Ray's Movie of Arriving in Colonsay

Rainy Sunday Ferry Trip July 31, 2011

Considering that it is rainy, we decided to head for Dunadd. We had visited the Kilmartin Church with its numerous grave slabs on a past visit. People have lived in the Kilmartin area for thousands of years. More than 350 prehistoric and historic sites lie within six miles of this quiet village: burial cairns, rock carvings, standing stones and stone circles, medieval castles, ancient grave stones depicting warriors, early Christian crosses, deserted croft houses, and the fortress of the earliest Scottish Kings.

This time my aim was for fortress--the hill fort. The Gaelic kingdom of Dalriada was founded around 500 AD by Celtic immigrants from Antrim in Ireland, known to the Romans as “Scotti,” possibly meaning pirates or raiders. Only twelve miles of sea separates the Mull of Kintyre from Antrim. The Gaels of Dál Riata and Antrim traded across the sea routes, intermarried and sometimes fought. Chieftain of Dal Riata of Antrim, Fergus Mor mac Eirc, arrived here in Argyll to establish a kingdom, to find more room for himself and his heirs. The Scotti established their capital at Dunadd, an isolated, craggy hill fort that rises out of eerie, flat Crinan Moss, once marshland, now brown and barren. The hill fort of Dunadd glowers over the flatlands in the south end of the Kilmartin Glen. Though it appears higher because of the surrounding low land, it is only 174 feet high. The sea floor was higher in earlier days and this fort provided a great lookout for overseeing ships. Dunadd was the center of a civilization with trading links as far as Afghanistan and the Mediterranean.

A rocky path winds uncertainly upwards through terraces and gateways to the top. It is known for its unique stone carvings below the upper enclosure, including a footprint and basin scooped out of the rock, both thought to have formed part of Dal Riata’s coronation ritual. There is also a seat or throne. On the same flat outcrop of rock is an incised boar in Pictish style and an inscription in the Ogham script. The inscription is read as referring to a Finn Manach and is dated to the late 8th century or after. The Kings of Dalriada were crowned here, seated on the Stone of Destiny, brought with them from Ireland. St. Columba is believed to have performed the very first Christian coronation in Britain here, that of Aidan in 574.

We weren’t able to climb today because of the weather, but we hope to return later in the week. They say that apart from a small farm at the foot of the rock, the view from this birthplace of Scotland is much the same as it was in the days of Dalriada. The landscape is still empty and mystical and from its heights you can see Jura. The Stone of Destiny was taken from here to Dunstaffnage. From there in 843 AD, the King of the Scots, Kenneth MacAlpin, marched east to Scone to claim, by marriage, the Pictish throne, thus creating the beginnings of the kingdom called Scotland.

On the drive back we saw several large standing stone in groups (I believe these were the Nether Largie Standing Stones) and Carnasserie Castle, a ruined 16th century tower house, noted for its unusual plan and renaissance detailing.

We returned to the apartment then at 4, we walked down to the ferry terminal and bought tickets for the evening cruise to Colonsay. My main reason for wanting to go was to try to see the Corryvreckan Whirlpool. Ever since I saw the movie “I Know Where I’m Going,” an old black and white movie which used Colonsay as its setting and involved a scene with the whirlpool, I have wanted to see it.

The Gulf of Corryvreckan is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba. Strong Atlantic currents and unusual underwater topography conspire to produce a particularly intense tidal race in the Corryvreckan channel. As the flood tide enters the narrow area between the two islands, it speeds up to about 10 mph and also meets a variety of seabed features including a deep hole and a rising pinnacle.

These features combine to create whirlpools, standing waves, and a variety of other surface effects. The Corryvreckan is the third largest whirlpool in the world. Flood tides can drive the waters of Corryvreckan to waves of over 30 feet, and the roar of the resulting maelstrom can be heard ten miles away. Writer George Orwell and his son (who lived at Barnhill in northern Jura when he stayed here to write “1984”) were briefly shipwrecked on the skerry of Eilean Mor (south of the whirlpool) when boating in the gulf. In the film I mentioned, they filmed in Corryvreckan and the nearby (but less fierce) waters at Bealach a’ Choin Ghlais. The footage obtained there was then used in back projections with the actors in a replica boat rocked on gimbals while buckets of water were thrown at them. Model shots of the whirlpool were made to give a medium view of the boat being drawn in to Corryvreckan.

Sadly, once the ferry left the dock today, the weather got progressively worse so that by the time we arrived in the Corryvreckan area, we couldn’t see a thing. It was slightly better on the way back, but still no sightings of the whirlpool for us. Oh well.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention that I finally tried that Irn Bru that everyone drinks over here. Wow—it is like drinking a drink made of those orange circus peanuts we used to eat as kids. So sweet! Yuck!!!

Also, on an Edinburgh bus the other day, there was a young girl who had the back of her neck pierced!!! Two big balls coming out of the back of her neck. It’s enough to make you faint just seeing it. How could she do that?

Funny sign at the Oban Bay Fish & Chips shop that says: Sit Doon & Carry Oot—for that is basically how sit down and carry out is pronounced here.

Pictures from top: View from our window this morning; man overboard practice guy; Colonsay; just north of Jura with its 3 Paps, this is where the whirlpool would’ve been if we had been able to see it through the clouds.

Our View

Pictures from top: flowers in Oban; as the sun goes down; evening in Oban & movie: I'm hoping you can get some idea of just how beautiful our view is from our living room window here in Oban.

The Most Beautiful View in Scotland July 30, 2011

I’m now reading a book about how Scotland was in effect “created” by Sir Walter Scott. The whole romance of it. And it is so interesting to read about his home, Abbotsford, that I visited and how he planted the trees you see there himself. It lists some of the antiquities that were built into Abbotsford like the door to the old Tolbooth prison inEdinburgh and its keys that we taken from its demolition and used in the house. Also in his collection were a lock of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s hair, pistols that had been owned by Covenanters, Napoleos’s pocketbooks, a crucifix and fragment of a dress that belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots, and battlefield relics from Flodden. All of his items playing some part in his stories.

I saw all these things when I visited this wonderful castle-like place. The ceiling of Rosslyn Chapel was copied in his library. John Knox’s pulpit was cut in two and used on either side of a window. The house was full of historical items covering every bit of display space. I was surprised to find a picture of the severed head of Mary, Queen of Scots and a preserved calf’s heart with pins stuck in it that was used in witchcraft.

We were awake at 5 this morning, so we got up and were on our way to Oban by 8. On the way, we passed through the beautiful Highlands of Scotland. In Dalmally, we saw the Highland Coach Hotel that was very pretty. Then Loch Awe, which so deserves the name because it took our breath away. The sun is shining bright and made all the colors of the hills and mountains vivid and the sun sparkling on the water just so gorgeous.

We passed by St. Conan’s Kirk, which we may have to go back to visit along with Kilchurn Castle. Then we found our hotel and were very pleased with its location. It is right on Oban bay and seemed very nice. We went to lunch at Julie’s Coffee Shop where I had a toasted ciabbatta with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Yum! Then we still had about an hour before we could check in, so we drove up to Castle Stalker. The history of the castle, from the website, is a fascinating one:

Castle Stalker – in the Gaelic, Stalcaire, meaning Hunter or Falconer – is believed originally to have been the site of a Fortalice (a small fortified building) belonging to the MacDougalls when they were Lords of Lorn, and built around 1320. The MacDougalls lost their title after their defeat by King Bruce at Brander Pass in 1308 but regained it for a period after 1328. In about 1388 the Lordship of Lorn passed to the Stewarts, the lands including Castle Stalker.

It is believed that Castle Stalker, much in its present form, was built by the then Lord of Lorn, Sir John Stewart, who had an illegitimate son in 1446, and it is reasonable to suppose that he built and occupied the Castle about that time. In 1463 Sir John Stewart was keen to legitimise his son by getting married to his Mother, a MacLaren, at Dunstaffnage when he was murdered outside the church by Alan MacCoul, a renegade MacDougall, although he survived long enough to complete the marriage and legitimise his son, Dugald, who became the First Chief of Appin. The Stewarts had their revenge on MacCoul at the Battle of Stalc in 1468 opposite the Castle when the Stewarts and MacLaren together defeated the MacDougalls, and Alan MacCoul was killed by Dugald himself. The site of this Battle is marked by a memorial stone in the Churchyard in Portnacroish.

In 1497 the Stewarts and MacLarens carried out a combined raid against MacDonald of Keppoch as a reprisal for cattle reiving, but Dugald Stewart was killed and succeeded as Chief of Appin by his son Duncan. King James IV of Scotland, born in 1473, was a cousin of the Stewarts of Appin and when he came of age made frequent hunting journeys to the Highlands. It is understood that he stayed quite often at Castle Stalker, using it as a base for hunting and hawking for which he had a passion. It is thought that further improvements were made to the Castle at this time including the possible addition of what is now the top floor and roof, and that the Coat of Arms over the front door may be the Royal Arms of that time.

Duncan Stewart was murdered by the McLeans at Duart Castle in 1512 and succeeded by his younger brother Alan Stewart as the third Chief. In 1513 the Stewarts of Appin supported King James IV at the Battle of Flodden. The Stewart Chief and is five sons were all present at the Battle but all managed to survive what was otherwise a massive defeat in which the King was killed.

In 1520 Sir Alexander Stewart of Invernahyle was fishing off the small island next to Castle Stalker when he was surprised and murdered by a party of Campbells. Tradition has it that the nurse of his baby son, Donald Stewart, hid the baby in the Castle and, when the Campbells left, the nurse returned, found the baby still alive and took refuge in Morven.

Young Donald became renowned for his strength and was known as "Donald of the Hammers" – in the Gaelic "Donald nan Ord" – as he could wield a blacksmith's hammer in each hand with ease. In 1544 he raised the Stewarts of Appin and went to Dunstaffnage where they killed nine Campbells in revenge for the murder of his Father. Donald nan Ord also led the Stewarts at the Battle of Pinkie on the 10th September 1547. He died in 1607 and is buried on Lismore where his faithful henchman, a Carmichael, also lies buried.

In around 1620 the Castle passed into the hands of the Campbells of Airds as a result of a drunken wager by the 7th Stewart Chief, Duncan, in exchange for an eight-oared galley.

The Stewarts of Appin, under Stewart if Ardsheal, regained the Castle in 1689 when they came out with King James VII (otherwise James II) against King William but after defeat at the battle of Dunkeld the Castle was again forfeited to the Campbells. The Stewarts under Ardsheal refused to hand it over when it was then besieged by the Campbells for several months until Ardsheal was granted an honourable surrender in 1690.

At the time of the 1745 Rising Castle Stalker was held by the Campbells with a Garrison of about 59 Government troops. Although the Stewarts of Appin were solidly behind Prince Charles, and raised a regiment of 300, the Castle was too strong for them to take and their 2lb cannon-balls merely bounced off the walls. The Castle formed an important link during the rising with ships calling frequently with men and supplies as they sailed between Inverary in the South and Fort William in the North. After the Battle of Culloden in 1746 the Castle was used by the Government forces as a local centre where the Clansmen had to surrender their arms. Six prisoners are recorded as being held in the Prisoners' Hole for about a fortnight before being taken to Edinburgh for trial.

The last Campbell was born in the Castle in 1775 and Campbells continued to reside in it until about 1800 when they built a new house on the mainland at Airds, which still exists today, and the Castle remained merely as a storehouse. In about 1840 the roof either fell in or was perhaps removed to avoid roof-tax and the Castle was abandoned.

In 1908 the Castle was regained from the Campbells by Charles Stewart of Achara who purchased it and carried out some basic preservation work to stem its decay.
In 1947 his successor, Duncan Stewart, who was Governor of Sarawak, was murdered by a Dyak and the Castle devolved on his widow. In 1965 Lt. Col. D. R. Stewart Allward negotiated terms for the purchase of the Castle and spent the next ten years rebuilding and restoring it as it is today. It is now fully habitable. Contractors and builders in the normal sense were not employed in the restoration which was carried out by Lt. Col. Stewart Allward personally with the help of his wife, family and many friends who were willing to spend holidays and long weekends helping with the task. He died suddenly whilst out walking in 5th February 1991 and is survived by his wife Marion and children Sine, Ross, Alasdair, and Morag.

But honestly...the main reason I wanted to see it was because not only was it used in the movie “Highlander: Endgame” but it was…..Castle Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh in the final scene of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” !!! That is so cool!

I don’t know where I read this, but I also heard that in 1689, the castle was exchanged for an 8-oared galley when the owner was on a drunken spree. It was a very pretty castle in an amazing location.

But nothing beats our holiday apartment we are staying in this week for location. We checked in and found that we have room 201. We were hoping we were on the front side of the building and we are! With the most amazing sea view you have ever seen. Obay Bay is so beautiful with its sunshine like diamonds on the water as the sun goes down. Boats and ferries going all the time. Our big picture windows all along the front of the apartment—living room and bedroom—are like stunning paintings of the best photographs of Oban you could ever hope to take. Every few seconds the light changes and prompts me to run over and take more pictures. Oohh--a very handsome kilted man just walked past.

We quickly unpacked and bought groceries—we have a kitchen, too. Then we went for a walk around town. We stopped in at a very old church—St. John’s Anglican Cathedral (so old it was being held up with huge braces)—then checked out the bookstores, then walked over to the ferry terminal and docks. Ooohhh—and now the church bells are chiming out the hours! How nice. Oh yes, about the docks, all kinds of fishing boats here. AND the Royal Yacht Bloodhound, which we read about when we visited the Brittania. Bloodhound is no ordinary yacht. She is one of the few authentic classic 1930's racing yachts left. She was one of the most successful racing yachts ever built and became the Queen and Prince Philip's personal yacht during the 1960s. McCaig’s Folly sits high above the city. We will visit it one day and I’ll tell you all about it then. It is Saturday and summertime, so there were a lot of people about. Hopefully the weather will be good this week, despite what the weatherman says, and we can go see some Scott sites and get a few ferry trips in.

Another amazing thing is Margaret & Colin's uncanny ability to get greeting cards to us no matter where we are and they always arrive on the exact day of celebration. They did it again with our Anniversary today. Sent us a French Anniversary Card--so lovely.

Pictures from top: two photos of Castle Stalker; our “picture” window in the living room—another just like it in the bedroom!; closeup of one of the wooden sailing ships in dock; sad, sad kilted man at the docks—there’s a story there.

Grand Opening of the National Museum of Scotland July 29, 2011

Grand Opening of the National Museum of Scotland July 29, 2011

Today was spent packing up until the afternoon when we walked down to the National Museum to the grand opening of their new sections. They’ve done a beautiful job of expanding their collection in a venue that reminded me very much of the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. We only had about 45 minutes to walk around before they closed, but it was a good visit.

Pictures from top: two photos of the inside of the new wing of the museum; beautiful fine muslim dress from 1810 embroidered with heavy white cotton thread; Madarin or one hundred faces fan from mid-19th century; Napoleon Bonaparte’s sugar tongs from 1810.

More from the Museum

More from the Museum

Fresnel lens from lighthouse; Flame Vortex vase-sculpture from Australia; interesting stained glass scene.

Easy Rainy Day July 28, 2011

Having a take-it-easy day today. Ray recuperating and getting better. Will do some preparations for moving on Saturday, but not much else.

Thought I’d tell you aboaut some recent discoveries about Leith. We’ve visited Leith many times as it is very close to Edinburgh, but there are several things I didn’t know about Leith:

--The Knights of St. John resided in Leith in 1327. The Hospitaller Sisters of St. John of Jerusalem came to Leith at the same time and brought the image of Mary Magdalene as the Black Madonna with child.

--The Leith coat of arms has a stalk of corn on it and is displayed at the church halls. The earliest of Leith’s Coat of Arms showed a one-masted ship common in the Mediterranean in the 1st century AD representing Mary Magdalene leaving the Holy Land with the son of Jesus.

--Leith was dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, not St Mary, as Leith became the Principal Templar Port in Scotland. It was for this reason that Mary of Guise and the French held Leith in 1560 because its connection to the Templars & St Magdalene gave, in her eyes, a divine right to rule in Scotland. She died in Edinburgh when she realized she couldn’t win. She just gave up.

--St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church was built in Leith in 1854. There was an earlier Mary Magdalene Chapel here and ones in Cowgate, the Magdalene Bridge in Musselburgh, and Magdalene Mews in Haymarket.

--The Knights Templar helped France defend Leith against England.

I just realized that we are about 3 blocks from the St. Leonard’s Police Station where Ian Rankin sets the police station where Rebus works in his novels. I am reading his first novel, Knots & Crosses, right now. The Oxford Bar on Young Street in New Town that Rebus frequents was one that I visited in 2009. Rankin used to try to disguise his locations in books, but he says everyone knew anyway so he now uses real places and names.

***Addendum: Emergency Room

Not the way anyone would want to spend an evening, especially not an evening in Scotland, but we had a very interesting evening. First of all, Ray announces that he thinks he has a UTI. The man is never sick and refuses to go to the doctor when he is, so when he said we were going to the hospital, I grabbed my purse and off we went. Only problem, there was a car blocking the gate at our flat so we couldn’t get out. So I suggested a taxi, so we hailed a cab on Nicolson and off we went to the hospital that the website for BCBS for overseas visitors said we were supposed to use. It’s all the way on the other side of town so it takes a while. We pay the cabdriver and wait in line at reception only to be told that they don’t treat those kinds of illnesses there and we need to go to the Royal Infirmary—just down from our apartment. The receptionist says it is easier to use the bus and tells us where the bus stop is. I thought we should take a cab back but was overruled.

So we wait for the bus and then get caught in a gridlock on Princes Street but finally arrive at the Royal Infirmary—where J. K. Rowling’s husband worked as a neurologist before they married—and thus began our time of waiting. Actually, it was better than the US system as far as care and waiting. And we finally ended up with a great doctor who used to be a flight surgeon, so he and Ray hit it off.

Turned out to be a UTI and Ray now has meds to fix it, so we were lucky. Took another bus home exhausted from worry. But all is well.

Fast Castle July 27, 2011

Well, the other morning, I had a message from McAfee on my laptop that suggested I do updates. I asked Ray, for he is the computer expert in this family, and he said always good to do them. Told him what it was for and he said go ahead.

Tada---so now I somehow have Internet Explorer 9, which doesn’t seem to work with many websites and certainly not with my blog! Something about the scripts. And it can’t see the Publish Post button. So frustrating. I figured out a work around for posting, but now if I see an error in spelling or something in a past post, I maddeningly can’t correct it! I just have to leave it. It drives me crazy! So if you see any errors, just overlook, please, and know that I am over here pulling my hair out. Being a “nutter”—Scottish for crazy person.

Given that our first rental car suffered a crash, Ray picked up a new one this morning. A much better one. The seats in this one are very comfortable. It also has that system where the car turns itself off when you are stopped and instantly turned itself back on when you press the clutch again. This system save fuel and saves having to keep the clutch engaged at stop signals.

There are many more policemen around town now that it is getting closer to the weekend and Zara Phillips’ wedding day at Canongate Kirk. All the royals will be here including Will and Kate. I wonder if Kate will seceretly wish that her wedding could have been as small and private or if she was happy with her big to-do.

We drove east today to find Fast Castle. The walking route to Fast Castle may be relatively short, but it is one of the most thrilling in the southern half of Scotland, they say. A clifftop path winds down to the ruins of a castle, which has its origins in the Iron Age, perched on a promontory jutting into the North Sea. From the start, the views were amazing as we looked up the coast to Bass Rock. We had parked in an isolated car park near a house and climbed over a stile, then through grasses knee-high. I should’ve known that this was not a good idea. Suddenly, we were accosted by this hum of creatures—insects of all kinds—buzzing around our heads. The din of the noise was terrifying. Ray kept saying they wouldn’t hurt me, and true, their “barks” were stronger than their bites, which were non-existent, but still I have never been so glad to get over to the cliff. A pleasant stroll followed, through purple heathery hills, along the side of a hill sloping down to waves crashing below.

A little further on, the going becomes harder as you gain sight of Fast Castle and drop down the increasingly steep hillside. You have to take care as you reach the cliff edge for if the winds are strong, there could be danger. We satisfied ourselves with a long distance view of the castle. The platform on which it stands was originally only accessible via a drawbridge. Today a concrete walkway or bridge crosses the gap with rusting posts linked by chains to give a sense of security from the sheer drops on either side. Just before you reach the ruins you have to clamber up a slab. On the website, you are reminded of how serious the consequences of a slip could be. At the far end of the bridge there is what on a mountain might be called a "bad step", a smooth sloping slab of rock perhaps three feet high, that needs to be scrambled over to gain access to the concrete steps above it. The ruins are then laid out to explore. We were happy exploring from where we were and also admiring the shattered cliffs along the coast.

The ruins of Fast Castle cling grimly to a steeply sloping platform on top of a rocky promontory which projects from the cliffs. The site is surrounded by sheer cliffs which fall 150ft to the sea at its landward end and 100ft to the sea at its seaward end. The sea cliffs to the north west and south east of the castle are around 300ft high, and the land behind them rises steeply to the 570ft summit of Telegraph Hill. The cliffs on either side render the castle relatively impregnable. The path runs under Telegraph Hill, which once had a beacon on top to relay warnings up and down the coast,including one for the English invasion of 1547.

The layout of the castle is very similar to that of Dunnottar Castle, though Fast Castle is on a smaller scale. Access to the sea was via a pulley system with basket. There is a cave at the foot of the cliffs, which, it has been suggested, could once have acted as an access to the interior of the castle by its inhabitants. Fast Castle was originally known as Fause (lit. False) Castle, on account of the lights that were hung from it to mislead shipping. Shipmasters would see the lights while travelling in darkness, and consider that they had reached a safe haven, only to find thet they had been guided on to rocks, where wrecking parties awaited for plunder.

The castle is thought have inspired Sir Walter Scott’s description of the fictional "Wolf's Crag", which features in his 1819 novel “The Bride of Lammermoor.” Despite its apparent remoteness, this place has its fair share of history and once gave shelter to Margaret Tudor on her way to marry James IV and Mary, Queen of Scots after her Rough Wooing by Henry VIII of England on behalf of his son Edward had ceased.

After sighting the castle, we turned and made our way BACK through the path from Hell.

Pictures from top: Heathered hill looking down to the ocean from atop the cliff; Fast Castle; from atop the cliff; looking north to the jagged cliffs; Arthur’s Seat from the back side.

SUCCESS!!!! July 26, 2011-07-26

Today was my lucky day—not only were we at Greyfriars Kirk when its doors were open but the Magdalene Chapel was open, too! For the first time in the at least 20 times I’ve checked over the last 3 visits to Scotland.

The Magdalen Chapel is located in the Cowgate in Edinburgh. The 16th century chapel is virtually hidden in Edinburgh's Old Town, just to the west beneath George IV Bridge. The Chapel included a hospital or almshouse which looked after the poor and sick. The hospital and chapel stood at the corner of the Cowgate and Candlemaker Row. Only the chapel now survives.

Most of the information here is taken from several websites on the chapel. The Chapel was built between 1541 and 1544 by Janet Rynd, widow of Michael MacQueen (died 1537), who had left money for this purpose. The building was to be the new chapel for the Incorporation of Hammermen who had worshipped in a small aisle at St. Giles kirk since the late 1400s and was to include accommodation for a chaplain and also an almshouse for seven Bedesmen (poor men) “who should continually pour forth prayers to Almighty God.” In particular they were to pray for the soul of Mary Queen of Scots. Michael MacQueen’s purpose in this foundation is interesting in light of the subject history of the Chapel. The Foundation Charter of 1547 says “that when the said Michael was greatly troubled with an heavy Disease, and oppressed with Age, yet mindful of Eternal Life, he esteemed it ane good Way to obtain Eternal Life, to erect some Christian Work, for ever to remain and endure.” (Ironically, one of the reasons for the existence of the Scottish Reformation Society –the chapel’s present owners--is to warn people against the false Roman Catholic teaching of Salvation by Works.)

The Royal Arms of Scotland and the Arms of the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise, can be seen in the middle window in the south wall of the chapel. The four roundels of stained glass also contain the arms of MacQueen and of MacQueen and Rynd together. The stained glass in this window is the only pre-Reformation stained glass in Scotland which is still intact.

The Chapel and almshouse were prosperous for a while, but after the Reformation of 1560 the patrons, who were the Hammermen (men who worked with metal), ran into trouble. Their chaplain adhered to the Church of Rome and in his place they appointed a Protestant minister. The chaplain, however, brought a successful action against them for the salary, and he continued to draw this until his death in 1567. Meanwhile the Foundation Charter stated that, in the event of the Hammermen failing to observe its terms, the trust and the property were to revert to the descendants or relations of Janet Rynd. The Charter specified in great detail the form of Roman Catholic worship that was to take place in the Chapel and prohibited the Hammermen from doing anything against the interests of ‘the Holy See’ (i.e. the Church of Rome). These terms were now illegal to fulfil, and the relations of Janet Rynd were well aware of this and made as much trouble as they could. The tenants, likewise, saw no particular need to pay their rent, knowing that the Hammermen would be unable to enforce their right in law. It was only because of the considerable wealth of the Hammermen that they were able to weather this storm.

Immediately prior to the Reformation the Chapel was being used for academic lectures arranged by the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise. John Knox’s colleague John Craig preached in the Chapel several times in 1560-1 (in Latin, because he had been abroad so long that his English was rusty) and the Chapel was possibly used for the first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in December 1560. It was certainly used for the Assembly of April 1578 at which Andrew Melville was Moderator and at which the Second Book of Discipline was discussed. About 1615 the lay-out of the Chapel was altered, and the present semi-circular wooden platform at the east end was installed. The tower and spire were added about 1620 and the bell, made by the Dutch bell-founder Michael Burgerhuys from Middleburg, dates from 1632.

In Covenanting times the Chapel was used for conventicles on a number of occasions (1674, 1676, 1679), and the bodies of several of the martyrs (Marquis of Argyle 1661, Hew Mackail 1666, John Dick 1684) were taken there after execution to be dressed in their grave-clothes. The table on which the bodies were placed is still to be seen in the Chapel, as is a sword said to have belonged to the Covenanter Captain John Paton. At the Glorious Revolution of 1689 the heads and hands of martyred Covenanters, which had been exhibited on the ports of Edinburgh by their executioners, were gathered together at the Chapel prior to interment in Greyfriars. Many Covenanters were hanged or burned at the stake for their beliefs.
After the Revolution, the Chapel was used as a place of worship by Episcopalians, and in the eighteenth century a Baptist congregation met there for a number of years. Part of the Chapel, or a building adjoining, was used as a printing press in the mid-eighteenth century. The Chapel continued in the possession of the Hammermen until 1857 when it was sold to the newly-formed Protestant Institute for Scotland. The plan was to use it as a base for outreach among Roman Catholics in the Cowgate.
In 1992/93 a major restoration programme was undertaken and the Chapel became the headquarters of the Scottish Reformation Society. The Honorary Curator of the Chapel is Rev A Sinclair Horne (former Secretary and Lecturer of the Scottish Reformation Society). He was the one who greeted us today and told me the history of the chapel. He was very proud of the fact that even though it was a Roman Castholic church for a short time, the chapel has been mainly a non-denominational one. Although actually, as Rev. Horne said, a many denominational one.

Magdalene Chapel is important for several reasons. Firstly it was the last Roman Catholic chapel to be built in Edinburgh before the Reformation. Secondly, following the Reformation, it became the cradle of Presbyterianism, holding the first assembly of the new Church of Scotland on the 20th December, 1560 including, amongst the 42 assembled, John Knox (c.1513-72). Thirdly, it includes the only examples of Pre-Reformation stained-glass remaining in their original location. The steeple was not completed until 1628, and the bell, cast in Flanders, is dated 1632, however the Victorian street facade effectively hides the age of the core. Inside, two walls are almost entirely covered with panels—or brods, as Rev. Horne told me was the Scottish word for boards) recording bequests which had been made to support the work of the Chapel.

In 1957, a committee was formed to restore the chapel, which involved the Cockburn Association, the University of Edinburgh (who owned the adjacent building through which the Chapel was entered), the Incorporation of Hammermen (who owned the chapel until 1857) and the Protestant Institute of Scotland (who were the owners at the time).

A major restoration was undertaken in 1992-93 at a cost of £305,000 and is now the headquarters of the Scottish Reformation Society, which was formed in 1851. It now receives around 6000 visitors annually (2001), which surprised me seeing as how it is open so infrequently. I was very impressed with Rev. Horne’s knowledge about the history of the chapel and impressed with the chapel itself. It was MUCH smaller than I imagined, basically no bigger than someone’s large living room. The altar was on a raised platform with the brods that recorded gifts to the Chapel behind it and the heavily decorated Deacon of the Hammermen’s chair in front. The stained glass was very pretty as was the crest. There was also a copy of the Covenant on the wall.

We didn’t see the painted square panel of the west wall dated 1624 with a raised crowned hammer and inscription: “LORD BLES THE HAMMERMEN PATRONS OF THIS HOSPITAL.” Neither did I see the tomb slab of Janet Rynd—I was so cautious not to be interfering with the meeting Rev. Horne was having with a visitor that I am afraid I was in a bit of a hurry.

And just to show how much the Catholic Church is resented in some parts of Scotland, here is an article from The Newsletter:

LORD Bannside yesterday branded the first papal state visit to Britain as "nonsense". The Rev Dr Ian Paisley was in Edinburgh’s Old Town to lead around 60 people in a peaceful protest against the four-day visit. The demonstrators held a church service in the Magdalene Chapel in Cowgate, the 16th century location of the first meeting of Scottish Protestant church leaders, led by reformer John Knox.
Yesterday, members of the Free Presbyterian Church unfurled a banner outside, which called for remembrance of the Protestant reformation and asserted that there was only one mediator between God and man – “The man Christ Jesus”. The group did not attempt to get close to the papal procession, which was some 15 minutes’ walk away.
Around 50 members of the public stopped to hear them preach as they distributed booklets outlining their doctrinal opposition to the visit. Lord Bannside said: “I don’t want his (the pope’s) blessing and I will be keeping as far away as I can. “Why? Because the whole thing is nonsense.”
Lord Bannside addressed followers on the corner of Grassmarket and Cowgate, the location of the martydom of a number of Scottish Protestants. He told onlookers: “We’re here today on very solemn and serious matters. “I’ve just seen the statement that has been issued by the Roman Catholic Church about this visit and we are told that if we go to this mass [at Bellahouston] here today then we will have a shortened purgatory and our sins will be forgiven – 25 and you’ll get out of purgatory quicker. “Now there’s no such a place as purgatory, so that’s a farce from the very beginning. “Secondly, no man can forgive sins but God only.” He added: “I believe in gospel without money and without price.”
Lord Bannside later defended his decision to hold a protest. He told reporters: “I believe in freedom. I wouldn’t be muzzled by anybody. I believe there has to be civil and religious liberty and there should be full debate on these things. “I resent the fact that this state visit to Scotland was never discussed in the House of Commons. It was never dealt with within a democratic way.” He said he was “not inciting people to attack anyone – but [to] attack those views that we feel are not truthful, are not accurate and only deceive people”.
Free Presbyterian moderator, Rev Dr Ron Johnston, said the protestors were “elated” at how much publicity their message had attracted, with at least 50 media outlets turning up. “We had been told we would have difficulty in getting to the Magdalene Chapel for our protest but the streets of Edinburgh were virtually deserted,” he added. DUP MLA Ian McCrea, son of MP William McCrea, put his reaction to the visit on his Facebook website: “20 to see the Pope in Glasgow?” he asked. “I wouldn’t give 20p.”

We briefly visited Greyfrairs Kirk, but only because we failed to notice the sign saying it was closed for maintenance. I got several pictures, though, before we were “thrown out.”

Then we went back over to the museum to do the ground floor with its exhibits of Early Man. Saw many fossils and the progression of clothing and jewelry from earliest times. Found out that Staffa is a tiny remnant of one of many lava flows. Fingal’s Cave has been eroded into a lava flow, which shrank and cracked into columns during cooling. Ray was hungry and tired, so we returned to the apartment for lunch and a nap for him. On the way, I noticed what looks like a brand new plaque that has been installed on the corner of Drummond and Nicolson Streets—Writer’s Corner. It tells us that J. K. Rowling wrote some of the early chapters of Harry Potter in the rooms here on the first floor—that’s the 2nd floor to Americans and this is at the Spoon Bistro which used to be Buffet King.

Pictures from top: painted screen, brods, and chair in Magdalene Chapel; fragment of the original painted ceiling showing stars and thistles in Magdalene Chapel; crest in Magdalene Chapel; the 4 roundels of stained glass in Magdalene Chapel; Greyfriars Kirk, where Sir Walter Scott attended church—and slept through services—when he was a child.

At the Museum—Early Man

From top: very rare representation of man—in middle is monk on a game piece from Mail; very hard to find old cloth intact—this is a woollen hood from St. Andrews parish; early shoes from Newstead; game of slate with quartz pebbles from Jarlshof; piece of slate with doodles from Jarlshof.

Museum II

From top: dress fastener; armlets of twisted metal; photo of Staffa & Fingal’s Cave; stained glass from Greyfriars.

Housekeeping and Pirates July 25, 2011

Funny how we’ve been living here on Davie Street for over 3 weeks now and I just today noticed that we have a cobblestoned street! Today was all about getting ready to ship things home. I have books and souvenirs that I don’t want to lug all around Scotland, onto the cruiseship, then onto the plane. Once that was managed, we took the # 35 bus out to Ocean Terminal. We had dinner at Frankie Benny’s—funny to be in Scotland and sit in a restaurant with Italian gangster deco and 60’s American music playing—but the food was delicious. Then we saw Pirates of the Caribbean 4. Or 5. Or whatever number they’re up to. They’re all running together for me now.

Since nothing much happened today, I will expound upon some Interesting Facts I Didn’t Know about Scottish Places We’ve Visited:

--Jedburgh is pronounced “Jeddart.” Here was dispensed “Jeddart Justice,” which involved hanging the person first and trying him later. The people of Jedburgh would wield the fearsome “Jeddart staff,” a long pole tipped with a metal hook or axe head, and then play with the severed English heads in a type of ball game known as :Jeddart hand-ba.” The game is still played on Shrove Tuesday but with footballs.

--Floors Castle in Kelso stood in for Greystoke Castle in the 1984 film, Greystoke. The real Greystoke Castle is in Cumberland but was unsuitable.

--In Sir Walter Scott’s library at Abbotsford are 20,000 Scottish books housed beneath a carved cedar-wood roof copied from that of Rosslyn Chapel. This fact has brought fans of The Da Vinci Code flocking to Abbotsford, convinced that he uncovered the secret of the Holy Grail as he had tracked down the missing Scottish Jewels. His orchestration of the visit of George IV in 1822 to Edinburgh helped to reintroduce much of the Highland culture that had been stamped out after the Jacobite uprisings.

--King Arthur is supposedly sleeping beneath the tallest of the Eildon Hill and will ride forth with his knights when Britain is threatened.

--members of the Scott family acted as rangers in Ettrick Forest and accompanied visiting monarchs who came to hunt. On one occasion, a young ranger Scott grappled with a cornered stag that was threatening the King’s life, seizing it by the antlers and tossing it over his shoulder. From this act of courage came the name “Buck-Cleauch” or Buccleuch that is now associated with Clan Scott.

--when we took the Forth Bridge bus & ferry tour, I mentioned that we saw a Hawes Inn right across from the ferry terminal and right under the Forth Railway Bridge high above it. This is a 17th century inn where, in room 13 above the entrance, Robert Louis Stevenson began writing Kidnapped.

--at Whithorn in St. Ninian’s Cave that we visited are 7 crosses on the cave walls, pecked into the rock by pilgrims in the 8th century.

--Six miles east of Nairn near Forres and just before Brodie Castle is where Macbeth encountered 3 witches on the Blasted Heath. Nairn is the sunniest and driest place in Scotland.

--Jenner’s Department Store in Edinburgh was established in 1838 and is the oldest independent department store in the world.

--a visit to Rosslyn was George Meikle Kemp’s inspiration for the Scott Monument.

--Ramsay Gardens is named after the poet & bookseller, Allan Ramsay, who lived in a curious octagonal house here that he designed himself and is still here. He established the first lending library in Britain in 1725.

--Waverley Station is the only station in Britain named after a book.

--Orchardton Tower was built in the 15th century and is the only round tower house in Scotland.

--Hidden deep in Dunnottar Woord near Stonehaven is an alfresco bathtub built by Lady Kennedy of Dunnottar. It is a large oval tub 3 feet deep and surrounded by a low stone wall. While bathing, she posted handmaidens thoroughout the woods to look out for sightseers.

--Walt Disney is said to have drawn the inspiration for his magical castles from Craigevar Castle.

--Cullen is famous for Cullen Skink—a soup of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. Skink is Gaelic for essence.

--Bell Rock Lighthouse is situated 12 miles off the Angus coast near Arbroath and is the world’s oldest surviving offshore lighthouse. It was erected between 1807-1810 by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. It was built in the middle of the sea on a rock that was submerged by up to 16 feet of water for much of the time.

--The round tower at Brechin Cathedral was built around 1000 AD and is 106 feet high. Round towers were used as watchtowers and as places of refuge, which is why the doorway is six feet off the ground and reached by a ladder that could be hauled inside.

--Edzell Castle’s walled garden displays the fleur-de-lis, shamrock, rose, and the thistle of France, Ireland, England, and Scotland respectively.

--Culross, a town seemingly frozen in the 18th century, has quaint little cottages piled up the hill and along steep, narrow cobbled lanes. The streets around the Mercat Cross feature a “crown o’ the causie,” or raised section downt he middle where only the grandees were allowed to walk. The hoi polloi had to traipse along in the gutter with the slop and rubbish.

--the 14th century Scotstarvit Tower was the home of Sir John Scot (1585-1670) in the 17th century. He sponsored and published the earliest topographical work on Scotland, the Scotstarvit maps of 1654. These are mapsof all the counties and islands of Scotland, drawn by master draughtsman Timothy Pont, with added descriptions written by Sir John. At Scotstarvit, Sir John hosted dinner parties and discussions with many of the most important and colorful characters of the day, occasions which no doubt provided material for his most famous work, “Scot of Scotstarvit’s Staggering State of Scots Statesmen.” In this, he puts forth the theory that the majority of Scottish statesmen had attained their status and wealth by fraudulent and underhanded means. The book was considered so libelous that no one would publish it un til 1714, when Scot and all the people he referred to were long dead.

--The opening scenes of Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire were filmed at the West Sands at St. Andrews. Most of the runners in that scene were golf caddies from St. Andrews.

--In 1286, at the Pettycur Crags to the west of the town of Kinghorn, Alexander III was thrown from his horse and suffered fatal injuries. He was the last of the country’s Celtic kings. The heir to the Scottish throne was now three-year-old Margaret, known as the “Maid of Norway”. She was the daughter of Alexander’s own daughter, who had married Eric II of Norway. But while crossing from Norway to Scotland, Margaret also died, leaving the country without an heir. In the resultant vacuum, noblemen jockeyed for position, putting forward many claimants to the throne. Edward I of England was asked to intercede, and he saw his chance. He tried to incorporate Scotland into his own kingdom by installing a puppet king (John Balliol), and thus began the Wars of Independence.

Pictures from top: beer and wine store near Leith with a clever logo; something you wouldn’t see in the States—a fishmongers store near Leith.

My favorites from the Museum—the Lewis Chessmen

Sir Walter Scott July 24, 2011

Just noticed the coolest thing—a book I bought at the Old Children’s Bookshop the other day has a tiny sticker on the back with the price of “Two Shillings & Sixpence.” It is placed over a price printedon the book which is covered but I believe it say “One Shilling & Sixpence.” Amazing. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. In England, a shilling was a coin used from the reign of Henry VII until the Acts of Union ended the Kingdom of England. The term schilling or shilling was in use in Scotland from early mediaeval times.

The date of publication of the book, Young Walter Scott by E. J. Gray, is 1936, so I wonder when shillings stopped being used. Colin?

From this little book, I found out that there are Quakers in my family tree. There was a Walter Scott in the 1600s who turned Quaker and his borther, Sir William, had him shut up for it in the tolbooth in Edinburgh first, then in Jedburgh Jail, and had his children taken away from him. He then got the court to grant him 10 thousand pounds a year from his brother’s prperty in order to bring up the children out of the faith of their father. So the Quaker faith died out of the Scott family.

After reading the book, which was an excellent story of Walter Scott’s younger years, every time I cross the George IV Bridge, I imagine him trying to climb up to the bridge from Cowgate below so that he can have a better advantage in snowball fights. There is a building in Cowgate that has a sign saying “High School Grounds,” and I am sure this is where Sir Walter and his brothers went to school. Go into Greyfriars Kirk and see where he used to endure sermons with his family while trying not to get caught napping. Walk through the Meadows and imagine the “bickering” that went on—brutal fights between the George Square boys and the Potterow Boys—throwing of stones and mud and anything else handy, just because it was the thing to do.

This morning, we walked over to #5 Buccleuch Place and found where Miss Susan Scott in 1869. then I found the correct location of Sir Walter Scott’s childhood home at 25 George SQUARE. The Meadows was very near—the place where he and the other boys in the neighborhood used to have their “bickers”—fights with stones and mud. We walked from the apartment past the George Watson’s Ladies College, the labyrinth, and up to George IV Bridge, past the place where Young Walter Scott would have tried to throw snowballs from the bridge, past the India Buildings on Weswt Bow, and over to the Royal Mile.

I found Carrubber’s Close where Sir Walter Scott would meet with friends of his Club in a room every Friday evening before adjourning to a nearby oyster cellar in Covenants Close. Other famous residents have incuded the poet Allan Ramsay and James Young Simpson, who discovered the anesthetic properties of chloroform while running a dispensary on this site.

Stopped at St. Giles for pictures of its Crown spire and of the emblem on the Mercat cross.

Liberton Wynd has been mostly removed to make way for the bridge and other buildings. It was called a wynd because it was wider than a close. The fronts of its mansions had been so added on to with gables and other additions that they nearly met overhead. Here is where Johnnie Dowie’s Tavern stood, one of the most famous taverns of all. Johnny Dowie was the kindest of landlords. He was so friendly and brought a smile to everyone’s face whenever he brought a bottle of his famous old Edinburgh ale to a well-known and friendly customer. The formality with which he drew the cork, the eai with which he filled the long, slender glasses, and the regularity with which he drank to the healths of all present. He alswuyas wore a cocked hat, buckels at the knees and shows and a cross-handed cane. The tavern was in a space so small and dark that even cabmen would avoid it now. Famous customers include Robert Fergusson the poet. David Martin instituted the Club here and this was the favorite resort of Robert Burns, and many people would stop by just to gaze upon him in the “coffin” of the bard—a small dark room which would barely squeeze in six people but where Burns used to sit. Here he composed some of his best songs and the table and chair where he sat were preserved for a long time. Once the clock at St. Giles tolled midnight, not another bottle would be opened. Dowie would announce, “ Gentlemen, it is past twelve, and time to go home.” This tavern would have been located under the new access to the George IV Bridge. Sir Walter Scott also frequented the tavern with friends.

We walked back over the bridge and past the library then returned to the museum to do another floor, this time seeing many grave slabs, swords, seals, candleholders, a tirling pen from the door of the mint (just looked like a chain with a large link at the bottom), a 17th century “worm” excavated from a castle (see picture—I don’t know what this was. Could it be from a distillery? Water pipe?), a tappit hen (a pewter pitcher so called because of the shape of its lid being like that of a tappit or tufted hen), and a silver and gold backgammon board from the 16th century. I love being greeted at this museum every time I go with the most beautiful lines from the Declaration of Arbroath:

…for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

My favorite thing here though is always the Lewis Chessmen. They are ten chessmen of walrus ivory from the 12th century that were found near Uig, Isle of Lewis, in 1831. Their facial expressions are priceless. I could’ve walked around all day seeing these bits of history, but Ray’s back started giving him trouble and we returned home for lunch. After lunch we took a bus out to the ASDA to do some shopping—found out that the self-catering apartment in Oban doesn’t provide towels—then back home for the day.

Notes:

Funny to pass a gentleman on the street who is talking into his cellphone and arguing with the other person about politics, saying, “Them what’s bean een pow-wuh, they has nuh seens et ahl.”

Lady getting her 2 daughters off the bus. “Come on, “gair-rulls.” (girls)
I thought a haberdashery was a hat shop—nope, it’s a craft shop. I also didn’t know that the Tron kirk is named for the Tron where they used to do the measuring with the weights for the market.

Found a plaque on Chapel Street that said Mrs. Cockburn, who wrote Flowers of the Forest, was buried near it. Alison cockburn was a Scottish poet, wit, and socialtie who collected a circle of eminent friends in the 18th century in Edinburgh, including Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and David Hume.

In 1777, she remarked of a young Walter Scott that he was “the most extraordinary genius of a boy.” She was an indefatigable letter-writer and a composer of parodies, squibs, toasts and "character sketches" , then a favourite form of composition. The "Flowers of the Forest" however is considered the only thing she wrote that possesses lasting literary merit. Sir Walter Scott's mother, and was her intimate friend. Lockhart quotes a letter written by Mrs Cockburn in 1777, describing the conduct of little Walter Scott, then scarcely six years old, during a visit which she paid to his mother, when the child gave as a reason for his liking for Mrs Cockburn that she was a "virtuoso like himself."

Pictures from top: Sir Walter Scott’s childhood home at 25 George Square from 1774-1797; George Watson’s Ladies College; emblem on Mercat cross; St. Giles crown spire; Edinburgh Library.

In and Around the Museum

From top: mid-1500s grave slab; “worm” from Carrick Castle 17th century; crown atop the Crown Office; now a Spoon Bistro but was the Buffet King where J. K. Rowling wrote part of Harry Potter at the corner table upstairs.