Indholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2020 i Scotland Magazine

Welcome to the new issue of Scotland, which is a very special issue for us. This issue we welcome the readers of The Highlander and Scottish Life, as well as Scotland Magazine, following the merger of these three fine magazines into a single, stronger title – Scotland. Each issue of Scotland will contain the very best features and writers from your previous magazine, and we will continue to showcase all that makes us so proud of our Scottish heritage. We’ll bring you the finest writing on Scottish history, ancestry, traditions and travel, all illustrated with inspirational photography. I am sure you will recognise many familiar names among our writing team, include James Gracie, who reveals the double life of the chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry in In a Pickle…

TIMING IS EVERYTHING This past Monday, my husband and I, along with our son, his wife and our two granddaughters were scheduled to fly from the US to Edinburgh; the pandemic put a halt to this long-awaited journey. I have been planning this venture for the past two years, because the trip would not only benefit us in seeing the beauty of Scotland, but would also be, in part, a history lesson and the opportunity to be at the very places our ancestors were born, lived, fought and died. The following day, the September 2020 issue (111) of Scotland arrived in the mail. The timing in receiving this edition couldn’t have been better, as I found this edition filled with stories related to the very places we were scheduled to…

In keeping with the noble dynasties who occupied them over the centuries, Scotland’s great ancestral homes have shown a remarkable propensity for survival and reinvention. None more so than magnificent Dumfries House, near Cumnock in Ayrshire, which in 2008 opened to the public, having previously been purchased by HRH The Prince of Wales (known when in Scotland as the Duke of Rothesay) with support from the Scottish Government under the Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust. Prior to that, Dumfries House, which stands in 2,000 acres of grounds, was offered to the market by its then owner, former Formula One racing driver Johnny Dumfries, the 7th Marquess of Bute, so he could plough his resources into his other main Scottish property, Mount Stuart. Horrified at the prospect of the…

If the father in a family died, his moveable possessions were divided into three parts One of the ways that we can determine the former wealth of our ancestors is to consider what was left behind after they passed away. As well as land and property that an ancestor might have held, known as ‘heritable estate’, there were other assets held as ‘moveable estate’, including money left in a bank, furniture in the house, and other household items and clothing. The documents generated for the inheritance of these items can give us the names of family members and friends, an understanding of who owed money to the deceased, and to whom money in turn was owed to others at the time of death. When someone died in Scotland, different legal…

The Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in the UK and is simply sublime, with wild and varied landscapes, that are home to ancient castles and monuments, wildlife and no end of stupendous walks. Across its more than 4,500 sq km, you can find a quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species, much of which can only be found here, and local tour companies such as Glenlivet Wildlife, will help you spot elusive species such as pine marten, Scottish wildcat and black grouse, as well as give you a greater understanding of some of the many conservation and rewilding projects taking place here. The Cairngorms National Park is even home to Britain’s only freeroaming herd of reindeer. Equally, the chance to find space, solitude and epic views,…

Scottish natives and stars of TV’s Outlander, Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, are going back to their roots for a new TV series in which they explore their homeland. The duo aren’t strangers to singing the praises of Scotland and its heritage, as they already run a successful podcast called ‘Clan Lands’. Meanwhile, the eight-part TV series, Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham, in which the pair visit historic sites such as Culloden and Glen Coe (pictured), has been commissioned by Starz, the company behind Outlander, and produced by Boardwalk Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television. Christina Davis, president of original programming at Starz, says: “The genuine curiosity and passion that Sam and Graham have for the landscapes they visit and the stories they uncover while…

One of the largest ancient settlements ever discovered in Scotland – with a height that may have rivalled the largest known post-Roman settlements in Europe – has been found overlooking the tiny Aberdeenshire village of Rhynie. Archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen say they have found evidence that as many as 4,000 people may have once lived on the Tap O’ Noth just outside the village. Using radiocarbon, they say the fort, set inside a rampart that encloses 17 acres, was built between the 5th and 6th centuries AD, but that it is likely that the Picts settled on the hill as early as the 3rd century AD. Professor Gordon Noble, who led the research, says that the discovery of more than 800 huts that could have each housed up…

Skye, that detached arm off Scotland’s west coast, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait – now easily accessed via the famous Skye Bridge (25 years old this year), or by ferry – is known for her stark and dramatic good looks, like a chiselled model that stands out in a sea of other pretty isles, and yet she hides a dark and tangled history. Like so many of Scotland’s regions, Skye is wrapped in mythology and legends, some of which bear some semblance to the truth, and some of which frankly don’t. But in Scotland we rarely let the truth get in the way of a good story, particularly when it comes to our clans. The most famous clans of Skye were the MacLeods, who have remained very…

With the plethora of nondescript bright white modern boats on our seas and waterways, your first sighting of a Clyde puffer is likely to take your breath away. Built between 1856 and 1939, these distinctive little steamboats look like something out of a Popeye cartoon and have a rich history behind them, too. The early engine design of this type of vessel made puffs of steam from the funnel, giving puffers their name. Several hundred ‘puffers’ existed before the Second World War and the single-masted, coal-fired, steampropelled cargo ships originally provided a vital supply link, entering the smallest nooks and crannies of the British Isles. They journeyed as far as the most remote corners of the Hebrides and the northern Irish coast, as well as Middlesbrough on England’s east coast.…

Witches, of the pointy hat and broomstick variety, have long dominated popular culture but for the people of early modern Scotland, the fear posed by witchcraft and maleficent goings-on was genuine and omnipresent. Thousands of terrified, innocent folks were tried by the God-fearing judiciary, encouraged by the Kirk and authorised, on occasion even presided over, by the King. Here, we take a look at how and why King James VI of Scotland involved himself so in the horrifying Scottish witch trials of the 16th century. Witch panic ebbed and flowed across Europe between the late-15th and mid-18th centuries with Scotland emerging as especially fertile and dangerous ground during the 16th and 17th centuries. Dr Louise Yeoman, historian and co-presenter of BBC Scotland’s Witch Hunt podcast (available on BBC Sounds), says…

This year’s Tamfest, the annual celebration of Robert Burns’ character Tam O’Shanter, is being largely hosted online. From now until the end of October, virtual events will be held to celebrate the character from the eponymous poem based on Burns’ friend Douglas Graham, who lived at Shanter Farm near Kirkoswald. The festival will reach a crescendo in October, particularly around Halloween, a time well suited to the eerie atmosphere of the poem and the fate of its protagonist. Festival founder and chair, Meredith McCrindle, says: “Tamfest now has an opportunity to go global and produce a virtual festival that Halloween lovers and Burns enthusiasts can all enjoy. Rooted in heritage and inspired by the apocryphal Tam O’Shanter poem by Robert Burns, Tamfest is an enchanting and educational family experience.” tamfest.co.uk…

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Rosslyn Chapel Trust, the charity established in 1995 to look after the historic Scottish church, just outside Edinburgh, known for its ornate stonework and captivating carvings. Since its inception, the Trust has undertaken a major programme of conservation to the category A-listed building, which was founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair. The first phase of this work included the erection of a free-standing steel canopy, covering the whole chapel, to allow it to dry out, and this was followed by stone and mortar repairs to the exterior walls, conservation of the stained glass windows and the installation of new heating and lighting. A new visitor centre was opened in 2012 by HRH The Duchess of Rothesay, just a few years before…

Scotland is renowned for its dramatic coastline, not least due to the many atmospheric castle ruins that perch on lofty outcrops along its edge. In the words of Sir Walter Scott, writing about Tantallon Castle: these castles of “striking situation, overhanging the billows of a wide and often troubled ocean, [have] an imposing effect on the imagination.” Come with us as we take an armchair tour of some of the most picturesque and rich-in-intrigue castles from the far northeast coast of the Scottish Highlands to south Ayrshire. TANTALLON CASTLE EAST LOTHIAN Tantallon Castle is a true relic. Here you can find the last curtain wall to be built in Scotland, with this castle marking the end of an era in castle building, as stone goliaths like this one gave way…

Where are your roots? I suppose I should say, “wherever I park my car” but in reality I was born in Dumbuck, which is now known as Milton and I have been lucky enough to travel the world and have homes in Switzerland and near London. My roots always have been and always will be in Dunbartonshire, though. Did you go to a village school? I did but it was a bit of a disaster area as nobody knew until I was in my 40s that I was dyslexic. It meant that when I went to Hartfield Primary School I was in a class of 54 and considered to be among the dunces. Dunces are not popular, so I didn’t have many friends there. I supposed that everyone was right…