Scotland Magazine March/April 2021 by The Chelsea Magazine Company

ANCESTRY • HISTORY • HERITAGE • TRAVEL

Balmoral beckons

The Queen’s Highlands hideaway

WIN a holiday worth £5,000

WHISKY GALORE Speyside – the world’s single malt capital

ROBERT THE BRUCE

CAPE WRATH

Life on the edge of the Atlantic

Sibling rivalry Mary, Queen of Scots and the half-brother who betrayed her

Inside Broomhall House, the family seat of Clan Bruce

DUNDEE DISCOVERED

Your cultural tour starts here

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Simon Temlett, Awards Director simon.temlett@chelseamagazines.com © The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, 2021. All rights reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. The information contained in Scotland magazine has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. However, where appropriate, you are strongly advised to check prices, opening times, dates, etc, before making final arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information contained within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by contributors to Scotland magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Editor’s letter Spring is nearly here, summer is on the horizon and I am hopeful that some of my travel plans are finally going to come to fruition. Top of my travel list (as soon as I am allowed) is a solo trip to the Outer Hebrides (above). I am also hoping to reach Shetland this year and, en route, I’m planning a little exploration of Aberdeenshire, so I found this issue’s Balmoral country (p14) hugely inspiring. Now, I have to admit, if there’s one thing that’s helped keep my spirits up (excuse the pun) through the pandemic, it’s having a wee dram every now and then. I’ve always been more of a Jura or Islay whisky drinker, so it was nice to speak to some of the distilleries in Speyside, Scotland’s irrefutable whisky heartland, in Where whisky is made (p22) and hear about their plans for the year ahead. They may even have tempted me to take a little detour. Another place I’d like to visit, though am slightly scared to do so, is Cape Wrath, the Scottish mainland’s most north-westerly point. I was gripped by our interview with the owner of its one and only cafe in Living on the edge (p34) – he’s made of sterner stuff than me. Similarly daring, Mary, Queen of Scots had nerves of steel, as demonstrated by The Chaseabout Raid (p42). I found James Gracie’s account of how the fearless queen harried her treacherous half-brother enthralling. Where are you planning to go when you can? It would be great to hear about the places you want to visit, as it feels as though they are almost within reach now.

SALLY COFFEY

Editor

COVER IMAGE:

Balmoral Castle © Bas Meelker/Shutterstock (Inset: Queen Elizabeth II in 1950 © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy)

editor@scotlandmag.com

@Scotland_Mag

facebook.com/ScotlandMagazine

@scotlandmagazine

Scotland 3

42 Cape Wrath p.34

54 The Black Isle p.10

Royal Deeside p.14

Dundee p.72

Holyrood Distillery p.40

CONTENTS ISSUE 115

14 Balmoral country We visit Royal Deeside, where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were attracted to all those years ago

22 Where whisky is made Just north of Royal Deeside, you’ll find Speyside, a whisky lover’s paradise

03 Editor’s letter 06 The Clan Courier Local news and the latest travel tip-offs

10 Notes from the isles Catch up on Kate Francis’s Christmas on the Black Isle, just north of Inverness

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

26 Home of Bruce Come with us on a virtual tour of the family home of Clan Bruce, with its current owner, Lord Bruce

34 Living on the edge Meet John Ure, owner of the most remote cafe and bunkhouse in the UK at Cape Wrath

40 The spirit of Edinburgh Edinburgh’s first single malt whisky distillery in 100 years is appraised by our Master of Malt

The Bruces have played an immensely important role in the history of the British Isles

22 42 The Chaseabout Raid The remarkable story of how the Earl of Moray rebelled against his half-sister, Mary, Queen of Scots

48 Delightful Dornoch A seaside secret in the northeast Highlands, there’s more to Dornoch than its golf course

54 Win a Great British holiday This once-in-a-lifetime holiday prize is worth £5,000, including a stay in Edinburgh and visit to the castle

56 The ones that got away Was Robert Burns a rascal or romantic at heart? We tell the stories of the women whom he loved and lost

60 When life gives you salmon... This modern-day Earl and Lady didn’t opt for the easy life, preferring to keep busy

66 Mind readers We investigate the Edinburgh evolution of the pseudoscience phrenology

70 True blue The internet conceals a litany of errors. Here’s how to reliably find and prove your royal lines of descent

72 Dundee’s cultural trail V&A Dundee was hailed as a cultural reawakening, yet the city was blooming long before this

76 Dates for your diary Events in person are still very much subject to change. Luckily there is some virtual fun to be had

82 The library A step-by-step guide to tracing your ancestry, a history of the pipes and a travelogue like no other

Scotland 5

News & events

CLAN COURIER Safeguarding Scotland’s heritage, plus hospitality businesses gear up for autumn

[PLANNING]

CULLODEN DEVELOPMENT REJECTED Plans to develop a derelict steading near the Culloden Battlefield into a family home have been rejected by Highland Councillors, in a move that has been welcomed by the National Trust for Scotland, which cares for a core part of the historic site. This is the second time plans have been submitted, having previously been given the go ahead and then later rejected by Scottish Ministers. The National Trust for Scotland’s operations manager at Culloden, Raoul Curtis-Machin, said: “We are pleased that the Council have acted to protect the area’s important heritage with this decision. Our charity knows how much the public value this special place and we are all concerned about the impact of encroaching development on one of Scotland’s most significant battle sites. We all need to play our part in ensuring it remains for future generations.” The news comes as the 275th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden, in which the Jacobites suffered a crushing defeat under government forces, approaches this April.

6 Scotland

[HOTELS]

GLENEAGLES COMES TO EDINBURGH

Scotland’s iconic sporting and country estate, Gleneagles, renowned for its luxurious rooms, outdoor activities and numerous restaurants, is opening its first ever outpost in Edinburgh in autumn 2021. Located in the former Bank of Scotland building on St Andrew Square, Gleneagles Townhouse will be a boutique hotel offering some of the glamour for which Gleneagles is famous. Alongside 33 rooms, the hotel will have a restaurant, two bars and a rooftop terrace with views over the capital. gleneagles.com/the-gleneagle-blog/gleneagles-townhouse

[FOOD & DRINK]

MICHELIN STAR FOR GLASGOW Glasgow restaurant Cail Bruich and head chef Lorna McNee have been awarded a Michelin star, the first in the city in 18 years. The accolade is particularly impressive as McNee earned it just over five months into her first head chef role. Lorna became head chef at Cail Bruich in August 2020, following her previous role as sous chef at two Michelin-starred restaurant, Andrew Fairlie, where she started her career as an apprentice. Lorna’s menu consists of plates such as west coast crab and Peterhead cod, using Scottish seasonal ingredients, all served with a light touch. Though currently closed due to lockdown, once restrictions are lifted, Cail Bruich will reopen for five- and nine-course tasting menus. cailbruich.co.uk

Scotland 7

[ARCHAEOLOGY]

DIGGING DEEPER If you’ve enjoyed the recent film, The Dig, about Sutton Hoo, then you may be interested in a very real research project currently underway into one of the most important UK archaeological finds of the century: the Galloway Hoard. Discovered in 2014, the Galloway Hoard is the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. Now, a three-year £1m research project by National Museums of Scotland and the University of Glasgow aims to find out as much as possible about the precious items in the collection. Dr Martin Goldberg, the principal curator of medieval archaeology and history at National Museums Scotland, and lead investigator on the project, said: “Most hoards are usually interpreted as buried wealth, with the focus on events surrounding the moment of burial. The Galloway Hoard challenges this and offers a rare opportunity to ask how, and why, people collected hoards during the Viking Age.” The Galloway Hoard exhibition recently opened at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and will go on tour to Kirkcudbright Galleries (from summer 2021 to spring 2022) and then the Aberdeen Art Gallery. Following the tour it will eventually go on long-term display at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh. nms.ac.uk

[REAL-LIFE STORIES]

LIVING THE LIGHTHOUSE DREAM An English couple have made the bold decision to up sticks in the middle of the pandemic and go and live in a 19th-century lighthouse keepers’ home in southwest Scotland. Helen Mason and John Harris of Norfolk have bought the Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel, on the Rhins of Galloway, near Stanraer, which was built by lighthouse engineer Robert Stevenson.

8 Scotland

Helen says: “We came up here and stayed in a friend’s bothy about eight years ago, saw the area and fell in love with it. We almost forgot about it but once Covid hit, we decided that the time was right for us to make a change.” Despite the hotel industry suffering hardship through the pandemic, the couple plan to keep the hotel going and believe

they have stumbled upon a “hidden gem”. They financed the move thanks to a commercial mortgage from specialist finance group Together. Steven Clark, regional development director at Together, said: “The lighthouse hotel is a Grade A-listed building with a fascinating history in a beautiful, remote area of coastal Scotland.” lighthousehotel.co.uk

News & events

[ H E R I TAG E ]

CLYDE CROWDFUNDER SUCCESS A crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to restore the world’s oldest floating Clyde-built vessel has more than doubled its target. The Scottish Maritime Museum launched the ‘Keep the Kyles Afloat’ campaign to raise £15,000 for essential repairs to MV Kyles and the campaign has more than achieved its aim, raising a total of £39,835. David Mann, director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, says: “We are blown away by the support for our campaign to get MV Kyles shipshape for its 150th anniversary in 2022. “Thanks to everyone who has donated, and the help of the #supportourmuseums initiative, which made the campaign possible, we can ensure that this historic vessel remains part of Scotland’s living maritime heritage for decades to come.” crowdfunder.co.uk/keepthekylesafloat

[ANNIVERSARIES]

SIGNED, SEALED & DELIVERED

[ H O L I DAY H O M E S ]

BUY YOUR OWN SLICE OF SCOTLAND If you love Scotland and plan to visit lots in future, then you may want to consider investing in your very own holiday home. Aria Resorts, which has holiday parks throughout the UK, is offering secure lodges for sale at its new Glendevon base in the Perthshire countryside. With prices starting at £190,000, Glendevon is within easy reach of Gleneagles, with beautiful views all around and woodland trails and castles on your doorstep. ariaresortshomes.co.uk/our-locations/scotland/glendevon-resort

Celebrations to mark the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, postponed from 2020, have been renamed the 2020+1 festival and will take place from 6 April to 30 June 2021, with some, if not all, events accessible online. The Declaration of Arbroath, in which eight earls and around 40 barons added their seal to a document asking the Pope to recognise Scotland’s independence, was a precursor to the American Declaration of Independence. The festival will also celebrate the mysterious reappearance of the Stone of Scone at Arbroath Abbey 70 years ago, after it had been stolen from Westminster Abbey a few months before. The ancient stone had been used in Scotland’s coronation ceremonies for centuries, before being controversially taken by King Edward I of England in 1296. arbroathfestival.com

Scotland 9

JOURNAL

| Window into Scotland

Notes from the Isles

Each issue, our friend on the Black Isle fills us in on her life in rural Scotland – this issue she recalls her festive celebrations, which though different to normal, were still full of joy Words by KATE FRANCIS

“A

THIS PAGE: Kate and Cronie, her faithful Border Terrier OPPOSITE: Embo Sands in Sutherland

10 Scotland

nxious voices: ‘How was your Christmas and New Year?’ Standard response: ‘Under the circumstances, couldn’t have been better.’ And it’s true: my festive period was different, but memorable for all the best reasons. Thanks to the Cosmic Invader, it wasn’t possible for us to have our usual Christmas gathering of all the family in our home in the Outer Hebrides. Instead, my oldest daughter Mary and I planned to spend Christmas, just the two of us together, without any fuss. It didn’t work out quite like that. On Christmas morning, we opened our presents by a tiny token tree with twinkling lights, keenly assisted by Cronie, who knows that parcels are sometimes edible. This tree and our beloved crib on the hall table, its bedraggled figures made with pipe cleaners and scraps of material by my mother-in-law 60 years ago, were my only concessions to Christmas decorations this year. I couldn’t have foregone the annual ritual of setting them up on Christmas Eve while listening to the service of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast live from King’s College, Cambridge. At church on Christmas Day we hummed the carols behind our masks, led by our Nigerian priest, who has the voice of an angel. We visited Douglas’s grave, came home and went down the path to Maggie and John next door, who are part of our ‘bubble’. There, we exchanged presents and enjoyed a delicious three-course lunch – a starter of mushrooms stuffed with

black pudding was followed by Jamie Oliver’s sea bass with roast beetroot salad – seasoned with companionable talk and convivial laughter. John then got out his guitar and we sat round the fire singing carols and Gaelic songs until it was almost dark, when we bade them a reluctant farewell and I took Cronie for a quick run up the track. In the evening, we drove three miles along the shore to join our oldest family friends for supper. [On Christmas Day up to three households could mix in Scotland – Editor.] From timber chalet with huge windows and elegant modern furniture to Victorian house decked with tinsel, holly and ivy, silver and glass glinting in the candlelight. Adam, our host, in tartan trews, regimental tie and velvet smoking jacket, welcomed us warmly and led us into the drawing room to greet his father, Angus, similarly dressed, while our hostess put the finishing touches to a traditional Christmas dinner: luscious turkey with all the trimmings, Christmas pudding, mince pies, brandy butter and little dishes filled with nuts, crystallised ginger and chocolates. We pulled crackers, donned coloured paper crowns and read out our jokes. Angus tapped his glass and we toasted The Queen and Absent Friends. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, filled with amusing stories about the good old days when Angus and Douglas were brother officers in the Cameron Highlanders. Driving home, Mary and I agreed that we couldn’t have had a happier day, covering a whole spectrum of pleasures.

Window into Scotland |

On New Year’s Day we drove an hour up the coast to join a couple of Mary’s friends for a picnic at Embo Sands, just north of Dornoch. It was very cold, but the sun shone, and we had a happy lunch together in the dunes while Cronie’s sensitive nose lured her off to investigate a family not far along the ridge, who were enjoying barbecued sausages as they sipped Champagne out of elegant flutes. We then went for a bracing walk along the beach, near to where Janet Horne, the ‘last witch in Scotland’, is said to have been burnt in a barrel in 1727. I like proper weather: a warm spring, filled with promise; a hot, sunny summer; a crisp, colourful autumn; a hard winter with snow on the hills and our ever-faithful robin picking through the fallen stems for seeds. I don’t like the weather we’ve had until recently, best described as dreich. But for the past week we’ve had some glorious proper winter. In fact, the sheet of ice that confronted me on the first morning was almost overdoing ‘proper’. When it gets as bad as that I can’t use the car because it’s impossible to get it back up a steep, right-angled bend in the track to the house. This means Cronie and I must do a five-mile hike to get the paper; our walk up the farm track that morning was terrifying and took more than three hours. On the way we passed a man wearing Yaktrax – coils of non-slip wire that can be strapped onto boot soles – and I remembered that I had a pair, buried in a box in a cupboard. I have since unearthed them and resumed my appreciation of a ‘proper’ winter.

journal

On New Year’s Day we drove an hour up the coast to join a couple of Mary’s friends for a picnic at Embo Sands, just north of Dornoch As we march into 2021, I take strength from the fact that, despite the horrors wreaked on so many by this life-changing pandemic, our days continue to be filled with kindness and friendship. My youngest daughter, Henrietta, was staying with me in November and came with me to Mass on Remembrance Sunday. One of the congregation, Donald, is an acclaimed piper and he usually pipes us out of church on special occasions, but that day it was pouring with rain and everyone ran for their cars, so he refrained. We hurried across the churchyard to visit Douglas’s grave, and, as we were standing there, we heard the pipes starting up. It was Donald playing Lochaber No More, the tune played as a coffin is lowered into the grave. Embracing, Henrietta and I wept, not from unhappiness but a deep feeling of joy and gratitude. Donald came closer and closer, followed by his wife, and when I turned to wave my thanks, I was sure that it wasn’t just rain drops on their faces, too. It was a truly moving experience which I shall never forget. I send all my readers my best wishes for an easy, happy 2021. S

Scotland 11

MaIlBaG

| Your letters

WE’VE GOT MAIL A selection of messages from our readers across the globe MY PRAYERS ANSWERED My husband John and I are loving reading Scotland – recalling our wonderful trip in 2019 and hopefully looking forward to our next adventure whenever the Covid pandemic/ lockdowns make it possible. In 2020, we were booked to travel to Japan then Scotland – the Shetland Isles and Fair Isle – but then Covid struck and our plans went down the toilet, like everyone else’s. In 2019, I had begun a search for a Scottish ancestor of my family (of which there are many in Australia). My ancestor was the ship’s surgeon on a voyage to Australia and I was trying to find out where he studied medicine, but I’ve had no luck yet. We are determined to once again travel to Scotland, and Sumburgh Head, Shetland meanwhile have your wonderful magazine to enjoy. Jen Collins, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia P.S. Perhaps Scotland could consider an article on the Scottish diaspora in Australia…

SHARING IS CARING

I thought you may like to know that the current issue of your magazine (Issue 114) formed a small part of a Christmas gift to my elderly mother, who early last year went to Scotland. I wasn’t planning to buy the magazine at all (I’m a British Asian southerner) but what massively drew me was the lovely picture of a young Sean Connery, as well as details of some of his Scottish heritage (which I know we’ll both love reading about). I was deeply saddened by Sean Connery’s death and I know he did such a lot for Scotland. The article on him, plus his picture on top of that lovely cover design compelled me to buy it for her (and I can have a read later Can’t see at some point too). yours or want Mr Rohan Ranasinghe, to read more by email letters? Go to scotlandmag.com/ yourviews

EDITOR REPLIES: I do hope you have luck tracing your ancestry Jen (you could try our resident ancestry expert – see p70) and I will certainly consider your suggestion – I bet there are some amazing stories.

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

12 Scotland

editor@scotlandmag.com facebook.com/ScotlandMagazine

@Scotland_Mag @scotlandmagazine

WE’LL BE BACK

Today when my cherished Scotland magazine arrived, I held my breath as I quickly turned to the beloved Kate Francis journal. I was holding my breath in the hope that my pandemic prayers for Mrs Francis and her family were answered and all was well. Praise be! I live on a beautiful small island in South Carolina, but my heart is also in Scotland, which I love. I adore our family there. Your country’s beautiful flag flies every day in our mountain summer home next to our South Carolina flag and American flag. When I think of Mrs Francis’s journals I remember how she described her husband’s well-worn hat on his coffin as it proceeded down the aisle to the altar. I wept at the image and the love those words represented. I still do. Scotland forever! I send blessings to you all. Mary Ross Coleman, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

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18th Annual Outlander Tour®

Based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon. An extended version of the 9-night Outlander Tour. The addition of the Isle of Lewis, the Calanais Stone Circle, and other archaeological wonders of the Outer Hebrides, makes this extended version a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon. Time travel back to the 18th-century Highlands, where history and fantasy come face to face. See secret places and magical sites that are off the beaten path and that will paint a new portrait of Scotland for you.

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inspiration

| Aberdeenshire, Angus & Moray

14 Scotland

Aberdeenshire, Angus & Moray |

inspiration

Balmoral Country Our writer visits Royal Deeside to see if it still holds the same allure that attracted Queen Victoria all those years ago Words by STEPHEN MCGINTY

Scotland 15

inspiration

| Aberdeenshire, Angus & Moray

PREVIOUS PAGE: Balmoral Castle sits in a huge estate in the Cairngorms National Park ABOVE: Balmoral Castle, HM The Queen’s private Scottish home RIGHT: Owned by Swiss art dealers, The Fife Arms in Braemar is a sensational place to stay in Royal Deeside

“A

ll seemed to breathe freedom and peace,” declared Queen Victoria. Those following in her footsteps, through Balmoral, Braemar and Ballater, may well find themselves recalling this line. While it is almost 180 years since the young Queen Victoria visited what would become known as Royal Deeside, the landscape that bewitched her and through which she would long seek solace, has remained timeless, casting its spell over each generation of visitors. On my first visit to Royal Deeside in a number of years, I felt it best to pay tribute to the queen, who did more than even Sir Walter Scott to promote Highland tourism after taking residence in Balmoral, the estate purchased for her by Prince Albert, her husband, and to which she largely retired following his death. Yet, to pay tribute no longer only means a visit to Balmoral, now HM The Queen’s only private home (all others being royal castles owned by the nation), although the gardens are a wonder and the tearoom a delight for lovers of scones with clotted cream and homemade jam. Today, aficionados of royalty are best advised to check into The Fife Arms hotel in Braemar, a few miles from Balmoral, and now one of the most eccentric and beguiling hostelries in the world. To walk through the front door of the stone building that has long dominated the main street, but which has recently been given a multi-million pound make-over, is to step into the world of a hospitable art collector and a generous host. A warm fire crackles in the hearth by the lobby and nearby is a simple, yet elegant pencil drawing of a Highland stag: an original sketch by Queen Victoria herself. Those who venture into the bowels of the building and seek out the library will be greeted not just by her penmanship, but her royal self as a life-size waxwork model in dark mourning dress.

Queen Victoria did more than even Sir Walter Scott to promote Highland tourism after taking residence in Balmoral

16 Scotland

Royal Deeside |

travel

Queen Victoria is not the only permanent guest in the hotel, which was opened in 2018 by Swiss art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth. Among the other residents hanging around all day are Picasso and Freud, both of whom have original artworks that greet guests to the hotel. Freud’s painting of his daughter, Annie, would gaze down at me as I had my morning coffee at reception, while Picasso’s ‘Le Mousquetaire’ (the musketeer) hangs in the drawing room. Since opening, The Fife Arms has attracted celebrity guests from all over the world, drawn to an establishment that not only offers splendid food and excellent service but the unique experience of spending a night, not just in a museum, but an art gallery. In total there are more than 16,000 pieces of art, antiques and collectibles and over 100 pieces of taxidermy on display around the 46-room hotel. Among the most striking pieces, which also include a giant metal spider, is the ‘Flying Stag’ that lends its winged moniker to the hotel’s bar, which is as popular with locals, popping in for a pint and a Sunday roast, as it is with A-list stars. For what makes The Fife Arms such a welcome new resident in the area is how it has become a part of the community, of which its owners Iwan and Manuela also belong, as they own a home nearby. Visitors who base themselves in Braemar are well placed to enjoy all that the surrounding areas offer. The rugged splendour of the Cairngorms and the Glenshee ski centre is but a 10-minute drive away. Scottish skiing, and all its unpredictable challenges, may not be to everyone’s taste, but in spring and summer the landscape is ornamented with colour and I would recommend that it be enjoyed in the company of Nan Shepherd’s seminal book The Living Mountain, which is about the nature and landscape of the Cairngorms. A local all her life, the book was written in the 1940s but not published until 1977 and details her experiences and reflections walking in the mountains. The slim volume has been rediscovered and taken to the heart by a new generation of nature writers such as Robert Macfarlane. Visitors today will, with a bit of luck, see deer, ptarmigan, mountain hares and golden eagles. Sadly, I encountered none during my drive through the Cairngorms and had no opportunity to dip a rod into the River Dee, but friends who are keen fishermen rave about casting a line in the early morning mist and there is no shortage of experienced ghillies and guides who will help visitors to find the best spots. On the drive between Braemar and Ballater, I passed

Scotland 17

inspiration

| Aberdeenshire, Angus & Moray

GETTING THERE There are international flights into both Aberdeen and Inverness, both of which offer good access to Royal Deeside. There are also regular trains from London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness to Aberdeen. aberdeenairport.com; invernessairport.co.uk; scotrail.co.uk

Highlands fare, rooms are decadent and imaginative, both the library and drawing room are kitted out with bespoke tweed and boast open fires and there is no shortage of sporting activities taking place on the estate. There are also incredible treatments on offer at the Albamhor Spa. thefifearms.com

WHERE TO STAY

TAKE THE ROYAL TOUR

Fife Arms, Braemar Part lavish hotel, part world-class art gallery, since reopening in 2018 following major reinvestment, the Fife Arms has wowed her visitors. The food is high-quality

Balmoral Castle, Ballater Bought for her by her beloved Albert, Victoria and her family would often arrive at their Scottish hideaway by overnight train from London. Today Balmoral is where the

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Queen holidays each summer. As it is an official royal residence, much of Balmoral is out of bounds for visitors but guided tours will take you around the grounds, into the game larder and ice house and into the ballroom, where items that are normally kept private are displayed. balmoralcastle.com Royal Deeside Railway, Milton of Crathes When Queen Victoria used to come to Balmoral she quite often travelled by train and so a ride on this heritage steam train that travels some of the route that once would have ended at the castle, is a must.

The trip itself only takes about 20 minutes, travelling about a mile of the route, but there is a lovely teashop in Milton of Crathes where there is also still a Victorian station. deeside-railway.co.uk

WHERE TO EAT The Rothesay Rooms, Ballater The more famous of Prince Charles’s two dining options in Ballater, this restaurant champions locally sourced produce. Its mix of Duke of Rothesay tartan and glowing candlelight makes for an intimate setting for dinner following a visit to nearby Balmoral Castle. rothesay-rooms.co.uk

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Royal Deeside | a reminder that this is not only a land of the safe beauty of a shortbread tin, but has a wildness at its core. The Cambus O’May suspension bridge over the Dee was still fenced off on my visit, after it was almost swept away during the devastating floods triggered by Storm Frank in 2015. However, thanks to a fundraising campaign, (plus support from Prince Charles, known as the Duke of Rothesay when north of the border), work is now underway to restore it. The drive along the banks of the River Dee is one of the most beautiful in Scotland, as the water winks and glints between the trees. The road also leads past the Crathie Kirk, the small stone church in which Her Majesty The Queen and other members of the Royal Family gather to worship. A working church, accessible to the public and parishioners, it has been in use since 1563, though the site has been a place of worship ever since the ninth century. The 17-mile drive between Braemar and Ballater is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, with the odd stop to wander down to the riverbank. Once in Ballater there are a number of good places to dine, but it would seem a shame, considering the branding of Royal Deeside, not to try the culinary wares of the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles. There are two options, depending on one’s appetite and budget, both set up through the Prince’s charity. The Carriage at Ballater Station is a beautifully decorated and charming bistro and tearoom offering light meals and

traVEL

LEFT TO RIGHT: A secluded house in the Cairngorms National Park near Braemar; Princess Anne, HM The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles at Balmoral; the opulent German Emperor’s Victoriana Suite at The Fife Arms in Braemar

The rugged splendour of the Cairngorms is but a 10-minute drive. In spring and summer the landscape is ornamented with colour

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| Royal Deeside

snacks in what was once the town’s train station office. Otherwise, for those with a more demanding palate, there is the Rothesay Rooms, a fine-dining restaurant with a growing reputation. Over the course of the summer season, both Braemar and Ballater offer a range of events, including the Ballater Walking Festival, a paean to the pleasures of perambulation, which takes places over five days in May, and attracts walkers from all over the world to the surrounding scenery and myriad routes. Meanwhile, those looking for a little more fun should visit in June 2022 for the town’s Annual Duck Festival, a day of merry-go-rounds and bouncy castles – the highlight of which is a giant inflatable duck race down the River Dee. Yet the Highland event of the social calendar is the Braemar Highland Gathering, arguably the world’s most famous Highland games, regularly attended by Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal Family at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park. It was Queen Victoria who began this tradition, first attending the gathering in 1848, and it’s hoped the games will be back this September. While the present festivities and competitions date back to 1832, gatherings have taken place on the site for 1,000 years, since the days of King Malcolm III (Canmore). As I looped around Ballater, headed back towards Braemar and prepared myself to be hit by the melancholic magnificence of the Cairngorms, before beginning the long drive south to home, I found myself in agreement with Queen Victoria. “All seemed to breathe freedom and peace.” Well, quite. S

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: The Carriage at Ballater Station; the old bridge at Invercauld near Braemar; athletes compete in the Caber Toss at the Braemar Highland Gathering

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The 17-mile drive between Braemar and Ballater is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, with the odd stop to wander down the river

THIS BEAUTIFUL EARTH - CREATED FOR A PURPOSE There are in the world today, many fears and anxieties for the future of humanity and of life upon earth. There is the ever present threat of war and destructive weapons. There is concern over the loss of natural habitats and natural resources. There is concern for the climate and frequency of natural disasters.

The Holy Bible is the inspired Word of the Living God. Its pages reveal that He is in control and that there is a solution to these problems. He, as the Creator, has a Purpose with the earth, which is altogether logical. The Bible reveals how it is possible to have a part in His Plan.

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| Speyside Distilleries

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Speyside Distilleries |

travel

Words by SALLY COFFEY

WHERE WHISKY IS MADE Just to the north of Royal Deeside lies Speyside, a region along the course of the River Spey, where over half of the whisky produced in Scotland is made

peyside is to whisky what Champagne is to sparkling wine. There are distilleries all over Scotland – some 130 and counting – but nowhere produces Scotch on this scale, with more than 50 distilleries in a relatively small triangular region, including big name brands such as Macallan and Glenfiddich, alongside smaller independents and other specialised distillers. But what is it about this region in the northeast of Scotland that makes it so perfect for making whisky? Stewart Buchanan, global brand ambassador for BenRiach, GlenDronach, and Glenglassaugh Distilleries, thinks he has the answer. “I’ve always said it’s like the Goldilocks effect,” he says. “You know, you think about the landscape itself, the terroir, what’s around you. What do you need? Water, barley, yeast – there’s an abundance of that.”Stewart says he has three maps of Scotland that he uses to help show why whisky production here is so prolific: “One [map] shows the PHs of water and you put that down and you’ll see the perfect PH running through Speyside. “Then you lay down the [map] of the fertility of the ground for the suitability of growing barley and it lands right on Speyside. The final map shows the transportation links, the train lines that fed from the Central Belt, bringing either coal for your production, fuel, or taking whisky back down, and if you lay these three maps down on top of each other: bingo, you’ve got it.” The three distilleries that Stewart looks after are owned by Brown-Forman and yet each has its own distinct character, showing that even within a compact area, flavours can vary hugely, often determined by lots of very small factors. “That’s what I love about single malts,” Stewart says. “There’s never one thing that makes this distillery stand out. It’s all the little things they do that make the big picture.” Right now, Speyside distilleries remain closed, hopeful that they will reopen soon. In the meantime, there are some ways you can sate your thirst for Scotch from home. Virtual tastings have proved hugely popular for many distilleries throughout the pandemic and are a great way of supporting your favourite distillery or trying out a new one. This year’s Spirit of Speyside festival (28 April- 3 May) will take place online and will include some fantastic immersive experiences,

CLOCKWISE, FROM FAR LEFT: The Glenlivet Distillery; the malting process at BenRiach Distillery; the Speyside Way is a walking trail along the River Spey; Stewart Buchanan

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| Speyside Distilleries

CLOCKWISE, FROM BELOW: A Highland cow on the Glenlivet estate; Easter Elchies House on the Macallan estate; Benromach whisky matures in casks

including a tour of Dalmunach Distillery, with its master distiller, plus an exploration of BenRiach’s World of Flavour – and maybe even some kind of live video link from the distillery’s maltings floor, which is usually open to the public for around six weeks each spring. The festival will also include a whistle-stop virtual tasting along The Malt Whisky Trail, a collective of nine whisky locations in the region, including Benromach, The Glenlivet, Glen Moray and Glenfiddich. It is hoped the festival will be able to take place in real life from 3-8 November. Aside from the festival, there are lots of other ways of enjoying whisky from your own home until you can get here in person. Benromach Distillery has launched a virtual tour with View360 to provide a step-by-step guide to its handmade approach to whisky making. Keith Cruickshank, distillery manager at Benromach, says: “For those who are unable to visit in person now or for whatever reason in the future, we hope you will enjoy being able to experience the distillery for yourselves regardless of where in the world you are.” However, what we all really want is to be able to get out there and visit the distilleries in person, so what can you expect when you are able to visit Speyside? BenRiach’s new visitor centre, which was due to open in January 2021, is ready to welcome guests as soon as it gets the green light and, as well as tours when possible, there will be a bar area, with the chance to try cocktails and rare tastings. “We will probably be one of the only places in the world that will have collections of our whiskies that are not available in the UK,” Stewart says. “If it was a US exclusive you could taste it in the distillery, if it was an Asian exclusive you could taste in the distillery, so we’re offering something you can’t get normally in your local whisky tours.” In other good signs for the future, Speyside Distillers has announced plans to expand with a new, state-ofthe-art distillery. The artisan firm – which is best known for its awardwinning SPEY single malts – has also recently taken on two members of distilling staff to fulfil the demands of increased production. Managing director, Patricia Dillon, said: “Our plans for a new distillery will ensure that we can continue to distil the quantities of whisky required, while also allowing us room for further expansion. “Although our full plans – including location and design – are currently under wraps, we’re looking forward to sharing more as they unfold over the coming months and years.” S

FOLLOW YOUR NOSE ■ BenRiach Distillery benriachdistillery.com ■ Benromach Distillery benromach.com ■ GlenDronach Distillery glendronachdistillery.com ■ Glenglassaugh Distillery glenglassaugh.com ■ Speyside Distillers speysidedistillery.co.uk ■ Spirit of Speyside spiritofspeyside.com ■ The Malt Whisky Trail maltwhiskytrail.com

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The Malt Whisky Trail is a collective of nine whisky locations in the region, including The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich

Discover Shetland

For small groups – Explore Shetland’s rich natural history, stunning landscapes and fascinating past. Contact: David Malcolm 07387 167205 (leave text) E: davidmalcolmzetland@hotmail.com (author) Shetland’s Wild Flowers & Shetland’s History (co-author) Shetland’s Geology

www.discovershetland.net Scottish Heritage USA, Inc.

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

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Eisenhower Suite at Culzean Castle-Scottish Heritage funded the refurbishing and reconstruction of this guest suite

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910.295.4448 Scotland 25

StatelY HOMeS

| Broomhall

Words by RODDY MARTINE

HOME OF BRUCE

We take a virtual tour of Robert the Bruce’s descendants’ home, Broomhall House, with its current owner, Lord Bruce, and hear about the family’s other royal connections

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t a ceremony in 2014 to mark the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Lord Bruce, the eldest son and heir to the 11th Earl of Elgin & Kincardine, carried the hero King Robert the Bruce’s state sword in recognition of their shared ancestry. When not employed on such occasions, this magnificent weapon, presented to their ancestor by King David II (Robert the Bruce’s son), is prominently displayed at Broomhall, the Bruce family’s Grade-A listed home in the Kingdom of Fife where Lord Elgin has the distinction of being the 37th Chief of the Name of Bruce. The Bruce family is represented worldwide, notably in the USA, Canada and Australia, by The Family of Bruce International, a remarkable network for those carrying the Bruce surname. The connections with the USA and Canada are particularly strong and in December 2020, Lord Bruce was a keynote speaker at the Scottish North American Leadership Conference. “I was surprised by the great amount of interest it generated,” he says modestly. The Bruces have played an immensely important part in the history of the British Isles, their ancestors having arrived shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Prior to becoming a Royal House in Scotland, dispersed family members have occupied strategic castles both north and south of the England/Scotland border. In 1359, King Robert I’s son David II made a grant of land in Fife to his “beloved cousin” Robert Bruce of Clackmannan. Thereafter the accumulated wealth from exports of coal and salt was shrewdly invested in farmland lining the north shore of the Firth of Forth. Added to which, successive generations conscientiously served as statesmen, theologians, diplomats, explorers, entrepreneurs and inventors. In 1602, Edward Bruce, ambassador to London for King James VI, paved the way for his master to become first King of Great Britain, as King James I. He was appointed Master of the Rolls and created Lord Bruce of Kinloss. Having inherited the Kinloss titles from his brother, who was killed in a duel over a love interest, Edward’s younger son Thomas was made Earl of Elgin in 1633. The earldom of Kincardine was created in 1647 for the descendants of Edward’s brother, George Bruce of Carnock, who had pioneered the commercial mining of coal at Culross. In a later generation, Charles, 9th Earl of Kincardine, inherited the Elgin title and united the two Bruce earldoms in 1747. They have remained together ever since. ABOVE: Lord The fine mansion house of Bruce with Robert Broomhall was built in 1702 to a the Bruce’s state design by Sir William Bruce of sword, which Kinross, Surveyor General of the is on display at Broomhall King’s Work in Scotland. RIGHT: The Library A kinsman of the Clackmannan at Broomhall is family, Sir William had travelled among the finest widely on the Continent as a refugee in Scotland

Broomhall House |

stately homes

Royalist and introduced classical architecture to Scotland following the restoration of Charles II. Among several building commissions, which included Kinross House, he oversaw the rebuilding of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. In the 1760s Broomhall was rebuilt in the then popular Palladian style by John Adam, then after a lapse of 30 years, it was entirely rebuilt as a progenitor of the Greek revival. By 1867, when the portico was added, over 13 architects had been engaged in the building project. In the wider sphere, the name of Elgin is perhaps best known for the controversial collection of classical Greek sculpture removed from the Parthenon in Athens, which had been part of the Turkish Empire for 400 years. As British Ambassador to Constantinople in 1799, the 7th Earl recognised the threat to their survival and commissioned at his own expense an operation to record and copy in plaster all the sculpture of the Acropolis. Latterly he was granted permission to remove almost half a length of the Parthenon frieze. The Parthenon sculptures were acquired from him by the British Government in 1816 and have since been on display in the British Museum in London. An entire set of the casts is to be found in the front hall of Broomhall along with a Roman sarcophagus and two splendid 4th-century marble columns. However, such treasures make up only a fraction of the romance surrounding Broomhall. As with so many Scots in generations past, several Bruces quietly nurtured Jacobite sympathies, but with the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden in 1746, the family concentrated on creating one of the earliest planned industrial settlements in Britain, opening profitable limestone quarries and adding harbours to their estates in Fife. Appointed Governor of Jamaica in 1845, the 8th Earl also served as Governor General of Canada where he introduced parliamentary democracy. Later on, he negotiated the first commercial treaties with Japan and China and ended his career as Viceroy of India where he died at Dharamsala in 1863, the only viceroy to be buried in India. Thirty years later he was succeeded in this role by his son, the 9th Earl, who pursued a passion for railways, building almost 4,000 miles of track in South Asia over four years. His descendant, Lord Bruce, is Chairman of the Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust, which is restoring a Scottish cemetery in Calcutta, the nucleus of a current, pioneering urban regeneration project. Broomhall has always been celebrated for its hospitality, a reputation that Lord Bruce is anxious to sustain and develop. King George V and Queen Mary came for lunch in 1923. King Edward VIII briefly sought refuge here during the abdication crisis of 1936, while King George VI is known to have played board games with the Bruce children. Among those who enjoyed the generosity of Broomhall LEFT: The grand mantelpiece in The Dining Room BELOW: A bust from Pilkington Jackson’s statue of Robert the Bruce on display at Broomhall

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Broomhall House |

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BRUCE FAMILY TREE

The Bruces have played an immensely important role in the history of the British Isles since their ancestors arrived shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Motto: ‘Fuimus’ – ‘We have been.’ BRUCES OF ANNANDALE Robert de Brus, 1st of Annandale Granted lordship of Annandale by David I of Scots (1124) I (Several generations) I Robert de Brus, V of Annadale, Earl of Carrick (d.1295) I I ROYAL HOUSE OF BRUCE Robert the Bruce, VI of Annandale (1274-1329) Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick (c.1280-1318) King of Scots (1306-1329) High King of Ireland (1315 -1318) I I I I David II (1324-71) Marjorie (1296-1316) BARONS OF CLACKMANNAN m. Walter Stewart Thomas Bruce, 1st Baron of Clackmannan (d.c.1348). High Steward of Scotland I I (Several generations) ROYAL HOUSE OF STEWART I Robert II (1316-1390) I I I I John Bruce, 8th Baron of Clackmannan Edward Bruce of Blairhall (1506-1565) I I I I I I (Several generations) Robert Bruce of Blairhall Sir Edward Bruce of Kinloss Sir George Bruce of Carnock I ( House of Blairhall) 1st Lord of Kinloss I I I I I I I I I I Henry Bruce, 11th Baron of Clackmannan I I (On his death the Chiefship of Name I I passed to 5th Earl of Elgin ) I I I I I I I I EARLS OF ELGIN I Edward, 2nd Lord Bruce Thomas, 3rd Lord Bruce I of Kinloss (1584-1613) of Kinloss 1st Earl of Elgin (1599-1663) I I I George Bruce of Carnock Robert Bruce of Broomhall Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin I I (1627-1685) I I I EARLS OF KINCARDINE I I Edward, 1st Earl of Kincardine Alexander, 4th Earl of Kincardine I I (succeeded 2nd & 3rd Earl) I Alexander, 2nd Earl of Kincardine I I I I Thomas, 3rd Earl of Elgin Alexander, 3rd Earl of Kincardine (Several generations) (1656-1741) I I I Charles, 4th Earl of Elgin (1682- 1747) William, 8th Earl 0f Kincardine I I I I I I EARLS OF ELGIN & KINCARDINE Charles, 5th Earl of Elgin & 9th Earl of Kincardine, Chief of Name & Arms of Bruce (1732-1771) I I William, 6th Earl of Elgin & 10th of Kincardine (1764-1771) Thomas, 7th Earl of Elgin & Kincardine (1766-1841) British Ambassador to Ottoman Empire (1799-1803) I I James, Baron Elgin, 8th Earl of Elgin & 12th Earl of Kincardine KT(1911-1863) Governor General of Canada (1847-54). Viceroy and Governor General of India (1862-63) I I Victor Alexander, 9th Earl of Elgin & 13th Earl of Kincardine KG (1849-1917) Viceroy of India (1894-99). Secretary of State for the Colonies (1905-08) I I Edward James, 10th Earl of Elgin & 14th Earl of Kincardine KT, CMG,TD (1881-1968) I I Andrew Douglas, 11th Earl of Elgin & 15th Earl of Kincardine KT (b.1924)

was the Dunfermline-born American railway industrialist and benefactor Andrew Carnegie, who in 1901 sold the Carnegie Steel Company for $480 million (the equivalent of $118 billion today), becoming the world’s richest man. He later invited the 9th Earl to chair his Scottish Universities Endowment Fund, which at a stroke transformed the destiny of Scotland’s universities, widening access to the families of working-class Scots. Andrew Carnegie’s own family had occupied a smallholding on the Broomhall estate for over 80 years, departing in 1862 with unpaid rental arrears of 36 pounds and 10 shillings. The ledger containing this fascinating historical footnote is one of the many important documents held in the Bruce family archives. Although the Bruce family’s business roots can be traced as far back as 1575 – when they sank Scotland’s deepest coal mine at Culross – Broomhall House opened to the general public for the first time in 2017 as a hospitality enterprise, focusing on the market for private and corporate events. Benefiting from links to nearby Knockhill Racing Circuit, the house has hosted several launch events for globally recognised brands such as McLaren Automotive and Rolls-Royce Motors. The family also works closely with Scottish-based charities to offer the house for fundraising and promotion of worthwhile causes in innovative ways. In 2018, Broomhall was used by the United Nations office in Edinburgh to host Scotland’s first UN Assembly for primary school children. The event was the subject of a laudatory motion tabled at the Westminster and Holyrood parliaments. An awards ceremony hosted for the Polar Academy reflected the fact that William Spiers Bruce was the first Scotsman to explore the Antarctic, while the first British Everest expeditions were organised by Charles Granville Bruce. Lord Bruce has been energetically pro-active since taking over the management of the estate from his father, who still keeps an eye on developments from his private quarters in the house. One of the patrician figures of 20th-century Scotland, the 11th Earl was Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, served twice as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and was created a Knight of the Order of the Thistle by HM The Queen in 1982. Since opening up to the public four years ago, Broomhall has become one of Scotland’s most sought-after destinations for private pre-booked history tours. Of course, the past year hasn’t been good for business but Lord Bruce is sanguine about the effects of the pandemic. “We suffered 60 cancellations in 2020 – almost all private tours booked by international travel advisors seeking the world’s best experiences for their clients – but I’m reassured that the TOP LEFT: market will return,” he insists. The Drawing Room There is certainly a lot to attract BOTTOM LEFT: The Dining Room visitors when they can come, it has

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to be said. The Library, with its secret RIGHT: Today, Broomhall door disguised among the bookcases, operates has to be one of the finest in Scotland as a private and there is a first edition Geneva events venue Bible, incidentally published in 1561, BELOW: Guests enjoy an event the year Mary, Queen of Scots organised in returned from France. Among the collaboration with many other first editions is The travel experts MacLean & Bruce Theory of Modern Sentiments, written in 1759 by the economist Adam Smith. The elegant Drawing Room adjoining is hung with Old Master paintings acquired by the 7th Earl in Paris after he had been released on parole by Napoléon Bonaparte. In the Dining Room, which is hung with 17th-century Dutch portraits, there is a colossal carved mantelpiece reconstituted from the marital bed of James VI and Anne of Denmark, the bed in which Charles I was born. When laid out for a formal dinner, the table is replete with 18th-century silver, which travelled the world from one pro-consular or diplomatic posting to another. A 19th-century silver statuette of Queen Victoria, a gift to her godson the 9th Earl, accompanied the family to India and took pride of place at Government House in Calcutta to impress the assembled princes and maharajas, just as she intended. Now, that’s something worth seeing. S

PLAN YOUR VISIT

■ Located just outside Dunfermline in Fife, Broomhall is only a short distance across the Queensferry Crossing from Edinburgh Airport, and almost equidistant from The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh and Gleneagles in Auchterarder, for guests looking for five-star accommodation. roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/the-balmoralhotel/; gleneagles.com ■ The Family of Bruce International familyofbruceinternational.org/other-bruce-biographies ■ The Bruce Genealogy Project brucefamily.com

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■ When travel opens up in Scotland again, you can make a request for a tour through the enquiries page on the Broomhall website. Most guests do come as part of a private tour with a luxury travel company though. Lord Bruce recommends booking through an intermediary such as Dream Escape. +44(0)7549 538317; broomhallhouse.com; dreamescape.co.uk

Award winning jewellery created in Scotland by Sheila Kerr

www.sheilakerrjewellery.com

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| Cape Wrath Cafe

Cape Wrath Cafe |

scottish life

Words by NICK DRAINEY

LIVING ON THE EDGE Meet the man who is no stranger to isolation: John Ure, owner of the most remote cafe and bunkhouse in the UK

t is one of the most inhospitable places in Scotland. In February, it is often impossible to go outside without being blown off your feet by gales howling in off the Atlantic Ocean and even when the wind drops, snowdrifts leave it cut off from the rest of the country. But Cape Wrath is home for John Ure, and he wouldn’t have it any other way, whatever the weather may bring. Just getting there is an adventure in itself, involving a journey across the narrow Kyle of Durness on a small boat and an 11-mile trip up a bumpy, single-track road. Cape Wrath covers more than 100 square miles on the far north-west point of Scotland, separated from the rest of the mainland by the tidal Kyle of Durness to the east and miles and miles of open, boggy moorland to the south. At the tip is a lighthouse, perched on 921-foot cliffs, the highest on mainland Britain. It is surrounded by Britain’s biggest bombing range – the only place in Europe where 1000lb bombs can be LEFT: The cafe and dropped, leaving the area closed for bunkhouse operate ‘war games’ up to 120 days a year. out of lighthouse However, John manages to outbuildings at Cape Wrath successfully run the adjacent Ozone

Cafe and a bunkhouse with his daughter, Angela, and welcome more than 6,000 people a year (when coronavirus is not restricting travel plans). It was 25 years ago that John and his late wife Kay arrived at this outpost on the most north-westerly tip of the mainland. The reason for being there was simple: “We had three small kids in Glasgow and didn’t want them to grow up there,” he says. They had joined a charity run by Historic Environment Scotland, which aimed to save buildings at risk. First, they tried to move to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, further down the west coast but they missed that opportunity. Then they found buildings at Cape Wrath were available on a £1-a-year lease after being compulsorily purchased by the Highland Council. The lighthouse tower is still owned and operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board, but the former Principal Lighthouse Keeper’s house and the machine room have been transformed into a home, cafe and now a bunkhouse. John says conditions were harsh at first: “It was really hard to start with because there was no power and water. The first 10 years we spent renovating; it was derelict more or less.”

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| Cape Wrath Cafe

And it is no understatement when John, who used to run a roller shutter business, says: “It changed my life completely.” Even with generators, thick walls and a water supply, the weather can make Cape Wrath a tough place; winds have been recorded at more than 100mph. John says: “February is the worst. It is storm force for most of the month. You can’t go out really. You can get coal from the shed, but you can’t go up the hill or anything like that because you would get blown off your feet – it shoves down some of the (drystone) walls.” “I find it quite entertaining. Once you get the fire on you can sit and watch the sea being wild, it is quite nice. The walls of the house are quite substantial.” Despite the harsh climate, John says visitors, who come from across the globe, are attracted by the remoteness on one of the four corners of the British mainland. Many tourists arrive via the Kyle of Durness boat, followed by a minibus ride along the single-track road, while others use their own power to reach the remote spot, following long-distance footpaths, such as the Cape Wrath Trail, or arriving on mountain bikes. A new bunkhouse has proved popular among the walkers and mountain bikers, and it can be handy when the weather gets bad. “It is quite a regular thing to have people stranded. It’s a case of sitting it out when the weather is really bad. As long as they get here, we can cater for them because we have plenty of supplies.” The small boat that runs across the Kyle of Durness only operates in the summer months, so John has his own boat

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“February is the worst. It is storm force for most of the month. You can’t go out really... you would get blown off your feet.”

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP: John Ure, who lives and works at Cape Wrath; John keeps supplies topped up so stranded visitors can always be catered for; as well as sealife, a local fox and badger make daily visits

scottish life

Cape Wrath Cafe |

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| Cape Wrath Cafe

THIS IMAGE: Cape Wrath is situated at the most northwesterly point of mainland Scotland (and the UK) OPPOSITE TOP: Many visitors catch a boat over the Kyle of Durness from near Balnakeil Beach to Cape Wrath OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Inside the basic but warm Ozone Cafe

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Cape Wrath Cafe |

and vehicles to get supplies, although even that can be a major operation, especially in winter. In 2009, John’s late wife Kay left home in December to buy a turkey and other festive food in Inverness. On her return she discovered the 11-mile single track road to the lighthouse was blocked by heavy snow and had to spend Christmas Day in a friend’s caravan in Durness. John, meanwhile, shared the time with the couple’s six dogs and two walkers who had stopped at the cafe. John and Kay were not reunited until 19 January 2010. John spends the winter months renovating the buildings and making repairs to the storm-battered buildings, as well as watching the local wildlife. As you might expect, whales, dolphins and porpoises abound, but there are plenty of animals on land as well. “People think it’s pretty barren out here, but we have a fox and a badger come to the door every night for food, and 40 deer come into the garden most nights. Two sea eagles arrived last year and reared a young chick on the cliffs. There are golden eagles and peregrine falcons as well.” Much of the surrounding land is owned by the Ministry of Defence and exercises at certain times of the year mean

John spends the winter months making repairs to the storm-battered buildings, as well as watching the local wildlife

scottish life

access to and from the lighthouse is restricted. But John says it all works very well: “We have an excellent relationship with the MoD, they couldn’t be nicer.” “If I phone them up and say I have to go out for some reason, they will give me a time window within which I can return – they are very flexible.” Amid the fierce weather, visitors, military bombing exercises and cacophony of wildlife, there is one thing that John keeps referring to that makes Cape Wrath the ideal place to live and work for him. “It’s the isolation,” he says. S

Scotland 39

made in scotland

| Whisky

THE SPIRIT OF EDINBURGH Our Master of Malt meets the man behind Edinburgh’s first single malt whisky distillery in 100 years Words by JOHN LAMOND

THIS PAGE: Sampling the spirit from the cask

avid Robertson was born into whisky. He arrived on this earth while his father, Ricky, was assistant manager at Royal Brackla distillery. He then headed south to Aberfeldy in 1973 when Ricky became manager of that distillery (it was Ricky who gave me my initiation into cask strength single malt at Aberfeldy distillery in 1976.) Following a happy childhood in Aberfeldy, David headed north again to Glendullan in Speyside when Ricky became manager of that distillery. So, with such a journey in the first 22 years of his life, you could say that David’s future had already been mapped out for him. David completed Heriot-Watt University’s Brewing & Distilling degree, served his apprenticeship as a trainee manager at Benrinnes distillery and became the industry’s youngest distillery manager when, at just 26-years-old, he took over as manager of The Macallan distillery. Two years later he became Macallan’s Master Distiller. Since then he has fulfilled several roles within the industry before establishing his own distillery, Holyrood, in 2019. Holyrood is the first whisky distillery in the city of Edinburgh for almost 100 years, following the closure of Edinburgh (which was also known as Glen Sciennes or Newington) distillery in 1925. Holyrood was established within a 180-year-old-building that was formerly the goods shed for St Leonard’s railway station. David tells me that Holyrood distillery will have two house styles of whisky and that they have not yet settled a decision on what the flavour profiles will be. Having seen what other new distilleries have done and what whisky drinkers have bought into, I would assume that one of these will be heavily peated and the other have either very little or no peat influence. At Holyrood, they have initiated an innovative Custom Cask Programme for cask purchase customers where the buyer can literally dictate the flavour of the whisky to be distilled. David says that they have “lots of recipes” created by utilising different yeast strains from brewing, distilling and the wine industry or by using different barley varieties and malted barley handled in several different processes – “we have drawn inspiration from the craft brewing industry with chocolate malt, toasted malt and roasted malt,” he says.

40 Scotland

Whisky |

made in scotland

TASTING NOTES ■ The Single Cask Ltd is an independent bottler, some of whose whiskies I have enjoyed in recent months. Today’s is a Caol Ila 11 years old, filled on 14th October 2008 and bottled from cask no 318694 on 15th September 2020. The aromas are medium-bodied, of chocolate smoke and bonfires on the beach; with the addition of water, the aromas open up considerably with green fruit (melons) and tea notes. The flavour is big-bodied and powerful with a good richness, a little brioche note, definite peat smoke, some ginger spice and dark chocolate dipped chillies finishing long and smoky with charred oak, smoked cheese and the spiciness continuing. Alcoholic strength is 57.1% abv and the cost is £70 (US$95). As these are single cask bottlings, the quantities available are small and stock is quickly depleted, but they generally replace depleted stocks with another cask with similar characteristics. thesinglecask.co.uk

■ Another Islay Single Malt, this time from an unnamed distillery, Port Askaig 8 years old is a bottling from Speciality Drinks at 45.8% abv. The nose is dark and fullbodied with charred oak, salted smoky bacon crisps and a little splash of citrus; with water, the charred oak becomes a little liquorice with bonfire embers and the citrus is a juicy lemon. The flavour is powerful and dry, but with a sweet edge of demerara sugar and some peppery spice finishing long with powerful peat smoke and the spiciness lingering. The cost is £40 (US$55). portaskaig.com ■ The Good Spirits Company is Glasgow’s leading spirits retailer. Established in 2011 and originally focusing on whiskies, the recent boom in gin sales now sees them carrying in excess of 100 different gins. Despite that, at any one time nowadays, their shelves hold around 400 whiskies from all around the world. Regular tastings are held within the store – in these pandemic times, these are virtual. The Good Spirits Company, 23, Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 1HW. 0141-258-8427. thegoodspiritsco.com

Holyrood distillery was established within a 180-year-old building that was formerly the goods shed for St Leonard’s station They can carry out a longer fermentation, which will pull out more of the fruit characters; and they are prepared to offer a faster or slower distillation and give a later cut for the heart of the run, which will add an oily touch to the spirit. Using their tall stills, triple distillation is also an option, giving a more refined and sweeter spirit and higher alcohol level. Holyrood offers different cask types and cask sizes: new oak, ex-bourbon, ex-sherry (in all sherry’s styles), ex-wine casks and even mizunara, the Japanese oak. Obviously, the length of maturation also impacts on eventual flavour. All of these variations will have an influence on the flavour of the whisky being supped at the end of the day. S

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: David Robertson set up Holyrood distillery in 2019; you can design your own whisky with Holyrood distillery’s Custom Cask Programme

holyrooddistillery.co.uk Writer John Lamond is a world-leading authority on whisky and author of several books, including the The Malt Whisky File.

Scotland 41

history

| Mary, Queen of Scots

THE CHASEABOUT RAID The remarkable story of how the Earl of Moray rebelled against his half-sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, to whom he had once been a close ally Words by JAMES GRACIE

ABOVE: Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) RIGHT: Mary, Queen of Scots, married her second husband, Lord Darnley, at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh

ary, Queen of Scots is one of the most famous names in Scottish and British history. She had three husbands, walked a fine line between Catholicism and Protestantism, and nearly united Scotland and France under the one crown, creating, in effect, a United Kingdom. Mary’s first husband was Francis, the French Dauphin, who later became King Francis II of France. However, he died in 1560, and nine months later, Mary returned to Scotland. She was 18 years old, a Roman Catholic and

The Earl of Moray was deemed to have consorted with Elizabeth I of England against Mary, so Mary assembled a troop of soldiers to harry him 42 Scotland

unprepared for the political and religious upheaval after the Scottish Reformation of 1560. Mary’s supporters were dismayed at her tolerance of Protestantism, while at the same time her Protestant lords feared a creeping Catholicism. She was therefore looked on with suspicion by both factions, and rumours of supposed plots and intrigues involving her abounded. James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, was her half-brother, and an ardent Protestant. Nevertheless, he became one of her most trusted advisers. For all of that, he was later to be involved in what became known as the Chaseabout Raid, a rebellion that sought to overthrow the queen. The Earl of Moray was deemed to have consorted with Elizabeth I, Queen of England, against Mary, so Mary assembled a troop of soldiers to harry him and his supporters throughout southwest Scotland and bring him to justice. It

Mary, Queen of Scots | history

Scotland 43

history

| Mary, Queen of Scots

44 Scotland

Mary, Queen of Scots |

history

CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley (1545-67); the land on which Castle Stuart near Inverness stands was granted to James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1561; James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (1531-70); depiction of Darnley’s murder at Kirk o’ Field; Mary, Queen of Scots entering Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, 1561

is a little-known but intriguing story, highlighting the fragility of Scotland at the time. Moray was the illegitimate son of James V, Mary’s father. Several possible second marriages had been considered for the queen, including to the kings of Denmark and Sweden, the Duke of Ferrara in Italy, and Don Carlos of Spain, son of King Philip II. Moray was involved in this, though he was uneasy at a marriage with someone from a Catholic family. However, the queen had become infatuated with Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, heir to the earldom of Lennox. Both were grandchildren of Henry VIII’s sister Mary, so were distant cousins. They had met before, when he visited France to offer his condolences on the death of her husband. He was born in Leeds in 1545 and was technically a subject of Elizabeth of England. Darnley was in his late teens when they met again, and Mary was immediately smitten. Though brought up a Catholic, Darnley had been influenced by Protestantism, and was therefore acceptable to both parties if a marriage took place. Yet Moray was appalled. The influence he had over Mary would be curtailed. He also saw, as did many others, that Darnley was a spoiled, arrogant, shallow young man, which made him totally unsuitable for marriage to a queen. However, marry her Darnley did, on 29 July 1565 within Holyrood. The marriage was conducted under Roman Catholic rites, which further appalled Moray. Another problem had also presented itself, in the form of a Piedmontese musician called David Rizzio. He had arrived in Edinburgh in 1561 and was so admired by Mary that he soon became her personal secretary and handled all of her dealings with the French court. Moray felt his influence over Mary further slipping away, this time by a low-born musician whom the Protestant lords regarded as a Vatican spy. In fury, he withdrew from court. He then petitioned Elizabeth of England to send £3,000 to

Moray saw, as did many others, that Darnley was a spoiled, arrogant, shallow man, which made him totally unsuitable for marriage to a queen

Scotland 45

history

| Mary, Queen of Scots CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell (c.153478); portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots by François Clouet, c.155860; a cast of Mary, Queen of Scots’ tomb is displayed in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh; Mary, Queen of Scots’ bedchamber at Holyroodhouse; Elizabeth I dismisses the Chaseabout Raid rebels

promote Protestantism in Scotland, which was refused. But Rizzio’s threat to the Earl of Moray’s influence over Mary ended when, in March 1566, Rizzio was murdered (without Moray’s involvement) in the presence of the Queen. Mary in turn was furious at Moray’s approach to Elizabeth. She saw it as treachery and commanded him to appear before her to explain his actions. He refused, and on 6 August 1565 he was put to the horn (an old Scottish term for ‘outlawed’). On 14 August, his allies, which included the Duke of Châtellerault (a member of the powerful Hamilton family), the Earl of Argyll and William Kirkcaldy of Grange had their properties seized. In all, Moray could theoretically call on at least 80 powerful families, so the threat to Mary was real. Thus, the scene was set for the Chaseabout Raid. On 26 August Mary, pistol at her side, set out at the head of a small army to chase Moray and the rebels (hence the name ‘Chaseabout’). It was a bold, impressive move for a queen, and even John Knox grudgingly admired her for this. Accompanying her was Darnley, preening himself in an overelaborate suit of armour. For all this show of strength, Mary was wise enough to declare that this was not a war against Protestantism, but a war against treacherous rebels. She headed for Glasgow, where she waited for reinforcements to arrive from the Highlands. While there, Moray and his rebels entered Edinburgh, expecting to be welcomed. But Mary was a popular monarch, even among the city’s Protestants, and they found little support. The Earl of Mar, commander of Edinburgh Castle, threatened to turn his cannons on them. Moray and his men retreated. In September, Mary followed the rebels south into Ayrshire, in southwest Scotland. She was greeted warmly wherever she went in the county, and the rebels now knew that their cause was faltering. Even the nobility of Ayrshire, a bastion of Protestantism, failed to rally to the rebels’ cause. Moray’s only hope was to petition Elizabeth of England for help, which he did again and again, compounding, in Mary’s eyes, his treachery. He firmly believed that Elizabeth had promised aid, but all she offered was an escape to the safety of England. Moray knew that his rebellion had

On 26 August Mary, pistol at her side, set out at the head of a small army to chase Moray and the rebels. It was a bold, impressive move for a queen 46 Scotland

Mary, Queen of Scots |

history

failed, and that if he was captured, he would be executed as a traitor. So, on 6 October, he and most of his followers fled to England. He was ordered to appear before Elizabeth, and in the presence of the French ambassador, was harangued by her for his rebellion against a monarch. Meanwhile, a triumphant Mary had returned to Edinburgh. By now she had grown tired of Darnley and his petulant ways. Her attention turned instead to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. She had met him in 1560 at the French court but he had made little impression on her then. Now, he was a handsome man of 31, and the Lord High Admiral of Scotland. But Darnley got in the way of any romance. In February 1567, he was recuperating from smallpox in the lodgings at Kirk o’ Field, a collegiate church in Edinburgh, when at 2am on the morning of the 10th, an enormous gunpowder explosion destroyed the building. Darnley and a servant were discovered dead in the garden. A subsequent examination discovered that both had been killed, not by the explosion, but by strangulation. Suspicion fell on Bothwell, who was tried for murder but acquitted. He married Mary three months after Darnley’s death. At the same time, Mary pardoned Moray, having previously pardoned the other rebels, and he returned to Scotland. However, he refused to become embroiled in the controversies surrounding Mary’s third marriage and left for France. In July, Mary abdicated, and in August Moray returned to Scotland. Later that month he became regent of Scotland during the minority of Mary’s son, James VI. There is one final twist in the story. In January 1570, Moray was shot dead in the streets of Linlithgow by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, who, though a distant kinsman of the Duke of Châtellerault, was a Catholic and supporter of Mary. That then, was the Chaseabout Raid. It was a major revolt against the crown by many of Scotland’s noble families. Had it succeeded, it may have changed the course of not just Scottish history, but English history as well, even if it sowed the seeds of its own failure. It took others to finally bring Mary down. S

A subsequent investigation discovered that Darnley had been killed, not by the explosion, but by being strangled afterwards

Scotland 47

secret seaside

48 Scotland

| Dornoch

Dornoch |

secret seaside

Delightful Dornoch

While Scotland’s islands and west coast are regularly lauded for their beaches, Dornoch’s sheltered golden sands, on the east coast of the north Highlands, are not to be overlooked Words by SALLY COFFEY

Scotland 49

secret seaside

| Dornoch

PREVIOUS PAGE: Dornoch Beach is backed by sand dunes and you will often have it all to yourself

he northern Highlands have received lots of press in recent years, most notably because of the runaway success of the North Coast 500, an existing 500-mile driving route (more or less) that was cleverly repackaged as a must-visit itinerary that takes in Sutherland, Caithness and Wester Ross. But travellers along the NC500 are often too preoccupied with making good time as they head north to John O’ Groats from Inverness up through Easter Ross, that they bypass one of the local secrets of the east coast section: Dornoch. If you’re a keen golfer, you may have made your way here, since Royal Dornoch is a championship golf course regularly voted one of the best in the world. However, until recently, few others have passed through this well-heeled town.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie got married in nearby Skibo Castle, having already christened their son in Dornoch Cathedral 50 Scotland

Well, that’s not entirely true. In 2000, Madonna and Guy Ritchie chose nearby Skibo Castle, once owned by ScottishAmerican industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, as the location for their wedding, having christened their son, Rocco, in Dornoch Cathedral the day before, leading to a Madge-effect of replica trips for a few years. This passing episode in the town’s history is marked by a mural in the Courtroom restaurant in the town centre. Created by artist Sandy Noble, Madge can be spotted staring out over diners as they tuck into some Cullen skink or a venison steak, along with other famous people and well-known local characters. There’s lots of fun to be had identifying who’s who. Across the town square from the Courtroom is Dornoch Cathedral. Founded in 1224, it suffered bad fire damage in 1570 and the tomb of the cathedral’s founder, Gilbert de Moravia, the Bishop of Caithness, was also desecrated during a clan feud between the Murrays of Dornoch and the Mackays of Strathnaver. The cathedral was partially restored in 1616, with a full restoration funded by the Duchess of Sutherland in 1835.

Dornoch |

Pay particular attention to the stained-glass windows to the north side of the chancel – representing music, peace and literacy, they were later donated in memory of Andrew Carnegie, who spent many summers at his Skibo estate. The town square with its smart sandstone buildings is refined and very pleasant to the eye, but you’ll have to venture a little away from the centre to discover why Dornoch has earned its stripes as a holiday destination. A quiet lane, just off the main square leads up to Links House, a charming five-star hotel run by the same people behind the Courtroom, which is set out across three buildings: the main house, formerly the church manse, the Mews to one side and Glenshiel House to the other, where you’ll find five of the hotel’s very grand suites, plus its penthouse Mallart apartment. Only opened in 2013, though looking like it’s always been here thanks to the period buildings, Links House offers another great reason to come to Dornoch, aside from the golf, though of course enthusiasts are very well catered for – the golf course is just next door and there is even a room for storing your clubs and other sports gear.

secret seaside

Only opened in 2013, though looking like it’s always been here, Links House offers another great reason to come to Dornoch But even those who have no interest in golf will find themselves at home in the library with its honesty bar, or in the drawing room opposite, where you can enjoy afternoon tea fireside. You can even have a cocktail outside overlooking the mini golf. And when it comes to bedtime, you’ll sleep like a king or queen, as all the beds have Royal Warranted Hypnos mattresses. A 10-minute walk through the golf course will bring you to the town’s long strip of golden beach, backed by sand dunes, which leads onto Embo Sands. Dornoch Beach is often empty, with the exception of the occasional dog-walker, and thanks to its microclimate it enjoys more frequent warm weather than the west coast.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP RIGHT: As well as the Royal Dornoch Championship Course, the Carnegie Links is nearby; the library at Links House; Dornoch Beach; Dornoch Cathedral; Dornoch’s smart town centre

Scotland 51

| Dornoch

ABOVE: Dunrobin Castle is only a short drive from Dornoch

52 Scotland

Back at the hotel, the opening of the new Mara restaurant was sadly postponed because of the pandemic. This year it hopes to open properly with award-winning chef James McDonald at the helm. McDonald describes his cooking style as “European in method but heavily influenced by local ingredients and provenance”, so expect lots of fresh seafood, seasonal vegetables and locally-reared steaks. Staff can arrange deer-stalking trips and other outdoor activities, but the beauty of Dornoch is that it is a great location to base yourself for a few days, a week or more, while dipping your toes into other places along the North Coast 500 route. Dunrobin Castle, the fairytale ancestral home of the dukes and earls of Sutherland, is just 12 miles north and there are also lesser-known places that are worthy of a visit: Brora Distillery, which closed in 1983, is due to reopen this September; while the Falls of Shin is one of the best places in Scotland to watch salmon leaping upstream – a wonderful spectacle of nature. Some guests even like to take the 60-mile cross-country pilgrimage to the Kylesku Hotel, one of the best places to eat in the whole of the Highlands, with beautiful lochside views to boot. S

PLAN YOUR VISIT GETTING HERE Dornoch is just an hour’s drive north of Inverness, or the X99 bus from Stagecoach North Scotland will get you there in around the same time. stagecoachbus.com

WHERE TO STAY & EAT With a choice of just 15 bedrooms and suites, Links House offers country house living on an intimate scale and its new restaurant, Mara, promises to showcase the best from both land and sea. linkshousedornoch.com

secret seaside

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hat would your dream holiday to Britain include? A five-star stay in London and tickets to a West End show? A trip to historic Edinburgh? How about a stay in the Cotswolds, including a visit to one of Britain’s finest stately homes? Well, with our Great British Holiday competition, you can win all of this and more.

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Scotland 55

great scots

| Robert Burns

Words by JENNY ROWE

THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY

We remember the women who became muses to Scotland’s national bard and consider whether Rabbie Burns was more of a rascal or romantic at heart

ABOVE: The Burns Monument and Gardens in Alloway, the Ayrshire village in which he was born

56 Scotland

longside Hogmanay’s midnight anthem, Auld Lang Syne (1788), and his humorous Address to a Haggis (1786), Burns’ love song A Red, Red Rose (1794) is among his most popular lyrics, able to capture the ferocity of a love that does not lessen over time: “O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,/ That’s newly sprung in June”. In fact, many of the bard’s poems possess this enduring quality, succinctly and simply summing up the highs and lows of relationships even today. The same cannot be said of Burns’ love life, however, which was far more volatile and convoluted. Son to tenant farmer William and his wife, Agnes, Burns was born in the south Ayrshire village of Alloway, where he lived in a thatched cottage just around the corner from where the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is now situated. At seven years old, the family moved to Mount Oliphant Farm, where Burns was expected to pull his weight. It was while working at harvest time here that the seed of Burns’ passion for the other sex was first sown. His muse? Helen Kilpatrick, daughter of miller Allan Kilpatrick, who was assigned as 15-year-old Burns’ field partner. Fittingly, Burns’ first love inspired his

Robert Burns |

first poem, Handsome Nell (1774). In it he sweetly surmises that female innocence and modesty are more desirable than beauty: “Her reputation is compleat,/ And fair without a flaw”. Alas this naive encounter was soon superseded by a series of love affairs that wouldn’t be out of place in a soap opera. Burns had his first illegitimate child with his family’s servant, Elizabeth Paton, who was employed during the winter 1783-4. At this point they were farming at Lochlea near Tarbolton, where they moved in 1777. Paton bore him a daughter, “dear-bought Bess”, thought to be the subject of A Poet’s Welcome to his Love Begotten Daughter (1784). With Burns’ poetic potential starting to shine through, although Burns’ mother encouraged Burns to do the right thing and marry Paton, his siblings were in disagreement, believing that Burns was their ticket out of poverty. Indeed, in July 1786 Burns’ first major collection of poems, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (otherwise known as the Kilmarnock Edition) was published to critical acclaim – it sold out within a month. So, what happened to Paton and her daughter? The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum’s learning manager, Chris Waddell’s understanding is reassuring: “Elizabeth eventually married a farm servant and took a payment of £20 from the profits of the Kilmarnock Edition in 1786.” Meanwhile, the child was looked after by Burns’ mother for a time. That said, the whole affair left a bitter taste in the 26-year-old Burns’ mouth, largely owing to the fact that the church likely censured the couple’s behaviour: there would have been a monetary fine and public apology before the congregation. Burns’ poem The Fornicator (1785) was his response: “Ye jovial boys who love the joys./ The blissful joys of Lovers;[...] Pray draw near and lend an ear,/ And welcome in a Prater,/ For I’ve lately been on quarantine,/ A proven Fornicator.” Burns’ defiant tone suggests that this was just the beginning... As his first child was being born, Burns was courting another woman, Jean

great scots

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE: Engraving of Robert Burns (1759-96), c.1873; The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway tells the national bard’s childhood story through its extensive collection of more than 5,000 artefacts; an engraving of the thatched cottage in Alloway in which Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759

“O my Luve’s like a red, red rose, That’s newly sprung in June”

Scotland 57

great scots

| Robert Burns

“Ye jovial boys who love the joys. The blissful joys of Lovers; [...] Pray draw near and lend an ear, And welcome in a Prater, For I’ve lately been on quarantine, A proven Fornicator”

LEFT: An engraving of Alloway Mill, Robert Burns’ first school RIGHT: A statue of Jean Armour is located opposite St Michael’s Church in Dumfries, where the family lived together in later life until Burns’ death there in 1796 at the age of 37

58 Scotland

Armour, a muse that would be more constant in Burns’ life than any other. They supposedly met at a dance in April 1784 and before 1785 was out Armour had fallen pregnant with twins. This time Burns did intend to marry his lover, but when the contract was presented to Armour’s father, James, he tore it up in outrage. Burns was not deemed marriage material, and he went on to prove it by shortly afterwards almost emigrating to the West Indies with another woman, his “Highland Mary”. The subject of his 1786 poems Highland Mary, Highland Lassie, O’ and Will ye go to the Indies my Mary?, the facts about Mary Campbell and Burns’ liaison are, as Waddell describes it, “quite sketchy”. Waddell says: “They seem to have met sometime in the spring of 1786, when she was working as a nursemaid in the house of Gavin Hamilton in Mauchline, not long after Burns and Jean Armour were forcibly separated.” This puts the couple in close proximity, since after Burns’ father had passed away in February 1784 the family had begun farming in Mauchline, where they stayed until 1788. “[Burns and Campbell] clearly developed a relationship,” Waddell continues. “It has been speculated that she planned to decant to the Indies with Burns but died – possibly of Typhus – in Greenock in autumn 1786 whilst preparations for that trip were afoot. Further speculation has led some scholars to believe she may have been carrying Burns’ child; the bottom board of an infant’s coffin was discovered in her family plot when her remains were moved due to an industrial development in 1920.” A sad end for Campbell was at least an upturn in Armour’s fortunes. They were finally married in August 1788 after Armour gave birth to their second set of twins in March. The new family soon moved to Ellisland near Dumfries where Burns had taken a job as an Excise Collector. They had nine children together, though sadly only three survived into adulthood. This did not mean that Burns’ loyalty had stopped wavering. At a tea-party in Edinburgh in 1787, he had become acquainted with Mrs Agnes Maclehose, who had been separated from her husband for

Robert Burns |

several years. A flurry of love letters written between them over the next four years led to Burns sleeping with Maclehose’s servant, Jenny Clow, who sometimes delivered said correspondence. Clow also fell pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy in November 1788. Maclehose’s response to this is not recorded, but we can guess that she was furious, particularly as their relationship was never consummated. This wasn’t the only illegitimate child born during Burns’ marriage. While living near Dumfries in 1789, Burns is thought to have met a barmaid, Ann Park, about 10 years his junior, who inspired him to write the love song he claims to have liked the most, The Gowden Locks of Anna (1790). Park gave birth to her and Burns’ child only a few days before Armour gave birth to his first legitimate son. Yet when Park died, her daughter was taken in by Mrs Jean Burns and raised as one of her own. Fathering at least 12 children by four women, seven of which were illegitimate, is some tally, which may appear shocking to modern eyes. When asked whether Burns’ behaviour was typical of the time, Waddell makes a good point: “I don’t think it would have been especially atypical. Although his behaviour did raise eyebrows and certainly the ire of the fathers of both Jean Armour and Mary Campbell, we have contraception nowadays; Burns didnae.” Ultimately, Burns did have a heart, and he didn’t break them for fun; he seems as genuinely pained by loss as he was passionate in love. In Ae Fond Kiss (1791), thought to be about his failed relationship with Maclehose, he wrote: “Had we never lov’d sae kindly,/ Had we never lov’d sae blindly!/ Never met – or never parted –/ We had ne’er been broken-hearted.” To which we might add that without Burns’ rampant and emotionally-fuelled romantic experiences, we had ne’er such timeless and profound sentiments to share with our loved ones, either. S

great scots

LEFT: An illustration of Robert Burns and Mary Campbell supposedly exchanging vows on the banks of the River Ayr in 1785 RIGHT: An illustration of Jean Armour, Roberts Burns’ first and only wife

“Had we never lov’d sae kindly, Had we never lov’d sae blindly! Never met –or never parted – We had ne’er been broken-hearted”

Scotland 59

food

| Lords and Ladies of the Isles

60 Scotland

Lords and Ladies of the Isles |

food

Hebridean Smokehouse Kinloch Lodge

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU SALMON… Far from living the easy life, Lady Claire Macdonald OBE and Fergus, 6th Earl Granville, turned their family estates into thriving businesses Words by JOAN MCFADDEN

OPPOSITE: Private dining at Kinloch Lodge CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE: Lady Claire & Lord Macdonald; Kinloch Lodge; Fergus, 6th Earl Granville

Scotland 61

food

| Lords and Ladies of the Isles

62 Scotland

Lords and Ladies of the Isles |

food

TOP LEFT: Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye BOTTOM LEFT: The Drawing Room at Kinloch Lodge CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: Former chef director, Marcello Tully, with Isabella Macdonald; the Hebridean Smokehouse sources fresh salmon from clear Hebridean waters; room with a view at Kinloch Lodge

he aristocracy has a long history in Scotland, with Queen Victoria playing a major part in making the country a fashionable destination from the mid-19th century onwards. However, the term ‘laird’, Scotland’s traditional description of nobility, described the leader of a clan for centuries before the Queen’s love affair with Scotland and is still very much in use today. Where Victoria spent her time in Scotland relishing in an escape from affairs of state, modern day Lords and Ladies in Scotland are immersed in the local community and more likely to roll their sleeves up and get the work done. Lady Claire Macdonald OBE, whose husband Godfrey is the 34th hereditary chieftain of Clan Donald, is renowned for this approach. Lady Claire grew up living in Thurland Castle in Lancashire and married in 1969, when she was just 20. They were unexpectedly plunged into responsibility the following year when Godfrey’s father died suddenly and he inherited the title. The inheritance carried major challenges, with double death duties from his father and grandfather making life very hard for the young couple. Godfrey inherited Kinloch Lodge, a 17th-century hunting lodge, on the Isle of Skye, along with three other large properties in very poor condition and their first priority was to work out how to make a living. In 1972 they opened Kinloch Lodge as a 15-bedroom hotel, and despite having no formal training as a cook, Lady Claire ran the kitchen herself, quickly developing an enviable reputation in serving locally sourced and seasonal food. Her love of food made it less of a chore and more of an adventure and that pleasure around meals is still important to her. “I love food and I love eating” she says, “It’s not just about the food, it’s about getting people round a table and the pleasure of cooking for other people, helped by having access to the best food here in Scotland.” While raising their four children Lady Claire wrote cookery books and newspaper columns, hosted residential cookery courses and became synonymous with the best of Scottish food, with Kinloch Lodge named one of the top 25 small hotels worldwide. In 2008, Lady Claire appointed Roux-trained chef Marcello Tully to create a new direction for the food at Kinloch Lodge, winning the restaurant a Michelin star in 2010. The year before, Lady Claire and her husband had handed over the running of the hotel to their daughter, the Honourable Isabella, though they are still interested and involved. Marcello has since moved on to pastures new and the Kinloch kitchen remains in safe and creative hands, continuing its ‘simple, seasonal and local’ ethos. “I’m very mindful of the unique history and heritage we have here,” says Isabella. “Mum was the first person to promote seasonal and local food in Scotland, which played a huge part in our reputation and success. We want for nothing in terms

of supplies, so we showcase the best here.” Food will always feature highly as part of Kinloch Lodge’s appeal, though there are other elements to the hotel’s success. The setting is stunning, the perfect base to enjoy outdoor pursuits on the island, along with some very special extras. “Our foraging package is really popular,” says Isabella. “I can see guests getting the same pleasure from it as my sisters, brother and I enjoyed as children and it gives you a unique understanding of how we get our food from the land, or the lochs and sea surrounding us.”

Lady Claire became synonymous with the best of Scottish food, with Kinloch Lodge named one of the top 25 small hotels worldwide Scotland 63

food

| Lords and Ladies of the Isles

“Mum wants people to feel they’re coming into our home,” Isabella continues, “so we’ve always focused on relaxed informality coupled with astounding service. We’re open all year round and our staff make a great team as we aim to keep them as long as possible. I’ve learned a lot from Mum and Dad over the years and they’re still ready to drop in and lend a hand.” Meanwhile, far across the choppy Minch, North Uist presents an equally stunning, if considerably wilder vista.

The landscape is one of wide-open beaches, freckled with the fragrant and fragile flowers and grasses of the machair and tidal strands, lochans and bogs. This is also where you’ll find Fergus, 6th Earl Granville, hard at work in the Hebridean Smokehouse at Clachan, which he bought and extended in 2000. Fergus moved with his parents to North Uist in 1961 and had an idyllic outdoor childhood here with his two siblings, with a visit from his godmother, the Queen, every summer as she arrived on the royal yacht for the annual picnic with his family. He has replicated that gloriously outdoorsy childhood with his own children, and the family clearly feel great pride in the island and have strong ties here. Fergus’s brother Niall runs a hotel nearby and his late sister, Lady Marcia, also lived here with her four children. Fergus is very much a part of the Hebridean Smokehouse operation, as he has been since he took over the business, and the well-deserved reward is worldwide renown. “It has been an exciting journey for us to have gone from supplying visitors to the smokehouse shop and a small number of mail-order customers in the UK, to being on the shelves of major retailers here in the UK and around the world,” says Fergus. “Making the best smoked salmon requires not just the best ingredients but also not using too many,” says general manager Christopher West. “We source the salmon from clear, clean Hebridean waters, pure sea salt from the Dead Sea and produce smoke from burning locally cut moorland peat. What we don’t use is sugar in the cure or novelty flavours that would mask skilful smoking of top-quality fish.” Hebridean Smokehouse products include traditional smoked salmon, smoke-roasted salmon and delicate smoked scallops and are stocked in 130 Waitrose stores across the UK, as well as in Fortnum & Mason, and are hugely popular in the department stores of Japan and Thailand. The business has a very strong mail order component, and the Christmas rush always needs an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach, with extra staff employed to help meet demand. In Lonely Planet 2018, it was included in the Ultimate Eat List, which features the 500 best places to eat across the world. More recently it won the accolade of being judged top for provenance in Scotland as part of the Great British Food Awards 2020. Traditionally, living on an island meant making the most of the produce to hand. On both Skye and North Uist that produce has always been of the highest quality, undoubtedly fit for kings. It should come as no surprise, then, to find the aristocracy extolling its virtues, even if many of their guests and customers are amazed at how hard they work to share it with the world. S

Fergus moved to North Uist in 1961 and had an idyllic childhood, with a visit from his godmother, the Queen, every summer 64 Scotland

CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: The Hebridean Smokehouse on North Uist in the Outer Hebrides is renowned worldwide; the Piobull Fhinn stone circle and Loch Langais on North Uist; the Hebridean Smokehouse shop sells both smoked seafood produce and local crafts; salmon is smoked by burning locally cut moorland peat

Lords and Ladies of the Isles |

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quirky scotland

| Phrenology

MIND READERS We investigate the Edinburgh evolution of the pseudoscience phrenology, in which physicians believed they could tell the true character of a person by studying their skull

TOP LEFT: A phrenology head was used to identify an individual’s character traits TOP RIGHT: A wood engraving depicting Franz Joseph Gall (17581828), the German neuroanatomist whose theory of phrenology was allegedly inspired by a visit to a school in Tiefenbronn, Germany in c.1800

66 Scotland

or modern-day thinkers, it’s a bit of a stretch to think that the shape and size of a human skull, a minute study of every bump and bulge, could determine the very essence of a person from their personality traits to the likelihood that they would become a criminal. However, in the late Georgian and early Victorian eras this was exactly what many people believed. Though the idea of phrenology originated with German neuroanatomist Franz Joseph Gall, it was two Scottish brothers, George and Andrew Combe, who made phrenology especially popular in the British Isles, and who played instrumental roles in the formation of the Edinburgh Phrenological Society in 1820. The Edinburgh Phrenological Society was the first of many organisations that sought to

practice this new and exciting science and encourage leading medical professionals and, of course, the public to adopt their understanding. Gall believed that the brain consisted of a total of 27 different organs and each of these subsections highlighted different character traits, from constructiveness to destructiveness, veneration to sublimity. It is noteworthy that George Combe was a strong critic of the approach, initially. He was not a medical man, but a lawyer by occupation, and it was his brother, Andrew, who was the physician. In fact, a damning report in the Edinburgh Review regarding phrenology prompted Johann Spurzheim, a former assistant of Gall’s, to set out to the Scottish capital in person to prove the accuracy of phrenology via dissections.

Words by MICA BALE

Phrenology |

quirky scotland

ABOVE: The building of the former Edinburgh Phrenological Society’s museum on Chambers Street still bears sculptures of George Combe and his contemporaries LEFT: Chambers Street in Edinburgh

After attending one such dissection by Spurzheim, George Combe began to embrace phrenology and he was among many others to do so. Medical professionals such as influential asylum doctor William AF Browne and pioneering neurophysiologist Thomas Laycock joined and enveloped the Edinburgh Phrenological Society with the respect and veneration it needed to gain the approval of the public. George Combe was certainly not the sort of man to half-heartedly embrace anything and, once he was convinced of the accuracy of phrenology, he worked tirelessly to bring this field to the masses in Scotland and by extension Britain, before he then turned his focus to reaching out to Europe and the Americas. Combe published journals, encouraged new members and professionals to join the society and even opened a museum that housed the now large collection of different medical artefacts that supported the theories behind phrenology. This museum was located in Chambers Street in the city and, although it is no longer there, the Anatomical Museum

Notorious criminals, particularly murderers, and local offenders were often sent to the neighbourhood’s phrenologist at the University of Edinburgh maintains and exhibits many of the original artefacts from the museum. Notorious criminals, particularly murderers, and local offenders were often sent to the neighbourhood’s phrenologist, and executions resulted in post-mortem ‘death masks’ being taken in an attempt to understand the mind behind the crime. Dominic Hall, curator of the Warren Anatomical Museum at the Center for the History of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, says, “When I consider phrenology’s impact, I think mostly about the movements it enabled. While the science

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quirky scotland

| Phrenology

CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: The University of Edinburgh’s Anatomical Museum has a collection of more than 40 death masks, including several famous names; another phrenology head marking out the skull’s subsections; a phrenological diagram listing definitions of the various different areas of the human skull, published in c.1859; Franz Joseph Gall, German neuroanatomist and founder of phrenology

that undergirded the way phrenology ordered the brain is faulty, it was a stepping-stone to later 19th-century discoveries in cerebral localisation.” “Phrenology also played a role in the scientific racism that burgeoned in the 19th century. The way phrenologists grouped individuals by head shape and size proved a gateway for later race sciences like craniometrics.” According to phrenology, the brain’s 27 different organs created the personality of an individual. Some organs were good or bad qualities, others marked creativity, language or morality. While some of these facets were general, others were more specific.

According to phrenology, the brain’s 27 different organs created the personality of an individual. Some organs were good qualities and some bad 68 Scotland

Phrenology researched an individual’s ‘ambition and vanity’, their ‘mechanical skill’, ‘aptness to receive an education’, ‘recollection of individuals’ and even their ability to mimic, among many other traits. Each skull was measured against another. The comparison would highlight larger or smaller ‘organs’, which in turn might signify the consistent character of either a good or bad person. In a book written by Thomas Stone Esq, published in 1829, Observations on the Phrenological Development Burke, Hare, and Other Atrocious Murderers: Measurements of the Heads of the Most Notorious Thieves and read before the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh, the author raises the interesting question: “Is it possible to distinguish the crania of murderers from other crania, by the phrenological indications attributed to them?” That question of course laid bare the entire conjecture of phrenology. The author, however, did not completely agree with the phrenologists and wrote, rather scathingly, that “the production of a single anti-phrenology fact would be

Phrenology |

sufficient to overturn the whole theory... they would at once discover that their system is no more than the ‘baseless fabric of a vision’ and as false as any other superstition”! One particular example of a phrenological study was the notorious William Burke of Burke and Hare, who terrorised Edinburgh with their murders. According to the Warren Anatomical Museum, part of the Harvard Medical School’s Countway Library of Medicine, after his execution in 1829, Burke was examined by local phrenologists and a death mask was created by George Combe himself, which is today in the care of the museum. Dominic Hall added, “The case of Burke would have been an excellent example of the phrenological trait of destructiveness given the infamy of the case. Phrenologists definitely did hope that the practice could be predictive, and that by studying heads and casts one could spot and stop future William Burkes.” Despite its controversy, however, phrenology became a study that gained widespread interest, if only for a time,

quirky scotland

largely due to the tireless work of the Combe brothers. Such was their publicity that the Scottish society reached the attention of the monarchy and reportedly even Queen Victoria and Prince Albert engaged George Combe in order to examine their young childrens’ skulls. Phrenology was often referenced by Victorian authors such as Scotsman Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote in the Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), “... Mr Holmes... A cast of your skull, sir, until the original is available, would be an ornament to any anthropological museum...” Today, phrenology and the Edinburgh Phrenological Society may have slipped into just another almost forgotten chapter of Scotland’s interesting medical history. However, at a time when scientific understanding was in its infancy – and the Victorians devoured anything to do with the criminal and the curious – phrenology provided an interesting bridge between modern-day advancements and the search for answers to questions about the most complex organ of all: the mind. S

Scotland 69

ancestry

| Royal lines

TRUE BLUE Don’t fall for internet mistakes. For blue-blooded connections you can rely on, you can’t beat a trusted book Words by ANTHONY ADOLPH

The chances of coming across false information does not disappear, but it is far less

70 Scotland

When immersed in the works of the great, professional genealogists of the past, who distilled these reliable sources to find the most interesting lines, you can feel in very safe hands indeed. One such was Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th baronet, 24th Chief of the Moncreiffe clan, Her Majesty’s Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms and later Albany Herald of Arms (1919-1985). Among his books is Blood Royal (Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1956), a short book about the origins and purpose of monarchy, including Queen Elizabeth II’s main lines of descent from the Ancient Britons; the Picts and Scots; the Anglo-Saxons; Normans, and (for fun, but accurately) Mohammed II, the Arab King of Seville in the Middle Ages. The book’s charm rests in its lively illustrations by Don Pottinger, who invested the names of the ancient kings with humorous personalities based on his intimate knowledge of the sources. This is genealogy as it ought to be. Another of Sir Iain’s books, Royal Highness: Ancestry of the Royal Child (Hamish Hamilton, London, 1982), was produced in anticipation of the birth of Prince William. Illustrated this time with photographs, portraits and images from old records, this book explored the foregoing royal lines in more detail and also explored some of the Royal Family’s descents from the rulers of other countries. Sir Iain also mined the rich genealogies of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales. The Queen Mother, for instance, had a descent via the Porteus family from Col. Augustine Warner of Virginia, who was also great grandfather of George Washington, and Diana had direct lines back to Mary, Queen of Scots. If you can, properly, prove a line of descent back to blue blood, then books like these will allow you to explore the interconnected pathways of royal blood with confidence, and enjoy the scenery along the way. And if you have not found your own genealogical route back to royalty yet, these books will whet your appetite to do so like nothing else. S Have your family history traced properly, using original, archival records, by a professional genealogist of more than 30 years’ experience. Anthony Adolph, genealogist, writer and broadcaster, is the author of 10 books, including Collins’ Tracing Your Scottish Family History (2008), and writer of the genealogy column for this magazine and its predecessor, Highlander magazine, since 2011. anthonyadolph.co.uk; mail@anthonyadolph.co.uk; 123 Victor Road, London, SE20 7JT; 07890 068218

ave you ever played ‘pluses and minuses’? Against everything one player says as a plus, the other player must think of a minus. For example – plus: ‘most people of British descent have British royal blood through one of their lines of ancestry’. Minus: ‘in most cases, it’s extremely hard to work out which line that might be’. Plus: ‘the internet has made finding those lines from royalty much easier’. Minus: ‘many of the purported royal descents on the internet are wrong’. Plus: ‘but amongst all the dross, some lines are correct’. Minus: ‘it’s virtually impossible, on first glance, to work out which are right, and which are wrong’. Plus: ‘at least once you’ve found a possible route, you can research it vigorously to see if it’s accurate’. Minus: ‘most royal blood is a long way back and trying to verify so far is very difficult’. Plus: ‘for the early period, there are some excellent, reliable sources that do the job for you’. Two such printed sources are on my desk now and are the reason I wanted to write this. Many people now encounter blue-blooded lines of descent via online pedigrees, but they have all the charm of tax demands, and have often been keyed in by people who don’t really understand how titles were used. Sir Hector Molebag, knight, of Glenmole, ends up in an online genealogy as ‘Molebag, Hector de Glenmole, Sir Knight’, or some similar nonsense, and all the charm (and accuracy) is lost. Many of the more recent lines purporting to go back to blue blood were pieced together recently from original records, so they may or may not be properly proven. But most of the older blue-blooded lines to which they connect – those of knights, baronets, barons, viscounts, earls, marquesses, dukes, princes and kings – come from old, reliable printed pedigrees, assembled with great care by proper genealogists, scholars, historians and heralds, and based in family records, memorial inscriptions, heraldic records such as the visitation pedigrees, wills, deeds and charters, and so on, which were published in county antiquarian histories, and well-researched volumes on the peerage. Once you can get in among those, the chances of coming across false information does not disappear, but it is far less.

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cItIes

| Dundee

Dundee’s cultural trail

The opening of the first V&A museum outside London in 2018 may have signalled a cultural reawakening of Scotland’s northeast coast city, but the signs were here long before that Words by SALLY COFFEY

72 Scotland

Dundee |

cities

Scotland 73

cities

| Dundee PREVIOUS PAGE: V&A Dundee, the first Victoria & Albert museum outside of London CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: The McManus Art Gallery & Museum; Dundee’s Open/ Close street art trail; Scone Palace; the cityscape and the River Tay

few years ago, travel writers, journalists and bloggers from London, New York and other locations across the world, were falling over themselves to visit the city of Dundee in pursuit of the story: Dundee’s cultural renaissance, or some such spin. The reason? The opening of the first V&A museum in the world outside London, which formed the focal point of a major £1bn redevelopment of Dundee’s waterfront and which many people saw as a cultural reinvention of the city. This writer was not immune to the trend. I, like many others, took part in a press visit that took us to the new museum, a great hulk of a building, made up of giant concrete slabs, cleverly overlayed, that juts over the River Tay’s edge like a ship’s prow and which instantly made me think of the shipyards that lined the waterfront in the 19th century, when Dundee did a thriving shipbuilding trade, thanks in no small part to the whaling industry. This, however, I was to learn, was not Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s primary intention – the design was actually inspired by the jagged and wind-battered cliffs of Scotland’s northeast coastline, which, on reflection, I can see too. Nevertheless, it’s a building that has rightly won applause, even if the city’s planning division has since come under criticism for allowing the construction of an office block, the Earl Grey Building, behind it, which spoils the aesthetic somewhat. But to suggest that prior to the opening of V&A, Dundee was little more than a cultural backwater, is at best a disservice and at worst, downright insulting. Next door to the V&A is the RRS Discovery, one of the city’s great shipbuilding successes. This barque-rigged auxiliary steamship, which launched in 1901, was built by the Dundee Shipbuilders Company with Antarctic research in mind and it is the very ship on which Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton travelled aboard on their first voyage to the Antarctic. It was the first ship built with scientific research as its main purpose, thanks to the vision and fundraising efforts of Sir Clements Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society. Markham chose Lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott as his captain (Captain Scott). Shackleton was a senior crewmember and although he was sent home early due to illness, the trip must have left its mark as he went on to venture to the Antarctic three more times, including his fateful last expedition aboard Endurance. The Scott/Shackleton expedition resulted in many scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of over 500 species of marine animals, spiders, shrimps, star and shellfish, and its findings resulted in the publication of 10 huge volumes. Discovery set sail on several subsequent voyages and in 1979

To suggest that prior to the V&A museum, Dundee was a cultural backwater, is at best a disservice and at worst, downright insulting 74 Scotland

Dundee |

she was returned to Dundee in a dilapidated state. Following a restoration programme, she is now the centrepiece of the Discovery Point Visitor Centre and guests can board her and see extraordinary and moving artefacts, including Captain Scott’s personal rifle and his pipe. Around the corner from RRS Discovery is another historic ship worth visiting, HMS Unicorn. One of the six oldest ships in the world and the oldest in Scotland, this 46-gun frigate, which served in both the Georgian Navy and the Second World War, has many a story to tell, so it’s well worth stepping aboard for a lesson in naval history. And while Dundee may not be known for its Gothic allure in quite the same way as Edinburgh – nor its mix of late Victorian and early 20th-century unique style of buildings like Glasgow – it had its own architectural triumphs long before Kuma cast his spell. The McManus Art Gallery & Museum, just a 10-minute walk into the city centre from the V&A and RRS Discovery, is a Gothic revival building originally built as a memorial to Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, which today houses an eclectic mix of artworks and memorabilia on everything from natural history to the story of Dundee. Just opposite the McManus, you will find the headquarters of DC Thomson, the family publishing house, which publishes The Dundee Courier, The Sunday Post, The Beano and The Dandy (statues of some of the characters from the comics can be seen throughout the city). It is often said that Dundee is famous for the three Js: jute, jam and journalism. The jam refers to Dundee Orange Marmalade, still made by Mackays in the city; the journalism to DC Thomson; and the jute refers to a textile industry on which the city relied for many years. At the Verdant Works, a museum situated in a restored mill to the west of the city centre, you can learn about Dundee’s strong connection to the jute trade in the 19th century, when this coarse but cheap flax arrived into the city from India by ship and was spun in the city’s many mills to make a profitable fabric. But, of course, Dundee doesn’t just rely on its past in terms of culture. In 2014 Dundee was awarded UNESCO City of Design status (so far, it is the only UK city to be given such an accolade) and it is constantly evolving, with industries such as design, art, gaming, fashion, textiles and digital enterprises employing and catering for a huge number of residents. Modern art can be found at the Dundee Contemporary Arts centre, while you can watch cutting-edge theatre and dance at the Dundee Rep. Even strolling the streets gives you insight into the creativity of Dundee’s residents, from the graffiti that can be discovered on the Open/Close street art trail, to the penguins and other installations throughout the city, which rarely fail to raise a smile. Located just 24 miles east of Scone Palace, where Scotland’s kings were crowned for centuries, and just 17 miles west of Arbroath, where the historic and influential Declaration of Arbroath was signed just over 700 years ago (check our website for up-to-date information on anniversary events postponed from 2020) mean your cultural tour can stretch beyond the city’s limits. Come to Dundee for the V&A, by all means, but stay for everything else it has to offer. S

cities

PLAN YOUR VISIT GETTING THERE Dundee actually has its own (very small) airport, with daily flights from London City Airport. If you are travelling to Dundee from other parts of Scotland, it’s just 25 minutes by train from Perth, 1hr 15mins from Edinburgh and just under an hour and a half from Glasgow. dundee.com; hial.co.uk/dundee-airport; scotrail.com

WHERE TO STAY Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa has smart, modern rooms and is pretty much bang in the middle of things, with the V&A and RRS Discovery mere minutes away. The hotel also has some decent facilities, including an on-site spa and a restaurant and bar. apexhotels.co.uk/destinations/dundee

WHERE TO EAT There are some good places to eat in Dundee itself, but for a truly great meal, hop in a taxi over the Tay Bridge to The Newport, just a few minutes’ drive away. Run by a former MasterChef winner, the inventive menu puts a fine-dining spin on Scottish classics and the full-length windows offer spectacular sunset views across the Tay. thenewportrestaurant.co.uk

Scotland 75

events

| Calendar

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Events in person are still very much subject to change, but here are some we are hopeful will take place, plus some great virtual events to help you stay connected

SCOTLAND

28 April-3 May 2021 SPIRIT OF SPEYSIDE WHISKY FESTIVAL What? This annual event is the ultimate opportunity for travellers, whisky lovers, outdoor activity enthusiasts and the local Speyside community to explore, taste and learn about the world-famous Speyside region (see p22). Where? This year’s spring event will be held virtually but it is hoped that it can take place in person from 3-8 November 2021. spiritofspeyside.com 15-21 May 2021 BALLATER WALKING FESTIVAL 2021 What? This once-a-year opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the Cairngorms National Park offers visitors and locals alike a series of guided walks that cater to all ages and abilities. Where? This year the majority of the walks will start and finish in Ballater in Royal Deeside (see p14) and will involve smaller groups than usual to ensure social distancing. The festival organisers will make a decision on whether the event can go ahead – in any form – on 14 April 2021. At the time of writing, it would not be possible. walkballater.com 17-20 June 2021 ROYAL HIGHLAND SHOW What? Though ticket numbers will be restricted due to socialdistancing measures, in its 180th year The Royal Highland and

76 Scotland

The 180th Royal Highland show will be held in Edinburgh in June 2021

Agricultural Society of Scotland is determined to celebrate the best in food, farming and rural life. If changes to government restrictions allow, there will be the opportunity to ‘scale up’. Where? Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh. royalhighlandshow.org

VIRTUAL

10 April 2021 NEW YORK CITY TARTAN DAY PARADE What? Although they remained optimistic, unfortunately the New York City Tartan Day Parade will

not be able to take place in Manhattan once again. Instead, the organisers are encouraging everyone to strut their Scottish splendour online. Where? Flood social media with videos and photos of your tartan garms, pipes, fiddles, songs and poems. Post to their page on Facebook @nycTartanWeek and tag them @nyctartanweek on Instagram and Twitter. nyctartanweek.org 27-30 May 2021 ORKNEY FOLK FESTIVAL What? From small beginnings in 1982, the Orkney Folk Festival has

grown to become one of the most prolific and special throughout Scotland, the UK and further afield. However, following an overwhelming response to the first ever virtual Orkney Folk Festival last year and the continuing uncertain travel situation, the team behind the award-winning festival have announced that the 2021 festival will also go online. Where? The festival will take place on the website, where you can also secure tickets. The 2021 festival programme is currently under construction, and will be published around mid-late March,

Calendar | her experiences performing. Where? All sessions are hosted on Marjolein’s channel on Twitch TV: twitch.tv/marjoleinrobertson

Learn about coopering, the art of making casks, at the Spirit of Speyside festival

ahead of tickets going on sale in April. orkneyfolkfestival.com

28 May-5 June 2021 THE ISLAY FESTIVAL OF MUSIC & MALT What? Each year, during the last week of May, the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides welcomes visitors from across the world to join them in celebrating their culture, music and worldrenowned single malt whiskies. This year they’re taking the festival online. Where? The festival Facebook page is the best place to visit for up-to-date information regarding the virtual festival: @feisile.islay. Tickets will be sold through the festival website. islayfestival.com 5 & 6 June 2021 CRAIL FOOD FESTIVAL What? Now in its 10th year, this festival was set up to connect Crail’s passionate food producers with their customers near and far, creating an opportunity for conversation, consumption and celebration. Where? Usually held at various venues throughout the historic fishing village of Crail in the pretty East Neuk of Fife, this year the festival will be virtual. You will be able to “wander” between traders and producers and purchase their

products from the comfort of your own sofa. Check their social media channels (@crailfoodfestival) and website for details. crailfoodfest.co.uk Monday, Thursday & Friday evenings STORYTIME WITH MARJOLEIN What? Gather around the virtual campfire with Marjolein Robertson, comedian, storyteller and Edinburgh Festival veteran, as she livestreams Shetland folk tales and shares hilarious stories about

The Islay Festival of Music & Malt is going online this year

Anytime SCOTTISH OPERA: ON SCREEN What? With live performance on hold for the time being, Scottish Opera has embraced the digital world, re-imagining opera for the screen. It has reworked muchloved favourites such as Hansel and Gretel and Così fan tutte, as well as created brand-new stories through song, such as a gripping workplace drama entitled The Narcissistic Fish. Where? Films are available to watch for free on its YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/ ScottishOperaClips

USA

3 April 2021 DUNEDIN HIGHLAND GAMES What? This annual Highland games event begins the night before with a pipe band and dignitary parade through the streets of Dunedin. No news at the time of writing if this will go ahead in 2021. Where? Highlander Park, 1141 Michigan Blvd, Dunedin FL

events

dunedinhighlandgames.com 24 April 2021 SOUTHERN MARYLAND CELTIC FESTIVAL What? The Southern Maryland Celtic Festival and Highland Gathering highlights the heritage of the Breton, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Scots, and Welsh. Usually this consists of three performing stages offering continuous music and dance, alongside craft and country-dance, Scottish fiddlers and storytellers, and historical displays. As of the time of writing, this festival has not yet been postponed. Where? Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, 10515 MacKall Rd, St Leonard MD cssm.org/events/festival 5-7 November 2021 TUSCON CELTIC FESTIVAL AND SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES What? Looking further into the future, this event, planned for autumn, has a stronger chance of taking place in person than some. With pipes, dance and traditional tunes, it will be a long overdue celebration for anyone with Celtic roots. Where? Rillito Raceway Park, Tuscon, Arizona tucsoncelticfestival.org

sCOtLAnD | Scottish Societies

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

Armstrong Clan Society

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

www.armstrong.org Chris Armstrong, President Armstrong Clan Society P O Box 346 Flowery Branch, GA 30542

CLAN CAMPBELL SOCIETY (NORTH AMERICA) A society for Campbells, members of recognized septs, their descendants and their friends. Recognized septs include: Ballantine, Burnett, Burns, Caddell, Calder, Harris, Hastings, Loudon, MacArthur, MacConachie, MacDiamid, MacIver, McKellar, MacKelvie, MacKessock, MacNichol, MacTavish, MacThomas, Moore, Muir, Orr, Pinkerton, Thomas, Thompson.

CLAN DAVIDSON SOCIETY

Invites membership from Davidsons of all spellings and of all septs and descendants from Scotland. Write for application form: John Dawson PMB 132, 10 Benning St. Lebanon, NH 03784 john@jdawsonservices.com www.clandavidsonusa.com

Forbes Clan-Forbes.org

Prospective members, please email membership@ccsna.org or visit www.ccsna.org

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

CLAN CARMICHAEL USA President Don Carmichael Membership Chair Adele C. Harrah 3732 W. Palo Alto Avenue Fresno, CA 93711 membership@clancarmichael.com www.clancarmichael.com

CL AN ANDERSON and the Chief, Hope-Vere Anderson, invites membership from Anderson descendants and those bearing the name Anderson. Contact casltd73@gmail.com for more info, or Clan Anderson, 3734 Hunting Ridge Dr. SW, Lilburn, GA, 30047 or c/o Barbeth, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8DB Scotland.

W W W. C L A N A N D E R S O N S O C I E T Y. O R G Membership is open to those descended from Baird, Barde, Bard, Beard, Beaird, Byrd, Bayard, Bardt, Barth and Biard or varied spellings of the name of Scottish origin. In addition to the Society newsletter and the opportunity to associate with fellow clansmen, members may query the Society genealogist, whose database contains over 100,000 entries of Bairds and related names. For information write: Clan Baird Commander Richard Baird of Rickarton, Ury and Member of the Lochwood, President, Stonehaven, Scotland Scottish Clans and Dr. Debra Baird, Convenor Associations, Inc. www.clanbairdsociety.com

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

clanblair.org

Russell McCrary Email: clanmembership@clanblair.org

Family of Bruce International, Inc., USA

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

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

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

www.familyofbruceinternational.org

HOUSE OF BURNETT, INC.

Sanctioned by James C.A. Burnett of Leys,

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

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

Clan Cunningham International Open to all Cunninghams and associated families from the District of Cunninghame. Write to:

Kathleen Lester 2201 CR 44800 Blossom, TX 75416

www.clancunninghamintl.org 78 Scotland

Clan Dunbar

DUNBARS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

Clan Crawford Association Membership extended to all Crawford’s of various spellings worldwide. Join to preserve our legacy & receive assistance with events, heraldry, highland games, DNA genealogy, forums, surname history, quarterly newsletter and more. Joanne Crawford, Board of Directors jcrawfordphd@sbcglobal.net

www.clancrawfordassoc.org

Clan Cumming Society USA Established 1997

Join your clan, wherever you are, and learn more of the illustrious history of the great family that once owned huge amounts of Scotland. Meet the warriors, maidens, bish-ops and merchants whose talent, bravery, politics and poetry made the name reverberate throughout the Middle Ages. Under the leadership of Sir James Dunbar, BT, Chief of the Name, and Chieftain David C. Dunbar, Clan Dunbar is now International. **Exciting DNA Project ** Clan Tour of Scotland with focus on Dunbar history planned for summer of 2019 ** Interactive Clan Website ** Genealogists CONTACT: Kathryn Dunbar, Secretary, PO Box 1493, Tomball, TX 77377-1493; Chieftain@ClanDunbar.org

www.ClanDunbar.com

CLAN ELLIOT SOCIETY, U.S.A. Welcomes membership of all who are connected with this great border family. William Elliott, Clan President. Direct inquiries to:

Contact Information: G. Allen Cummings, Secretary 330 S Middleton Drive Unit 203 Calabash, NC 28467

Website:

www.clancumming.us

Membership-Treasurer Jim Dougherty 160 Webb Town Road Tunnel Hill, IL 62792 https://elliotclan-usa.com

A nationwide organization of over 2,000 families who trace their ancestry to any of the branches of Clann Domhnaill. We embrace all the MacDonalds and other surnames that are recognized as branches or adherents of the greatest of the Highland clans.

Marion Schmitz,

CDUSA Membership Secretary 1685 Casitas Ave. Pasadena, CA 91103 membership@clandonaldusa.org

SALTOUN SALTOUN SALTOUN

LOVAT LOVAT LOVAT

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

clandonaldusa.org

For membership and information please visit www.CFSNA.com

Scottish Societies | sCOtLAnD Clan Hope of Craighall Society

Organized July 1975 The first worldwide Clan Graham Organization

For all of the name and lineage of Hope

INTERNATIONAL & AUSTRALIA President & Commissioner: Stephen J. Hope president@clanhope.org www.clanhopeaustralia.org UNITED STATES of AMERICA High Commissioner: Richard Rex Hope highcommissionerusa@clanhope.org Membership Chair: Cynthia Hope Henderson membership@clanhope.org www.clanhope.org CANADA Commissioner: Scott Hale commissioner@clanhope.ca www.clanhope.ca SCOTLAND Commissioner: Colin Douglas Hope commissionerscotland@clanhope.org www.clanhope.org

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

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

The Clan Gregor Society

Est. 1822, Edinburgh, Scotland Worldwide organization for MacGregors

Inquiries to: Pat McGregor Skelton 139 Dixon Circle Fayetteville, GA 30214

Clan Gunn Society Of North America www.clangunn.us

Allisterson Corner Crownar Crowner Cruiner Cruner Eanrig Enrick Galdie Gallie Ganson Gauldie Gaunson George Georgeson

Henderson Inrig Jameson Jamieson Jamison Johnson Kean Keene MacAllister MacChruner MacComas MacCorkill MacCorkle MacCullie MacDade

MacDhaidh MacEnrick MacGeorge MacHamish MacIan Mackames Mackeamis Mackeamish Mackean Mackendrick MacMains MacManus MacNeill MacOmish MacRob

MacRory MacSheoras MacWilliam Magnus Magnusson Main Mann Manson Manus More Neilson Nelson Robeson Robinson Robison

Robson Rorieson Sandison Swan Swann Swanney Swanson Thomson Tomson Will Williamson Wills Wilson Wylie Wyllie

For information contact: Chuck Jamison, Membership Secretary 9382 Blue Oak Drive, Orangevale CA 95662 Email: clangunnmembership@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ClanHopeofCraighall

Clan Irwin Association Alexander H. Irvine, 27th Baron & Laird of Drum, Chief of the name Contact: Barbara Edelman 65 Colonial Drive Telford, PA 18969 215-721-3955 barb3.edelman@gmail.com www.clanirwin.org www.facebook.com/groups/clanirwin * Twitt@Clan_Irwin IRWIN * IRVINE * IRVIN * IRVING * ERWIN And the many other spellings of the name

The Clan Hannay Society

CLAN LOGAN SOCIETY

One Name – One Family – One Heritage www.ClanLoganSociety.com

Membership is open to all persons descended from or connected by marriage or adoption to the LOGANS of the UK (Scotland) & Ireland, and their friends.

Membership Info Contact: ClanLoganMembership@yahoo.com Or write: Clan Logan Society P.O. Box 241, Oak Island, NC 28465

Representing MacAlister Clansmen Worldwide MacAlester, Alexander, Alison, Alister, Loup, Lister, Sanders, Sandy, Saunders Stewart McA. Flora, Chairman clanmacalisterpres@gmail.com www.ClanMacAlisterSociety.org

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

Valerie McDougall VP Membership

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

MacDougall

www.ClanHay.com

KENNEDY SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA

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

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

www.clanmacfarlane.org

Membership invited from all U.S. residents of or connected to the name in any of its recognized forms. INQUIRIES TO: Roger H. Johnston 107 Stellamar Drive Hutto, TX. 78634 texscott2020@gmail.com Visit the Clan Website: http://www.clanmacgillivray.net

MACGREGOR

An Educational 501(c)(3) Non Profit Corp.

Clan MacDougall Society Clan MacDougall Society of North America, Inc. of North America, Inc.

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

Clan MacFarlane Worldwide, Inc.

Clan MacAlister Society

For those with family names of Hannay, Hannah, Hanna and Hanney. Membership Sec: Mrs. Jacquie Hannay 5 Picket Cross, Bankend Road, Dumfries DG1 4AH SCOTLAND www.clanhannay.org

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

Helping to Connect You with Your Heritage. We proudly support the Family Tree DNA MacFarlane Project with CMSA, Inc.

For membership information please visit our website or contact: Sandy Morgan at 806-359-6064

The Honorable Alexander Leslie Chief of Clan Leslie Loren Leslie, Chieftain Septs: Abernethy, Bartholomew, Carnie, Lang & More (Moore) Send inquiries to: Linda Flowers, CLSI Treasurer, 302 SW 3rd, Tuttle, OK 73089 Email: lflowjingo@sbcglobal.net www.clanlesliesociety.org

Hamiltons and those of Hamilton descent are cordially invited to join the Society. Visit our website: http://www.clanhamilton.org

Clan Leslie Society International

Clan Hamilton Society

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

Nothing is as strong as the bond of family. We hope you will join us, attend games, and enjoy M the fellowship of Clan MacFarlane Worldwide members.

Chief and Patron

Macoual Coul MacCoul Coul MacoualMacCoul Coul MacCulloch Dulothe MacCowan MacConcher MacDugle Conacher MacConcher MacConacher Conacher MacConacher Conacher MacClintock MacDoual M’Gowall MacDowall Coyle MacCoyle Coyle MacDougall MacDill MacCoyle Coyle MacCowan MacLintock MacDill McDowell Dole MacDole Dole Mcdougle McDoll MacDole Dole MacHale MacLugash McDoll MacCullich Dowdle MacHowell MacDugal Macoual MacCullagh Dulothe MacDulothe Dowdle Dulothe Dowdle MacDulothe Doual MacKichan MacConcher McDougal McLintock MacDoual Doual MacDoual Doual MacDowal McDougal Dougal MacLinden MacDill McCown MacDougall MacDougald Dougal MacDougallDougalMacdowell MacDougald Dougle MacLucas McLullich McDoll Mactheul Mcdougle Dougle Mcdougle DougleMcCulloch McDougald Dugal MacCoul MacDulothe McDougald McCown Dugal MacDugal MacDugle Dugal MacDugal MacDugle Dowall MacConacher MacLintock McDougal MacNamell MacDowal Dowall MacDowal DowallMacowen MacDowall MacDowel MacCoyle MacDougald MacDowall MacClintock Lullich MacDole McHoul McDougald McDowell MacLuke Macdowell MacDowell MacdowellMacDowell McDowell Lullich May MacCullich Lullich McLullich MacCullich Spelling Variations Vary McLullich or Omit the Mac, Mc McCulloch MacCullagh MacCulloch McCulloch MacCullochMacCullagh MacLintock McLintock MacClintock MacLintockMacClintockMcLintock McCown MacCowan Macowen MacCowanMcCownMacowen Mactheul MacHale McHoul MacHale MactheulMcHoul MacHowell MacCowan McCown MacHowell MacCowan McCown Int’l Assn. of Clan MacInnes (Aonghais) M’Gowall MacNamell MacKichan M’Gowall MacKichan MacNamell Worldwide, we welcome descendants of all spelling MacLinden MacClintock MacLintock MacClintock MacLinden MacLintock MacLucas MacLugash MacLuke MacLucas MacLugash MacLuke variations, including (Mc)Angus, (Mc)Canse, (Mc)Ginnis,

Clan MacInnes

Spelling Spelling Variations May Vary or Omit the Variations Mac, Mc May Vary or Omit the Mac, Mc

(Mc)Guenis, (Mc)Inch, (Mc)Innes, (Mc)Innis, (Mc)Kinnis, (Mc)Masters, (Mc)Neish, (Mc)Ninch, and more. Scott Mcinnis, Member Services: scott@macinnes.org or visit: www.macinnes.org

AMERICAN CLAN GREGOR SOCIETY Founded in 1909 and the only officially recognized Clan Gregor organization in the USA. If you believe you are a Gregor, MacGregor, McGregor or one of the Septs, contact our registrar. Gregor Gregory Gregg

Grier King Lecky

MacAdams Magruder McGehee

McNish Peter many others

Registrar: Jeanne P., Lehr, 11 Ballas Crt, St. Louis, MO 63131 www.acgsus.org

Clan MacKinnon Society Since 1891

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

www.TheMacKinnon.com ClanMacKinnonSociety@gmail.com / @The_MacKinnon @TheMacKinnon Scotland 79

sCOtLAnD | Scottish Societies

Clan Maclachlan Association of North America, Inc. All spellings of MacLachlan, Gilchrist and MacEwen. Founded in 1965.

CMANA, Inc.

Lt. Governor John Cherry, Treasurer JCherry@aol.com www.cmana.net

www.facebook.com/ClanMacLachlanSociety

Clan Macnachtan Association Worldwide

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

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

Clan MacLaren Society of North America

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

Recognized by the Chief of Clan MacLaren

Mark McLaren, FSA Scot President 611 Indian Home Rd. Danville, CA 94526 President@clanmaclarenna.org

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

Clan Macneil

Granted GrantedArms Armsinin2008 2008 We invite MacRaes of all We invite MacRaes of all spelling variations and their spelling variations descendants to joinand ourtheir Clan descendants to join ouryour Clan MacRae Society. Learn MacRaeMacRae Society. history Learn your Scottish and family lineage! Scottish MacRae history and

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

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

Bruce McRae, President 303-670-9611 CLAN MACTAVISH Inc. brucewaynemcrae@gmail.com

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

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

CLAN MACLEOD Nine Global Societies

Cordially invites membership inquiries from MacLeods, any spelling, sept families, their descendants and other interested persons. Askey Auley Beaton Bethune Beton Callam Callum Caskey Caskie Grimmond Harold

Harrold Lewis MacAllum Macandie Maccaskie Macaskill MacAulay McCabe MacCaig MacCallum MacCaskie

MacCaskill MacClure MacCorkilll MacCorkindale MacCorkle MacCorquodale MacCrimmon MacCraig MacGillechallum MacHarold MacKaskill

MacLewis MacLure MacRaild MacWilliam Malcolmson Norie Norrie Norman Normand Tolmie Williamson

Newsletters, Genealogy, Annual Meetings Membership info: annelmacleod@comcast.net HOLD FAST! www.clanmacleodusa.org

Muirhead Clan Society www.clanmuirhead.com

Crest Badge Of Clan Member

Chev. Raymond L. Morehead, GOTJ, FSA Scot. President/Chief Elect 6522 194th Avenue E. Bonney Lake, WA 98391 1-253-219-8736 E-mail: raymond@clanmuirhead.com

80 Scotland

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

ClanMacRae MacRaeSociety Society Clan ofofNorth NorthAmerica America

CLAN MacLELLAN

Visit our website: www.clanmaclellan.net

CLAN MATHESON SOCIETY

Chief John MacNeacail of MacNeacail and Scorrybreac Clan MacNicol, a small but vibrant Clan active in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and the U.S.A. From the misty Isle of Skye, the Hebrides and the Northwest Highlands, the sons and daughters of MacNicol, Nicol, Nicolson (and of other spelling variations) have spread to six continents. Nearly two centuries ago, the Chiefly line emigrated to Australia where it thrives to this day. Membership open to all who acknowledge the Clan Chief as its leader and wish to join the Society. New members receive a copy of the book on Clan history and two Clan newsletters during the year.

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

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

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

Clan MacNicol of North America

Invites all Macneils . . . regardless of surname spelling, some of which are listed below: MCNEILL MACNEIL MACNEAL MACNIEL MCNEELY NEAL NEILSON O’NEILL to join us in preserving our heritage. Contact: Sally Mitchell, VP Membership, 5577 Prince Phillip Way, Stone Mountain, GA 30087, 770-713-3544; Email: membrshipcma@gmail.com or visit www.clanmacneilusa.us

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

CLAN MAITLAND SOCIETY

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

Cash - MacTavish - Stephenson - Stevens Stevenson - Thompson - Thomson For membership information please visit us at www.clanmactavish.org www.facebook.com/ClanMacTavish or contact: Clan MacTavish Treasurer

Clan MacTavish

membershipsecretary.mactavish@gmail.com

23 Garland Rd. Lancaster, NH 03584

2021 International Clan Gathering & Parliament July 8-11, 2021 Sir Alexander Matheson of Matheson, Bt., Chief of Clan Matheson,

Invites all Mathesons/Mathiesons/Mathisons and other variations of the name and supporters of Clan Matheson to gather as the Honored Clan at the 65th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games & Gathering O’ Scottish Clans Visit www.clanmathesonusa.org for more information Colvin Matheson, Chief’s Lieutenant, USA colvinmatheson@verizon.net

Clan Maxwell SOCIETY

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

www.clanmaxwellsociety.com Menzies Clan Society Siol na Meinnrich

Join us!

For information and membership visit us at www.menzies.org or write to: Menzies Clan Society c/o Menzies Law, St Brandon’s House, 29 Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5QT, UK Email: membership.menzies@gmail.com

We welcome all Menzies and those of our Septs, including: Dewar, MacMeans, MacMinn, MacMinnis, MacMonies, Means, Minn, Minnis, Monies, Mings, Minges, Mingus, Mein, Mengues, Mennie, Menzie, Monzie, Meyners

The Clan MacThomas Combie McColm McComas McComb(e) McCombie McComie McComish

SEPT NAMES

www.clanmacthomas.org

MacOmie MacOmish Tam Thom Thomas Thoms Thomson

Andrew MacThomas of Finegand, 19th Chief, welcomes members. Please direct inquiries to: Cathy McComb Ludemann North American Branch membership-na@clanmacthomas.com

CLAN MOFFAT SOCIETY Invites membership from Moffats of all spellings. Spouses and those legally adopted by Moffats are also eligible for membership. Moffat Moffit Maffet Muffat Muffit Morphet

Moffatt Moffitt Maffett Muffatt Muffitt Morphett

Moffet Maffat Maffit Muffet Morphat Morphit

Moffett Maffatt Maffitt Muffett Morphatt Morphitt

Other spelling variations may be recognized!

www.clanmoffat.org

Scottish Societies | sCOtLAnD CLAN SHAW SOCIETY Invites membership or inquiries from all: Shaw, Ayson, Adamson, Esson, MacAy, MacHay, Shiach, Sheach, Sheath, Seith, Seth, Skaith, Scaith and Shay. Mike Shaw, Secretary 2403 West Crawford Denison, TX 75020

Celebrating 175 years of Home, Family and Love. 708-447-5092 | ChicagoScots.org St. Andrew’s Society of Detroit 2363 Rochester Road Troy, MI 48083 www.detroitscots.com est. 1849, Michigan’s Oldest Charitable Organization and The Oldest Continuous Highland Games in North America Come Join the Fun!

Nesbitt Nisbet Society of North America

St Andrews Society of the City of Milwaukee

Clan Sinclair Association, Inc. (U.S.A.) Do you know who came to North America almost 10 years before Columbus’ famous voyage? Prince Henry Sinclair in 1398

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

Membership Contact Keith A. Sinclair ClanSincMembership@gmail.com

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

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

Ride!”

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

clanyoungmembership@yahoo.com www.clanyoungsociety.com

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

St. Andrew’s Society of Pittsburgh Welcomes Scots and all interested in Scottish heritage and traditions www.standrewspittsburgh.org or call Paul Thompson 724-468-5800

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

NC Scottish Heritage Society 506 Shinnecock Court New Bern, NC 28562

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

www.theargyllcolonyplus.org Like Us On Facebook

SCOTTISH HERITAGE USA, INC.

P.O. Box 457, Pinehurst, NC 28374

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

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

Founded

website: http://clanwallace.org Scotland Scotland Magazine Magazine 2.5”x2” 2.5”x2”

Membership Chairman: Charles Wallace 4634 N. Beechwood Drive Macon, GA 31210-2304

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Clan Ross America

Representing the great Highland Clan of Ross since 1976

Celebrating over 50 years. For more information contact our membership chairman at membership @clanwallace.org.

ED E TH ISTRE EV

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Secretary: secretary@rbana.com Secretary: secretary@rbana.com President: president@rbana.com President: president@rbana.com Website: www.rbana.org Website: www.rbana.org

Clan Wallace Society

Robert Burns Association of North America Robert Burns Association of North America Welcomes membership of all who are interested in the Life Welcomes membership of all who are interested in the Life and Works of the Scottish Bard Robert Burns, as well as and Works of the Scottish Bard Robert Burns, as well as Scottish literature and culture. RBANA is an association Scottish literature and culture. RBANA is an association dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of the life, dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of the life, works and philosophy of Scotland’s National Bard – Robert works and philosophy of Scotland’s National Bard – Robert Burns, as well as to the promotion of Scottish culture and Burns, as well as to the promotion of Scottish culture and heritage in North America. heritage in North America. Contact Details: Contact Details:

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RBANA RBANA

Dedicated to the preservation of the legacy of the families McCuistion, McCuiston, McQuiston, McQuistion, McQuesten, McChristian, McQuestion, McQueston and all variations thereof in the United States, who are descendants of Uisdean, son of Alexander McDonald, Lord of the Isles, Earl of Ross and Justiciar of the Highlands. Uisdean is also a descendant of Robert the Bruce, hero-king of Scotland. Contact: BJ McCuiston, Secretary, PO Box 2193 Gilroy, CA 95021-2193 or billiejo@garlic.com

EWS SOCIE DR

OF TY

Archie D. Pollock, Jr. P. O. Box 404, Greenville, Ky 42345 (615) 456-1699 apollockis@comcast.net

Defenders of Freedom, Mindful of Knowledge & Labor

THE

Among the Most Ancient Families of Scotland. If you are a descendant of Pollock, Pollok, Pook, Polk, Polke, Paulk, Poalk, Poalke, Poulk, Poolke, Pogue, you are cordially invited to contact:

Clan Uisdean, USA

THE

CLAN POLLOCK

EWS SOCIE DR

OF TY

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

Clan Nisbet, a Borders family, welcomes Nesbit/Nisbet and all various spellings worldwide. Share our history and learn about Alexander Nisbet, Scotland’s famous author of heraldry.

H E FI R S

Books |

ReADInG CORneR

THE LIBRARY

This issue’s best reads include a step-by-step guide to tracing your ancestry, a detailed history of the pipes in Scotland, and a travelogue like no other…

LANDSCAPES

CLAN HISTORY

TRAVEL

HERITAGE

ANCESTRY

Corrour Bothy: A Refuge in the Wilderness

Culloden: Battle & Aftermath

BY RALPH STORER

BY PAUL O’KEEFFE

McMillan’s Galloway: A Creative Guide by an Unreliable Local

The Silver Chanter: Historical Tales of Scottish Pipers

Tracing your Scottish Ancestors: The Official Guide (7th edition)

BY HUGH MCMILLAN

BY STUART MCHARDY

This book brings the wild landscape of the Cairngorms to life as it celebrates a century of public use of the famous Corrour Bothy, an essential shelter maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Association. Including entries from the bothy’s visitor book, (dating from 1928 on), it provides a window into Highland history. Author and experienced hillwalker, Storer, says: “One visitor agonises about going to war. Another is equally traumatised by being unable to ignite wet heather to summon up warmth. Another waxes lyrical on the pleasures of a sunset.” (£10.99, Luath Press) luath.co.uk

This April sees the 275th anniversary of the Jacobite army’s devastating defeat at the Battle of Culloden. In his book, O’Keeffe follows in the soldiers’ footsteps as they enjoyed initial victories at Prestonpans, Clifton and Falkirk, only to suffer one of the quickest defeats in history at Culloden (only 40 minutes). Repercussions reverberated through Britain for centuries, which O’Keeffe also explores: the nationwide celebrations; the grim spectacle of the Jacobite executions; and the aura of romanticism that the battle acquired over the following years. (£25, Bodley Head) penguin.co.uk

Writer Hugh McMillan describes himself as a “Scottish poet who once almost moved away from Dumfries and Galloway, but decided against it in the end.” So, although this unconventional guidebook is irreverent in tone, it’s clear that McMillan’s feelings for Galloway run deep. And we’re sure yours will too, after joining MacMillan on this witty and whimsical tour of his homeland, from the Mull of Galloway to Langholm. He touches on both poetry and politics as he tells the many stories that haunt this mythical landscape. (£12.99, Luath Press) luath.co.uk

Entertaining and informative in equal measure, writer and storyteller Stuart McHardy’s book celebrates the varied role of Scotland’s national instrument throughout Highland and Lowland history. Among the numerous tales, you’ll meet many of Scotland’s most acclaimed pipers, from the MacCrimmons, the renowned island pipers, to Habbie Simpson, possibly the most famous of all the Lowland pipers. If you’ve ever wondered why we associate the bagpipes with Scotland, here’s the answer. (£8.99, Birlinn) birlinn.co.uk

BY NATIONAL RECORDS OF SCOTLAND, EDITED BY TRISTAM CLARKE

A brand-new edition of this best-selling guide to Scottish ancestry research could make 2021 the year your family tree blossoms. Scotland has the best-maintained resources of any country for undertaking family research, and now that the National Archives of Scotland are available online, they can be consulted by anyone from anywhere. Written from the perspective of the custodian of the records, it gives detailed step-by-step instructions for using both online and traditional resources. (£12.99, Birlinn) birlinn.co.uk

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SCOTLAND

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