Royal Caledonian Ball Magazine 2009

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THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN BALL

2009 ANNUAL REVIEW

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TheRoyalCaledonianBall2009 The Ball will be held under the patronage of: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS ROYAL THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF KENT

President: IONA, DUCHESS OF ARGYLL

Vice Presidents: THE EARL OF ERROLL Mrs HAY DRUMMOND

Chairman: VISCOUNT DUPPLIN

Members of the Executive Committee: Mrs NICHOLAS BARDSWELL The LORD BIDDULPH Mr PATRICK COLQUHOUN Mr GUY DAWSON Miss ANNABEL GLYNNE-PERCY Mr HENRY LOWSON

Col ALASTAIR MATHEWSON Mr ANDREW MURRAY Mr FRASER ROBERTSON Mr JOHN SHIELDS Miss ALEXANDRA TWEEDIE

Members of the Scottish Committee: Mrs JAMES FRASER Mr BRIAN ROSS

Mr RODDY MARTINE Mrs JON STRICKLAND

Ball Secretary: Mrs THOMAS MARTIN (Leonora) 5 Church Street, Corsham,Wiltshire SN13 0BY Tel: 07506 650 181 Email: secretary@royalcaledonianball.com www.royalcaledonianball.com

Trust Secretary: Mrs BENEDICT GOODALL (Emily) 35 Colehill Gardens, Fulham Palace Road, London SW6 6SZ Tel: 07968 735 052

In aid of The Royal Caledonian BallTrust Registered Charity No. 213074 Grosvenor House, Park Lane, LondonW1 Friday 1st May 2009 1

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Patronesses Jane, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensbury The Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensbury Iona, Duchess of Argyll The Duchess of Argyll The Marchioness of Huntly The Marchioness of Lothian Jennifer, Marchioness of Bute Lady Louise Burrell The Countess of Dysart The Countess of Erroll The Countess of Buchan The Countess of Eglinton and Winton The Countess of Moray The Dowager Countess of Strathmore DL The Countess of Kinnoull The Countess of Dalhousie The Countess of Lindsay The Countess of Mansfield and Mansfield The Countess of Elgin and Kincardine Lady Strathnaver Lady Doune Viscountess Stormont Viscountess Dupplin Lady Dalmeny Viscountess Chelsea Lady Louisa Stewart Howitt Lady Diana Godfrey-Faussett Lady Melissa Edwards

Lady Iona Ind Lady Anne-Louise HamiltonDalrymple Lady Georgina BulloughYr of Culcreuch Lady Elspeth Hordern The Lady Saltoun The Lady Kinnaird The Lady Mary Biddulph Sian, Lady Biddulph Jean, Lady Tweedsmuir Joan, Lady Clydesmuir The Lady Eden of Winton Baroness Alexandra von und zu Guttenberg Baroness Carel van Randwyck The Hon. Mrs Thomas Lindsay The Hon. Mrs Humphrey Drummond of Megginch The Hon. Mrs Nicolson

The Hon. Charlotte Drummond of Megginch The Hon. Mrs Herdman The Hon. Mrs Fraser The Hon. Mrs Macnab of Macnab The Hon. Mrs Montagu Erskine The Hon. Mrs Jonathan Forbes The Hon. Mrs Robin Gurdon The Hon Mrs David Dalrymple 2

Lady Hope of Craighall Lady Agnew of Lochnaw Lady Colquhoun of Luss Lady Grant of Monymusk Fanny, Lady MacGregor of MacGregor Lady MacGregor of MacGregor Lady Campbell of Succoth Lady Lowson Lady Innes of Edingight Lady Macpherson of Biallid Lady Butter of Pitlochry CVO Lady Stirling of Fearnach Mrs Mark Anderson Mrs Christopher Arkell

Mrs Richard Baillie Mrs Nicholas Bardswell Mrs Nicholas Bastin Mrs Christopher Boyle Mrs Evan Bruce-Gardyne Mrs Anthony Brumwell Mrs Andrew Butler Mrs Ewan Cameron Mrs David Campbell of Strachur Mrs Nigel ChamberlayneMacdonald Mrs Angus Cheape Mrs Roderick Corrie Mrs Charles Craig Mrs Mark Cubitt

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Mrs Guy Dawson Mrs Richard de Klee Mrs Mark Fairbanks Smith Mrs Nicholas Fane Mrs Colin Farquharson of Whitehouse Mrs James Fraser Mrs Simon Fraser Mrs Robin Garrett-Cox Mrs Alexander Galitzine Mrs Angus Gilroy Mrs Gladstone of Capenoch Mrs Gordon of Lude Mrs Andrew Gordon Mrs Dominic Grieve Mrs Hay Drummond Mrs Alexander Hay of Duns Mrs Humphrey of Dinnet Mrs Micky Ingall Mrs Jamie Landale

Mrs Alastair Leslie Mrs Karen Liddell-Grainger Mrs Ranald MacdonaldYr of Clanranald Mrs Macdonald of Tote Mrs Charles Macdonald of Tote Mrs Andrew Macdonald Mrs Iain Macdonald Mrs Guy Macpherson-Grant

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Mrs MacGregor of Cardney Mrs Antony Mackenzie Smith Mrs Alastair Mathewson Mrs Jeremy Mead Mrs Methven Way Mrs Houston Morris Mrs Andrew Murray Mrs Harry Nickerson Mrs Fiona Olesen Mrs Oliphant of Oliphant Mrs Niel Redpath

Mrs David Reid Mrs Fraser Robertson Mrs Oliver Russell of Ballindalloch Mrs Iver Salvesen Mrs John Stansfeld 3

Mrs Robert Stansfeld Mrs Thomas Steuart Fothringham Mrs Walter Steuart Fothringham Mrs Ralph Stewart-Wilson of Balnakeilly Mrs Jon Strickland Mrs Robin Stormont Darling Mrs Alastair Struthers Mrs Barnaby Swire Mrs Mark Tennant Mrs Roger Tym Mrs Charles Vyvyan Mrs Paul Wakefield Mrs Charles White Mrs JustinYoung

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Her Majesty The Queen

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Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal

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The Royal Caledonian Ball History

by Auriol Hay Drummond

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he Royal Caledonian Ball started sometime in the 1840s as a private gathering given by the Duke and Duchess of Atholl for their Scottish friends who resided in London. By 1849, still at their invitation, it became a subscription dance for the purposes of collecting funds for Scottish charities, albeit with a decidedly Highland bias. Records show that the ball has been held annually ever since; cancellations only occurring with events beyond the committee’s control! No balls took place during the Boer War, following the death of Edward VII in 1910 and during the First and Second World Wars. Over more than one hundred and fifty years it has grown into one of the highlights of the London Season and a most successful vehicle for raising large sums of money. It must by now have a good chance of ranking as the oldest charity ball in the world.

From 1930 the ball has been held at Grosvenor House, this hotel having the largest ballroom in London and capable of dealing with up to a thousand Scots who descend on the capital to reel the night away. A record attendance was achieved in the 1980s of more than thirteen hundred, but this is unlikely ever to be overtaken with the modern fire regulations in place. Indeed at the time everyone agreed that it was rather too many for the Great Room to cope with, rather a squash, leaving many participants hot and bothered.

the current Duke of Atholl, who annually attended the dance and usually brought with him his own private army, The Atholl Highlanders, to play before the ball and to pipe onto the floor everyone taking part in the ceremonial set reel before performing an eightsome reel. This is a dance of Atholl origin and was introduced in 1890, before when it was the practise to arrange quadrilles. However, as the present Duke of Atholl lives in South Africa, we have been fortunate in securing the services of firstly the Earl of Erroll as our president and now Iona, Duchess of Argyll.

In the 1930s, as a treat, it was a very popular custom for children with their nannies to be allowed on the balcony to watch their parents dancing in the set reel, which formally opened the ball, in the Great Room below.

Since the days of Edward VII the ball has been honoured with the Patronage of the reigning Monarch, and the ball can celebrate over 50 years of Patronage by Her Majesty The Queen. Our president had traditionally always been

The money raised by the Royal Caledonian Ball allows a substantial sum to be given to Scottish charities each year.

The Committee feels that it is more important to give aid to people rather than things and so it is the young, the elderly, the homeless, the cancer sufferers and the disabled and disadvantaged, who receive help to improve their lives through our donations.

An article on charity balls published in a leading daily newspaper some years ago gave the impression that only about ÂŁ10 from every ticket sold actually went to good causes. For many years the ball has succeeded in giving the majority of the cost of a ball ticket to chosen charities and, thanks to gifts towards the expenses of this dance from generous sponsors, we hope to be able to continue to improve on this percentage.

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Sensory Garden at Upper Springland

by Rhona Roy

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lthough not everybody realises it, visiting a garden is a multi-sensory experience. In order to gain a full picture of the garden we rub leaves to release their smell and touch the foliage to see what texture a plant has.When a person has lost one or more of their senses, the other ones are heightened and they rely on them to provide an understanding of the world around them. If someone has a physical disability, they can feel isolated and unable to participate in the world as they see others doing, unless special measures have been taken to counteract this.

nearby. The domes allow everybody (including wheelchair users) to sit and listen to the sound of wind in a peaceful and relaxing sanctuary.

There is a meadow area which was planted with a “bird, butterfly and bee mix� from Scotia Seeds which looked exceptionally pretty when all the flowers were in bloom and attracted much of the local wildlife!

We have purchased three ornamental trees and are waiting for two special trees which are on order.

Four hens made a welcome addition to the garden and we have built a special coop and run for them. They provide an endless source of interest and amusement

Upper Springland provides short and long term care for sensory impaired and physically disabled adults. We wished to create a sensory garden for our patients, and were able to do so with the donations from the Royal Caledonian Society. We have used various materials to create a space which can be experienced in many different ways.

We have willow domes, willow arches and a willow boat which acts as a reminder of the Tay which runs

for visitors to the garden, and everyone enjoys gathering the eggs and using them in the kitchen.

There is also a musical dimension to the garden in the form of a large musical instrument made up of a steel barrel and pipes which can be struck, jangled or played with drum sticks.

We hope to add to this garden as time goes by and we can observe which elements are particularly successful.

It is widely agreed that everyone has benefited from the meadow, the light and shade of the willow domes and 9

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the musical instrument has proved so popular, we are planning some outdoor concerts.

As proposed we now have created a sensory garden. We have willow domes, willow arches and a large area of wild flowers which were exceptional as I am sure all the flowers bloomed. We purchased the seed from Scotia Seeds and the mix was a "bird, butterfly and bee mix.".

We also have a willow boat thus making a connection with the Tay. The willow domes are used as a sanctuary with seating inside, but with enough room for a wheelchair user to sit comfortably.

We have purchased three ornamental trees and are waiting for two special trees which are on order.

We considered that the purchase of four hens would be of interest for the service users. We have recently

purchased these and have had a hen coop and run for the hens built. Gathering the eggs and baking with them has proved popular.

Within the garden we have had a large musical instrument constructed which can be struck, jangled or played with drum sticks. We still need to pave the space under the musical instrument so that service users will be safe as grass area can become muddy. I have contacted someone to do this for us.

We hope to add to this garden as times goes as we will have to observed what is successful and what is not.

However it is agreed that everyone has benefited from the meadow, the light and shade of the willow domes and now that we have this large musical instrument in the garden we can perhaps have concerts in the garden.

Treasurer’s Report QueenVictoria School Borderline Drumpark School St Catherine’s Homeless Project Army Benevolent Fund (Scotland) VSSA (Aberdeen) Broomhouse Centre (SW Edinburgh) Skye and LochalshYoung Carers Upper Springland (Capability Scotland) Islay and Jura Sick Children’s Fund Dumfries and Galloway Befriending

et out below is a brief summary of the results of the Royal Caledonian Ball in 2008. We are delighted to report that the Royal Caledonian Ball Trust made a fundraising surplus of £25,566 in 2008 and donated £19,500 to the charities listed below.

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A part of the surplus has been withheld to cover the cost of its new website which was launched in February 2009.

The ticket price was £95 of which 32% has been distributed as follows:

Total Donations for the year

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£2,000 £2,000 £2,000 £2,000 £2,000 £2,000 £1,500 £1,500 £1,500 £1,500 £1,500 £19,500

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The Royal Caledonian Ball 2009 GENERAL PROGRAMME

DANCE PROGRAMME

10.00 pm The Pipes and Drums of The London Scottish Regiment

Procession and Set Reel 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

10.30 pm The processional march of the Set Reel into the Great Room 12.30 am Breakfast will be served

DashingWhite Sergeant Reel of the 51st Division Waltz Eightsome Reel Mairi’sWedding Foxtrot Hamilton House

Breakfast

3.30 am Carriages

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

THE PIPES AND DRUMS OF THE LONDON SCOTTISH REGIMENT, BY KIND PERMISSION OF COLONEL DAVID RANKIN-HUNT LVO, MBE, TD THE SIMON HOWIE BROADCASTING BAND

Duke of Perth Waltz Inverness Country Dance* Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh Quickstep Reel of the 51st Division John Peel

*Also known as Speed the Plough

Carriages

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TheRoyalCaledonianBall2009 SET REEL ARRANGED BY Mr GUY DAWSON Order of Procession and Plan President’s Reel PATRONE Viscount Dupplin Viscount Grimston Mr Mark Nicolson Mr Andrew Matheson Lord Dalmeny Mr Charles Phipps Mr Alan Roxburgh Mr Jon Strickland

Iona, Duchess of Argyll Viscountess Grimston Hon Mrs Nicolson Miss Louise Nicolson Lady Dalmeny Mrs Charles Phipps Miss Lottie Eagar Mrs Jon Strickland

2

Highland Reel 1 Mr Roderick Corrie Mr Alexander Crawford The Hon Humphrey Drummond The Hon John Drummond Mrs Giles Herdman Colonel Alastair Mathewson Mr Houston Morris Commander Calum Sillars

3

Viscountess Dupplin Mrs Alexander Crawford The Hon Mrs Humphrey Drummond Lady Emma Mahmood The Hon Mrs Herdman Mrs Alastair Mathewson Mrs Houston Morris Mrs Calum Sillars

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Borderer’s Reel

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The Lord Biddulph The Hon William Maitland-Biddulph Mr Adair Anderson Mr Niel Redpath

Mrs Karen Liddell-Grainger Mrs Emma Holloway Mrs Adair Anderson Mrs Niel Redpath

8 Highland Reel 2 Mr Guy Dawson Mr James Brooke Mr Harry Horsfall Mr Adrian Hogarth Mr Ross Illingworth Mr Dominic Bayne Mr John Walker Mr David Crichton

Mrs Guy Dawson Mrs Sarah Illingworth Miss Phillipa Whatley Mrs Adrian Hogarth Miss Martina Westin Mrs Dominic Bayne Miss Helen Hutton Miss Caroline Ratcliff

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STAIRS Order of Procession 2 Highland Reel 1 3 Borderers’ Reel 5 Highland Reel 2 6 Life Guards 8 Highland Reel 3

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Highland Reel 3 Mr William Scaldwell Mr Richard Murray Mr Peter Seebolm Mr David Murray

Miss Sophie Morgan Miss Catriona Boyd Miss Silke Lohnmann Miss Jennifer DeWitt

RONESSES Highland Reel 4 Sir Brian Ivory Mr Euan Ivory Mr Harry McCorkell Mr Angus McLaren

1

Lady Ivory Miss Roseanna Ivory Miss Rosanna McCorkell Miss Alice Alexandre

NewYork Reel Mr Henrique Fariaq Mr Bruce Ginsberg Mr Christopher Gow Mr Richard Killick

BAND

4

5

Miss Joan Gow Mrs Bruce Ginsberg Miss Nan Chisholm Mrs Richard Killick

The Life Guards Major Thommas Armitage Captain Charles Dale Mr Rufus Gordon-Dean Mr William Goodhew

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Mrs Thommas Armitage Miss Susannah Drummond Moray Miss Georgina Drummond Miss Henrietta Cumming

Scots Guards Major Jean-Paul Pitt Capt Hamish Barne Mr James Bentley Mr Peter Rous

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Miss Caroline Doble Miss Catriona Scott Miss Veronica Evans Miss Katy Boucher

20.04.09

STAIRS

CORRECT ON

1 President’s Reel 4 NewYork Reel 7 Scots Guards 9 Highland Reel 4 15

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Acknowledgements

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Photograph of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal by Ian Coates Photographs of The Royal Caledonian Ball

by Dafydd Jones www.dafjones.com

he Executive Committee of The Royal Caledonian Ball Trust would like to thank all those who have so kindly donated prizes and sponsorship: Chivas Regal whisky supplied by Chivas Brothers Ltd. Tesco plc for their sponsorship of

Terry and Dave at Hiscox

the Pipes and Drums Grosvenor House Mrs James Troughton and Atholl Estates The Scottish Ball of NewYork Lady Colquhoun of Luss

If you would like to be added to our mailing list, have moved or changed your name, please contact the Ball Secretary: Mrs Thomas Martin (Leonora) Telephone 07880 746 231 Email: secretary@royalcaledonianball.com www.royalcaledonianball.com

Particular thanks to: Colonel David Rankin-Hunt LVO, MBE,TD for kindly allowing the Pipes and Drums of The London Scottish Regiment to play at the Ball and also to Major StuartYoung and Pipe Major Jim McLucas.

We should also like to thank the following companies and individuals who have given their generous support through donations and gifts: Mr Euan Baird Mr Nicholas Bardswell Crossflight Limited Mr Iain Donnell Jean, Lady Tweedsmuir Hiscox plc Lady Hope Mr David Reid Mr and Mrs Norman Robertson Miss Jenny Southgate Mr and Mrs John Warden McKimm Mrs M Wareing Mr Randle White Thanks also to Intendance for designing our new website, SpitfireTechnology Group for hosting the website and Areta Breeze at Abacus for managing the database.

Printed by The Colourhouse Photograph of Her Majesty The Queen by Mark Lawrence Š www.royalimages.co.uk

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The De’il o’ Drumlanrig byWilliam Crawford

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illiam Douglas, third Earl and first Duke of Drumlanrig, belonged to that branch of the Douglas family who have owned the lands of Drumlanrig since at least the twelfth century. His grandfather had in his time been charged with murder, and with “demembering his cousin of his left lug”, but had nonetheless been raised to the Peerage by Charles I as first Earl. His father had set off belatedly to join Montrose after the battle of Kilsyth, but was captured, imprisoned in Carlisle Castle, and released only on payment of a substantial fine.

He then fell foul of Cromwell, refused to swear allegiance to him, and was again fined a huge sum. Family finances were as a result at a low ebb in William’s youth, which perhaps explains why he and his sisters bore a reputation for meanness; his sister Margaret, despite marrying Sir Alexander Jardine of Applegirth, would for a penny carry people across the River Annan on her shoulders.William read for the Bar, was successful in restoring the family fortunes, became Sheriff of Dumfriesshire in 1664 and a Privy Councillor in 1667. He succeeded his father as third Earl in 1671.

diligent and respectful in the numerous reports he sent to Queensberry about the state of the country, his actions, and those of his troops.

Lauderdale died in 1679, soon after handing over the reins of power, his reputation clouded by the memory of Magus Muir, Drumclog and Bothwell Bridge. His brother Charles, who as Lord Hatton, had been Master of the Mint, succeeded to the Dukedom. In 1683, it transpired that Charles had, whilst Master of the Mint, abstracted for his own use £72,000 from public funds. An investigating Committee of the Lords proposed that he be fined the same sum. The King reduced this to £20,000, but this still spelt ruin for him. Lord Aberdeen, the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, Claverhouse and Queensberry all thought they could profit from the situation; Aberdeen coveted the fine, Claverhouse Dudhope Castle near Dundee which Hatton owned, and Queensberry the now vacant Dukedom. Aberdeen did indeed get £16,000 of the fine; Claverhouse did get Dudhope, though he had to pay £6000 Scots for it, and Queensberry urged Claverhouse to lobby James for the Dukedom. Claverhouse had just been made a Privy Councillor on Queensberry’s recommendation. So Claverhouse approached James, who in turn approached his brother the King, who was “so vexed with the nobilitating people that he would not willingly hear anything upon the subject”. James said they must wait for a more favourable time.

He was said to be a tyrant to his wife, Lady Isabel, and to have kept her permanently short of money. He was irascible, with a short fuse, which earned him the title “The De’il o’ Drumlanrig”. For all that, he was a capable and ambitious man; in the Privy Council, he at first supported Lauderdale, then led the opposition to him, and positioned himself neatly to take power when James Duke of York, the future James II, replaced Lauderdale as the nominal Secretary for Scotland. He courted James assiduously and successfully, vying with Claverhouse for James’ friendship. Claverhouse, Grierson of Lag, his brother-in-law, and Bruce of Earlshall were in 1679 appointed Deputy Sheriffs to assist him in the repression of the Covenanters in Galloway. Claverhouse, soon to be called, rather unfairly, “Bluidy Clavers”, was also hottempered. He and Queensberry bickered and quarrelled whenever they met, though Claverhouse was

Since Lauderdale’s eclipse, Queensberry and Lord Aberdeen had effectively ruled Scotland together.

Aberdeen’s grip on power was now beginning to slip, and in December 1683 James appointed a new Committee, the Juncto, in which Aberdeen had to share power with the Drummond brothers, the Earls of Perth and Melfort. Queensberry however retained his key position as Lord Treasurer. He continued to enforce Lauderdale’s later policy of repression, whilst the 18

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£596 to Queensberry in respect of the fines.

Claverhouse was then dismissed from the Privy Council, on the ground that as he had the year before married a Cochrane, a member of a Covenanting family, he was no longer fit to be entrusted with the King’s secrets.

Queensberry then, having secured the ground behind him, went to London to pay homage to the King. He said bluntly to James, that “if he had any thought of changing the established religion, he could not make any one step with him in that matter, though he would take care to live as became a loyal and dutiful subject”. James gave the required assurance, and Queensberry returned as Lord High Commissioner. He was now the undisputed ruler of Scotland. In his speech to the Scottish Parliament a month later, he spoke of the King’s resolution to maintain the established religion, and expressed the hope that “effectual means might be fallen upon, for destroying that desperate phanatical and irreclaimable party, who had brought them to the brink of ruin and disgrace, and were no more rebels against the King, than Enemies of Mankind, Wretches of such Monstrous Principles and Practices, as past Ages never heard, nor those to come will hardly believe”. His aim was to bear down hardly upon the extremists, with the idea that he could thus better protect main-stream Presbyterianism.

Covenanters committed sporadic acts of violence, such as the Enterkinfoot ambush, and the murder of the Rev. Pierson at Carsphairn. In November 1684, he achieved his ambition and became His Grace the Duke of Queensberry. He in no way acknowledged the assistance given to him in this regard by Claverhouse; on the contrary, he transferred Claverhouse from Galloway to Fife; instituted an enquiry into the fines collected by Claverhouse in Galloway, and raised with James the question of whether Claverhouse should be required to pay for the estate of Freuch, which Claverhouse had acquired for nothing in 1681, as a forfeited estate.

James, indulgent as ever towards Claverhouse, said he would take no step about Freuch, but did want an account of the fines paid. At this point, in February 1685, Charles II died, and James ascended the throne as James VII and II, but without taking the Oath to protect and preserve the Protestant religion.

Queensberry, now in complete charge in Scotland, summoned Claverhouse to Edinburgh, and ordered him to account for the fines paid. Claverhouse asked for time, and was told he could have 5 or 6 days. He retorted that that was the same as none at all, given the distance to be travelled. “Then you shall have none”, replied Queensberry. In the event, Claverhouse repaid

His spell in the sun did not last long.

The Earls of Perth and Melfort, in order to ingratiate themselves with James, converted to Roman Catholicism. They turned on Queensberry. Melfort drew up an indictment against him, alleging abuse of office; James ordered him to repay the £596 of fines he had obtained from Claverhouse; then Perth accused him to the King of being “an atheist in religion, a villain in friendship, a knave in business, and a traitor in his carriage to the King”. In February 1686, James dismissed him, and ordered him to remain in Edinburgh until his accounts as High Treasurer had been examined.

Had he gone over to Rome, as had the Drummonds, he would in all probability have kept his position. He did not, and played no more part in the government of Scotland until the Glorious Revolution, when James fled, and William of Orange succeeded to the throne. Despite James’ ungenerous treatment of him, he remained loyal until James had fled. Then, in a speech to the Parliament, he declared “that though he was not fully convinced of their right in declaring the Throne vacant, yet, since it was done, he 19

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by the family to have been the architect (3) Robert Milne, one of the great Milne family of Scottish architects, who is named in a memorandum by the first Duke as having drawn up plans for the castle (4) James Smith, Milne’s son-in-law, who is named in correspondence with the factor of the time as overseeing the fitting-up of the interior of the castle.

Smith also definitely designed the baldachino for the mausoleum at Durisdeer. Smith is now generally stated to have been the architect, but none of the many great houses he designed, Holyroodhouse, Hamilton Palace, Melville House, Dalkeith Palace, or Yester House bear any resemblance to Drumlanrig. My own view, endorsed by Mr Antony Wolffe, the well-known architect, is that the 1618 plans, probably drawn up by Wallace, were used; and that the work was overseen by Smith. This architectural conundrum may yet be solved; the present Duke, Duke Richard, states that there are many unexamined documents in the Drumlanrig muniment room, and that work is being put in hand to catalogue them; the bundle itself may yet turn up.

acquiesced; and none deserved it so well as the Prince and Princess of Orange”. He was then re-appointed an Extraordinary Lord of Session. The two main instruments of his policy towards the Covenanters, Claverhouse and Lag, did not follow him in this change of allegiance. They both remained loyal to the Jacobite cause, Claverhouse, by then Bonnie Dundee, defeating the government troops at Killiecrankie, but falling to a stray shot at the end of the battle; Lag dying in his own bed at the age of 78, impoverished by the fines he had to pay for refusing to swear allegiance to William.

Queensberry himself died in 1695, aged 58, and is buried in the family mausoleum at Durisdeer. He was succeeded by his son, the 2nd Duke, no less able a man, who played a major part in securing the passage of the Act of Union in 1707, to the great benefit of us all.

The first Duke played an important part in the government of Scotland after the fall of Lauderdale. His finest hour was undoubtedly when he declined to follow Perth and Melfort in their turncoat conduct, and instead, to his own disadvantage, warned James not to try to impose Roman Catholicism on Scotland. Had James done so, civil war would probably have followed, and the Duke’s warning may well have been crucial in preventing it. At the same time, through all the major years of his public life, the Duke was arranging, funding and overseeing the rebuilding of a most wonderful castle. It is an impressive legacy.

There was nothing mean about the sums he spent in re-building Drumlanrig, a project which he started in 1676, and finished in 1691.

His grandfather had had plans drawn up in 1618, but had not used them. Whether these were used by the first Duke is not known. He overspent upon the re-building, so much so that he spent only one night in the completed building, and it is said that he bound up all the plans and bills in a bundle and wrote upon it; “De’il pike out his e’en that looks herein”.That bundle has disappeared, and it is not now known who the architect was.There are various candidates, and various possibilities. The candidates are (1) William Wallace, the architect responsible for Heriot’s hospital, the building in Scotland which most resembles Drumlanrig.(2) Sir William Bruce, whose best known work is his own house at Kinross; wholly unlike Drumlanrig, but he was thought 20

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The Gardens of Megginch Castle

by Charles Duplin

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ne of the most romantic places in Perthshire is Megginch Castle, which lies by the banks of the Tay in the historic Carse of Gowrie. Megginch means Beautiful Island and the castle is set on a rise 50 feet above sea level. It has been the home of the Drummond family since the 17th Century. Over a thousand years ago there was, according to legend, a monastery on this island and the four massive clumps of yew trees you can still see are remnants of the hedge around the monks’ garden.

The 1460 Castle is L-shaped, ending on the East side with a circular staircase tower, called the Ceinn Torr, which with its unusual cap staircase can best be seen from the Kitchen Garden. From this side you can also see the arrow slits, gun loops and shooting holes in the turrets, for the castle was strongly fortified and withstood attacks from armed bands of Cavaliers, Roundheads, Highlanders and other marauders.

Robert also built the Gothic Arch at the bottom of the BeechWalk. The trees themselves were planted in 1746 by his uncle,Adam Drummond, 4th of Megginch, MP and Paymaster Captain in the American War of Independence.

Adam fought on the side of the Hanoverians in the ’45 Rebellion in Scotland, and was taken prisoner by Prince Charlie’s men at the Battle of Prestonpans. He planted the avenue “so that out of this war and time of troubles for Scotland, something of enduring beauty shall continue and grow”. We have lost four of these wonderful trees in this year’s storms and the Beech Walk is rather hazardous as a result, clearing and replanting will start in the autumn.

Some of the renown daffodils were sent back from Holland in the 18th Century when a young James Drummod was at Univeristy in Leyden, Holland. Other daffodil bulbs were planted in the 19th century and the Castle is working with the gardens at Kew to try and identify them all. There are also snowdrop bulbs in the Beech walk sent back from the Crimea.

In 1575 a new fortified wing was added to the long North front of the castle by Peter Hay. He also laid out the Rose Garden and the top part of the Kitchen Garden. The first White Banksian rose to come to this country is planted in the Stableyard, having been brought from China by Captain Adam Drummond in the East Indiaman, the General Elliot, in 1796.The double red camellia in the front garden was also brought back from China in the same ship in 1794.

Adam’s brother Colin and sister-in-law, Catherine, spent many years in Canada where they had a house in Quebec.

When they returned with their two youngest sons, Adam and Gordon, born in Quebec in 1770 and 1772, they brought with them handfuls of golden alstroemeria seeds which still flourish in the herbaceous border beyond the holly hedge.

On the roof of the pagoda Dovecote in the Stableyard is a contemporary model of the General Elliot. She was the first copper-bottomed ship of the East India fleet and made a record on her first voyage to Bombay in 1783 under Adam’s elder brother, Robert, “two days less than four months”. Captain Robert Drummond made six voyages to China before he retired in broken health, and built the Stableyard in 1806. He added to the existing outbuildings in the Yard which show the earliest example of brick in Scotland, dating from 1714 (on the East side of theYard).

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Their son Captain Adam, later an Admiral, and his wife, Lady Charlotte Murray, (from Blair Atholl), laid out the bottom Kitchen Garden in 1820. It has a double wall at the north end to enable it to be heated in the winter (not functioning – at the moment!). They also added the South façade and the East and North Wing to the Castle, altering many of the windows and adding battlements and a small half-tower on the West side. They planted oak avenues on the front and back drives and continued the Beech Walk with another oak avenue which they lined with box-edged borders over half a mile down to the turnpike road. (Now unused.)

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points of the star represent each sign of the zodiac and are filled with flowers and herbs relating to them. The David Austin rose which was named in her memory, as President of the War Widows Association, “Lady of Megginch”, has been planted in the 16 beds surrounding the central holly cross in the front garden, the original Lady of Megginch Rose shown at the Chelsea flower show in 2005 is planted in the rose garden. Tea Clipper, Sister Elizabeth and Darcy Bussell, which were also new David Austin roses in 2005 are planted there too.

The Celtic memorial cross in the bottom Kitchen garden was sculpted and carved by John Drummond, Cherry’s youngest son. It is carved with symbols representing all aspects of her life.

In 1835, the Admiral’s eldest son, John Murray Drummond and his wife Frances, friend of Queen Victoria, laid out the Front Parterre and topiary with barley sugar yew trees, variegated holly (the Drummond badge) and fountains. Many of the early hybrid rhododendrons were planted at that date, including the unusually large species Rhododendron Campanulatum which arch over the rhododendron and holly walk.

The orchard, east of the kitchen garden, is of premier heritage interest, containing over 100 old trees, with many varieties of apples, pears, plums, damsons, greengages, medlars and cherries. Giles and Catherine Herman (Catherine was Cherry’s daughter) are already making their mark on the gardens by replanting local varieties that have become all too rare today.

The Chapel of the Blessed Virgin in the Fields is on the site of an earlier monastic Chapel, which was destroyed by a rioting Protestant band from Perth led by John Knox in 1559. The present building is still in use for family services and is the result of alterations at various stages: the dates 1679 and 1781 appear on the quoin on the West side. TheTudor rose of medieval glass in theWest window is a fragment from Eton College Chapel when it was bombed in 1940.

Many people over the centuries have fallen in love with the charm of these gardens, which have given them peace and refreshment. To whatever far corner of the world they have gone, they have carried with them happy memories of Megginch, the Beautiful Island.

Most interesting of the topiary is the golden yew Crown, planted in 1887 to commemorate their Golden Wedding in 1885 and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee two years later. In the top Kitchen Garden this tradition continues with a Laburnum walk planted by Lady Strange and Captain Humphrey Drummond MC, to commemorate their Golden Wedding in 2002 and Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee the following year.

Near the Crown is a sundial with a Gaelic inscription meaning God Save the King, placed there by Captain Malcolm Drummond (son of John Murray Drummond), Groom-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria. He placed it there to commemorate the Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.

Their son John made a new front door, the small circular tower at the South-East corner of the Castle, in 1928, and placed the pillars of the 1820 entrance on an avenue near the Crown. His wife Violet, another keen gardener, pruned and weeded undeterred by rain or snow, and herself planted many of the shrubs and daffodils which give so much colour throughout the seasons.

Their eldest daughter Cherry, 16th Baroness Strange, continuing the family tradition of keen and creative gardeners, designed and planted an Astrological Garden which can be found in the top Kitchen Garden. The 23 22

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The Royal Caledonian SchoolsTrust Celebrating 200 years of service to Scottish children

by John Horsfield

I

business like approach was used to evaluate suitable locations for the first asylum and to consider the most effective way to fulfil their objectives. In March 1819 the first 6 boys were elected and placed with good Scottish women in London, who were each paid a 1/- a Caley Boys mount the Gun. week for looking after them.

An early example of foster care! Later that year the first asylum was opened in premises in Cross Street, Islington.

n 1808 the Highland Society of London launched an international appeal to seek funds to build an asylum in London to help the orphaned and destitute children of Scottish soldiers who had been killed or wounded in the Napoleonic Wars, which had already been running for nine years. The appeal was successful, with many donations coming from the “Colonies and the Americas”. On a bleak afternoon in February 1815, H.R.H. the Duke of Stirring the Caley Christmas Pudding.

Kent and Strathearn (Queen Victoria’s father) rather testily took the Chair at a meeting in the Freemason’s Hall, in the City of London. He was annoyed the Prince Regent had failed to turn up. However the meeting then commenced and The Caledonian Asylum affectionately known as “the Caley”, was established for the purpose of “supporting and educating the children of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, natives of Scotland, “It’s Hot out here”Caley Dancers Cool off with Ice lollies. who have died or have been disabled in the service of their country; and also the children of indigent Scottish Parents resident in London not receiving parochial relief'.

It was not until December 1819 that it was decided, at the behest of The Duke of Kent and Nicolas Vanistart, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, to build a new asylum in Copenhagen Fields in Islington; a building well fitting its purpose was built with accommodation for 100 boys, who lived there and were educated in the best Scottish traditions. By 1844, after an extension was built, girls were admitted and by 1848 they were, with the boys dancing to entertain guests, at the newly established Royal Caledonian Ball.

In 1852 the Asylum was granted Royal Patronage and changed its name to the Royal Caledonian Asylum. Since then all British monarchs have been Patrons. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was very involved and made three visits to the Caley.

During the second half of the of the 19th century the countrified nature of Islington changed and the asylum got a new next door neighbour, Pentonville Prison. History then repeated itself, a new appeal was launched and there was much discussion about a new location.

By 1903 the 130 Caley children were settling into their new purposely built school in Bushey, Hertfordshire. At the same time the name was changed to the Getting ready for the Dancing Royal Caledonian Schools.

Competition.

The Prince Regent, later King George IV made amends and became the first Patron. This was the start of a charity that is still, 200 years later, meeting the intentions of its original founders and sadly is again tackling the effects of war on Scottish children.

Fundraising was high on the Caley agenda, The Lord Mayor of London was asked to organise a dinner and a concert was planned at the Theatre Royal Drury lane and all ranks of the 1st Regiment of the Life Guards raised £21.15d.

Stephen Blake – a Caley Scholar now at The Royal Scottsh Academy of Music and Drama.

The old asylum was sold to LCC and was demolished to build flats. You can still see the thistles on the fencing posts outside the flats on the Caledonian Road.

During the Second World War the school chapel was destroyed and this time nothing was done for some years. In 1963 two boys were caught begging in Watford, their defence was that they were raising money for a new hall. We don’t know if they avoided the beating they

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expected but they got their new hall thanks to the generosity of the Clans.

Up until 1948 all the were children educated on the site, the Butler The Caley dancers take the stage. but Education Act provided the opportunity for the children to transfer to local state schools. The Caley then became a Registered Children’s Home, which change came as a surprise to the Directors and for many years they unsuccessfully challenged that status. There then followed a gradual decline, pupil numbers began to drop and the aging building needing ever more maintenance. In 1995 after some serious incidents and a decline in numbers, the Directors decided that there were better ways to continue its work and the premises in Bushey were sold to the An early print of the Caledonian Asylum at Islington.

Purcell School.

On the 6th June 1996 a huge celebration of the Caley took place and a new era began.

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Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother receives flowers when she accompanied King GeorgeVI to the schools in 1937.

and those trying to teach them need. The Caley can only do so much, it is putting both money and its experience into improving the lot of these children whilst still helping with individual grants. The Caley is, by far, the oldest tri-service charity but it’s relevance in 2009 is as great, if not greater than it was 200 years ago.You can also play your part by donating towards the work of the Caley.

Paying for after school clubs for 5 children whose mother had been admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act. Providing a lap top with specialised software for use by a child with cerebral palsy .

Helping with the living expenses of a 20 year old who was in his second year at university when his father was killed in an accident whilst on duty.

Helping with the living expenses of a young ex solider, trying to get retrained after he was medically discharged.

For more information, access to the Caley archives and the opportunity to support the Caley visit www.rcst.org.uk or write to John Horsfield, Chief Executive,Tthe Royal Caledonian

As well as the above the Caley continues to give talented young people a real chance to achieve their dreams this summer the following will graduate: a talented pianist, a dress designer, two world class Pipers and four young actresses plus a host of new BA’s and BSc’s . They are particularly proud to have helped create six young doctors.

The Caley has over the years, constantly reviewed how it

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can best meet the intentions of those early 19th century Scots who had the forethought and generosity to start this work. In 2005 it expanded and launched the Caley Service Children’s Education Project. Its aim being to heighten awareness of the issues affecting Scottish service children’s education and to increase the number of students in further and higher education. This is done by working with schools helping them to understand and meeting their needs of service children. Earlier this year Grants were awarded to ten Scottish schools. Perhaps the most poignant of these was to Raigmore School in Inverness where 50 percent of the pupils are the children of the Black Watch. The Caley is funding additional help whilst their parents are serving in Afghanistan.This latest conflict, with its tragic loss of life and serious injury brings sharply into focus the support that these children

The proceeds of the sale were invested and its new role as an educational trust began to take place. A Grants Policy was established and a new type of Caley Scholar emerged. Over the last twelve years individual grants of over 1.5 million pounds have been awarded to qualifying scholars, here are just a few examples. ●

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Schools Trust, Unit 75, The WENTA Business Park,Watford WD24 7ND. An illustrated history of the Caley up to 1995, with many more of the Caley photos costs £7 post free.

Queen Mary receives a Caley Bouquet on a visit toWatfod.

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Princess Margaret meets Caley dancers at the Royal Caledonian Ball (she is shaking hands with Natasha Muldrew).

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Dram-atic Journeys

by Rob Allanson

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he whisky industry is a great world to be involved in, but as an observer it can be a little strange. By strange, I mean interesting, rather than in any sort of bad way.

It is a world of dichotomies, a universe where companies strive for the future but keep one eye on the past.

You might find that certain brands relish in pushing the boundaries of contemporary life, either in the bar scenes with stunning sensual cocktails or in their liquids, bottle designs and presentation. But at the same time the same brand will proudly shout about its heritage, where it has come from and the values that the past has instilled in its whisky makers.

take the time to travel to the distilleries and taste the malt, there is nothing like it.

This is something, particularly in Scotland because let’s not forget that whisky is now a truly global phenomenon, that allows this wonderful liquid to stand out from the rest of the pack.

It provides a connection, your taste of that whisky will be forever linked with that moment.That is what makes great whiskies, the vital, living and memorable moments it creates in your life.

A story‌ indeed a history that shows it has a life. A collection of strifes, struggles, successes and celebrations that cannot really be made up by the pen of a marketer.

I once mused in an edition of Whisky Magazine about this link. I had been reading a book about hunting down the last true empty, wild places in the United Kingdom.

The author talked about collecting stones, feathers and pieces of wood as memory markers of his time in the isolated places of our realm.

Above all it gives whisky a sense of place. When you

I know I have a similar habit of coming home from a trip or a walk with a stone.

There is one next to me on my desk from a beach near Springbank, and I carry a little polished black piece of jet in my riding jacket left on my pillow at a hotel in Toronto.

I started to think whether this could be applied to malts.

You often find that if people are introduced to a new expression or distillery actually at the stills, they will always remember that special dram they have had at the distillery 26

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and how it never really tastes the same anywhere else.

But for me I think that the little collection of distilled, crafted genius in the glass can act in a similar way to these stone memory markers I pick up.

So there I was sat in the middle of a packed sports bar in Detroit airport letting the caressing waves of a Laphroaig Quarter Cask wash me back to my trip to the distillery, and the moment when master distiller John Campbell opened the kiln door...oh all the sweet peated smoke, and the aroma as I was invited to chuck another piece through those heavy iron doors into the maelstrom.

Similarly sitting in a crowded and painfully pretentious style bar in London nursing a Rittenhouse Rye has the same effect. Taking me back to the hushed dark warehouses.The sun illuminating the dust particles – a world away from the hustle and bustle.

When you take the time to chat to the world roving ambassadors, truly the front line of the whisky business, you get a glimpse into a very special world, often filled with decent hotels, great food, impressive whiskies and the occasional rock star, politician or model.

No matter where we are, sometimes I think that what we are drinking has a connection to its place of birth, and has the power to transport our minds back there through the smell, taste and feeling.

And to my mind this is the greatest part about whisky, the stories, the connections. Whether it’s your own personal tales, the history behind the great distilleries or the often amusing stories from the road with the whisky ambassadors.

Whisky itself is on a journey and where it ends up at the moment is anyone’s guess. From humble illicit beginnings to the global, massive powerhouses of today when the spirit is in such demand distillers cannot make enough to satisfy new markets, whisky continues to be an inspiration and aspiration to many.

It has been through periods of boom and bust and has currently taken the world with such a force who knows where this journey will end.

All I can say for sure is that if you are embarking on this great ride, or have already progressed a fair way, there is nothing like going back to the roots. Pick a distillery, get yourself there and enjoy the creature in its environment.The experience will be rewarding.

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