Updated 16.1.17 1

Here is the latest list of what Clans are marching on what days for The Touch of Tartan.

There will be a series of Clan Parades that will take place each night of the Tattoo. This will be a major event within the Clan-themed events that will be happening throughout this year, backed by the Scottish Clan Event Fund.

There are 25 performances of the Edinburgh Tattoo. Tickets have been put aside for the clans to buy for each performance to make sure that as many tartan-clad clansmen, women and children attend as possible.  Each Clan has seats allocated at the Tattoo.

For more information please contact  info@clanchiefs.org.uk

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In the early half of 1745, Charles Edward Stuart or Bonnie Prince Charlie, saw an opportunity to reclaim what he considered to be his father’s two kingdoms, Great Britain, formally united in 1707, and Ireland. George II and the British army were occupied in the War of the Austrian Succession, leaving only around 6,000 troops to defend England. Aided by the early support of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, XIX chief of Clan Cameron, he and is party of men were successful in raising a force of 2,000 Scots.

With word of this force ready to march on the Lowlands, it was up to Sir John Cope to give a response root he government. Cope was the general in command of the 4,000 government troops stationed in Scotland, but unfortunately the most of his troops were only recently raised and as a result inexperienced. Cope and his troops marched on Fort Augustus in the heart of the Highlands in an effort to awe the Highlanders into surrender and end the rebellion before it had truly begun. Upon hearing that the rebel army was looking to oppose him at Corryarrack, he instead marched to Inverness hoping to be the one to decide the battleground. Cope had underestimated the men commanding the rebel forces.

Bonnie Prince Charlie and his troops marched straight down to the Lowlands, which by now were almost undefended. A small force which held Edinburgh retreated in the face of the superior foe, leaving the city open for the taking. On 16 September, some of Prince Charles’s army captured the city with little or no fighting, though Edinburgh Castle was still defended for the government. Cope meanwhile furiously marched to Aberdeen  are he had urgently ordered ships, so he and his troops could make haste o the south. On the same day the Jacobites took Edinburgh, Cope and his men disembarked in Dunbar.

Even though Cope knew his troops were far from the best, he was determined to engage the Jacobite force. His intelligence told him that the rebels only numbered around 2,000 men, and whilst they were fit and hardy, they were ill-equipped. Cope believed this would mean his force, in two regiments of dragoons and three and a half regiments of infantry, should easily overpower them. It was even said that on their march towards Edinburgh they assured the locals that there would be no battle.

It was on the 20th of September that the two forces first met, just outside Prestonpans near Preston house. The Jacobite army had secured the high ground to the south of Cope’s position, but Cope was determined to face the rebels and made the best of his situation. He drew up his force facing south using the park walls of Preston house to provide protection for the right flank and a marshy bog to the front. Although they had secured a good position the Jacobites were dismayed by the way Cope had taken advantage of the land. A traditional Highland charge would flounder in the marshes and be decimated by musket and cannon fire. The senior Jacobite officers knew they must change their plans if they were to come away victorious but could not agree on what should be done. It was Lord George Murray who pushed for them to move their force to the East so they could assault the exposed left flank of the government forces and it was Lieutenant Anderson, a local farmers son, who knew the lay of the land and knew of a way to get the force where it needed to go. At 4am on the 21st the Jacobites began to move, 3 abreast along a narrow defile, in order to reach the east flank.

Meanwhile, Cope had noticed some movement in the opposing force juts before dark, though this move was the result of confusion in the Jacobite ranks and was abandoned. He feared that the Jacobite planned to attack both his flanks and thus redeployed in forces in a north south front, the formation that they would fight in the next day. He also ordered that 200 dragoons and 300 infantryman should take on picket duty and light fires in the front of his position in order to thwart any plans for a surprise night attack. Cope felt secure with these measures and in addition ordered 3 companies of Louden’s Highlanders to guard the baggage park in Cockenzie, as well as dismissing some 100 volunteers ordering them to report back in the morning. Cope also made a last minute attempt to gain reinforcements from Edinburgh Castle,  requesting Artilleryman to attend his position. It would be for nought though, as the battle would take place a lot earlier than Cope had expected.

At the crack of dawn on the 21st September, Cope’s Dragoons beheld a spectacle that would send a shiver down any sane mans spine. Out of the early morning mist, making “wild Highland war cries and with the bloodcurdling skirl of the pipes” came 1,400 Highlanders charging straight towards Cope and his men. Cope’s inexperienced army wheeled to meet a foe they were not expecting to come from the east, and Cope even managed to scramble some artillery into position. Undaunted by the light and inaccurate fire the Highlanders continued their charge. The centre of this charge became bogged down in an are of marshland, which meant the straight line of the charge became a v formation. The wings on either side met with the dragoons on either side of the British force, which caused them to immediately flee.

This meant that Cope was left with only the centre of his force, which also happened to be the experienced Royal Infantry. Unfortunately for hem the unplanned flanking manoeuvre by the Jacobites, which happened when the wings of the v wrapped around the side of the Royal Infantry and the centre met them head on, meant the were effectively surrounded by Highlanders and they suffered for it. After sustaining heavy casualties they eventually gave way.

Around 10 minutes after the battle had begun, it was over. Hundreds of government troops were dead or injured, and thousands were taken prisoner whom Bonnie Prince Charlie himself ordered should be treated with the greatest of care. The Jacobite’s on the other hand had only suffered around 100 casualties. Cope still in charge of around 200 men, pulled them away to reorganise and rally them in an adjacent field, but they refused to engage the enemy further. Cope had no choice but to retreat and make the long journey south to the relative safety of Berwick-upon-tweed.

Cope’s baggage train in Cockenzie was seized giving the Jacobites around £5000, many muskets and plenty of ammunition but this was not all the victory gave to the cause. It signalled the true beginning of the rebellion, greatly boosting the morale of the Stuart supporters, and causing a surge in recruitment to the Jacobites in Scotland. The battle cemented the seriousness of this new Jacobite rebellion and it’s effectiveness to claim victory in the battles to come.

A cairn was erected in 1953 to commemorate the memory of all those that fell in the battle. A coal bing was also erected, atop which flies Prince Charlie’s battle flag, using the remains of the area’s coal shale shaped into an obelisk to provide a vantage point for today’s visitors.

In 2006 the Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust was established with the goal to ensure much better presentation and interpretation of the battle. Plans include a visitor Centre in the grounds of Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum, ‘Living History’ battle re-enactments, battle-related storytelling and new novels, and a new ‘Flowering of the Arts’ including embroidery.

In 2008 the Trust commissioned Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division to undertake a comprehensive survey, followed by selective excavation, of the battlefield. Although it was thought that the location of the battlefield was known for years the team actually discovered that the true site was located some 500 yards away. Based on concentrations of musket balls and other evidence, this new site is where it is believed the Highlanders charge actually took place.

Details of all the Trust’s activities can be found at its website - www.battleofprestonpans1745.org

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The Castle, which has been the home of the Murray clan since 1606, sealed by the marriage of Sir John Murray of Tullibardine to Dorothea Stewart, heiress to the Earls of Atholl, and has been the seat of the ancient name for over 400 years.

The current Duke of Atholl, Bruce Murray, is Chief of the Murray clan and still retains the unique honour of being head of Europe’s only legal private army, the Atholl Highlanders.

Kate Hannah, marketing manager for Blair Castle, commented: “We really wanted to mark Scotland’s Year of Homecoming in a novel and unique way, and what better way to do it than invite members of the clan, from all over the world, to visit their family seat. We want them to feel welcome when they visit so, as long as they have photographic identification that they are a Murray, then we’ll be happy to show them round their ancestral home.”

Murray is one of the top 100 most common surnames in the UK, currently ranking 68th, and ranks 123rd most common surname in the USA, as well as 53rd most common surname in Australia.

Murrays visiting the castle will be asked to show photographic identification that their surname is Murray before gaining access and, while the invitation is currently only being extended throughout April, if it proves popular the Castle may extend it for the rest of the season.

Kate commented: “Perhaps the most famous Murray in the world at the moment is Andy Murray, and we’d be delighted if he took us up on our offer. But we know there are many thousands of Murrays from all over the world who will be interested in the history of their clan name and where better to find out about it, than at its home.”

Blair Castle is one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations, with 700 years of history spanning 30 rooms, and has played a role in many major figures’ lives including Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria.

This year the Castle has also revealed a new Family at War exhibition which displays various artefacts and information about the individual family members during the war, including personal letters, photos and documents.

Visitors to Blair Castle will be able to view the exhibition as part of their Castle Tour. Murrays can, of course, visit free of charge.

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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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The 11th Duke of Atholl, centre, in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Atholl Highlanders

John Murray, the Chief of the Murray clans and 11th Duke of Atholl has died in a South African hospital on Tuesday, 15th May after suffering a stroke. He was 83.
The Johannesburg born Murray became Clan Chief and inherited the Dukedom after his cousin George Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl passed away unmarried in 1996.

Murray, the 4x great-grandson of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, was born in South Africa in 1929, the only child of Major George Murray and his wife Joan Eastwood. His father was killed in 1940 in active service during the Second World War.
A land surveyor by profession, John married Margaret ‘Peggy’ Leach in 1956 and had three children together: Lady Jennifer Murray; Bruce Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine; and Lord Craig Murray. The eldest son, Bruce, will now become the 12th Duke of Atholl.

A spokesperson at the Atholl Estates in Perthshire announced the death of the Duke and said that his standard would be flown at half-mast out of respect. He added,

“The Duke was Colonel-in-Chief of the Atholl Highlanders and over the years had become a well known figure on Atholl Estates. He visited Scotland every year for the Atholl Highlander’s parade and gathering held at the end of May.
“As he would have wished, the parade will be held this year as usual, at Blair Castle on Saturday May 26 and the Gathering on Sunday 27.
“A service of remembrance will be held at Blair Castle when the Atholl Highlanders and local friends will have a chance to remember the Duke.”

Andrew Bruce Wooton, the general manager at Blair Castle said,

”He was in his 80s and had a full and fantastic life. His family are feeling the sorrow but are thankful he had such an interesting and varied life. He was such a happy and joyful man.”

Apparently, it has been confirmed that Bruce Murray, the new Duke, will visit Blair Atholl to inspect the Highlanders at the next coming parade and gathering.

The 11th Duke was well liked around the estate, and made many friends. Edna Mackay, a former employee at Blair Castle, and good friend, who spent much time with Duke and Duchess, both in Scotland and South Africa, was very saddened by the news of Murray’s death. She went on to say,

“He was proud to be the Duke of Atholl and he carried out his duties very well. We are a small community and he will be greatly missed by the many friends he made here.”

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It’s interesting to see how many crest use the image of a woman within them.

Think the Urquhart crest was most definitely designed by a man.

Here are the ones I have found:

Falconer Clan Crest

Glas Clan Crest

Lyon Clan Crest

Montgomery Clan Crest

Murray Clan Crest

Ogilvie Clan Crest

Preston Clan Crest

Urquhart Clan Crest

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Blaze at Blair Castle

Atholl Estates, which runs the castle, said that the actions of firefighters preveneted the blaze from having catastrophic consequences.

A statement released on Friday noted: “The swift action of the emergency services to a fire at Blair Castle averted a near catastrophe last night.

“Flames were spotted rising from the clock tower at the south end of the castle at around 8.45pm where a chimney fire had broken out above the castle’s wood chip boiler.

“Thankfully the castle was empty at the time and the few residents were quickly evacuated.

“Fears that the fire would spread to the rest of the castle failed to materialise and fire fighters had fully extinguished the blaze by 10pm.”

The interior of the clock tower was gutted in the blaze, while the roof also collapsed.

Power supply to the main castle offices was also cut off during the fire, however management are in discussions with insurers and emergency services to get this damage repaired as quickly as possible.

Six fire engines and an aerial platform battled the the flames.

Around 50 firefighters tackled the fire using breathing apparatus, while the roof of the clocktower fell into the building during the incident.

Atholl Estates also confirmed on Friday that the castle would be open from 9.30am to 2.30pm on Saturday.

Andrew Bruce Wootton, general manager of Atholl Estates that runs the castle, said: “The roof of the clocktower was substantially on fire, flames were rising quite high with sparks flying everywhere because of the strong winds.

“The area where the fire started is a contained part of the building and it did not spread any further. No one was injured and nothing of historical significance was damaged.”

The clock tower was built at the castle in the 19th century after a blaze ripped through the structure.

Rab Middlemiss, group manager of Tayside Fire and Rescue, said: “Our fire crews stopped the fire from spreading into the residential wings adjacent to the clocktower.

“Everybody got out of the building fine and after we extinguished the fire our crews went into the clocktower to assess the damage.

“We will now be carrying out a full investigation into the cause of the fire, but it does not appear to be suspicious.”

Blair Castle

Blair Castle is the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl and its history dates back around 740 years.

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Fiona 21 (left) and Faye 18 (right)

The siblings Fiona and Faye Henderson from Kirriemuir practise at Blair Castle ahead of this weekend’s Glenfiddich Piping and Fiddle Championships. Fiona and Faye are finalists in the events, the most respected competitions of the piping and fiddle worlds.

Faye, was the first woman to win the Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering, one of the top awards that can be bestowed on a piper. Fiona, is one of the country’s finest young fiddlers.

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Bothwell Castle

When we set off from Edinburgh it was 6am; still dark and cold. Our first stop was Bothwell Castle in South Lanarkshire, which we found in under an hour, with little hassle thanks to the very useful satnav we had in the car. Bothwell is a large castle standing on a steep hill beside the River Clyde, and was built sometime during the 13th century by descendents of Clan Murray. During the Scottish Wars of Independence Bothwell was captured by Edward I’s army, taking those inside prisoner. The castle eventually went back into the hands of the Murrays. Through the marriage of Joan Moray of Bothwell, in 1362, to Archibald ‘the Grim’ Douglas, the future 3rd Earl of Douglas, the castle changed hands from the Murrays to the Douglases. Bothwell Castle now lies in a ruined state, and is in the care of Historic Scotland, and open to the public.

Strathaven Castle

After taking a few pictures of the castle we headed west, with our next stop being Strathaven Castle. Night time was well and truly gone by the time we reached the town of Strathaven where the castle sits. It was still cold, and pretty misty allowing for some atmospheric shots of the ruined structure. In fact, the mist prevented us from finding the castle straight away, meaning we had to ask a local, who promptly told us that on any other day we would be able to see it, and that it was just a minute along the road. The castle was built around the middle of the 14th century by the Bairds, and between then and 1717 when the castle was finally abandoned, it passed through the hands of the Sinclairs, the Douglases, the Stewarts, and the Hamiltons, with Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton (1632-1716), being Strathaven’s last occupant.

Dean Castle, Kilmarnock

We continued west, where the mist was starting to lift and blue skies and sunshine starting to appear. Dean Castle in Kilmarnock was our third castle of the day. Built by the Boyds, the lords of Kilmarnock for over 400 years, in the 1350. The lands Dean Castle was built on was granted to Sir Robert Boyd in 1316 by Robert I for his services at the victorious Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. In 1975 the castle was passed into public ownership by John Scott-Ellis, 9th Lord Howard de Walden, and it is now kept by East Ayrshire Coucil, and is open to the public.

It was after 10 by the time Amanda and I reached Dundonald Castle, and even though it was late morning on this spring day, it was still pretty cold, with a lot of the frost yet to lift. As we drove down the road into the village of Dundonald (situated somewhere between Troon and Kilmarnock) we could already see the castle in the distance, which sits nicely on top of a hill looking over the village, and so we decided to get out of the car, walk back up the road a wee bit, and take some pictures. After getting a few snaps, and really noticing the strong smell of fresh, country air, we headed for the castle itself.

Dundonald Castle

The name Dundonald means ‘Donald’s Fort’, however it is not known who Donald was. It has been suggested by historians that he could have been one of the kings of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, as three of this name ruled. Dundonald Castle was built on the same grounds as where a wooden hill fort is believed to have once stood. It was constructed sometime after Robert II‘s accession to the throne in 1371, after the death of his uncle David II. Dundonald was used as a royal residence by Robert II, and it was where he died in 1390. It remained as a royal residence for the Stewart kings well into the 16th century.

Our next stop was not a castle this time, but instead the birthplace of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, in Alloway, South Ayrshire. The cottage was built by William Burness, Robert’s father, in 1757, and was where he was born in 1759, as well as three of his siblings.

Burns’ Cottage from the back

Amanda and I went to the front of the building and took some pictures of the cottage, deciding not to go in because of the large number of places still on our list to visit within the day. After getting some pretty generic shots we visited a nice wee cafe opposite the cottage for some coffee before hitting the road again for our next destination. However, as we headed back to the car, the very nice man at the entrace desk for the cottage ushered us over and said that we could get in for free since we were just looking to take a few pictures for our site. So we decided to go along and we were glad we did. The cottage had a beautifully, well kept garden, even growing vegetables, and inside was an interesting and informative museum to the bard, letting us see what Burns’ early environment was actually like. We would highly recommend visiting it.

Amanda getting in my shot of the view across to Arran

Dunure Castle was next on the list, but not before a brief stop at the ‘magical’ Electric Brae. The journey to Dunure was great, with some beautiful views of the snow covered hills on Arran. It was still sunny and clear, and it was really starting to get warmer.

Dunure Castle and its Dovecot

Dunure Castle is a picturesque castle, sitting on a rocky bay overlooking the sea to the west. Built sometime in the 1200s, it was a seat for Clan Kennedy, and in use up until the 17th century. A famous visitor of the castle was Mary, Queen of Scots, who, in 1563, spent a few days there.

Culzean Castle

The next castle on our list was Culzean, just a few miles down the coast from Dunure. Much to our annoyance, and reluctance, we had to pay to just get onto the grounds for a few photos, but perhaps it was worth the money to see the lovely gardens and view out to sea. There is not as much history to Culzean Castle, having been built in the late 18th century by architect Robert Adam, under the instruction of the 10th Earl of Cassilis, David Kennedy.

Sawney Bean’s Cave, at Bannane Head, was somewhere that we were really looking forward to seeing, however it took us a wee bit longer to find the place than we had hoped. But we found it eventually, and it certainly was an interesting place. Sawney Bean was said to have been the head of a family of cannibals living in this South Ayrshire cave. Bean and his wife supposedly went about murdering and travelers they saw and ate their bodies.

Inside Sawney Bean’s Cave

They incestuously built up their family over a couple of generations, and it was claimed that they killed over 1,000 people. Once caught the family were said to have been executed in Edinburgh; the men allegedly having their limbs cut off, and they would bleed to death, whilst the women were burned alive. Yet, unfortunately this story could be just a tale since there are no records to support any of it, not even for the executions in Edinburgh.

The cave itself was still used as a place to live many centuries after the Beans supposedly stayed there. Up until the late seventies, or early eighties, a vagrant known as Snib Scott lived in the cave. Henry Ewing Torbet (1912-1983), as he was originally known, was a resident of the cave for many years, and it is said that people would often leave charity for him in form of either food or clothes, however, it’s claimed that he was too proud to accept it directly from them, and would only collect it once they had left. There is a memorial cairn near the caves entrace dedicated to Snib Scott.

Time was moving on quickly, and the sun was really starting to get low, so we tried to get down to the town of Leswalt to visit the Agnew graveyard as quickly as possible. We got to Leswalt quicker than we thought, but due to some poor directing by the passanger we took a wrong turn in the village and started heading in the wrong direction. However, this proved not to be too disastrous, and it allowed us to pay a quick visit to Lochnaw Castle, which wasn’t originally going to be part of our trip. The castle is a 16th century building, and a private residence, not open to the public – which means that Amanda and I probably shouldn’t have been their in the first place. We took a few shots and left down a very bumpy track, no doubt doing some serious damage to the cars suspension at the same time.

Agnew mausoleum at Leswalt

We got back to Leswalt pretty quickly, and in no time found the grave yard, taking some pictures of the resting places of some relatively important Agnews as the sun was getting lower and lower. And thanks to a friend on Flickr for telling us about the grave yard.

We were now in a race against the setting sun to try and get as much more into our day as a we possibly could. We decided to skip a few of the castles on our itinerary, and try our best to get to St. Ninian’s Chapel at Isle of Whithorn before it was too dark; and thankfully we did.

St. Ninian’s Chapel

The chapel is now in ruins, but it is said that the remains belong to the chapel that was built sometime around 1300, and thought to have been built to replace an even earlier building.

The sun was almost gone once we had got our pictures of the building, and also admire the touching collection of stones with personal messages on them dedicated to remembering lost loved ones, and it was now time to head back to Edinburgh, but not before stopping off at a wee pub in the village of Kirkinner for some food. It was well after seven by the time we were on the road heading back to the capital, and it was a long haul, taking a good few hours before getting back to the city and ending what was a very enjoyable and productive day.

Now we are planning our next day out, and perhaps this time have a slightly more realistic target of places we want to visit. Anyone out there with good suggestions as to where we our next visit should be, feel free to leave a comment.

Map of route

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HARDEN GLEN

Thus young William was a member of one of the more illustrious Scottish Border clans, the Scotts. Indeed to this day they are one of the premier landowners in Great Britain. In the Border Lands of the 16th century they were a great force, their exploits many and legendary.

Auld Wat joined forces with Walter Scott of Buccleuch in the raid on Carlisle castle in 1596 to rescue William Armstrong of Kinmont who had been imprisoned illegally by the English. It was a deed of derring-do and is remembered with pride by the Border Scots to this day.

The lands of the Harden Scotts bordered and abutted those of the Murrays of Elibank. The two families were constantly at ‘feud’ whereby each took every opportunity to steal from the other. Both families suffered from the endless reprisals.

The animosity and hatred which prevailed between the two families was to be overcome when young William was married. What began as yet another of the endless raids between the two families would have a novel outcome.

Muckle Mouthed Meg was the daughter of Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank. She was one of many daughters who blessed the union of Sir Gideon and his wife. Where some of the others were comely and attractive wenches, Meg was ugly. Her most notable feature was her mouth. Set in a face that invited derision from its angular and protruding jaw, it was wide, oh so wide; her lips were thick and full and, though conscious of the effect they had on any onlooker, Meg was a happy lass and could not refrain from smiling at any given opportunity. When she smiled or laughed her mouth seemed to cover her face from ear to ear. Embarrassed she might be but she could not refrain from giving vent to her disposition for happiness. A smile was a wonder to behold. The eligible young men of the district of Elibank were uneasy in her presence and gave its walls a wide berth.

IIt seemed that Meg, or to be more exact, Lady Agnes Murray, would remain unmarried much to the concern of her parents who were proud of the endearing qualities of their unfortunate daughter. She was loving, considerate and gentle, a source of great content to her doting parents. They had, however, grown resigned that their daughter would be with them until it was time for them to die.

Elibank castle, the ruins of which can still be seen, stands on the banks of the river Tweed. Fifteen miles to the south in the Ettrick valley, at another fortified tower of the Border Reiving days, Aikwood or Oakwood, lived the Scotts of Harden. (Oakwood is still lived in to this day by the former leader of the Liberal Party, and Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Sir David Steel).

One day he his avarice overcame his common-sense and he set off with a raiding party intent on lifting Murray’s cattle. The foray went badly awry and young William soon found himself held at Sir Gideon’s pleasure. The dungeons of Elibank were dark, damp and inhospitable.

Sir Gideon was intent on making a great show of the punishment he would dole out to William and advertised to neighbours and friends far and wide that there was to be a hanging. There were all cordially invited to attend.

Lady Murray had other ideas. She was well taken by the appearance of the handsome young man and ventured the proposition to her husband that his life should be spared if he would agree to marry their daughter Meg.

Initially Sir Gideon would have none of it, but on reflection his wife’s proposal had more than one advantage. He would marry off his daughter and cement a relationship with the House of Harden. The wiles of women are sometimes hard to estimate, he thought, but this was a first-rate idea.

The handsome William knew well of Muckle Mouthed Meg. Her ugliness was renowned throughout the valley of the Ettrick water. When he was approached by Sir Gideon and offered marriage to Meg as an alternative to standing the drop that would end his life, he asked for time to consider the proposal. Eventually, though he loved life to the full, he declined the offer and resigned himself to the noose. Hanging would be quick. The thought of a life-time with Meg a far greater punishment.

On the next day he was taken up from the dungeons and out into the woods beyond Elibank. As he approached the tree from which hung the rope that would end his life he saw that Meg was standing there, tearful, ready to intercede for his life even should he spurn her. He was much taken by her solicitude and woeful appearance. As he approached the tree, the rope swinging lazily in the slight breeze, he stopped dead in his tracks. The burly men, who stood at each side of him as escorts to his death, grappled with him and tried to force him forwards. William resisted and looked at the pitiful face of the young woman, ugly as she was. She was clearly tormented by the action that was unfolding. His heart melted at the sight of her distress. He threw off his warders with a mighty and determined show of strength and ran to her open arms.

Meg and young Wat were married within a short space of time. History tells us that it was a loving union, full of happiness and respect.

Border Reivers

The Houses of Harden and Elibank , so long at each others’ throats, would be united at last… if only for a while.

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