It's your Electric Scotland newsletter meaning
the weekend is nearly here :-)
You can view what's new this week on Electric Scotland at
http://www.electricscotland.com/update.html and you can unsubscribe to
this newsletter by clicking on the link at the foot of this newsletter.
See our Calendar of Scottish Events around the world at
http://www.electricscotland.com/familytree/calendar_help.htm
CONTENTS
-----------------
Electric Scotland News
The Flag in the Wind
The Scottish Nation
The Celtic Monthly
The Southern States of America
Poems
Understanding Robert Burns
The Scottish-Canadian Newspaper (1890/1)
Clan Munro Society
Johnson / Johnston / Johnstone
Recounting Blessings
Christmas with Grandma (Children's story)
Standard Settings of Pipe Music of The Seaforth Highlanders
Scottish Catholics in Prince Edward Island
Scotland's Road of Romance
History of Inverness County, Nova Scotia
Scots Minstrelsie
Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas
ELECTRIC SCOTLAND
-----------------
I was purchasing some bottles of our other national drink, Irn Bru, this
week in my grocery store. The chap at the check out was asking what it was
like. I think my brain went dead as I really couldn't come up with the words
to describe it. About all I could say was that it was made from girders and
was probably the best hangover cure in the world :-) I think that got him
interested as he'd apparently had a bad hangover the day before! [grin]
Of course here in Canada Irn Bru is easy to get as all the national grocery
chains stock it but I understand it is harder to get it in other parts of
the world. Should you want to try it our Micro Button advertiser, The
Scottish Grocer, can supply it. I further understand that it is a big hit in
Russia!
And still on the subject of drink I've really been enjoying the MacIntyre
Traditional Roast ground coffee. This as you likely know comes from the
MacIntyre estates in Panama. A fellow MacIntyre emigrated to Canada and then
purchased this estate which has been in the family ever since. On the back
of the packet it gives you The History...
Alexander Duncan MacIntyre, Canadian by birth, was longing for a change in
his active and hectic life. One day in April 1918 he read an article about a
region called Boquete, in a distant country in Central America named Panama.
His curiosity led him to visit the region, where he fell in love with the
area, the people and the magic of the valley.
For three generations Alexander's family has cultivated and processed in the
same traditional way and is proud to offer a truly special coffee with a
balanced cup and sweet chocolate notes. Ricardo Koyner MacIntyre, Kotowa
Estate.
You can actually order this on the web at
http://www.myroaster.com either as ground or beans. I myself ordered
ground and am very much enjoying it.
I made myself a sherry trifle this week... haven't had one in ages. You take
jam rolls and then break them up to make a base in a suitable container. You
then pour sherry over so it soaks in well. You then add a can or two of
fruit cocktail and pour that over. You then top that with custard. I just
purchased a tin of Devon custard but any custard will do. You then add a
thick cream to the top and there you have it.
When it came to the sherry my mother would either get myself or my father to
nudge her elbow while she was pouring it over the jam rolls :-)
And finally if you are still to do some baking for Christmas or New Year
mind that a good clootie dumpling will serve you well. See our famous
clootie dumpling recipe at
http://www.electricscotland.com/food/recipes/dumpling.htm
I'll be spending Christmas this year with my good friends Nola and Harold in
Toronto and their extended family. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and
I will be getting out another newsletter between Christmas and New Year so
if you're "out of the office" you might want to redirect it to your home
email address. I might add that some of these "out of office" replies and
most informative. I do note the folks from the Canadian Passport Office seem
to get a lot of holidays as do certain others <grin>.
ABOUT THE STORIES
-----------------
Some of the stories in here are just parts of a larger story so do check out
the site for the full versions. You can always find the link in our "What's
New" section at the link at the top of this newsletter and pick up poems and
stories sent into us during the week from Donna, Margo, Stan, John and
others.
THE FLAG IN THE WIND
------------------------------------
Mind that The Flag is now in two sections (1) Political and (2) Cultural.
The political section is compiled this week by Allison Hunter.
Peter in his cultural section is reminding us how the Scots used to have New
Year Resolutions and he includes a recipe for one of my very favourite
puddings :-)
One Hogmanay custom which sadly seems to have vanished completely is the
making of New Year Resolutions. It used to be a question which sprang
readily to everyone’s lips “Have you made your New Year resolutions yet?”
Equally common, given human nature, was the question a day or so after The
Bells of “Have you broken them yet?” Usually the well-meaning resolutions to
be well-behaved, stop smoking, stop drinking etc had already disappeared
like snaw aff a dyke in June. It was not a custom with a long tradition,
indeed it would appear to have been introduced during the Victorian era as
no earlier evidence of this practise is to be found. The English writer
Philip Howard in The times (1983) might well be right when he wrote –
‘The practise of making resolutions on New Year’s Eve was a Victorian
invention, introduced by maudlin Scots and sentimental dissenters.’
Maudlin we might well be, but it does no harm at Hogmanay to reflect on the
Year that is at awa, to toast Absent Friends and to look forward to the
fresh start which the New Year brings. It is an appropriate time to look
forward and to hope that the New Year brings hope for the future. A few
resolutions at this time of year is a harmless practise which might do you a
bit of good, however quickly they are broken!
One tradition which remains strong at Hogmanay is having Clootie Dumpling on
New Year’s Day. As we already have a recipe for Clootie Dumpling in this
feature, we will break with tradition and suggest a dessert which is a
bittie lighter but equally delicious for your first dinner of the New Year –
Golden Syrup Sponge. Your dentist might not approve but it will certainly
appeal to the sweet-tooth which lies in every Scot.
Golden Syrup Sponge
Ingredients: 4 oz (120 g) butter; 4 oz (120 g) caster sugar; 4 oz (120 g)
self raising flour; 2 eggs, beaten; 2 tbsp golden syrup
For sauce: 1 dessertspoon cornflour; 2 tbsp golden syrup; juice of ½ lemon
Method: Cream butter and sugar until fluffy; Sift flour and add to butter
mix with eggs, a little at a time, beating well. Pour syrup into base of
buttered 2 pint (1.1 ltr) pudding basin then top with sponge mix. Cover
securely and steam for 1 ½ to 2 hours, Meanwhile, pour 150 ml water into a
pan. Mix cornflour with a little water and add to pan with syrup and lemon
juice and heat until thickened. Serve sauce with pudding.
You can read this weeks issue, see the pictures and listen to the Scots
language at
http://www.scotsindependent.org
MSP Linda Fabiani's weekly diary can be viewed at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/fabiani/index.htm
The Scottish Nation
----------------------------
My thanks to Lora for transcribing these volumes for us. She is now in a
plaster cast which needs to remain until end of January. I did mention to
her that the plaster makes a great excuse to avoid any washing up :-)
Now onto the D's and added this week are Duncan, Dundas, Dundee and
Dundonald.
A large account of Duncan this week and here is how it starts...
DUNCAN, a surname of Norwegian origin, ennobled in the person of Admiral,
Viscount Duncan, in 1797, of whom a memoir is subsequently given below. The
family of Duncan of Lundie in Forfarshire, to which he belonged, was a very
ancient one, and originally was designated of Seaside. At what time the
barony of Lundie came into the possession of the Duncans is not stated, but
we find the family designed of Lundie before 1678. They had also the estate
of Gourdie in the same county. One member of it, Sir William Duncan, M.D.,
an eminent physician of London, married Lady Mary Tufton, daughter of the
earl of Thanet. Soon after their marriage they went to the East Indies,
where Sir William realized a large fortune. On his return to London he
became one of the physicians to his majesty, and was, in 1764, created a
baronet, but the title became extinct at his death in 1774. Admiral Lord
Duncan was his nephew. The father of the latter, Alexander Duncan of Lundie,
provost of Dundee, distinguished himself by his attachment to the reigning
family during the rebellion of 1745, and died in 1771. He married Helena, a
daughter of Mr. Haldane of Gleneagles, Perthshire. [See HALDANE, surname
of.] The admiral succeeded to the family estates on the death of his elder
brother, Colonel Duncan, who died without issue in 1793. Two of Lord
Duncan’s sons died before him in early youth, and he was succeeded in his
titles and estates y the third and eldest surviving son, Robert Dundas
Duncan-Haldane (the latter name being assumed from his maternal grandmother,
having inherited her estate) second Viscount Duncan, born in 1785, and
created in 1831, earl of Camperdown, from the place where the great victory
of his father was gained. He married a daughter of Sir New Dalrymple
Hamilton, baronet, with issue. His eldest son, Adam (named after his
grandfather) Viscount Duncan, M.P., succeeded in 1859 as 2d earl. The 1st
earl’s younger brother, Captain the Hon. Sir Henry Duncan, R.N., C.B., K.C.H.,
held the office of surveyor general of the ordnance, and died 1st November
1835.
It is remarkable that the crest of the family, now borne over the arms of
the earls of Camperdown, is a dismantled ship, intended to commemorate,
according to heraldic tradition, the escape from shipwreck of an heir of
Lundie, about two centuries since, who, while acting as supercargo on board
a vessel bound from Norway to his native place, Dundee, was overtaken by a
tremendous storm, in which the ship was dismantled, and with great
difficulty reached its destined port.
DUNCAN I., King of Scots, “the gracious Duncan” of Shakspeare, succeeded his
grandfather, Malcolm the Second, in 1033. He was the son of Bethoc, (or
Beatrice) a daughter of King Malcolm, by Crinan, abbot of Dunkeld. In those
early times, before Romish superstition and intrigue had introduced the law
of the celibacy of the clergy into the church, the marriage of churchmen was
allowed, and even down to the period of the reformation the dignity of a
mitred abbot was equal to that of a bishop. Pinderton conjectures either
that Crinan, Duncan’s father, was Malcolm’s minister of state, as was then
usual for churchmen, who alone possessed such learning as the age afforded,
or that his marriage with his daughter took place before Malcolm became
king, and he gives a list of all the most conspicuous instances in history,
of priests, abbots and bishops holding the highest state offices in the
different countries to which they belonged, and of being princes,
distinguished military leaders, and chief councillors of their respective
sovereigns. [Pinkerton’s Inquiry, vol. ii. p. 194.] The dynasty of Kenneth
Macalpine, which for so many generations had filled the Scottish throne,
appears to have terminated with Malcolm, who was defeated and slain in a
great battle, on the southern shore of the Beauly firth, by Thorfinn, a
powerful Norwegian earl, styled in the Orkneyinga Saga the richest of all
the earls of Orkney, possessing nine earldoms in Scotland, the whole of the
Sudreys, and a large riki or district in Ireland. On the accession of Duncan
there remained to the Scots north of the firths of Forth and Clyde, only the
districts of Fife, Strathern, Menteith, Gowrie, and Lennox, with Athol and
Argyle in the north. A considerable part of the territories of the northern
Picts also remained unconquered by the Norwegians. During the whole of
Duncan’s reign the Scots enjoyed almost uninterrupted tranquility. IN 1035,
he is said by Simeon of Durham to have besieged that city without success.
In 1039, taking advantage of the absence of Thorfinn in an English
expedition, Duncan, with the view of recovering some of the territories of
the Scots, of which they had been deprived by
the Norwegians, raised an army and advanced as far as Moray, without
encountering any resistance. The Gaelic inhabitants of the north, however,
had never admitted his right to the throne, although he was a chieftain of
their own race, and under Macbeth, the maormor of Moray, they attacked him
at Bothgowanan (in Gaelic, the Smith’s dwelling) near Elgin, defeated his
army, and slew himself. This happened in 1040. Macbeth immediately seized
the sceptre, which he claimed in right of his cousin Malcolm, and the two
sons of Duncan, (he is said to have married the sister of Siward, earl of
Northumberland) were obliged to fly. The elder, Malcolm, surnamed Canmore,
took refuge in Northumberland, while the younger, Donald Bane, escaped to
the Hebrides. [Skene’s Highlanders of Scotland, vol. i. p. 115.] The story
of the assassination of Duncan, on which Shakspeare has founded his tragedy
of Macbeth, appears to have been an invention of Hector Boece. Five years
afterwards, Crinan, the aged abbot of Dunkeld, was slain in battle, in the
attempt to revenge his son’s death and obtain the restoration of the throne
to his grandchildren.
You can read the rest of this account at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/nation/duncan.htm
You can read the other entries at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/nation/index.htm
The Celtic Monthly
---------------------------
A magazine for Highlanders
Added the June 1903 issues which contains...
Donald McDonald Chief Cape Highland Society, Tak' Me Hame, Ewen MacPhee the
Outlaw, And the greatest of these is..., Legends of the Clan MacKay, Landing
Haddook, Hector MacDonald Memorial, The Name Anderson, The Martial Music of
the Clans, The Anglicising of the Highlands, Death of General Fraser,
Highlanders in the Russian Caucasus, Some Notes on the Harris, Days of Yore
at Arrochar, The Sangs my Mither Sung.
You can read this issue at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/celtic/june1903.htm
You can see the issues to date at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/celtic/index.htm
The Southern States of America
----------------------------------------------
Published in 1909.
Now completed the History of Virginia and have now started on the History of
Maryland and here is how this account starts...
THE PROVINCE OF MARYLAND, 1608-1776.
Geography of Maryland.
HALFWAY up the Atlantic coast of the United States lies the mouth of the
Chesapeake Bay, almost as much a river as bay, and from it, on either side,
branch off tidal estuaries, almost as much bays as rivers, which give
navigable access to the country to a considerable distance. The coastal
plain, through which these rivers take their course, is level and productive
of cereals and vegetables, while the waters of bay and river teem with fish,
crabs, and oysters. West of this plain lies the rolling country which the
geologists call the Piedmont Plateau, because it lies at the foot of the
Appalachian Mountains. This Piedmont region is a broken, hilly country,
crossed by the Potomac River and by the Patapsco, which runs with rapid
current down through the land. West of the Catoctin Mountain we find the
Appalachian Mountain Region, filled with mineral wealth, and subdivided into
three parts, with fertile valleys between them. The three parts are the Blue
Ridge, the Appalachian mountains proper in Alleghany county, and the
Alleghany chain in Garrett county. Some of the streams in the last county
are a part of the Mississippi Valley system, but by far the greater part of
the state lies on the Atlantic side of the watershed.
Prior to the attainment of independence by Maryland, the Appalachian region
had only begun to be settled and we shall find our chief interest to lie in
the tidewater counties of the Chesapeake. At present the state has an area
of 12,210 square miles, of which 9,860 are land, the greater part of this
land lying on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, upon which portion of
the state over five-sixths of its inhabitants live ; but originally the area
of Maryland was considerably greater than it is at present. When Charles I.,
king of England and husband of Henrietta Maria, from whom Terra Mariae, or
Maryland, took its name, gave to Cecil Calvert, Second Lord Baltimore in the
Peerage of Ireland, a patent, or charter, for this new province of his
realm, much more ample bounds were conferred upon the Proprietary of the
Palatinate than either he or his successors ever reduced to their
possession. The limits of the domain began at Watkins' Point, on the eastern
shore of the Chesapeake, and ran thence due east to the Atlantic ocean.
North of this line should be Maryland's territory, south of it should remain
part of Virginia, from which Maryland was carved. The boundary of
Baltimore's province then ran along the Delaware Bay to the fortieth degree
of north latitude, and westward along that parallel to the meridian of
longitude which passed through the first fountain of the Potomac River.
Descending that meridian to the river, the line runs along the farther or
south side of the river to a place called Cinquack, near the mouth of the
Potomac, whence a straight line to Watkins' Point completed the provincial
limits.
Lord Baltimore's Grant.
Into this princely heritage, George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, had
looked, after he had been discouraged by his unsuccessful effort to found
the colony of Avalon on the bleak and forbidding shores of Newfoundland. He
had found the unoccupied shores of the Chesapeake so attractive that he
asked the king that they be granted him and, receiving the royal favor,
would himself have been the first Lord Proprietary had he not died shortly
before the royal charter was ready to pass the seals. Spaniards had probably
entered the Bay a century and more before the settlement of Maryland, but
the first satisfactory account of its shores and map of the country are
those prepared by Captain John Smith, who explored the waters of the
Chesapeake in 1608, the year after the settlement of Jamestown. He found
here and there a small village of Indians of the Algonquin stock, who hunted
in the forests and cultivated maize, tobacco and potatoes on little
clearings along the river banks. In their bark houses, good stores of furs
were kept, which the Indians willingly bartered for manufactured wares
offered by the English. In general, it may be said that the Indians of
Maryland received fair treatment from the English, and this was especially
so of the Piscataways and the Nanticokes, the chief Algonquin tribes on the
two shores of the Bay. The difficulties and wars which occurred were chiefly
with the stalwart and fierce Susquehannocks who lived in the northern part
of the province, on the banks of the river which bears their name. These
Indians were of the Iroquois stock, and, after they were subjugated and
incorporated with the Five Nations, they induced the Senecas to come down in
raids against the frontier settlements and against the peaceable Patuxents
and Piscataways. Gradually the Indian inhabitants of the province
disappeared, and but few were left after the migration to the north of the
Nanticokes about the year 1750.
After Smith's expeditions, other ones followed, and the fur trade from the
north to Virginia became a well-established enterprise. The Indians also
sold their surplus stock of maize to the Virginians. The timber of the land
was early found useful for pipe staves and other purposes. Foremost among
the traders on the Chesapeake was William Claiborne, Baltimore's life-long
enemy, who struggled against the effectiveness of the Maryland charter for
over forty years after it was granted. After Claiborne had been in Virginia
for eight years or so, engaged in trading with the Indians, he associated
himself with a firm of London merchants, and later, in May, 1631, he
obtained from the Secretary of State for Scotland a commission, authorizing
him and his associates to trade in all parts of New England and Nova Scotia
wherein no trading monopoly had been granted. Sailing up the Chesapeake with
this commission, Claiborne planted the Isle of Kent on the eastern shore,
placing there, on Aug. 17, 1631, a trading factory with about twenty or
thirty men. From Chisquack, in the Northern Neck of Virginia, and Kent
Island, a delegate sat in the Virginia House of Burgesses, and Claiborne was
a member of the Virginia Council. It is not surprising, therefore, that the
Virginians opposed the Maryland charter, which gave Baltimore, a Roman
Catholic, two-thirds of their fine bay and cut them off from the profitable
Indian trade to the north, which they were carrying on.
Navigation was slow and uncertain in the Seventeenth century, when it took
from a month to three months for a sailing vessel to cross the Atlantic, and
it was some time after Baltimore had received the patent for his province
(on June 20, 1632), that news of this event reached America. Not until Nov.
21, 1633, did the Proprietary's first expedition set forth under the command
of his young brother, Leonard, to settle the new province. The fact that
Maryland bore from the first the dignified title of province has always been
a source of pride to its inhabitants. The charter was modelled on that of
Avalon, granted to the first Lord Baltimore some years before, and gave
Cecil Calvert a country hitherto uncultivated in the parts of America partly
occupied by savages.
You can read the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/south/south9.htm
The book index page is at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/south/index.htm
Poems
----------
John sent in 2 new doggerls which are the ones at the bottom of his index
page at
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerels.htm
The Bard of Banff has sent in another poem Our Destiny at
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/banff/scotland5.htm
Donna sent in a poem, Reality at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/donna/poetry/poem18.htm
Understanding Robert Burns
-----------------------------------------
by George Scott Wilkie
As you may previously have noticed I did put up 3 of the Bards poems from
this book a few months back. Well the author gave me permission to post up
his whole book on the site and I have been working on that since then. This
work is now completed and it is in 9 .pdf files. As the author printed this
out so that the actual poem is in the left column and the translation and/or
glossary is in the right column I decided the only way to deal with this was
to scan it in page by page.
I believe this book will give you a whole new appreciation for Robert Burns.
The author has acknowledged that many people of Scots descent as well as
many Scots themselves have difficulty reading poems in the Scots language. I
also have this problem and thus when I read this book I myself got so much
more from it. One poem I always thought I should enjoy but never really did
was magically transformed into one I really did enjoy now that I understood
the words.
And so for those of you attending Burns Suppers in January this may well
help you greatly in understanding his works. It might also be a great
resource for those doing the "Immortal Memory".
You can read this book and note that all the .pdf files are at the foot of
the page at
http://www.electricscotland.com/burns/understanding_burns.htm
Scottish Canadian Newspaper
--------------------------------------------
This is the weekly newspaper that I acquired a years issues of. Some pages
are missing but not a lot so hopefully you'll enjoy reading this. Due to the
size of this newspaper I have no option but to photograph each page and post
it up as a picture.
Got up the weekly issue for December 25, 1890 at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/scotscan/issue7.htm
And the one for January 1, 1891 at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/scotscan/issue8.htm
And the one for January 8, 1891 at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/scotscan/issue9.htm
Clan Munro Society
----------------------------
I got in the December issue of the Clan Munro newsletter which you can read
at
http://www.electricscotland.com/familytree/newsletters/munro/index.htm
Johnson / Johnston / Johnstone
----------------------------------------------
Got in an interesting article on the spelling on this name at
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/htol/johnson3.html
Recounting Blessings
--------------------------------
From a Full Life Enriched by Sport
A Book written by John Henderson
We now have 2 new chapters in for this book, chapters 48 and 49 which can be
read at
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/blessings.htm
This is actually a really good read and is well worth reading if you haven't
tried it yet. Here is a wee bit about the author...
John Henderson
I was born on the sixteenth of June, 1939 in the shadow of the Wallace
Monument in Causewayhead, Stirling, and I have been a 'lad o' pairts' ever
since. As the son of JNK Henderson, a Stirlingshire teacher – later a
village dominie - I chose first to be a physical education teacher but soon
decided to follow in my father's professional footsteps. After a few years
being a village dominie I eventually ‘escaped’ from the rural classroom
environment to spend my last twenty years of service tutoring intending
primary schoolteachers at Moray House College of Education in Edinburgh.
However, after marrying in 1963, and with my wife Olive’s ready agreement,
we chose never to become city residents again – as fine as the happy times
spent in studentship days in Hillhead, Glasgow had been for me, and as
growing up in Glasgow had been for Olive.
Over the last sixty-five years, I have lived in eighteen homes, namely,
17 Easter Cornton Road, Causewayhead, Stirling.
13 Watson Street, Falkirk,
47 Alma Street, Falkirk,
Schoolhouse, Banknock,
Schoolhouse, Cambusbarron,
Schoolhouse, Bannockburn,
21 Leven Street, Glasgow,
298 Byers Road, Glasgow,
34 Cecil Street, Glasgow,
5 Hillhead Street, Glasgow,
(then after marriage)
29 Springwood Avenue, Stirling,
10 Graffham Avenue, Giffnock,
Schoolhouse, St. Cyrus,
Schoolhouse, Gargunnock,
10a Argyle Avenue, Stirling,
1 Moray Place, Gargunnock,
(and, in retirement)
1 Eve Court, Acheritou Street, Paphos, Cyprus
23 Tassou Izaak, Emba, Paphos, Cyprus
Always an active sportsman, as well as a constant contributor to the social
and spiritual lives of communities in which we lived, I have gathered lots
of memories of people and events in rural and urban settings over the years,
and especially in and around sports grounds nationwide. Some of these of
course involve sadness, but I have others enough that may alone be worth
relating in order to illustrate the ups and downs of competition, to honour
many of the characters who contributed to off-the-field camaraderie after
each, as opponents on it, had tried to stifle the power of ‘enemy’ skills
and strengths, and to picture incidents which caused injury or provoked
frustration or led to either quiet amusement or uncontrolled hilarity.
JH - June 2004
Christmas with Grandma
------------------------------------
Well as it is Christmas I thought I'd include a wee children's story for you
to read here...
Blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and white lights twinkle on trees and
around windows, reminding us that it is Christmas time. Snow falls, landing
softly on the browning grass, blanketing it in whiteness.
Inside the house, warm and secure, Nelson and his sister, Kira sat in front
of the fire. "Tell us a story about Christmas, Grandma," Nelson begged.
"Tell us about when you were a little girl."
His grandma smiled. "Nelson, when I was a wee lass, we didn’t even know what
Christmas was. Did you know that until the 1960’s it wasn’t celebrated in
Scotland, so I can’t tell you about Christmas in my days. When your dad was
a wee lad, we started enjoying Christmas."
"No Christmas?" Kira said softly, in disbelief.
"No, my wee hen. It wasn’t like it is today. I didn’t have a tree with
colored lights. I didn’t know who Santa Claus was, and I never had any
presents. I didn’t even know Christmas existed," her grandma explained.
Kira and Nelson looked at the tree. He loved how the colored lights sparkled
and made the ornaments prettier. "Tell me, Kira, what do you like about
Christmas?" Grandma asked.
"I like everything," she said. "I like Christmas trees."
"Did you know that the idea of a Christmas tree came from Germany? When I
was a lass, in the wintertime we decorated our house with mistletoe and
junipers. They were symbols of life during the cold months," Grandma
explained.
"What about you, Nelson? What do you like about Christmas?" she asked.
Nelson looked into the flames of the fire that was roaring in the fireplace.
"I like the Yule log," he answered.
"Did you know in Scotland, the Yule log should be cut from a birch tree?"
Grandma said.
"I didn’t know that, Grandma. What does a Yule log mean anyway?" Nelson
asked.
"A log was put in the fireplace to remind us to keep our hearts warm and
filled with good thoughts," Grandma explained. "There’s a lot of tradition
with Yule logs, but right now, I want to talk about you both. You know what
I love about Christmas now?"
"What, Grandma?" Kira asked.
"I love the food and having my family together. Remember last year when you
came to my house? We had a big feast. There were meat pies, and fresh salmon
and trout, roasted goose and beef, venison, pheasant, lamb and grouse. We
also had roasted apples, bridies and pasties, and hot bannocks. Pine logs
burned in the fireplace, filling the house with a sweet smell," she reminded
them. "I think there was enough food on that table to feed an entire village
for a year." She chuckled.
"I remember that, Grandma," Nelson spoke. "I remember the clootie dumpling.
I found ten pence in my piece."
"I liked the shortbread and tablet," Kira said, licking her lips. "Oh, and
the plum pudding. I remember it being on fire."
"You’re right, wee Kira. It was a feast. Now, it’s time to tuck you in.
Santa Claus will be coming tonight when you are fast asleep and leaving you
some gifts," Grandma said. She took them upstairs and tucked them in.
""Goodnight, my wee bairns," she whispered and went back down to the fire.
She sat quietly, remembering the days when she’d help her father cut
mistletoe from high in the trees and tie branches of juniper trees, covered
with little whitish-green berries, with big red ribbons. A smile lit her
face and glowed as brightly as the roaring fire. Merry Christmas.
And thanks to Margo Fallis for this story. You can read other children's
Christmas stories at
http://www.electricscotland.com/kids/stories/xmas.htm
Standard Settings of Pipe Music of The Seaforth Highlanders
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I still haven't heard back from the publishers of this book although I've
now sent them 3 emails all to different addresses in the company. In the
meantime I have decided to remove the book until I can get clarification on
whether there are copyright issues involved.
Scottish Catholics in Prince Edward Island
-------------------------------------------------------------
Memorial Volume 1772 - 1922.
I am now up to Chapter 16 and as it's a short chapter here it is for you to
read here...
The coming of the Scottish Catholic immigrants was in reality a great boon
to Prince Edward Island. They were strong men, who feared no hardship, and
were therefore well fitted to cope with the difficulties of the situation,
for hardships were indeed many and conveniences few, when they began to fell
the virgin forest that stood between them and competence. But with the
determination of the Celt they never wavered in their purpose, and with an
abiding trust in the Providence of God they bade defiance to destiny. A
strong tie of fellowship bound them in a bond of genuine sympathy, and they
were ever ready to help one another and make common cause against
difficulties. Moreover, they were men of deep religious sentiment. It is
true their opportunities for education were only meagre; but they made up
for their lack of instruction by a spirit of faith, that was able to draw
comfort and consolation even from the most trying circumstances. Patriotic
men were they too, these stalwart pioneers, whose Country was their idol;
and though they had suffered sorely under English rule, they scorned to
harbor bitter feelings, and never wavered in their loyalty to the British
Crown.
Indeed, it was their dream to found on this side of the ocean a community,
that would help to sustain the arm of Britain in her future struggles in the
cause of right. This spirit of loyal attachment to the Empire they
bequeathed to those who came after them, and these in turn transmitted the
same to their descendants, so that today, after a hundred and fifty years
the fire of true Patriotism, that warmed the hearts of the first colonists,
instead of growing dim with time burns brighter and fresher and stronger
than ever. Hence, when Germany threw down the gage of battle to the world,
and the cry went forth for men and "still more men," none responded to the
call with more genuine enthusiasm than the Scottish Catholic young men of
Prince Edward Island, lineal descendants of the early immigrants. In that
time of stress the injustice from which their forebears had suffered, the
persecutions they had endured, the ill treatment that drove them exiles to
America were all forgotten, and these young men went forth to the succor of
the old land, ready to fight and ready to die for the cause she had made her
own, and today many of them bear in maimed bodies distressing trophies of
their encounter with the enemy, whilst many others made the supreme
sacrifice, and are sleeping their long last sleep in "Flanders Fields where
the poppies grow."
In this way does the spirit of the pioneers survive in their descendants,
and the country is richer, nobler, better by the fact. Church and State have
evidently recognized this truth, and this is why there is no position of
trust in one or the other that they have not filled, with credit to
themselves and profit to their fellow citizens. The most honorable positions
in the Church have come to them, the most responsible political offices have
also been theirs, and to the discharge of the duties thus imposed on them,
they brought splendid qualities of mind and heart, whose origin they are
proud to trace back to the virile virtues of their forefathers.
You can read the other 5 chapters I added this week at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/catholicsinpeindx.htm
Scotland's Road of Romance
------------------------------------------
Travels in the footsteps of Prince Charlie by Augustus Muir (1937).
Now up to chapter 7 and here is a bit from it to read here...
IF I had not gone to the chapel at Mingarry that Sunday morning, I would not
have seen and handled the old Macdonald bagpipe that is said to have been
played at the Battle of Bannockburn, for it was at the door of the chapel
that I was invited to take tea in the afternoon at a house on the island of
Shona.
Three days before, from the mouth of Wat the Wanderer's cave near the head
of Loch Moidart, I had looked across the water to Shona, but I had seen no
houses there. Now, however, I learned that Shona was more than a deserted
paradise of pines and firs and silver birches. On the isle in Loch Moidart I
was surprised to hear there is a population of about fifty, and a dozen
children are taught in the little island school at Baramore. The invitation
to tea included my two friends at the hotel as well as Campbell himself; but
Gillespie decided to fish until dark; so with Campbell and Grant I set out
for Loch Moidart.
The road down to the south shore of the sea-loch follows the river beside
the wooded shoulder of a hill ; and before we had been a mile on the way,
the rain began to fall. The sky had blackened in the west, and it was plain
that we were in for what Grant called a snorter of an evening. Half a pace
ahead of us, Campbell splashed through the long quivering pools on the road,
and when we came round the corner of the hill he stopped and pointed.
"Castle Tirrim," he said briefly.
It was then that I blessed the weather. What a picture the stark old
Clanranald fortress made in the gloom of the autumn afternoon. I had caught
a glimpse of it coming over the pass from Glenuig, and from the distance it
had seemed like the relics of a child's sand-castle that the encroaching
tide had begun to eat away. But seen as it was now, in the battering rain,
it made a picture not easily to be forgotten.
It was built nearly six hundred years ago; and is older than the Clanranald
family itself. No Highland castle has a more thrilling history. A woman made
it : a divorced woman. She had been put away by a Lord of the Isles so that
he could marry a daughter of the heir to the throne of Scotland. They called
him the Good John of Isla, though one doubts his goodness to Amie MacRuari.
But Amie had the blood, of Somerled in her veins, and she consoled herself
as the walls of Castle Tirrim rose stone upon stone ; and for centuries it
remained the chief stronghold of the Clanranalds, the family of which Amie
is the mother. I had read somewhere that Castle Tirrim had been impregnable
: now I saw why. At low tide a man can cross on a narrow neck of shingle to
the huge hummock of rock on which it stands, but there is no cover for an
attacking army, and on the north side the grey cliff rises from the water of
Loch Moidart. As I approached the gaunt ruin, I felt like lifting my
rainsoaked hat to the memory of Amie MacRuari.
The ebbing tide had already uncovered the track ; and crossing to the islet,
we climbed up in lashing rain to the castle. Its walls are ten feet thick.
Pointing upward, Campbell told us that a few years ago a bed of strawberries
had been found growing on the top. Some bird must have dropped the seed
which had taken root in that airy bed high among the dirt and moss.
From the terrace that runs round the courtyard you go down into the dungeon
and kitchen, and the damp soil of the dungeon floor is red-red with human
blood, Campbell explained. A horrible murder was once committed there, and
it was said that the blood of the victim would ooze up from that soil for
ever. A certain Doubting Thomas actually sent a sample of the soil to a
Glasgow analyst, who reported that the red colouring was due to the action
of some mineral, and the sneers of the doubting one were heard for many a
day in Moidart. "But the Glasgow man was all wrong," declared Campbell. "The
stain is blood. You will find it in the soil for as deep as you like to
dig."
Only once, according to Father Macdonald, has Castle Tirrim been captured by
an enemy. The chief fell foul of the Scots king-a frequent thing in Moidart
history--and the Campbells were given leave to carry fire and sword against
him. Where a Macdonald was concerned, a wink was as good as a nod for a
Campbell; and round the point of Ardnamurchan came the longboats from
Argyll. Anchor was dropped in Loch Moidart near the castle walls. A force
was sent ashore to cut off Tirrim from the mainland, making retreat
impossible if the fortress fell. The Campbells made an assault and failed,
so they tried to starve out the garrison. Not until five weeks had passed
did they depart, and the jubilant Clanranald men went off to their homes.
That night the Campbells stole quickly back to Loch Moidart, rounded Eilean
Shona on a flood tide, and battered their way into the now thinly defended
Castle Tirrim. Word of the disaster went over all Moidart like wildfire:
Tirrim had fallen! Enraged at having been caught napping by so simple a
ruse, the Clanranalds came hurrying back to the lochside, retook the castle,
and wiped out the stigma with Campbell blood.
You can read the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/charles/romance7.htm
The book index page is at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/charles/romancendx.htm
History of Inverness County, Nova Scotia
----------------------------------------------------------
By J. L. MacDougall (1922)
Inverness County is part of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. I am now up to
chapter 3 and you can read all the chapters at
http://www.electricscotland.com/canada/inverness/index.htm
Here is how chapter 3 starts...
We have seen by the preceding chapter that, when the first representatives
of Cape Breton were elected to the Assembly of Nova Scotia there was only
one County on the Island and that the County of Cape Breton.
By a Provincial Act of 1834-35 the original county of Cape Breton was like
Gaul, divided into three parts, namely, Cape Breton, Richmond and Juste-au-Corps.
In 1851 the now Cape Breton county was partitioned into two counties,
called, respectively, Cape Breton and Victoria.
By an Act of 1837 the name of the district or county of Juste-au-Corps was
changed into that of Inverness. An Act was passed in 1838 "For altering the
Representation in the General Assembly" in 1840 an Act "establishing Times
and Place of holding Elections": in 1841 an Act "To improve the
Administration of Law": in 1843 an Act "to amend Chapter 31 of the Acts of
1840": in 1844 an Act "to provide two Lock-up Houses and Town Houses, in
1845 an Act "To provide an additional General sessions of the Peace."
The name of Inverness was given to this county on the suggestion of the late
Sir William Young, who was its first representative in the Assembly at
Halifax. Sir William was, himself, a native of Invernessshire, Scotland, and
a cultured Scotsman to the backbone. The Youngs were a recognized force in
the early formative days of Nova Scotia. Who hath not read or heard of, the
rousing, ringing "Letters of Agricola" on the subject of Agriculture in this
Province? Sir William held, at different times several eminent posts in the
public service, the last of which was the Chief-Justiceship of our Supreme
Court. He was greatly beloved by his Scottish constituents here,
particularly by the older clergy of whom he loved to speak so kindly in his
old age. Some of our good Presbyterian Ministers were so fond of him that
they were calling their children after him. The full name of our second
Inspector of Schools for Inverness County was John Young Gunn. And there
were others.
As it now stands this county runs from the Richmond line at Point Tupper,
along the windings of the coast northeastwardly, to Cape St. Lawrence near
Cape North. The length of this coast line would be at least; 130 miles, the
average width of the county about 30 miles.
The coast is bold, rugged, irregular and picturesque. There are capes,
points and promontaries, with here and there a nestling cove and a sandy
beach. The few harbors we have on this long front are distinctly inadequate
for the country's needs. Those of Port Hawkesbury and Cheticamp are the only
safe places of shelter and anchorage. It was not always so.
Fifty-five years ago, this writer remembers counting two hundred sail of the
fine American and Maritime fishing fleet, riding restfully at anchor in the
harbour at Port Hood. Today this harbour is not much safer for the tempest
tossed than is the open sea. The change has been caused by sheer neglect of
the public accommodation. We make this statement, in good faith, for the ear
of the wise in our public life.
A good, safe harbour at Port Hood was always a public need, but never as
much as now, when we hear the whistle of an excellent colliery, at the very
entrance to that harbour, screaming five times a day for suitable means of
transportation. Talk about production; production loses most of its value
and all its charms, when you are not, able to commercialise your products,
except at a ruinous disadvantage. In view of the fine fisheries of this
coast, in view of the large and well known deposits of coal at Port Hood,
Mabou, Inverness, Saint Rose and Chimney Corner; in view of our improved and
improving methods of farming, and in view of the growing intelligence and
riper experience of our people, the harbours of Port Hawkesbury, Port Hood
and Cheticamp, could be made important assets of Canada as summer shipping
ports. We show in this Chapter a drawing of Port Hood Harbour as it was
originally. All that is needed to render the Harbour safe is to close the
northern entrance thereto.
The incident of counting two hundred vessels in Port Hood Harbour in 1855
reminds us of another incident which occurred there a few years previous
thereto. It had been discovered that, for some years preceding the
Reciprocity treaty of 1854, some American vessels were sailing under false
colors and papers and were thus enabled to fish in waters prohibited by the
treaty of 1818. The British cruiser "Devastation" commanded by Captain
Campbell, came here to pursue those suspected vessels. Captain Campbell was
very severe. He coralled three hundred suspected vessels at Port Hood. The
only one that escaped him was a sharp-shooter commanded by Captain Charles
Macdonnell. Captain Charlie was renowned at sea. The British cruiser fired
at his vessel and blew his jib off, but he got away. Mr. Dunsier Tremain was
then American Consul at Port Hood. He happened on a fourth of July to hoist
the American flag above the Union Jack at his office. Captain Campbell at
once dispatched a boat and messenger to tell the Consul that if he did not
lower or reverse the flags within fifteen minutes, his office would be fired
at. The Stars and Stripes of course came down.
You can read more of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/canada/inverness/chapter3.htm
Scots Minstrelsie
-------------------------
I have made a start at this final Volume 6 with the picture, editors notes
and the first song, My Heather Hills, which you can see at
http://www.electricscotland.com/music/minstrelsie/volume6.htm
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas
--------------------------------------------------
At this time of year I get a number of emails asking how we celebrate
Christmas in Scotland so I created a page giving those details and as
Christmas is now upon us I thought I'd include this page for you to read
here...
Although Christmas and its customs were in disfavor for only a short time in
England (during the reign of Cromwell), Scotland ignored the holiday far
longer. Bear in mind that "Christmas" is "Christ's Mass" and mass was banned
in Scotland. There are records of charges being brought against people for
keeping "Yule" as it was called in Scotland. Amazingly, this dour,
joy-crushing attitude lasted for 400 years. It has only been in recent years
that the Scots observed December 25 as a special day at all. So if there is
a specifically "Scottish" aspect to Christmas it is that it was not
celebrated!
Christmas in Scotland is now a time for going to church, food, presents,
parties, holidays and all sorts of other good things. It's a time for
celebration because it's the birthday of Jesus.
Planning for Christmas starts weeks before the events. Children are busy
writing their Christmas lists for Santa Claus, parents are busy buying
presents, cleaning the house and organising food for the great day.
Houses are decorated with tinsel, holly wreaths candles and decorations.
Mistletoe is hung to catch a kiss from anyone who stands under it. The
Christmas tree, decorated with baubles, takes pride of place in any
household.
On Christmas eve, children prepare for Santa Claus by hanging up their
stockings in anticipation of their being filled with presents while they
sleep. They leave out a small glass of whisky or milk for Santa along with a
mince pie. They also leave out carrots for the reindeer - particularly
Rudolph - the red nosed reindeer that guides his sleigh through the dark
skies. Then the children are ready to go to bed. In all the excitement
children find it difficult to get to sleep. Some waking up VERY early in the
morning.
Christmas day finally arrives and is marked by screams of delight at the
surprises Santa has left. Once the presents are opened, many people get
ready to go to church. Christmas carols are sung during the hour long
service.
On return, parents prepare the Christmas lunch while children play with
their toys. Christmas dinner is a time when families get together -
grannies, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins. Once it is finished and the
clearing up done, there is generally a party. People sing songs, dance or
play games. All the preparation has been worth it. People go to bed happy
yet exhausted. Christmas is over for another year!
A traditional Christmas lunch will include - Starter: Scotch Broth or Smoked
Salmon. Main course - Roast Turkey, Sage & Onion Stuffing, Chippolata
Sausages, Roast Potatoes, Carrots, Brussel Sprouts. Dessert - Christmas
Pudding and Brandy custard.
Many Scots also take the opportunity to watch the Queen's Christmas Talk
which is usually at 3pm on Christmas Day.
Here is a wee poem to go with the day...
YULE
by J K Annand
I'm gaun to hing a stockin up,
I'll borrow my big brither's,
It's bigger nor my sister's ane
And strang-er nor my mither's.
I'll be in bed on Yule E'en
When Faither Christmas comes.
I ken he'll wale oor chimley oot
Amang the ither lums.
On Yule richt early I'll be up
Afore the screich o day
To see what ferlies Santa Claus
Has brocht me for my play.
I hope he'll mind a cuddly bear,
And cups for dolly's tea
Wi lots o ither bonnie toys
For a guid wee lass like me.
You can also listen to this poem in Real Audio at
http://www.scotsindependent.org/features/scots/Yule.rm
And that's all for now and I hope you and your families all have a Very
Merry Christmas :-)
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com
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