islands Book Trust, hardback £25
From An Antique Land By Anne MacLeod Bloody Scottish History Edinburgh By Geoff Holder Not for the faint-hearted, this bloodspattered catalogue of dastardly deeds and violence in Scotland’s capital covers murder, massacre, battles, sieges, riots, rebellions, assassinations, anarchy, plague, bodysnatching and more. An informative, easily-read and well illustrated guide to a beautiful city with a dark and seedy underbelly.
The History Press, paperback £9.99
A collection and examination of visual representations of the Highlands of Scotland, this book is written by a historian and its tone can be weighty in places. It’s an exploration of the bias in favour of antiquity which is evident in images of the region and a study of the effect that this has had on perceptions of Highland life throughout the years and in the present day. Perhaps one for the academics rather than anyone with a fleeting interest in history.
Birlinn, paperback £25
The Stuart Agenda By Alan Calder This is an entertaining holiday read based around an intriguing, if far-fetched, idea. If the royal bloodline of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Stuarts had survived would they have a claim to the Scottish throne? The story is an interesting blend of fact and fiction set in a future where The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on the throne. Calder clearly knows his Scottish history and this, his first novel, showcases his skills as a writer.
Willow Moon Publishing, paperback £10
On the Trail of King Arthur Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Robin Crichton ByByxxxxxxxx Complete with illustrations, maps and itineraries, this book Edinburgh-based William Coles’ follow-up to The Well-Tempered presents a new archaeological enquiry in an attempt to find out Clavier is an entertaining romp about a journalist who falls for an who the real King Arthur was. The idea is that the book provides intelligent, beautiful woman despite the fact that she’s happily the evidence cluesman. to allow readerfast-paced to go off on an embroiled withand another This isthe a witty, romance ‘ A rthur trail’ around Southern Scotland, allowing them to draw which neatly teases out some eternal truths about the nature of their own conclusions on the legend. love.
Luath Press Ltd., paperback xxxxxxxxxxx £9.99 £8.99 Britain’s Last Frontier: A Journey along the Highland Line By Alistair Moffat Moffat tells the tale of The Highland Line, the boundary between Highland and Lowland Scotland in his usual easy and enjoyable style. This is the story of the two Scotlands, and is undoubtedly one of the most important Scottish books of the year.
Birlinn, hardback £17.99
The Pocket Book of Scottish Quotations By David Ross A wonderful collection of quotations that captures the sharptongue and quick wit of the Scots. Find quotes from, and about, Scottish family, social life, religion, friends, enemies, insults, places, politics, protest, the land and well-known people. A really great insight into Scottish culture, presented in a way that is sure to appeal to people of all ages and nationalities.
Birlinn, paperback £7.99 SCOTS heritage spring 2013 103
Developing independence within a homefrom-home
Young people enjoy developing their independence at Scotland’s boarding schools whilst belonging to a supportive community where they can make ďŹ rm friendships and thrive. Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) gives information, advice and guidance about choosing an independent school. For more information, visit scis.org.uk/for-parents
Scan this QR code to view the website on your mobile phone.
104 www.scots.com
Call +44 (0)131 556 2316 for a copy of our free Guide to Boarding Schools.
Books
Fauna Scotica By Polly Pullar & Mary Low This informative guide to Scotland’s wildlife is co-authored by Scottish Field’s extremely knowledgeable and expert wildlife correspondent Polly Pullar and is packed with fascinating facts on hundreds of species.
Birlinn, hardback £30
The Tobermory Cat By Debi Gliori Travels in Scotland 1788 - 1881: A Selection from Contemporary Tourist Journals By Alastair J Durie Exploring the nature of Scottish tourism in the 18th and 19th century. This book follows a range of travellers on their journeys through Scotland. A great way to explore Scottish life and nature over 200 years ago and simultaneously reminds us how much the way we holiday has changed. Each travel journal is easy to follow, reflecting on luxury tourism for the super-rich to basic family holidays in the country and everything in between.
Boydell Press, hardback £25
A lovely tale for children, full of fun and beautifully illustrated and presented. The tale of a cat who wanted to be special enough to draw tourists to his beloved Tobermory. Colourful and full of animals, it’s sure to appeal to wee ones and is sufficiently well-written to ensure that parents will be happy to read it again and again.
Birlinn, hardback £9.99
The Scottish Country House By James Knox This collection of images and information chronicles a remarkable group of houses and castles which remain in the hands of the families who originally owned them, despite Scotland’s turbulent past. Author, James Knox is knowledgeable and writes very well, but much of the charm of this book lies in James Fennell’s specially commissioned and stunning photography.
Thames & Hudson, hardback £28
Voicing Scotland Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Gary West ByByxxxxxxxx This evocative book celebrates song, music andWell-Tempered storytelling of Edinburgh-based William Coles’the follow-up to The Scotland. It also provides a great introduction to some thefor great Clavier is an entertaining romp about a journalist whooffalls an characters in Scotland’s traditional and folk culture, from Robert intelligent, beautiful woman despite the fact that she’s happilyBurns to Dick Gaughan, Grassicman. Gibbon Steele. Interviews and acembroiled with another ThistoisDavy a witty, fast-paced romance counts are delivered in a way that brings the traditional music scene which neatly teases out some eternal truths about the nature of to life. West’s knowledge and passion shine through in his writing. love.
Luath Press, paperback xxxxxxxxxxx £12.99 £8.99
Scottish Country Kitchen By Ruth Shannon
The Chess Men By Peter May
A cookbook to appeal to the meat eater amongst us, focusing on the natural flavours and wonderful produce that Scotland is famous for. These simple recipes are easy to follow and well illustrated with photography by Graeme Wallace.
The third and final part of May’s Lewis Trilogy continues with his skilled prose painting an atmospheric picture of the landscape, life and traditions of the Hebrides. The story centres around deep-rooted childhood friendships, trust and truth. A great crime thriller with a tightly wound plot woven into a human story full of sadness, pain and tragedy.
GW Publishing, hardback £19.95
Quercus, hardback £14.99 SCOTS heritage spring 2013 105
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Puzzles
Puzzles PIT YOUR WITS AGAINST OUR SCOTTISH QUIZ
Guess the year
Where are we?
1. The Church of Scotland ordained its first woman minister in this year. It was one of the first national churches to accept the ordination of women.
This is an ancient place which received a charter from Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick in 1193. For generations it remained under the subjection of the Kennedys, followed by the Earls of Cassillis and, later, the Marquesses of Ailsa, the most powerful family in the area. Culzean Castle, the ancestral seat of the Marquesses of Ailsa, is located just a few miles from here. In former times, this place was the capital of the district of Carrick. This town is twinned with Beloeil in Belgium, Crosne in France and Schotten in Germany.
2. Glaswegian pop star Lulu married Bee Gee, Maurice Gibb in this year. She also won the Eurovision Song Contest singing Boom bang-a-bang.
3. Scottish naturalist Gavin Maxwell, best known for his work with otters and his book Ring of Bright Water, died in this year.
Who said? ‘Did not strong connections draw me elsewhere, I believe Scotland would be the country I should choose to end my days in.’
4. The first UK oil field was discovered in the North Sea.
Word search
Drookit How many English words can you make from the word above? We can find 42. Try to find as many as possible. Words must be at least three letters.
5. John Lennon crashed his car in Golspie while holidaying with Yoko Ono, her daughter Kyoko and his son Julian.
20 WORDS: good, 25 WORDS: excellent, 35 WORDS OR MORE: you are a genius
ANSWERS: Where are we? – Maybole, Ayrshire. Who said? – Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Guess the year – 1969. Advertising Terms and Conditions: Your attention is drawn to the following terms and conditions which relate to the placing of advertisements in all publications owned by Wyvex Media Ltd. Parties to this agreement are the Publisher, Wyvex Media Ltd. on the one part and the Advertiser on the other part. The Publisher publishes newspapers, magazines, books and provides advertising space therein or provides for the delivery of advertising materials to the public within these publications. 01 Advertising copy shall be legal, decent, honest and truthful and comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice and all other codes. 02 The Publisher does not guarantee the insertion of any particular advertisement. 03 The Publisher reserves the right to cancel or alter the advertisement by giving reasonable notice. 04 An order for an advertisement shall be deemed to be made on acceptance of the advertisers’ order by the Publisher whether placed by telephone, mail, fax, email or in person. 05 Cancellations or postponements of orders must be notified in writing and cannot be accepted later than 30 days prior to the scheduled publication date. Cancellations not in accordance with these terms will be subject to payment of the full cost of the advert. Advertisments that are part of an agreed discounted campaign or series and have appeared prior to cancellation will be re-charged at full rate. 06 The parties submit to the jurisdiction of the Scottish Courts and Scots Law. In the event of any dispute or action by the Publisher to recover payment from an advertiser, it is agreed that matters will be settled in the Oban, Argyll Sheriff Court or such other Court as the Publisher may choose. 07 The Publisher shall not be liable for any loss or damage occasioned by any total or partial failure (however caused) of publication or distribution of any newspaper or edition in which any advertisement is scheduled to appear. In the event of any error, misprint or omission in the printing of an advertisement or part of an advertisement, the Publisher will either re-insert the advertisement or relevant part of the advertisement, as the case may be, or make rea-
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SocialSCOTS THE AMERICAN-SCOTTISH FOUNDATION WALLACE AWARD GALA DINNER HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY CLUB, NEW YORK CITY
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1 Sir Ian Wood, Lady Wood, Alan L. Bain, Heather L. Bain, Prof. George Youngson and David Cunningham 2 Ian, Jill, Andrew and Emma Bain 3 Captain Bill MacDonald and Guest 4 Lady Wood and Michele Johnston 5 Nan Twaddle and Bill Maitland 6 Ian Bain, Elizabeth DeForest Scott, Col. Robert McWilliam, Heather L. Bain and Wayne Rethford 7 David Hudson, Ron and Mary Shelton
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SocialSCOTS THE GLENFIDDICH SPIRIT OF SCOTLAND AWARDS HELD AT PRESTONFIELD HOUSE IN EDINBURGH
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Clans & societies
ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL DINNER HELD AT THE CALEDONIAN HOTEL, EDINBURGH
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&societies
Clans Clan Crest emblems © Gaelic Themes Limited, Glasgow, Scotland.
CLAN DONNACHAIDH Why Belong to the Clan Society in Scotland? In essence, the job of the Society in Scotland is to be the trunk of the tree from which the branches spring. Its health depends on support from clansfolk who wish to preserve and enhance their heritage. Branches: Arizona - Carolinas - Florida - London & Southern Counties - Mid-Atlantic - Midwest -New Zealand Northeast - Northern California - Ontario - Pacific Northwest - Queensland - Rannoch & Highland (Scotland) - Rocky Mountain - Donnachaidh of the South - Southern California New South Wales, Western Australia - Texas - Upper Midwest Branch Clan Secretary: secretaryclandonna@btconnect.com Membership Secretary / Catherine McCartney managerclandonna@btconnect.com Clan Donnachaidh Centre, Perthshire PH18 5TW, Scotland www.donnachaidh.com
Join the Donnachaidh DNA Surname Project Family History Research and DNA testing; www.clandonnachaidhdna.org Contact: Tim Duncan HC-1 Box-86, Kelso, CA 92309 Phone: (760) 733-4002 Email: tim@clandonnachaidhdna.org
CLAN MACPHERSON ASSOCIATION Clan Macpherson welcomes enquiries from Macphersons and members of our Associated families. For information contact your local representative, our web site www.clanmacpherson.org/branches, or the ‘Official Clan Macpherson Association’ Facebook page. Australia. John L Macpherson, greymac@acenet.com.au, phone +61 2 4871 1123. Canada. John C Gillies, jcgillies@ rogers.com, phone +1 705 4460 280. New Zealand. Tim McPherson, dalmore@xtra.co.nz, phone +64 3 234 5098 Scotland. Bill Macpherson, bill.macpherson@glenfeargach. co.uk, phone +44 1577 830 430. England & Wales. Angus Macpherson, angusmacpherson@1templegardens.co.uk. USA. Ken Croker, ckcroker@sti.net, phone +1 559 658 6189
CLAN CAMERON The Clan Cameron Association welcomes Camerons and their descendants and those who are members of septs of Clan Cameron, such as Chalmers, Clark, Clarke, Clarkson, Clerk, Kennedy, MacChlerick, McChlery MacGillonie, Macildowie, MacKail, Maclerie, MacMartin, MacOnie, MacOurlie, MacPhail, MacSorley, MacSorlie, MacUlric,Macvail, MacWalrick, Martin, Paul, Sorley, Sorlie, Taylor, to join their local association and take part in social gatherings and events, receive newsletters and other benefits of membership. Scotland (UK & Europe) www.clancameron.org.uk North America www.clan-cameron.org Australia www.clan-cameron.org.au New Zealand www.camclan.orconhosting.net.nz
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CLAN MACLENNAN Chief Ruairidh (Scotland) and Chieftain Greg (NSW) are the worldwide leaders of the proud MacLennan Clan. If you have any connection with the names MacLennan, Lobban, Logan or similar names there are two active branches of the Clan in Australia which would love to hear from you. Please contact: Max McLennan (Chief’s Representative) Unit 1, 6 Fisken Street, Ballan, Victoria 3342, A. Tel: 0431 231 933, e-mail: max_mary_mclennan@msn.com.au Graeme MacLennan (President, Melbourne Association) ‘Seaforth’, 722 Balloong Road, Woodside, Victoria 3874. Tel: 03 5187 1291, e-mail: seaforth@wideband.net.au Malcolm McLennan (President, Grafton Association) PO Box 247 South Grafton, NSW 2460. Tel: 02 6642 4290, e-mail: kaemac1@bigpond.com.au. Graeme McLennan (Sydney, NSW representative) 82 North Road, Denistone East, NSW 2112. Tel: 02 9809 5152, e-mail:maclennan.kintail@bigpond.com www.clanmaclennan-worldwide.com
CLAN COCHRANE Clan Cochrane is an organization that is dedicated to learning our history and promoting our Scottish heritage. We gather at various Scottish Highland Games and show our history and share our family ties to each other. We have representatives in several countries. Cynthia Cochran Jones, 6260 Keith Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30506-3906. Email: cmsj27ga@bellsouth.net Website: www.clancochrane.org
CLAN MACLAREN The Clan MacLaren Society of Australia welcomes enquiries from descendants of MacLarens/McLarens (and other variations), and their derivations Lawrence, Laurence, Law, Low, Lawson, Lowson, Lawrie and Laurie. The main sept is Pat(t)erson. A popular newsletter is published twice a year. Contact the Secretary, Bruce D McLaren, 152 Ramsgate Rd, Ramsgate Beach, NSW 2217. Tel: 02 9529 7784. e-mail: bruce_d_mclaren@hotmail.com
CLANNA CHATTAN - AUSTRALIA Clanna Chattan links 12 Scottish clans including Mackintosh, Macpherson, Shaw, MacBean, Farquharson, Phail, Davidson, MacGillivray, MacQueen, MacThomas and the Macleans of Dochgarroch. Contact Cellphone: Hon. Sec. Darlene-Marie McIntosh 04-1468-2042 or at 282 Coraki Road, Lismore NSW 2480. Email: mcintosh1@skymesh.com.au
CLAN MACLACHLAN The MacLachlan clan is headed by the Clan Chief, Euan Maclachlan of Maclachlan from his seat at Castle Lachlan on the shores of Loch Fyne in Argyll on the West Coast of Scotland. The clan motto ‘Fortis et Fidus’ means ‘Strong and Faithful’ or ‘Brave and Trusty’. www.clanlachlan.ca Clan MacLachlan Society Canadian Branch www.maclachlanwusa.com Clan MacLachlan Society Western USA Branch www.kilts.co.nz/lachln00.htm Clan MacLachlan Society New Zealand Branch www.scotsofaus.org.au/clan-associations/maclachlan/ Clan MacLachlan Society Victoria, Australia Branch www.maclachlans.org Clan MacLachlan Association of North America www.castlelachlan.com Website of the Clan Castle www.castlelachlancottages.com Website for Accommodation on the Castle Lachlan Estate
Clans & societies
CLAN KEITH Austen, Dick, Dickison, Dickson, Dixon, Dixson, Falconer, Hack, Hastron, Hake, Harvey, Haxton Henry, Hervey, Hurrie, Keith, Lum, Lumm, Lumgair, Mackeith, Marshall, Urie or Ury, are names associated with the ancient Clan Keith. Enquiries welcome to Mrs Jean Marshall, 26 Ivey Street Lindfield NSW 2070. Tel: 02 94167760. e-mail: braces@pnc.com.au www.clankeith.org/australia
CLAN JOHNSTON/E ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA We welcome fellow Clansmen and women with an interest in Johnson, Johnston, Johnstone, Marchbanks, Marjoribanks, and Rome. The Clan Johnston/e Association can be found in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Enquiries to: The Secretary, 233 KingsCreek Road, Wauchope NSW 2446, Australia. Tel: AH 02 6585 2967. email: Valdesj@bigpond.com www.johnston.asn.au
To advertise your Clan or society here, contact Fiona: fiona@scotsheritagemagazine.com or call +44 (0) 1631 568000
CLAN SCOTT Clan Scott was one of the largest and most powerful Clans of the Scottish Borders. Their origins can be traced to the 12th century and their Chiefs have maintained an unbroken line of descent to the present day. Membership of the Clan Scott Association of Australasia is open to all Scotts and their descendants as well as the septs Geddes, Laidlaw, Langland(s) and Napier and their descendants. For more information contact the Secretary Jean ScottDeaner, PO Box 320 Maclean NSW 2463. Tel: 02 6645 3486.
CLAN MACFARLANE CLAN LOGAN SOCIETY Membership is open to all persons descended from or connected by marriage or adoption to the Logan’s of the UK and Ireland, and their friends. Our purpose is to foster Clan sentiment and spirit, collect and preserve our Clan history, encourage our children to be proud of their heritage, and participate in cultural events by wearing Clan Logan attire. Associated names include: Lagan, Laggan, Leonerd, Loban, Lobban, Loben, Logane, Logan, Logen, Loggan, Loggane, Loggans, Loghane, Loghyn, Login, Logyn, Lopan, Lowgan, Lyndon. Vernon E. Logan (President) 6255 Towncenter Dr., Suite 636, Clemmons, NC 27012. E-Mail: clanlogan_president@yahoo.com James C. Logan (Vice President) 6255 Towncenter Dr., Suite 636, Clemmons, NC 27012. E-Mail: clanlogan_chairman@yahoo.com Peter Logan (UK Commissioner) 2 Grenville Close, Haslington, Crewe CW1 5TU. E-Mail: rury@uwclub.net Membership Information: 6255 Towncenter Dr., Suite 636, Clemmons, NC 27012. E-Mail: clanlogan_membership@yahoo.com Web Site: www.clanlogansociety.com
COMUNN GÀIDHLIG ASTRÀILIA The Scottish Gaelic Association of Australia is a nonprofit organisation formed to preserve the interests and community of Scottish Gaels in Australia and provide a contact point for those interested in the Gaelic language and culture. Our members include native speakers and learners. We produce a quarterly journal (An Teachdaire Gaidhealach), organise social gatherings, events and language workshops and hold regular monthly Gaelic conversation circles. Enquiries to Ruaraidh MacAonghais, Ionmhasair (Treasurer) Tel: 0404822314. fios@ozgaelic.org www.ozgaelic.org Rèdio: http://www.3zzz.com.au (Select 'Scottish' from 'Listen' menu)
The international Clan Macfarlane Society, Inc. is dedicated to the preservation of our clan heritage. The Society provides a Quarterly Newsletter (MacFarlanes’ Lantern), Genealogy Archive and Database, Lending Library, and is creating a heritage centre and museum in our native homeland near Tarbet, Loch Lomond. Please visit our website:http://macfarlane.org or contact: David and Moyra Millar, Directors of Membership, Bridgend Cottage West, Auchmuirbridge, Leslie, Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland KY6 3JD Email: membership@macfarlane.org
CLAN ARTHUR MacArthur, Arthur, McCarter, McArtor, etc. In 1991, Scotland’s Court of the Lord Lyon recognized the MacArthurs as Clan Arthur. 10 years later it approved the late James Edward Moir MacArthur as its Chief. Today, James’ son, Chief John Alexander MacArthur of that Ilk, leads the clan. The recently created Clan Arthur Association, USA (CAAUSA) supports the Chief and works to educate Clan members as to their heritage. It produces the quarterly newsletter, “Arthur’s Table” and the website www.clanarthur.org. Nancy McArthur Cochener, President. Contact her at ncochener@cgfind.com or write her at 10821 E. Glengate Circle, Wichita, KS 67206.
CLAN MACKENZIE There are 31 septs of Clan Mackenzie. If your family is one of them you are linked to one of the most illustrious clans in Scottish history. To learn more or to join the Clan Mackenzie Society contact either Mr Noel Dennis, 61 Alma Street, Malvern East, Victoria 3145. Tel: 03 9569 5716, or Jean Mackenzie, 4 Hill Street, Five Dock, NSW 2046. Tel: 02 9712 1213.
SCOTTISH DISTRICT FAMILIES ASSOCIATION SCOTTISH CLANS AND ASSOCIATIONS COUNCIL INC. The Council, incorporated in Victoria, provides a rallying point for Scottish Clan Societies and Associations and provides a strong united voice, maintaining the heritage and traditions of the Scottish clans. We offer advice and assistance to anyone wishing to form their own Clan Society or Association, or can introduce them to existing societies and associations. Membership is also encouraged from other groups or anyone seeking to maintain and foster participation in Scottish and Celtic activities. President & Contact Officer - Doug McLaughlin. T: 03 9758 2594. E: banddmcl@tpg.com.au. Secretary - Robert Stewart, 23 McCallum Road, Doncaster, Vic. 3108. E: randjstewart@optusnet.com.au
www.scottishclansandassociations.org
It is estimated that 70% of all Scottish family names are not associated with clans, but instead are district family names. The Scottish District Families Association (SDFA), based in the U.S, was formed in 1997 by the Council of Scottish Clans & Association for people attending games and festivals who had Scottish connections, but to an area of Scotland or to Lowland families, rather than a specific clan. The SDFA provides members with a quarterly newsletter with information on districts and Lowland families, SDFA activities, other Scottish information and a place to meet others with Scottish and district heritage. Find us on Facebook at Scottish District Families Association or our website www.scottishdistricts.org.
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m o r f r e McLett a c i r e m A
I
am a person of Scottish ancestry. I have never been to Scotland. I strongly suspect that not a single McIntosh of my ancestral line has set foot in Scotland since 1752. That was the year John and Mary Og McIntosh arrived in Virginia from Inverness and began the American chronicle that yielded me. Despite the passage of 261 years since anyone in my family has touched Scottish soil, here I sit with my uncle’s old Mackintosh tartan kilt displayed prominently in my home, a proud Scottish heritage handed down from my American family and my Clan Mackintosh North America annual membership dues on the kitchen table ready to be mailed. Being Scottish is a sticky thing - it has clung to my family for two and a half centuries. I often wonder whether that strong Scottish bond will survive another century in this world. Since becoming president of the Council of Scottish Clans & Associations, I have become even more keenly aware that I am surrounded by great numbers of others like me - literally millions of Americans of Scottish ancestry - distributed right across this super-sized North American continent. Some know it, most do not. Just how many Americans of Scottish ancestry live in America? The US 2010 Census suggests that just shy of nine million Americans identified themselves as having Scottish or Scots-Irish ancestry. Instinctively, it seems the actual numbers are likely much higher. Only a small fraction of these millions who know they are Scots are actively engaged in the organised Scottish-American community and outwardly celebrate their Scottishness. Who are the rest and what do they tell their children about their own rare and rich Scottish heritage? We may focus so much attention on those who engage in the proud and colourful performance of Scottish heritage that we miss the really large numbers of Scottish-Americans who are quietly so, but remarkable in their persistent affection for an inherited Scottish identity and character. The Scottish diaspora is alive and significant in America. It is large, venerable and persistent. Yet the 2010 census figures also bear out what many of us 114 www.scots.com
shness How can we ensure Scotti ky thing? remains a joyously stic Words Susan L McIntosh illustration Bob Dewar
feel and witness year after year: the Scottish-American community is ageing and we are older than the rest of America. The median age for all Americans is 37 years and only 16% of us have celebrated a 62nd birthday. In contrast, the Scottish-American median age is nearly 50 years. Nearly one in four of all Scottish-Americans are aged 62 years and older. As we are all ageing, it is critical that our history, tradition, skills, language, principles, character – our heritage – be transferred to the next generations. I often wonder how my ancient Scottish ancestors might have characterised themselves. Seems doubtful that a Mackintosh cousin would have declared in the 15th century, as I did at the start of this, ‘I am a person of Scottish ancestry’. Might he have considered himself a person of Pictish ancestry? My 15th century cousin and those that followed have largely failed to preserve the heritage of our ancestral Pictish people. Today we have the tools to do a better job but the threats are much greater. So off we go to discover those quietly tenacious parts of Scottish-America that make up the vast mass of who we are. In future issues we will bring you stories about how Scottishness is faring in America - under the tartan radar. In the next issue, meet the six generations of McLeods that have ranched and bred American Elk on the knife edge of Black Mesa overlooking the Gunnison Gorge at 9,000 feet in Colorado. These are American cowboys and they don’t work in kilts. Yet this American ranch family came from Skye and they know it. Though now remote, their Scottish past touches them every day as each is constantly reminded that their antecedents left the Hebrides because there was no land and therefore no liberty. The McLeods found both land and liberty in Colorado and these Scottish roots are not likely to give up this ground in the near future. Susan McIntosh is the President of the Council of Scottish Clans & Associations, www.COSCA.net