Further to presenting a talk at Culloden House in April of this year on the topic of Scottish Swords of Legend, I was advised that the Clan Donnachaidh Museum housed a sword with Culloden provenance.

As this was on the return route to Edinburgh, stopping in to study the sword was a natural choice. Upon viewing the sword, I was struck by certain manufactured form and detail that I found of great interest and was inspired to subsequently make some fascinating historic connections.

My work involves hand-crafting historically accurate European edged weaponry of all forms from Bronze Age to present day. Over the years, Scottish basket hilted swords have been one area of personal interest that has become more prominent in my armoury studies. Every basket hilted sword has particular identifying form and characteristics as unique as a fingerprint and every one provides a fascinating insight into historical craftsmanship, functional form and martial swordsmanship.

The sword of Donald Robertson revealed remarkable similarities to another sword and one currently in my custodianship, that of Rob Roy MacGregor. The Macgregor sword was passed from him to his landlord (a MacLaren) on his deathbed and remained in this family line until a couple of generations ago, when it was bought by a family from my own homeland in Moidart.

My first visit to study the Robertson sword only sparked further burning questions and closer study was necessary. The museum was extremely helpful when upon my second visit I was granted access to examine the sword closely and also directly alongside that of MacGregor for direct comparison.

Sword of Donald Robertson of Woodsheal (Targe by Graeme Biggerstaff at Alba Targes)

It may be simpler to first account for the differences in both swords. The grip material and form is different, with MacGregor’s having a wooden grip (Caledonian pine) filed deeply to originally secure wire over a leather or shark-skin grip covering (now lost to expose only wooden grip). Robertson’s sword unusually bears a grip made from stag antler (red deer).

This is an unusual grip material choice but the form feels remarkably comfortable in the hand. It is always possible that the antler has been a later addition to possibly replace a badly cracked or perished wooden grip, but the top of the pommel shows no signs of re-working in recent years.

Robertson’s sword also carries a pommel somewhat smaller and squatter than MacGregor’s. This is not too surprising as MacGregor’s blade is slightly broader. This results in a slightly heavier blade overall, which requires balancing out with a larger pommel.

Both swords bear distinctly broad double edged blades of excellent temper. The origin of blades without specific marks of makers or country of origin might always be debatable, but we might assess something as much from what markings they do not carry.

Jacobite swordsmen often privately purchased their side-arms, and they certainly knew the value of a good quality blade. Examples of Jacobite swords for example invariably carry blades of far higher quality than the standard “munition quality” swords issued to British Government troops of the day.

The best quality sword blades manufactured in great numbers were from Solingen and Passau in Germany, and these were often imported to Scotland throughout the late C17th – mid C18th to be mounted by local makers as basket hilted swords. The “running wolf” mark was common to German blade-smiths and can often be found on quality Jacobite swords.

Running Wolf maker’s mark on a Solingen manufactured sword blade.

Neither MacGregor’s or Robertson’s blades display a running wolf mark. Both blades are double edged and centrally fullered. The fullers or grooved channels running down the length of a blade serve a simple purpose and that is to reduce weight where possible without compromising blade strength or flexibility. They are not “blood grooves” as popular gory myth might imply.

Robertson’s blade appears to have some lettering inside the fullering, which could not be easily discerned in the low light conditions. Further dedicated study may here reveal greater detail. The blade of MacGregor’s is stamped with the legend ANDRIA FARARA.

Andrea Fararra was an Italian swordsmith working in Belluno between 1550 – 1583. It is believed he also lived and worked in Scotland for a number of years. He was renowned for the exceptional quality of his steel and blades, so much so that his name continued to be stamped in various spellings on blades far beyond his death throughout the C17th and C18th.

Andria Farara blade stamping on MacGregor’s sword blade fullers.

The hilt forms of both swords are similar in form and detail. Both have been constructed according to the same pattern, one which could date from as early as 1680 – 1690. One particular construction consistency between both swords is the section and dimensions of connecting bars.

These are noticeably square in section, which is unusual as most Highland basket hilt connecting bars are round in section. More-so, these connecting bars are incised their length on the outside faces with a shallow central channel. The side panels are near identical in form and detail, featuring exactly the same pattern of filed channels and positions of pierced holes and hearts. The same bears true for the forward-most panel or knucklebow, which reflects the pattern and detail of the side panels.

The main difference in the hilts lies in the square “Saltire panels”. Each sword has two of these square panels, which provide a significant part of the basket hilt protection for hand and knuckles. MacGregor’s sword features a repeating pattern of pierced circular holes and rectangular slots. Robertson’s features four hearts on each panel, filed in the same form as the forward and side panel detail.

MacGregor and Robertson swords hilts side view comparison

MacGregor and Robertson sword hilts front view comparison

Such similar form and details are indicative of being crafted by the same hand, or at very least the same armoury. So where could these swords of provenance have originated?

Earlier this year I was directed on a path of research after reading about a legendary Highland armoury. This was the armoury at Innerwick, Glen Lyon, which was operated by no less than 14 generations of the MacFarlane Clan.

The MacFarlanes were renowned for their skill in making quality arms and certainly were in production here through the C17th and C18th. This clan also had close ties with the MacGregors of Roro and provided them with arms for many years.

Tying the clan association together with geography (Rob Roy was usually living approximately 20 miles South West of Innerwick and Robertson approximately 20 miles to the East), the armourers of Glen Lyon would appears to be the likely candidates for the manufacture of these unique swords of provenance.

I recently visited the location of the Innerwick armoury. The building is now gone, but its original place is known and lies directly beside a small burn still known today as Muileann nam Biodag or the Mill of the Dirks.

It was a special visit to rediscover this ancient site where once sparks and hammers flew daily to craft some of the best quality blades and arms in the Highlands. Clansmen would have revered these, carried them with pride, swore by them and staked their very Honour and Lives upon them.

The author with Rob Roy MacGregor’s Sword by the Mill of the Dirks at Innerwick, Glen Lyon

Further research is now currently being conducted in order to determine the characteristics of Glen Lyon patterns of basket hilted swords. Such studies have only been made possible by the original connections made between two swords of distinct legend, that of Donald Robertson of Woodsheal and that of Rob Roy MacGregor.

Every original sword is unique and bears its own character, much like those of the original makers and owners. These old seasoned veterans talk to us yet and we need only listen closely and ask the right questions to see more clearly into the mists of time.

And like any great historic adventure, the more questions that are answered, the more are raised. Let us see what further discoveries and paths of research might yet arise from these initial findings by the sword.

Paul Macdonald is originally from Moidart and has long held a fascination in Scottish martial archaeology. He is a professional custom sword and knife maker and historical fencing master and runs Macdonald Armouries (www.macdonaldarms.com/armoury) and the Macdonald Academy of Arms (www.macdonaldarms.com) based in Edinburgh.

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The Scott Monument, sometimes referred to as the ‘gothic rocket’, is a Victorian Gothic monument to the author Sir Walter Scott. It stands towards the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh, and happens to be the largest monument to a writer in the world, and was completed on August 1st 1846.

Scott was a poet, novelist, ballad-collector, critic and man of letters, but is probably most renowned as the founder of the genre of the historical novel, involving tales of gallantry, romance and chivalry. Beginning with the publication of Waverley in 1814, one of the most significant books of the nineteenth-century, his anonymously published Waverley novels proved hugely popular in Europe and America, and established his reputation as a major international literary force. It is a measure of Scott’s influence that Edinburgh’s central railway station, opened in 1854, is called Waverley Station, the only station in the world to be named for a book.

By the 1820s, Scott was probably the most famous of living Scotsmen, and was consequently chosen to organise the visit to Edinburgh in 1822 of George IV. He was heavily criticised by his Scottish contemporaries for the resultant tartan pageantry, in which the King appeared in Highland dress complete with salmon-pink leggings.

In 1825, his financial state deteriorated drastically, and rather than declare bankruptcy he placed his home, Abbotsford, and income into a trust belonging to his creditors, and proceeded to write his way out of debt. He continued to live at Abbotsford near Melrose, where he died on the 21st September 1832. Among other tributes, the Scott monument was raised on Princes Street in Edinburgh…

Upon his death the great and good of Edinburgh came together to agree on a fitting monument to this outstanding Scottish man. In 1836, an architectural competition was launched, inviting designs for an appropriate memorial. One entrant went under the unlikely name of ‘John Morvo’, a name shared by the medieval architect of Melrose Abbey. Morvo was in fact George Meikle Kemp, a 45 year old joiner, draughtsman and self-taught architect. Kemp had feared his lack of architectural qualifications and reputation would influence judges against his design. In 1838 it was announced that Kemp’s design had won the competition and his monument was to be built. At the same time the result was announced, Sir John Steell was unanimously selected to undertake the sculpture of Scott at the base of the monument.

The foundation stone was laid on the 15th August 1840, the anniversary of Scott’s birthday. In the foundations were deposited a glass jar ‘time capsule’ and two bronze plaques – one from the Freemasons, the other celebrating the author.

A silver trowel with a mahogany handle was used during the ceremony for laying the foundation stone of the monument. It has an engraved border of a rolling thistle flower and leaf, and on it is written:

‘To Commemorate the Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Monument at Edinburgh in honour of the Immortal Scott.
This trowel to be used at the ceremonial was presented to the Right Honourable Sir James Forrest of Comiston Bart., Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Most Worshipful Grand Mason over all Scotland.

The Right Worshipful Master, Office Bearers and Brethren of the Grand Masters Mother Lodge, The Ancient Lodge of Edinburgh No.92. Aug 15th 1840.’

The trowel can be found on display at the Writers’ Museum, Lady Stair’s Close, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh.

Construction began in 1841 following permission by an Act of Parliament. Specifically the Monument to Sir Walter Scott Act 1841, which allowed the monument to be built on the site chosen, as there was a ban on any construction between Princes Street and the Old Town, so as not to obscure the historic view.

Tragically George Meikle Kemp died when the monument was only half completed, on the night of 6th March 1844. It is thought he was to have lost his way in very thick fog after visiting his contractor near the old Canal Basin in Fountainbridge. His body was found in the canal one week later. Over 1000 people attended his funeral. His coffin was carried to St Cuthberts graveyard by his workmen, who by all accounts, thoroughly respected his humble origins and great depth of knowledge.

After Kemp’s death, work continued under the supervision of his brother-in-law, William Bonnar. He proposed an amendment to the height from 176 feet to 200 feet and six inches. For a while there was dissent from outsiders, especially when a rise in costs from £10,000 to £12,000 was forecast. However, when workmen on the project offered two weeks labour without pay in order to support Bonnar, the money was found.

Taking nearly four years, construction ran until August of 1844 with Kemp’s son placing the finial in that month.

The actual date of the inauguration ceremony seems to have been lost to time, but most accounts give it as the 17th or 18th of August 1846, with contemporary newspapers stating that it was the 15th (Scott’s Birthday).

Thousands of people attended the inauguration ceremony, some travelling great distances to see the monument. The steamer ‘Britannia’ brought nearly 300, the evening before some 400 people came from Dundee, other ferries arrived in the morning from Fife, and a train came from Burns country with hundreds aboard.

The procession comprised the Monument Committees, the Town Council of Edinburgh, the Magistrates of Edinburgh, Canongate, Leith and Portsburgh, various Masonic Lodges and Officials, who all assembled in the Royal High School. It was described in The Scotsman newspaper as “a moving stream of umbrellas, with long lines of stationary umbrellas for its banks”, although there is not an umbrella to be seen in this image.

It was preceded by mounted military band, and a detachment of Dragoons. There was an opening address by Lord Glenlyon, Grand Master of Scotland and a reply by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, the Right Honourable Adam Black – whose statue is 100 yards to the west of the monument.

From the ground the pinnacle of the monument rises 200ft and 6in above Princes Street and the gardens surrounding it. The foundations were sunk 52ft into the ground to support its considerable weight, and added considerably to the total cost of the structure which amounted to £16,154 which today would be around £1.5m.

The monument was constructed of Binny sandstone, from the local Ecclesmachan quarry in West Lothian, which has left it’s own unique stamp on the structure. As it is an oily stone it has prematurely aged the appearance of the structure, although the soot of Victorian times and the exhaust fumes of the modern road and rail routes close by will have contributed a great deal.

On the ground, in the centre of the monument on a platform up seven massive steps, there is a statue of Scott carved from carrara marble and scale at double life-size. This was the work of the aforementioned Sir John Steell. It features Scott in a seated position, book in hand, with one of his favourite dogs, Maida, reclining at his feet.

This statue was carved from a 30 ton block imported from Livorno in Italy, which was no easy task. The block had to be retrieved from the bottom of the city harbour, as it was so heavy it ended up crashing through the hull of the ship and when it eventually arrived in Edinburgh, at Leith docks, it took a total of 25 horses to drag the cart carrying it through the streets to Steell’s studio on Princes Street.

It is actually the first marble statue to ever be displayed in Scotland and almost glows out from under the monument and the dark stone that surrounds it.

The monument also features a total of 68 figurative statues (not including Scott and his dog), placed all over the structure. 64 are visible from the ground, but 4 are hidden away above the final viewing gallery.

Each statue represents a famous Scottish person or a character from Scott’s literary work. Just a few of the figures that can be seen are Rob Roy MacGregor, Robert Burns, Mary, Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Robert the Bruce, and John Knox.

Also featured are several ‘grotesques’. The grotesque character faces are a typical stonemasons ‘joke’. Common in Gothic Architecture when medieval stonemasons carved all manner of weird and wonderful faces, gargoyles and other ‘grotesques’, on the great cathedrals of Europe.

Today the monument still stands proud in the heart of Edinburgh, instantly recognisable and loved by the cities residents. Of the visitors that flock to Edinburgh every year, thousands still visit this fantastic attraction and take on it’s 287 steps to get access to some of the best views of the city centre.

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1. Dalmore

Dalmore 12 Year Old Whisky

In 1263, an ancestor of Clan Mackenzie saved King Alexander III of Scotland from being gored by a stag whilst out hunting. The grateful King granted the Mackenzies the right to bear a stag’s head, with twelve points to its antlers, signifying a ‘Royal’ in their coat of arms. Today every bottle of the Dalmore single malt is adorned with the clan’s proud emblem. The distillery is located on the northern shores of the Firth of Cromarty overlooking the Black Isle, and was originally established in 1839 by Alexander Matheson, a trader who made his fortune in opium imports. The Mackenzie family bought the distillery in 1866 and have recently begun to use the Mackenzie motto of Luceo Non Uro (I shine, not burn) as the company’s philosophy. The Dalmore Single Highland Malt Collection is matured in a wooden casks (both sherry wood and American white oak) which, along with the years and the climate, contributes to the flavour of each malt.

2. Clan MacGregor

Clan MacGregor Blended Whisky

Clan MacGregor blended whisky takes its name from the highland clan, honouring one the descendents of ancient Celtic royalty as proclaimed in the motto ‘Royal is my Race’. The blend is made from 15 malt and grain whiskies from the heart of Scotland, blended to create a delicate, sweet aroma and smooth, mellow taste. The bottles proudly carry the Clan MacGregor badge and motto, and with his kind permission, the personal crest of the 24th Clan Chief, Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor. The Clan badge, a crowned lion’s head on a wreath encircled with a belt and buckle, signifies the unity and loyalty of the clan who suffered two centuries worth of oppression. It is enjoyed in over 60 countries around the world, from the USA to Venezuela and the Middle East to Thailand.

3. Talisker

Talisker 10 Year Old

My personal favourite, this wee gem of single malt is produced at the Talisker distillery on the shores of Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye. It’s the only distillery on the isle, with the distillery’s seaside home giving it a deep peaty character followed by a hint of sweet. The distillery was built in 1831 by brothers Hugh and Kenneth MacAskil after they acquired the lease of Talisker House from the chief of Clan MacLeod. When a new lease for the distillery was negotiated with the chief in 1892 the annual payment was to be £23.12s and a ten-gallon cask of best-quality Talisker. Today the single malt continues to be the preferred dram of clan chiefs – the MacNeil of Barra leases their seat of Kisimul Castle to Historic Scotland at a cost of £1 per annum and a bottle of Talisker. In 2007 Talisker 18 year old won ‘Best Single Malt in the World’ at the World Whiskies Awards and was one of three whiskies described by poet Robert Louis Stevenson as “The king o’ drinks, as I conceive it” in his poem The Scotsman’s Return From Abroad.

4. Clan Campbell

Clan Campbell Blended Whisky

While the link between this blended whisky and the actual clan is unclear, the whisky takes it names from the clan who have 14 million descendents around the globe. Clan Campbell is one of the largest clans in Scotland and renowned for its bravery and influence over the country’s history since the 13^th century. The whisky is distilled, blended and aged in the Highlands, combining Scotch grain and malt whiskies that have aged in oak casks for at least three years. The present clan chief, Torquhil Ian, combines his duties as Duke or Argyll, chief and landowner with a consultant role with Pernod Ricard, promoting Scotch Whiskies including Chivas Regal and Glenlivet.

5. Drambuie and Glayva

Drambuie Liqueur

Glayva Liqueur

Technically not a Whisky, Drambuie is a sweet golden coloured liqueur made from malt whisky, honey, herbs and spices. Produced in Broxburn, West Lothian, Drambuie derives its name from the Gaelic phrase an dram buidheach, (the drink that satisfies). After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Prince Charles Edward Stuart fled to the isle of Skye. There, he was given sanctuary by Captain John MacKinnon of Clan MacKinnon. According to family legend, after staying with the captain, the prince rewarded him with this prized drink recipe. This version of events is disputed by historians who believe it to be a story concocted to boost sales of the drink. The MacKinnon family produce the liqueur to this day. A similar liqueur is Glayva, produced in Leith since 1947. It made from a blend of aged Scotch whiskies, herbs, anise, cloves, almonds, heather honey, and citrus fruits. Legend has it that when Bonnie Prince Charlie was served a whisky based liqueur, he looked at his host, held up the glass and spoke the Gaelic “Gle mhath!”(very good) thus giving the drink the name it carries to this day.

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Enterprise and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing announced that all ten applicants to the fund have been offered grants to support the staging of clan events across the country. In October last year the £200,000 fund was put in place to provide support for activities promoting clan tourism outside of Edinburgh and Galsgow over the next three years. Such events are a major attraction to the hundreds of thousands from across the globe who visit Scotland to explore their ancestry.

The 2014 recipients are:

• Clan Munro Association – 10th International Clan Munro Gathering.
  Foulis Castle, Evanton. Awarded £5000.
• Clan Lachlan Gathering & Strathlachlan Community Festival.
  Castle Lachlan, Strathlachlan. Awarded £5000.
• MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust – Clan MacDougall International Gathering 2014.
  Dunollie House plus various local locations. Oban, Argyll. Awarded £5000.
• Clan MacThomas Society – 2014 Diamond Jubilee Gathering.
  Perth and Kinross, Pitlochry/Glenshee/Kirkmichael. Awarded £1070.
• Clan Gregor Society – International Clan Gregor Gathering 2014.
  Based at Stirling University then at Dalmally, Argyllshire. Awarded £1750.
• Clan MacLaren – Clan MacLaren at the Lochearnhead Highland Games and Gathering.
  Balquhidder and Strathyre. Awarded £1000.
• Clan Hay Society – Tartan Ties 2014.
  Stirling and Aberdeen. Awarded £2500.
• Clan Lamont Society – Clan Lamont Family Fun Day.
  Toward Castle, Dunoon. Awarded £3000.
• Clan Moffat UK – Clan Moffat International Gathering.
  Moffat. Awarded £1000.
• Clan Donnachaidh – Society Gathering.
  Killiecrankie Hall, Pitlochry, and Clan Centre at Bruar. Awarded £1000.

Mr Ewing said he was delighted to announce the initial allocation of funding, saying clan events generate income and provide a colourful spectacle in communities where they take place. He said: “This is the year that Scotland gives a warm welcome to visitors from around the world as we showcase the history and traditions of Scottish Clans during our second year of Homecoming.”

“Not only will the Scottish Clan Event Fund help support activities during this year’s celebrations, but will also provide a legacy by supporting Clan events through to our planned Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017.”

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The Scots Pine

Despite our campaign to have the Rowan crowned as Scotland’s national tree, we’re rather blue to report that the Scots Pine has officially taken out the title. Last year thousands of Scots voted for their favourite tree in a nationwide consultation, after a Glasgow tree-campaigner bought forward a petition to Scottish Parliament.

The most widely distributed conifer in the world, the Scots Pine can be found as far afield as Southern Spain and the Okhotsk Sea in eastern Siberia. The iconic tree can also be found in many of the songs and poems by Robert Burns, and is home to many of Scotland’s most loved animal species, including pine martens, red squirrels, capercaillies and the wildcat.

Scotland’s only native pine, the tree has distinctive orange coloured bark and blue-green foliage. It is thought that in some glens the more bent and multi-branched old “granny” pines were left by foresters, because they would prove more difficult to make use of in the sawmills when saws were still hand operated. These survivors acted as rich seed banks for the regeneration of the forest, with some identified as at least 600 years old.

The announcement provided leverage for Tory MSP Sir Jamie McGrigor to call on the government to apologise to Clan MacGregor, who suffered years of persecution at the hand of the Government and Crown. McGrigor pointed out that the pine is plant badge of Clan MacGregor, explaining that clansmen wore the badge in defiance after wearing tartan was outlawed following the unsuccessful 1745 Jacobite rebellion.

He stated there was also another reason for the clansmen adopting the tree. McGrigor said: “It was perhaps done more to protest about the loss of their clan name, taken away in the early 1600s, not by a Westminster Parliament but by a Scottish one. The clan is still awaiting an apology for that.”

The title of national tree is largely symbolic, however it provides recognition for the country’s native trees and forests which are under increasing threat from climate change, pests and disease. The Scots pine was the clear favourite in the public consultation, with more than 52 per cent (2,374 votes) of all responses opting for the tree. The humble Rowan came in at second place, with 15 per cent (687 votes), and Holly in third place with 7 percent (333 votes).

Environment minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “Scotland’s trees, forests and woodlands are some of our greatest and most treasured natural assets. We are rightly proud of them because they help make Scotland the fantastic country that it is.

“The Scots pine was an obvious choice and certainly the people’s choice.”

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The persecution of the Clan Gregor manuscript commission (above) was estimated to sell for between £2-3000. It sold at auction yesterday in Edinburgh for £2,750 (premium inclusive).

The manuscript licence (above) was expected to sell for a lot less, but was also sold to an as yet unknown bidder for £1,500 (premium inclusive). We’ll keep you updated on any updates we receive on this story. You can read the original story here.

The post Sold! Clan Feud Auction Update appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

The 1611 manuscript detailing the extent of the feud.

Two manuscripts dealing with one of the most infamous feuds in clan history are set to go under the hammer this week in Edinburgh. The Persecution of the Clan Gregor manuscripts, dated between 1611 and 1619, highlight the extent to which the MacGregors were punished by the Campbells after loosing a bitter and long power struggle over land in Argyll.

Set to fetch up to £3000 at auction, the first document was issued in 1611 by the Privy Council of Scotland under the auspices of one of the most notorious members of the Campbell clan, Sir Duncan Campbell of Glen Orchy, who went by the sinister nickname of “Black Duncan of the Cowl.” The manuscript instructs the holding of regional courts to try those suspected of ‘resetting’, or protecting the interests of, members of the Clan MacGregor. The second manuscript from 1619 was granted to Duncan Campbell, giving him permission to ‘intercommune’ with certain members of Clan MacGregor. At this time the persecution of Clan MacGregor was so severe that it was even forbidden to communicate with members of the clan.

The history of Clan MacGregor’s persecution began in April 1603, when King James VI issued an edict proclaiming the name MacGregor to be ‘abolished’. This came in the wake of years of the Clan Gregor having been restricted in their lands to Glenstrae by the Campbells, and subsequent inter-clan battles and killings. As of 1603, Clan MacGregor would be persecuted by law, and anyone bearing this name and refusing to renounce it would be put to death. Until the edict against the clan was repealed in 1774, it was illegal to be a MacGregor, or to protect or support the cause of those who held onto the name. The persecution continued for over 200 years.

The first manuscript makes it clear that some people in the Highlands had indeed been resetting (protecting or supporting the interests of) members of the clan, and the Privy Council were not happy with this. The commission resolves to make examples of those resetting the clan members and lists regional noblemen and dignitaries who are given the power to call courts to try the resetters and ensure that the sentences are carried out. The commission not only underlines how vilified Clan MacGregor was by the state, but also shows that by 1611 the suppression had not been as effective as hoped.

Auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull have described the sale as a rare chance to snap up a piece of Scottish history. The manuscripts form part of the Breadalbane Collection, a gathering of documents relating to the Campbells of Glen Orchy, which is largely held by Edinburgh University.

Cathy Marsden, book specialist at Lyon & Turnbull said translations of the document from “Old Scots” highlighted the frustration of the Privy Council that some people had been protecting and supporting the interests of the clan.

She said: “As of 1603, the clan would be persecuted by law, and anyone bearing this name and refusing to renounce it would be put to death.

“Until the edict against the clan was repealed in 1774, it was illegal to be a MacGregor, or to protect or support the cause of those who held onto the name.

“It is very rare for something of this nature to come up for auction. We often get old title deeds and things like that, which are not particularly valuable, but documents like this, which relate to a really important part of Scottish history, don’t come up for auction that often.

“We’re expecting a lot of interest in it, perhaps from private buyers who are very interested in Scottish history and documents, or institutions like museums and archives who are interested in buying it on behalf of the nation.”

The auction will be held at 11 am on Wednesday 15th January 2014. You can view Lot 181 here, and Lot 182 here.

The post MacGregor-Campbell Feud Manuscripts set for Auction appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Còisir Dhùn Èideann (Edinburgh Gaelic Choir) meet once a week in the Quaker Meeting House, just a few streets away from the Royal Mile. My interest in Gaelic became piqued earlier this year when I attended a Gaelic harmony workshop, and have been attending choir rehearsals since. In the last few weeks I have noticed that I am becoming more familiar with the language – for example when looking at certain words I can kind of figure out how it’s meant to sound. It’s really hard work, but I had forgotten how much I enjoy singing as part of a group, and it’s an added bonus that I can combine this with learning Gaelic.

At our last rehearsal we sang unison songs as a little break from our usual rehearsal routine. One of them was the song Griogal Cridhe, which is the lament of the widow of Gregor Ruadh, the Red MacGregor of Glenstrae. Griogal is Gaelic for Gregor, and cridhe (a word that I have come across quite a lot in my foray into Gaelic music) means heart, or in this case beloved. The song is the oldest known Gaelic song, and well known in Scotland. There are Gaelic songs that are possibly older, but this one can be dated to a specific event, which just happens to be a heartbreaking chapter from clan history.

MacGregor (1541-1570) was the 10th chief of Clan MacGregor, and his tenure is remembered for a particularly bloody, long-lasting feud with Clan Campbell of Breadalbane. Once close allies, the troubles between the two clans came about as the result of a power struggle for control over manpower, lands and other resources in Breadalbane and Lorn. Previously the clans had expanded together from their neighbouring glens into Lorn, settling once again side by side in their new lands. This geographical closeness cemented all kinds of links between the clans including marriages – MacGregor himself was married to Marion Campbell, the daughter of Grey Colin Campbell. When cracks in the clan relationship began to appear, many clansmen were torn between their loyalties.

Sir Colin Campbell, better known has Grey Colin, became Laird of Glenorchy and Baron of Dalach by purchase in 1550. Two years later he evicted the McGregor chieftain from Balloch Castle, demolishing the castle and building one for himself, known as Taymouth Castle and located on the outskirts of the village of Kenmore. Grey Colin’s Taymouth exists to this day in name only – most of the castle was demolished and rebuilt in the 19th Century by the Campbells of Breadalbane.

The clan feud came to a head in 1562 when Grey Colin imposed hard conditions on the young MacGregor chief, who was infefted with the lands of Glenstrae. (Your Scots word for the day is infeft – an old Scots law word which means to invest with or give symbolical possession of inheritable property). In the same year the MacGregors seized lands on Loch Tay, which resulted in the death of some Campbells and their allies. The raiding and fighting was particularly intense in the following year – Mary, Queen of Scots was even involved, giving authority to Grey Colin to pursue the MacGregors ‘with fire and sword’ through two acts of the Privy Council.

Seven more years of rebellions and fighting followed, and in 1570 MacGregor was betrayed and captured by Grey Colin and beheaded in the presence of Murray of Atholl and others as a salutary lesson to the Clan MacGregor. MacGregor’s wife, Marion Campbell, is said to have witnessed the execution at the hands of her father, and penned the heartbreaking elegy which we know today in response. In the song, Marion describes the horror of what happened, as she sings to her child:

Verse 1:
I´Sioma hoidhche fhliuch is thioram
Side na seachd sian
Gheibheadh Griogal dhomhsa creagan
Risan gabhainn dion

Chorus:
Obhan obhan obhan iri*
Obhan iri, o!
Obhan obhan obhan iri
Smor mo mhulad smor

Verse 2:
Eudail mhóir, a shlaugh an Domhain,
Dhòirt iad t´ fhuil o ´n dé,
´S chuir iad do cheann air stob daraich
Tacan beag bho d´ chré.

Verse 3:
B ´annsa bhi le Griogal cridhe
Teàrnadh chruidh le gleann,
Na le Baran mór na Dalach,
Sìoda geal mu m´ cheann.

Verse 4:
´Nuair a bhois mnàthan òg a´ bhaile,
´Nochd nan cadal sèimh,
´S ann bhios mis´ air bruaich do lice,
´Bualadh mo dhà làimh.

Verse 5:
Dhìrich mi dh ´an t-seòmar mhullaich,
´S theirinn mi ´n tigh-làir,
´S cha d ´fhuair mise Griogal cridhe
´Na shuidhe mu ´n chlàr.

Translation:

Many a night both wet and dry
Weather of the seven elements
Gregor would find for me a rocky shelter
Where I would take refuge.

Chorus:
Obhan, Obhan, Obhan iri
Obhan iri O!
Obhan Obhan Obhan iri,
Great is my sorrow, great.

Great darling from the “Domhainn” folk
They let your blood yesterday
And they put your head on an oaken stake
Near where your body lay.

I would be glad to be with dear Gregor
Guarding cattle in the glen
Instead of with the big Baron “Dalach”
White silk around my head.

While the young wives of the town
Serenely sleep tonight
I will be at the edge of your gravestone
Beating my two hands.

I climbed into the upper chamber
And lay upon the floor
And I would not find my dearest Gregor
At the table in his place.

Using the law and the statutes to suit themselves the Campbells successfully evicted the MacGregors from Glenorchy and Glenstrae, but the MacGregors didn’t take this lightly. Amongst their reprisals for the death of their chief in 1570 was the killing of thirteen Campbells. Although denounced for this, the MacGregors were granted a pardon within two years. 443 years after the fact, the song continues to have an emotional pull on singers, continuing the legacy of these two great clans.

*The chorus (obhan obhan obhan, etc. . .) is made up of nonsense words, meant only to convey emotion, not meaning.

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The Clans and Families of Scotland

The Scottish Government announced today that it is to provide funding for clan events to the tune of £200,000 in 2014 and beyond. The move cements the relationship between clans and the government, highlighting the importance of ancestral tourism to the Scottish economy.

Known as the Scottish Clan Event Fund, the fund will be made available over three years beginning in 2014 to coincide with the Year of Homecoming. Legally constituted clans will be able to apply for financial support of up to £5000 for additional elements that are part of existing events, new activity specifically designed to grow events and events that expand visitor experiences and spread benefits across the country as a whole. Activities covered by the fund will include strategic marketing, adding new event elements, equipment hire and travel and transport in rural areas that supports rural engagement.

MSP for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Mr. Fergus Ewing, spoke of the funds potential in supporting the history and traditions of Scottish clans, saying: “The Clan Event Fund will not only help to support activities promoting Clan tourism during the celebrations next year but will also provide legacy by supporting Clan events through to our Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017.”

The fund was drawn up with the support of clan representatives including the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs and the Highland Clan Partnership. Clans that are not recognised by these bodies will need to make an individual case to the government which includes rationale for why the clan or society should be recognised, and a brief history and background of the clan.

John Mackenzie, Earl of Cromartie and Joint Chair of the Highland Clan Partnership, said he was extremely gratified the Government has recognised the role clans play in tourism and the Scottish economy. “Investment in Clan Events will expand the visitor experience and bring welcome financial, community and cultural benefit to the Highland region of Scotland.”

Sir Malcolm MacGregor also welcomed the move, saying: “The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs welcomes this initiative which will help to support and enhance Clan activities in local communities and encourage people to celebrate their clan heritage across Scotland.”

Applications are open now and close on the 28th of November. Events seeking funding must take place outside the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2015. Proposals will be assessed on their ability to provide economic impact, strengthen and develop clans and their societies and to present social, community and cultural benefits.

Click here to view the Scottish Government’s webpage about the fund.

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I’d like to continue by reproducing Alaistair Moffat’s reading given at St Giles. It was an excellent account of the battle and the aftermath.

—

FLODDEN ADDRESS. – ALISTAIR MOFFAT

When dawn broke on the morning of 10th September, 1513, the landscape of hell was revealed. On the gently undulating northern ridges of Branxton Hill more than 10,000 men lay dead or dying. In the midst of the carnage were the naked, plundered bodies of King James IV of Scotland, his half-brother, Alexander Stewart, Archbishop of St Andrews, George Hepburn, Bishop of the Isles, two abbots, nine great earls of Scotland, fourteen lords of parliament, innumerable knights and noblemen of lesser degree and many thousands of farmers, ploughmen, weavers and burgesses. It was the appalling aftermath of the battle of Flodden, the greatest military disaster in Scotland’s history.

In the grey light of that terrible dawn, sentries posted around the captured Scottish cannon could make out where the brunt of battle had been joined. Below them, at the foot of the slope ran the trickle of a nameless burn now choked with slaughter, a wrack of mangled bodies, broken pikeshafts, shattered shields and everywhere blood and the sickening stench of death, vomit and voided bowels. Not all of the bodies were yet corpses. Through a long dark night the battlefield had not been a silent graveyard. Trapped under lifeless comrades, crippled, hamstrung or horribly mutilated, fatally wounded men still breathed. Bladed weapons rarely kill outright and they were often used to bludgeon men to their knees or into unconsciousness. In the churned mud of the battlefield some men will have lost their footing, fallen and been hacked at before they could get up. Many bled to death, maimed, lacerated by vicious cuts, screaming, fainting and screaming once more in their death agonies. Some will have been put out of their misery by parties of English soldiers scouring the field by torchlight for plunder, stripping the bodies, ransacking them for valuables. But other men will have lingered on in

unspeakable pain, praying to their God, passing in and out of consciousness, slowly bleeding to death. The fury of the battle on Flodden field may have been stilled and awash with death and defeat. But all was not yet over. In an instant the plunderers and scavengers looked up and the sentries by the cannon stood to, frantically peering through the morning light. They could hear the rumbling thunder of hoofbeats – and then, suddenly, riders erupted over Barelees Rig. With 800 horsemen at his back, Lord Alexander Home galloped hard across the horrors of the battlefield and up the slopes of Branxton Hill. They had not come back to Flodden to rejoin a lost battle but to rescue their captured ordnance. And they very nearly succeeded. After a sharp skirmish, the English gunners managed to load and get off a volley at Home’s squadron, and they scattered.

And so it ended. As the Border horsemen wheeled round and raced out of range, the remnants of the shattered Scottish army were limping across the Tweed at Coldstream. There was no organised pursuit. The victorious English army had taken heavy casualties and the Earl of Surrey and his captains were exhausted. In any event, their bloody work was done. The floors o’ the Forest were a’ wede awa, Flodden was a national disaster, a harbinger of lawlessness in the shape of the Border Reivers, the beginning of a long period of political uncertainty and the last medieval battle in the history of Britain. The last time a king was to die leading his army.

It was also an epic. As two huge armies mustered and marched into history, extraordinary scenes had been witnessed. At Ellemford, high in the Lammermuirs above Duns, where sheep now graze on the flanks of the hills, where buzzards hang in the updrafts and an elegant bridge crosses the Whiteadder, King James IV and his army camped. Huge guns were trundled down the hill trails, dragged by oxen, and by 21st August 1513, almost 30,000 men had massed in this beautiful, now lonely valley. Two days later, the largest force ever to leave Scotland crossed the Tweed at the fords below Coldstream. They had declared war, they had entered the realm of the Tudors, of the ferociously ambitious and bull-like Henry VIII.

Meanwhile Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, and the Bishop of Durham carried the standard of St Cuthbert before their battle-hardened troops. In front of the high altar of the great cathedral, Howard had watched the bishop bless the flag of the Haliwerfolc. The lands of Palatinate, of the Prince-Bishops of Durham, reached to the Tweed and beyond, and in an early definition of Englishness, their people were known as the Holy Man’s Folk, the Haliwerfolc. Ancient allegiances were being roused and summoned.

Between 2nd and 9th September two vast armies circled each other in a small corner of North Northumberland, like heavyweight boxers looking for weaknesses or waiting for wrong moves. After the Earl of Surrey had despatched a herald, the Rouge Croix, it was finally agreed that battle would be joined on 9th September. Supplies for almost 70,000 men, horses and camp followers were running dangerously low

and neither army could remain in the field much longer.

Realising the strength of the Scots’ entrenched position, Surrey led his men to the east, skirting Flodden Edge and staying out of artillery range. On the morning of the appointed day, he crossed the River Till and took up a position to the north of James IV’s army, barring any retreat to Scotland. And then, on a damp afternoon, the greatest battle ever fought between England and Scotland began.

On the left wing of the Scottish host, the Highlanders led by the Earl of Huntly massed in formation with Lord Home’s Borderers, and in the moments before their chiefs roared the claideamh mor, the order to charge, the Gaelic-speaking warriors did something remarkable. They began to summon the army of the dead. They began the sloinneadh, the naming of the names of memory. To bolster his courage, each man began to recite his genealogy. Many waiting to charge could go back 20 generations. As if they were offering up the murmur of prayer, each man remembered why he had come to fight. Is mise mac Iain, mac Ruaridh, mac Domhnuill. I am the son of John, the son of Roderick, the son of Donald. And once their quiet voices stilled, the roar of the claideamh mor rent the air and they broke into the charge. With their broadswords and Lochaber axes, the Highlanders tore into the English ranks, the division led by Edmund Howard, They scattered and a rout was only prevented when Lord Dacre rode to the rescue with his English Borderers. As history rumbled across Branxton Hill, fortune appeared to be smiling on the Scots.

At the same time, James IV was about to make a catastrophic decision, a crucial error of judgement. Instead of occupying an elevated position at the rear of his vast army, he chose to lead from the front. His division raced down Branxton Hill and as they reached the lower slopes and much softer ground, many men began to skid and lose their footing. This unsteadiness made it very difficult for them to control their long, 12 foot pikes. The wet ground made them charge out of formation, only engaging piecemeal with the solidly planted ranks of English billmen, With their shorter, more easily handled bills, they began to slice into James IV’s division. And as the men at the back saw the Scottish pikes go down, they hesitated and many of them ran, believing their king to be killed. By leading from the front, James was immediately submerged in the ruck of the fighting, only able to see what was directly in front of him, in no position to direct his forces. The result was disaster.

The legacy of Flodden was most immediately and keenly felt in the Borders. North of the Tweed the memory of the battle is kept alive in the fabric of the midsummer common ridings. At Selkirk the ceremony of the casting of the colours is unique in Britain and it is based on the return of a soldier known as Fletcher, traditionally believed to have been the only one of sixty from the town to return. In his bloodied hand he held aloft, in a gesture of desolate defiance, a flag captured from the men of Macclesfield in Cheshire. Many Englishmen had fought and fallen at Flodden. And passions still run high. When the Mayor of Macclesfield recently wrote to the Provost of Selkirk asking for the return of the flag, he was told that he would need to come to the Borders and take it.

Flodden is an immense story. Like Culloden in 1746, it signalled the end of a fading, feudal Scotland.  And it also ushered in a century of lawlessness, the criminal society controlled by the appalling Border Reivers. Across Europe, renaissance, enlightenment and the reformation were changing lives, forming new ideas and creating the institutions of the modern world. In the first half of the 16th century, central authority broke down in a leaderless nation, and while swords and spears spoke in Scotland, the law was often silent.

What is to be learned from all of that suffering and slaughter, from all of those ancient enmities? First that they are ancient and must remain firmly in the past. In 2014 Scotland faces a historic choice and whichever way the people of Scotland vote, it must be a signal lesson of Flodden that enmity, even ancient enmity can have no part. And it is to the credit of politicians on all sides of the argument that it has not reared an ugly head. But it might.

And alongside that it mustmbe important to remember, to understand the visceral, bloody realities of whatmwent on on that terrible day 500 years ago. Lest we forget, Flodden should become a place of remembrance and of pilgrimage, a place where the uncomfortable lessons of history can be learned and never forgotten.

Two weeks ago, on one of the countless beautiful evenings of this glorious summer, I drove over to Branxton. As the sun threw long shadows across the gently undulating fields, I tried to imagine the 10th of September, 1513, the distant roar of thousands of men, the screams, the fear and feral closeness of hand-to-hand fighting when

men can smell the breath, smell the sweat of men grunting pushing, hacking, swearing at them, trying to kill them. In a Gaelic phrase, I tried to listen for the music of the thing as it happened. I tried to listen to the slow, sad music of our history. I hope that many in Scotland and England hear it too.

Prior to the sir Malcolm MacGregor (who has admitted that try as he might he can not find a single MacGregor involved in the battle) researched the casualty lists. The following names are clans and families who are known to have fought at Flodden along with notable people who fell in the battle:

From the Highland Clans: 

Campbell, Erskine, Fraser, Gordon, Graham, Guthrie, Haldane, Hay, Keith, Leslie, Lindsay, Macaulay, Macfarlane, Mackay, Maclean, Macnab, Menteith, Moncreiff, Moray, Murray, Ogilvy, Oliphant, Ramsay, Rattray, Ross, Ruthven, Seton, Sinclair, Stewart, Forbes, Forsyth, Grant, MacKenzie, MacNaughton, Ross, Skene, Buchanan Of Leny, MacDonald

The Lowland and Border Clans and Families:

Adair, Abercromby, Adam, Anstruther, Baillie, Baird, Balfour, Barclay, Blackadder, Bonar, Boswell, Carnegie, Cathcart, Cleland, Cockburn, Colville, Craig, Crauford, Crichton, Cunningham, Dunbar, Dundas, Edmonstone Of Duntreath, Elphinstone, Fotheringham, Gray, Grierson, Haig, St.Clair Of Roslin, Henderson, Hepburne, Herries, Home, Hoppringle, Houston, Lauder, Liddel, Lockhart, Lumsden, Lyon, Masterson, Maitland, Maule, Maxtone, Maxwell, Melville, Muirhead, Mure, Napier, Rollo, Sempill, Somerville, Spottiswood, Stewart Of Traquair, Allardice, Ballingall, Kerr, Colville, Crammond, Eliott, Ferguson, Fleming, Foreman (Standard Bearer), Inche, Inglis, Johnstone, Kirkcaldy, Knolis, Logan, Montgomery, Morton, Muir, Nelson Of Madinpap, Otterbrun, Pitcarin, Pringle, Reid, Rorison, Savage, Scott, Seton, Tunstall, Vallanche, Wood Of Raik, Kennedy, Douglas, Hamilton, Livingstone, Wemyss, Wallace, MacLellan, MacCulloch, MacDowall

Chief Or Notable Head Of House/Family

King James IV, Archbishop Of St.Andrews (King’s Son), Earl Of Morton ( Grandson Of James 1), Earl Of Glencairn, Douglas Of Drumlanrig, Sir James Dunbar, Dundas, Lord Elphinstone, Lord Erskine, Earl Of Huntly, Earl Of Montrose, Sir Alexander Guthrie, Haig Of Bemersyde, Haldane Of Gleneagles, Earl Of Errol, Earl Of Bothwell, Sir William Keith, Earl Of Cassilis, Earl Of Rothes, Earl Of Crawford, MacDowal, Earl Of Garthland, MacFarlane Of Arrochar, Hector MacLean Of Duart, Maxwell Lord Of Carlaverock, Sir John Moncreiffe Of That Ilk, Moray Of Abercairney, Ramsay Of Dalhousie, Rattray Of That Ilk, Rollo Of Duncrub, Master Of Ruthven, Lord Sempill, Lord Seton, Earl Of Caithness, Earl Of Atholl, Earl Of Lennox, Lord Darnley, Master Of Angus, Anstruther Of That Ilk, Ballingall Of That Ilk, Master Of Eliott, Lord Forbes, Master Of Lovat, Sir Alexander Gordon Of Lochinvar, Sir Alexander Gordon Of Knockenshene, Grant Of Freuchie, John Henderson Of Fordell, Lord Alexander Home, Sir Patrick Houston Of That Ilk, William Johnstone Of That Ilk, Lord Keith, Lord Lorn, Lyon (Sons Of Lord Glamis), MacKenzie Of Kintail, Sir Alexander MacNaughton Of That Ilk, Andrew Pitcairn Of Pitcairn And 7 Sons, Lord Ross, William Ruthven Of That Ilk, Sir Walter Scott Of Buccleuch, Alexander Skene Of That Ilk, Sir David Wemyss, Earl Of Argyll, Lord Kinnaird, Master Of Cathcart, MacDonald Of Lochalsh.

—–

The St Giles Service…

Just over 40 clan chiefs  attended the St Giles service. At the end of the service they mustered for a photograph on the steps. To help you identify who was there we have been given a sketch with a key to the names:

1. Sir Walter Riddell of Riddell 2. The Hon. Elizabeth Fairbairn 3. Madam Pauline Hunter of Hunterston 4. Sir David Bannerman of Elsick 5. Lord Polwarth 6. Andrew Wallace Younger of that Ilk 7. Andrew Dewar Durie of Durie CBE 8. Michael Ancram, Marquess of Lothian 9. Andrew MacThomas of Finegand 10. Earl of Dundee 11. David Campbell of Strachur 12. Roderick Macneil of Barra 13. Sir James McGrigor 14. Earl of Eglinton and Winton 15. Professor David Hannay of Kirkdale and of that Ilk 16. Henry Trotter Younger of Charterhall 17. John MacArthur of that Ilk 18. Duncan Paisley of Westerlea 19. Richard Carmichael of Carmichael 20. Earl of Caithness21. Earl of Lauderdale 22. The Hon. Alexander Leslie 23. Earl of Erroll  24. Lord Napier and Ettrick 25. Madam Arabella Kincaid of Kincaid 26. David Cranstoun of that Ilk 27. Jamie Macnab of Macnab 28. Earl of Wemyss and March 29. Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw  30. The Hon. Kate Nicolson 31. Duke of Montrose 32. The Hon. Peregrine Moncreiffe of that Ilk 33. Martin Haldane of Gleneagles 34.  Lord Sempill 35.  Andrew Marjoribanks of that Ilk 36. Donald MacLaren of MacLaren  37.  Duke of Hamilton 38. Field Marshal the Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank 39. Isla St Clair 40. Marquess of Ailsa 41. Madam Margaret Eliott of Redheugh 42. Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor 43. Lord Macdonald of Macdonald 44.  Richard Oliphant of that Ilk

This image will help you identify the chiefs:

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