Clan Thompson Society formed! - Electric Scotland · Clan Thompson Society formed! Continued on page 2 See article page 17. ... Ritterorden). The mission ful-filled by the Order was

Section B Beth�s Newfangled Family Tree April 2008 Page 1

Volume 2, Number 4 Beth’s Newfangled Family Tree Section B April 2008

We are a group from the US, Canada, Scotlandand Australia having the patronymic surname ofTHOM(P)SON working to have Clan Thom(p)sonrecognize in accordance with the procedures es-tablished by Lyon Court, Edinburgh. All variationsof the Thompson name areincluded, although the mostcommon form, Thompson, isused for simplicity.

Adapted from Clan Rec-ognition and the Derbhfineby J. Duncan of Sketraw:

In order for the Clan Th-ompson Society to have achief and clan officiallyrecognised by The Court ofthe Lord Lyon, Scotlandthere are certain criteria that we need to meet;

a.) Find a Thom(p)son with a proven genea-logical paper chase back to an unknown chief -possibly “Thomson of that Ilk” registered in theWorkman’s Manuscript 1565-66, but he is notlisted in the Ordinary of Arms. This seems a re-mote possibility.

b.) Create a derbhfine, which would be the mostlikely scenario. A Derbhfine is a meeting of 8 ormore Scottish Thompson armigers (a person whohas a Grant of a Coat of Arms) who would in thefirst instance elect a Commander of the Clan. This

Commander after a periodof time would then be con-sidered by the Lord Lyonto be Chief of the Clan.See Lyon Court Guidelinesfor the holding of aderbhfine meeting formore information.

c.) Clan Roll-Call andSociety Membership. The‘Clan Roll-Call’ are thoseThompsons and spelling

variants who support the creation of an indepen-dent clan with their own clan chief. ‘Clan SocietyMembership’ are those members who support theSociety financially, become officers of the Soci-ety, promote the Society Nationally and Interna-tionally and generally work towards the goals laid

The Queen has appointed Mr. W. David H. Sellar,Edinburgh lawyer and historian,

as the new Lord Lyon King of Arms

Clan Thompson Society formed!

Continued on page 2

See article page 17

Page 2 April 2008 Beth�s Newfangled Family Tree Section B

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Clan Thompson, continued from page 1

When a grant, or matriculation, of Arms is ob-tained, ani lluminated parchment, narrating thepedigree as proved, is supplied to the Petitioner,and a duplicate is recorded in the Public Registerof All Arms and Bearings in Scotland.

To petition for a Scottish Coat of Arms you donot need to be domiciled in Scotland but you have tocome under the Court of the Lord Lyon’s jurisdic-tion; please see Acquisition of Grant and Matricula-tion of Scottish Arms for non British Subjects.

The Clan Thompson Society can assist mem-bers with information on the process of petition-ing for a grant of arms, arms design and the neces-sary documentation required for presentation ofthe petition to Lord Lyon King of Arms for his con-sideration. Help in the process can be obtaineddirectly by contacting The Society of ScottishArmigers (North America), The Heraldry Societyof Scotland or contacting the Court of the LordLyon direct by letter or phone.

Australia: [email protected]


Continued from the March 2008 issue

After the crusaders lost at Acre in 1291,the Teutonic Order moved its headquarters to Venice, a long-time ally. In

1309, the Order moved again, this time toMarienburg in Prussia. Here the Order had sub-dued the pagan inhabitants and established a theo-cratic form of government. The position of theknights in the Baltic region had been strengthenedin 1237 when a knightly order in Livonia, theBrothers of the Sword (Schwertbr(der), joined theTeutonic Order. The history ofthe German knights in Prussiaand Livonia is one of almost per-petual revolts, uprisings, raids,conquests, victories, and defeats.Many secular knights from west-ern Europe (e.g., Chaucer’sknight in the Canterbury Tales)would go to the Baltic to help theOrder in “crusading activities”for a season or more. The GrandMaster’s prizes and feasting forespecially heroic knights becamelegendary and reminds one ofvarious aspects of King Arthur’sKnights of the Round Table.

During the fourteenth cen-tury, dozens of towns and about2000 villages were created inPrussia by the Order. The Order was successful intrade. For example, as a Hanseatic League partici-pant, it provided western Europe with some of itscheapest grain. The nations of Poland andLithuania, perennial enemies of the Order, becamestronger and stronger in the late fourteenth andearly fifteenth centuries. In 1410 at Tannenberg,the Order was crushed in a battle against a coali-tion led by these powers. The result was a bank-rupting of the Order and significant reduction inits military and political capabilities. In 1467, thewhole of western Prussia was ceded to Poland and

History of Orders of Chivalry: a SurveyHistory of Orders of Chivalry: a SurveyHistory of Orders of Chivalry: a SurveyHistory of Orders of Chivalry: a SurveyHistory of Orders of Chivalry: a SurveyEd Ries: A presentation to Commandery of Athlit Knights Templars, San Diego, California

the eastern part acknowledged the suzerainty ofthe king of Poland.

Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) Reformation af-fected the Teutonic Order significantly. In 1525,Grand Master Albrecht von Brandenburg convertedto the Lutheran faith. He then was enfoeffed bythe Polish king as Duke of Prussia. As a medieval,crusading entity, the German Order essentiallyended at this time.

In 1526, the Teutonic Order master of the Ger-man lands became the “Administrator of the

Grandmastery in Prussiaand Master in German andRomance Countries.”Mergentheim became themain seat of the Order.There was a great deal ofconfusion in Germany inthe aftermath of the Refor-mation, its resulting wars,and the political changes.The bailiwicks of Saxony,Messe, and Th(ringia be-came Protestant until Na-poleonic times. The officeof Landkomtur alternatedamong Lutheran, Re-formed, and Catholic lead-ers in the sixteenth andseventeenth centuries. The

bailiwick of Utrecht was Calvinist until moderntimes. A new rule was adopted in 1606 in an at-tempt to accommodate the changes in the Order.

In European affairs, from time to time, theOrder still participated militarily. Some 1000troops were raised to help the Austrians againstthe Turks. After 1696, there was a regiment of the“Grand and German Master.” But the numbers andwealth of the Order dwindled. Little other mili-tary activity is recorded.

Continued on page 6


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As the anticlerical French government ex-panded its political control in the 1790’s, the Or-der lost its commanderies in Belgium and thosewest of the Rhine (1797). Many east of the Rhinewere lost in 1805. In 1809, Napoleon dissolvedthe Order in all countries under his dominion, leav-ing only the properties in the Austrian Empire.Even in Austria, the Order had to exist secretly fora number of years until 1839 when Austrian Em-peror Ferdinand I reconstituted the Order as theOrder of the Teutonic Knights (DeutscherRitterorden). The mission ful-filled by the Order was mainlythe caring for wounded sol-diers. In 1866, the “HonorableKnights of the Teutonic Order”was founded. Knights wererequired to provide annualcontributions for hospitals.The Marianer des DeutschenOrdens, for women, was cre-ated in 1871. In 1914, some1,500 sponsors from the Aus-trian nobility supported thecaregiving efforts of the Order.During World War I, the Or-der took care of about 3,000wounded soldiers in their fa-cilities.

In 1923, masters of theOrder were allowed to comefrom among the clerics ratherthan the “knighthood” for the first time. UnderNational Socialist rule, the Order was dissolved inAustria in 1938 and Czechoslovakia in 1939. Theleaders of the Third Reich abused the history ofthe Teutonic Order. After World War II, the Orderbegan anew in Germany. Its possessions in Aus-tria were returned. In Italy, the Order had changedlittle. A great deal of support for the caretakingand missionary Order has been found in Germany,Austria, Italy, Belgium, and even in North andCentral America. The Order’s headquarters, trea-sury, and archives are now located in Vienna, Aus-tria.

Spanish Military OrdersThe crusade to drive the Moors from Spain,

four hundred years of almost constant warfare in-terspersed with skirmishes and short periods ofarmed peace, was not only the longest of all Euro-pean wars but the only crusade to achieve its ob-jective. The role played by the knights of the mili-tary orders was a crucial one; their monastic struc-ture, harsh discipline and devotion of the knightsto the cause of liberating their nation from the in-

vader gave them anunmatched strengthof purpose. By grant-ing key strategic for-tresses to the knights,the Iberian Kings ofCastille, Aragón,León and Portugalwere able to establishborder outposts innewly conquered ter-ritories whose bound-aries were continuallypushing back areascontrolled by theMoors. With successof the Reconquistaand the expulion ofthe Moors, the fourOrders lost their inde-pendence from secu-

lar authorities when they were put under “perpetualadministration” of the Spanish Crown. They thenfound a new role as an elite corps of the nobility,maintaining their castles and estates ascommanderies to provide incomes for those whodistinguished themselves in the service of theMonarch. With the loss of their estates in the nine-teenth century, their role became purely honoraryand the Republic attempted to suppress them en-tirely, although this was contrary to Canon Lawunder which they were regulated as Religious-Military Orders founded by Papal Bull. Restored

Ed Ries, continued from page 3

Continued on page 7


under the present monarchy, they are maintainedas exclusively Catholic, Noble orders dependenton the Crown.

They had their origin in the small, local mili-tary confraternities founded for self-protection bymembers of the knightly class. The Moors hadconquered almost all of the Iberian peninsularwithin five years of invading in the year 711 AD.Christians, advancing gradually southwards, for-tifying small towns in which they settled, steadilyregained their lost territo-ries. By the end of theeleventh century northernSpain was divided smallstates, León, Castille,Navarre, Aragón, Galiciaand Portugal, frequentlyat odds with each otherbut united by their reli-gion and continual con-cern over a revived threatfrom Moorish states to thesouth.

Although the Moorswere relatively tolerant ofreligious minorities livingwithin their dominions,indeed there was consid-erable intermarriage be-tween the different com-munities, Christian, Jew-ish and Moor, they sawexpanding Christian communities on their bordersas ready victims for plunder. The Moorish King-dom based at Córdoba was divided by factional-ism and its break-up into smaller taifas (city states)gave the Christian confraternities their chance toconsolidate power and firmly establish themselvesin the territories they had captured during two cen-turies of protracted struggle. By the end of the elev-enth century, the Christian Kingdoms enjoyed anuneasy truce with the Moors, interspersed withhostilities, but this was disrupted by the appear-ance of a fanatic Berber sect, the Almohads, in theearly twelfth century.

The Almohads, led by Abd al-Moumin, invadedAndalucia in 1147, uniting the Moorish principali-ties under their rule and menacing the Christianstates. Spanish Christians were forced to put asidetheir internal conflicts and, with help of theTemplars, who had established themselves in anumber of border fortresses, united to defeat thisnew threat to their security. The example of theTemplars, a highly disciplined military confrater-nity dedicated exclusively to the defense of the

Church, proved to be themodel that would be fol-lowed by Spanish Orders.Some of the original de-fensive fraternities formedin the outlying towns pro-vided the nucleus for theOrders of Chivalry, whileothers, more modest, laterbecame Maestranzas orNoble Associations, someof which survived to thepresent day. The Templarsthemselves were ingradual retreat in Spain asthe local magnates pre-ferred to endow the newlyformer military Ordersrather than further add tothe strength of the threat-eningly powerful TemplarOrder.

The first Order to be founded, but second toreceive Papal approval, was the Order of Calatrava.The earlier recognition, however, granted to theOrder of Santiago by the Holy See, gave the latterprecedence before the other three. Santiago wasalso far more extensively endowed than the otherOrders. Once the mission of driving the Moorsfrom Spain was accomplished, the four Orders, likethe great crusader Orders elsewhere in Europe,were perceived as over-mighty subjects and it be-came a priority for the Crown to gain control overthem - particularly as the not infrequent quarrels


Continued on page 7 Continued on page 14


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Celebrate Tartan Day with Seaside crew!The Seaside Highland Games, in cooperation

with the St. Andrew’s Society of Los Angeles andCalifornia State University Northridge (CSUN), issponsoring an amazing Tartan Day Exhibit in theUniversity’s Oviatt Library. You may view the

Exhibit any time between now and April 7 whenthe display will be struck.

Friday, April 4, there will be a fine Tartan Day

Show and Program on the Quad in front of the Li-brary. University and community leaders will bethere and Seaside Athletes will put on demonstra-tions of Scottish Heavy Athletics and the GranadaHills High School Highlander Marching Band willperform! And...a surprise guest has been invited!!

Then, around 12:30 pm, you are invited to at-tend a great Buffet Luncheon in the UniversityClub’s “Orange Grove Bistro” at the amazingly lowprice of $10. Just come and pay at the door (beer& wine are available for an extra charge).

For those who, for various “employment” andscheduling reasons cannot attend on Friday, youmay wish to attend a Tartan Day Dinner on Sun-day, April 6, Tartan Day DAY at the Tam O’ShanterInn! This event is being planned by PatriciaTennyson Bell and is already quite well attendedBUT she assures us that a few places are availableand need to be filled! If you are at all interested inthis dinner, please RSVP me ASAP so reservationscan be confirmed. This is a must!

CSUN—don’t call, just COME! Tam Dinner,please CALL and COME!

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between the rival bodies was a source of dissen-sion at a time when the Crown was struggling toestablish its central authority.

The Spanish Kings frequently obtained elec-tion of close connections of their families as Mas-ters of the Orders and at Calatrava in 1489,Santiago in 1494 and Alcántara in 1495 the ad-ministration of the three Magisteries were ulti-mately granted to King Ferdinand of Aragón, asSovereign of Aragón and King-Consort of Castille.Finally, by the Bull Dum intra of Pope Adrian VIdated 4 May 1523, the ‘perpetual administration’of the three Orders was transferred to Charles I(Holy Roman Emperor Charles V), King of Spain,and his heirs and successors, with the provisionthat this dignity could be exercised by a future fe-male Sovereign.

The much smaller Order of Montesa was notperceived as such a threat as the other three and itwas not until a Bull of Sixtus V, of 15 March 1587,that its perpetual administration was eventuallytransferred to the Crown of Aragón. By a furtherBull of 22 May 1739 (at the request of Philip V)its council was united with that of the other threeOrders. The Orders were administered by a ‘Coun-cil and Tribunal’ appointed in 1523, but each ofthe four retained their independent structure, their


We’ll finish this article in the May 2008 issue.

own statutes, and requirements for noble proofsand ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The exemption fromthe control of local ordinaries was preserved in theBull of 1523 and in subsequent Papal dispositionsconcerning the four Orders, until the first SpanishRepublic. By the mid-sixteenth century the Tribu-nal had authority over two cities, two hundred andtwenty small towns and seventy-five villages.Membership of the Council included the Secre-tary of the Orders, the Treasurer of the Orders(Contador Mayor), the Grand-Usher, three (laterfour with Montesa) Procurator-Generals, three(later four) fiscals (who inspected noble proofs)and a Treasurer of the Council. The lesser officersof each of the Orders, lawyers, etc were not mem-bers of the Council.

The ScoThe ScoThe ScoThe ScoThe Scottish Wttish Wttish Wttish Wttish Weaeaeaeaeavvvvvererererer



Tourist? Traveler?Touron?Marti Van Horne, Scots Travel Specialist

As most of you know by now, there will be thelargest ever clan gathering in Scotland next year;Homecoming 2009.

Since millions of people from all over the worldare of Scottish heritage this is the time to plan togo home to Scotland. While some clans haveyearly gatherings in Scotland many more will or-ganize trips or tours in 2009.

Clan is Gaelic for children and although Tho-mas Wolfe said “You Can’t Go Home Again” Isuspect many of us Scottish kids will prove himwrong.

If your clan is not planning a trip and you wouldlike to travel on your own, look no further than<www.ancestralscotland.com>.

Once you are into the site, you can search for aclan or surname, find maps and even several dayitineraries of places of special interest to your fam-ily. There are also links to obtain more informa-tion such as burial information, archives, localstudy libraries and parish listings.

In some of the smaller towns you will need tocheck and make sure of the hours of operation orset up an appointment, if necessary, as many ofthe local centers are manned by volunteers or onlyopen on a limited basis.

Speak to your relatives and do as much researchas you can before leaving home and take a note-book with a list of questions about the areas and

people you would like to know more about. Thereare 14 areas listed in ancestralscotland, so, afteryou have determined how long you wish to stay inyour “home” area you will also want to plan whatelse you wish to see while you are in Scotland or,if you are Scots-Irish, maybe a trip to NorthernIreland.

I have been in the travel business over 40 yearsand have been lucky enough to visit many areas ofthe world. Some places I visit once, some twicebut nothing prepared me for the pull to keep re-turning to Scotland so many times after my firstvisit.

The other places I’ve returned to several timesare England and France. I was not surprised tofind my Lindsay/Lindsey Scots came fromNormandy in France and then England before go-ing to Scotland. They settled in the Kingdom ofFife.

Visiting Edzell Castle and looking at grave-stones of long gone Lindsays gave me link to thepast I’ll never forget.

Since a Touron is a cross between a tourist anda moron we sincerely hope they are not a memberof our Clan.

How could we NOT want to go back?


Marti Van Horne, Scots Travel Specialist

Solicitor chosenfor historic Kingof Arms post

Stewart Patterson March 08 2008A solicitor from Edinburgh has been appointed

the Lord Lyon, King of Arms.By taking up the historic office which dates

back to the 14th century, David Sellar will be re-sponsible for heraldry and geneology in Scotland.

The first recorded Lord Lyon was appointedby Robert the Bruce in 1318, but it is thought thetitle goes back even further.

Mr Sellar, 67, succeeds Robin Blair with a sal-ary of between £56,000 and £78,500 for the three-day-a-week post.

An honorary fellow of the Faculty of Law atEdinburgh University, Mr Sellar is a graduate ofboth Oxford and Edinburgh universities with quali-fications in law and history.

During his legal career he has written on thehistory of various branches of Scots law, includ-ing marriage, divorce, incest, homicide and unjustenrichment. He has written work on the Lordshipof the Isles and on the origins of many Highlandfamilies, including the Campbells, MacDonalds,MacDougalls, MacLeods, Lamonts, MacNeills andNicolsons.

The Lord Lyon office also incorporates the an-cient Celtic office of the High Sennachie whose

was responsibile for verifying the genealogy of theKing of Scotland and for crowning the King at hiscoronation.

The Lord Lyon is responsible for coats of armsand flags and anyone wishing to use a coat of armsmust apply to that office for permission. Last monthThe Herald reported how American billionaireDonald Trump faced possible prosecution for us-ing a coat of arms which had not been approvedby the Lord Lyon.

Reproduced with the permission of The Her-ald, Glasgow, from their March 8, 2008 article. ©2008 Herald & Times Group. Please visit http://www.herald.co.uk to see The Herald online

The Lord Lyon’s official Coat-of-Arms

www.herald.co.uk

Clan Cunningham,Loch Norman 2007


It is well-known in theOrkney Is-lands thatWashingtonIrving’s fa-ther was anOrcadian. Infact, it is hardto see howAmerican lit-e r a t u r e

would have got on without us, as Herman Melville,Robert Frost and James Russell Lowell also haveOrcadian ancestry.

I run a website in Orkney,www.BuyOrkney.com that includes biographiesand interesting little bits and pieces so I decidedto use the internet to look for some solid facts toback up my father’s story that Herman Melville’sancestor came from Orkney and that a square inBoston was named after him. The power of thesearch engines enabled me to put together an in-teresting story in a way that would have been im-possible only a few years ago.

The Scollay family, descendants of MalcolmScollay and Barbara Elphinstone in the little is-land of Stronsay, had already been in America fora hundred years before the Revolution began, so itis no surprise they were firmly on the Americanside. John Scollay, who had been born in Bostonin 1711 was a prominent citizen and a merchantwealthy enough to commission portraits of him-self and his wife, Mercy Greenleaf, by the bestknown colonial artist, John Singleton-Copley. Hisportrait is in the Pennsylvania Academy of the FineArts and his wife’s is at Harvard University.

John became a Selectman of Boston in 1764and was elected Chairman in 1774 and remainedin that position until his death in 1790, coveringthe entire period of the Revolution.

In 1761 Scollay was one of 50 signatories ofthe petition to George III protesting about the ille-gal actions of British revenue officers and he be-

came a member of the Sons of Liberty, theorganisation founded by Samuel Adams to opposethe Stamp Act of 1765. He was a close friend ofAdams and several letters Adams wrote to him havebeen preserved. One letter, written from the firstContinental Congress, in April 1776, is held by theUS Library of Congress and in the catalogueScollay is described as a brazier and merchant,political ally of Samuel Adams and perennial Se-lectman.

John Scollay was prominent in the meetingsthat led up to the Boston Tea Party and one of theIndians, Thomas Melville, was married to Scollay’sdaughter Priscilla. They were the great-grandpar-ents of Herman Melville.

When General Howe, Commander-in-Chief ofthe British Forces was making preparations toevacuate his forces from Boston in March 1776,

the people were concerned for the town. A deputa-tion went to Howe and asked that he spare Boston,in return for being allowed to leave without a fight.John Scollay was the first of the four “influentialBoston citizens” who signed the communicationto the American army, telling them of this.

Dr Joseph Warren, President of the ProvincialCongress and credited with holding the army to-gether between Lexington and the Battle of Bun-ker Hill, where he was killed, was a widower and

Orkadians in America...

Continued on page 19

John Scollay Pat Long, Orkney, Scotland

Scollay Square

John Scollay


father of four. When he died, he was engaged toJohn Scollay’s daughter Mercy. The Scollays tookin the three youngest orphans until their unclemarried and adopted them two years later.

When my father told me that there was a squarein Boston named after Herman Melville’s Orcadianancestor, I pictured something tree-lined andgeteel; the reality is entertainingly different.

John Scollay’s son William went to Harvard,became an apothecary and, like his father, a promi-nent citizen. He served as a se-lectman and a fire-ward and,in 1792, he was elected a colo-nel in the Boston Militia regi-ment and when Paul Reverebecame Grand Master of theMassachusetts Grand Lodge ofFreemasons he appointedScollay as his deputy. They,with Samuel Adams, who wasthen the Governor of Massa-chusetts, laid the cornerstoneof the Boston State House in1795.

Scollay is best remem-bered as a property developer.He and his friend andneighbour, the famous archi-tect Charles Bullfinch, were part of a small groupwho built Tontine Crescent. Although now demol-ished, this was the first block of brick buildings inBoston.

In 1795, Scollay bought a two-storey brickbuilding on the intersection of Court Street andTremont Street in Boston and called it Scollay’sBuilding. It’s location between Beacon Hill, thedocks and down-town Boston meant it became atransfer-point for commuters and the conducterscame to refer to the stop as Scollay’s. This namecame to refer to the whole square and it was madeofficial in 1838.

The Square began as a dignified place, hous-ing the businesses whose owners could afford tolive on nearby Beacon Hill. In the giant ballroomof the Lorenzo Papanti Dance Academy, the waltz

was first danced in America and Charles Dickensappeared in 1842. As the Irish moved into Bostonand the trolley-car made the population more mo-bile, Scollay Square became a shopping centre

In David Kruh’s excellent book, “AlwaysSomething Doing – A History of Boston’s InfamousScollay Square” he describes the turn of the cen-tury as the Square’s era of giant tea kettles, mobilestatues, abolitionists, cavalry charges, and three ofthe country’s greatest contributors to modern elec-

tronics.”In a workshop on the

square Thomas Edison pro-duced his first patented in-vention and Alexander Gra-ham Bell and ThomasWatson first heard thesound of a human voicethrough a telephone. In1831 William Lloyd Garri-son began to publish an abo-litionist newspaper inScollay Square. He wastwice dragged out of his of-fice and tarred and feath-ered but he carried on. Itwas in his offices thatHarriet Beecher Stowe

wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Julia Ward Howebegan The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The of-fice was also an important link in the Undergroundrailway that ferried runaway slaves to the north.

The giant brass tea-kettle was a famous land-mark that hung outside the Oriental Tea Companyin Scollay Square. In 1875 a competition was runto guess at the kettle’s capacity and more than12,000 people entered. The large crowd that gath-ered to watch the measuring were entertained tosee eight boys and a tall man wearing a top hatclimb out of the kettle before officials poured 227gallons, 2 quarts, 1 pint and three gills of waterinto it. The kettle has moved several times, as build-ings were demolished from beneath it, but stillhangs outside the Steaming Kettle coffee shop.


John Scollay Pat Long, Orkney, Scotland


John Scollay, continued from page 18


On 9 September 1919, the Boston police forcewent on strike, after nineteen policemen were sus-pended for joining a union. After two days of riot-ing and looting, centered on Scollay Square, themayor made up a police force that included theState Cavalry. That evening, about ten thousandpeople were in Scollay Square, some watching butmany rioting and looting again. The First Troop ofCavalry broke this up by charging through thesquare.

The most famous building in Scollay Squarewas The Old Howard. An Adventist minister, Wil-liam Miller made careful calculations from theScriptures and decided that the Day of Judgementwould arrive on 23 April 1843. His followers builta large tabernacle on Howard Street in ScollaySquare in which to await the event. “On the ap-pointed day many Bostonians calmly picnicked onthe Common, watching for the ascension of thewhite-robed Millerites, whom they figured wouldfirst have to crash through the tabernacle’s roof.”(David Kruh) When nothing happened, Miller didsome re-calculations and announced a new date,18 October 1847 but his followers decided not towait and attempted to get back some of the moneythey’d given away by renting the tabernacle to atheatre company. It opened in 1845 as the HowardAtheneum and was a famous Boston institutionuntil it burnt down in 1961.

In its first incarnation, the theatre staged clas-sical plays, ballets and operas but by 1868 horseswere being ridden on-stage in the Buffalo Bill Codyshow. As a variety theatre, it was an early venuefor many well-known American performers – PhilSilvers, Sammy Davis Jnr, Abbot and Costello andthe Marx Brothers. As the years went on chorusgirls gave way to strip-tease.

The Old Howard was just one of the many at-tractions for sailors in Scollay Square and theSquare’s heyday was during World War II, whenmany ships came into the Charlestown Navy Yardfor repairs and supplies. The fame of its restau-

rants, bars, theatres and tattoo parlours meant thatBostonians fighting overseas would be asked bysailors how to get to Scollay Square. David Kruhquotes the reminiscence of one young sailor, “Thenext thing I remember I’m back in my bunk onboard with this searing pain on my buttocks! …Ididn’t know if I was cut up or what. So I turned toa bunkmate of mine and asked him, “Am I bleed-ing?” “No,” he says, “but you’ve got a tattoo of apink elephant on your left cheek!” And it’s beenthere ever since, my small reminder of ScollaySquare.”

The best known performer in Scollay Squaredidn’t appear at the Old Howard but at the night-club in the Crawford House hotel. Sally Keith, the“Queen of the Tassels” performed from the late1930s to the early 1950s. Her fame arose frombeing able to twirl her tassels in opposite direc-tions. A professor at Harvard University took hisfirst year medical students to see her act and thengave them a test on which muscles she used. Sallyoffered a pair of her tassels to a Boston churchthat was holding a fund-raising auction but theyhad to regretfully decline the offer. The tasselswould probably have raised more money than allthe other items together and the priest didn’t wantto try to explain to the diocese how he had raisedthe money.

In 1951, an article in the Harvard newsletter,The Crimson, after describing the delights ofScollay Square, said, “Scollay Square was namedafter Colonel William Scollay, class of 1804. Hisfamily was one of the first in the city commer-cially, socially and civically. The Scollays were adignified and staid family, but are now extinct inBoston. It is just as well.”

Scollay Square was demolished in 1962, tomake way for the Government Centre but it wasremembered with such affection that a campaignresulted in City Plaza being renamed ScollaySquare in April 1987.

Regard, Pat Long

www.BuyOrkney.com

John Scollay, continued from page 19


Knights of Malta elect EnglishmanIn an unprecedented move an Englishman has

been elected for the second time running as GrandMaster of the Knights of Malta, the Roman Catho-lic order which traces its origins to the Crusadesnearly a thousand years ago.

Fra Matthew Festing OBE, 58, an art expertand former army officer who leads the order inBritain as Grand Prior and is regarded as a for-ward looking reformer, was chosen today. The se-cret ballot took place today at a papal-style con-clave in the Knights’ secluded headquarters on theAventine Hill in Rome.

The Knight’s inner coun-cil, dressed in black robesembroidered with a whiteeight-pointed cross electedthe new leader of the orderof the Sovereign MilitaryHospitaller Order of St Johnof Jerusalem of Rhodes andof Malta, as the Knights arealso known. The 79th GrandMaster, with the title “HisMost Eminent Highness”,takes over an organisation which is noted for itshumanitarian work in conflict zones.

The order is also fighting a campaign to dispelthe “myth” that it is rich, powerful and secretive.The election took only a few hours, seen as a signof unanimity over reported plans to make the or-der more “open and transparent” and better knownglobally for its charitable and medical relief op-erations in 120 countries.

Grand Masters, like Popes, are elected for life.The move was announced after it had been ap-proved by Pope Benedict XVI. It comes a monthafter the death of Fra’ Andrew Bertie, a formerschoolmaster and descendant of the Stuart dynastywho was the first Englishman to lead the order andserved as its Grand Master for nearly 20 years.

Under his leadership the order - which has thestatus of sovereign state, with its own passportsand stamps - expanded its diplomatic relationsfrom 49 to 100 countries. The order has 12,500

Richard Owen of The Times in Romefull members, of whom only 50 are “professedknights” who take monk-like vows of poverty, obe-dience and chastity.

The order said that the new Grand Master “af-firms his resolve to continue the great work car-ried out by his predecessor”. It added: “Fra’ Mat-thew comes with a wide range of experience inOrder affairs. He has been the Grand Prior of En-gland since the Priory’s re-establishment in 1993,restored after an abeyance of 450 years. In thiscapacity, he has led missions of humanitarian aid

to Kosovo, Serbia andCroatia after the recentdisturbances in thosecountries, and with a largedelegation from Britain heattends the Order’s annualpilgrimage to Lourdeswith handicapped pil-grims.”

He was educated atAmpleforth and St John’sCollege Cambridge,where he read history. As

a child he lived in Egypt and Singapore, where hisfather, Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, Chief of


Flag of the Knights of Malta

the Imperial General Staff, was posted. He is alsodescended from Sir Adrian Fortescue, a Knight ofMalta martyred in 1539.

Frà Matthew served in the Grenadier Guardsand holds the rank of colonel in the TerritorialArmy. He was appointed OBE by the Queen andserved as Deputy Lieutenant in Northumberland.He joined the order in 1977, taking solemn reli-gious vows in 1991.

A spokeswoman for the order said he was notedfor his “very British sense of humour” as well ashis passion for the decorative arts andencyclopaedic knowledge of the history of theOrder.

Fra Matthew has promoted the teaching ofChristianity in schools, observing that “We liveduring a strange period in history when children


are taught “Comparative Religion” and leaveschool believing it does not matter what religionyou profess .....No wonder many young people areastonished that anyone couldpossibly have been prepared tosuffer and die for the faith”.

At one time the order, whichis predominantly male, wasdrawn from European aristocraticfamilies. This has led conspiracytheorists to paint it as a rich andpowerful cabal given to arcanerituals.

However Albrecht vonBoeselager, the GrandHospitaller in charge of theorder’s humanitarian arm, saidthis was “completely untrue”.Charges that the order was con-ducting a secret “New Crusade”in Muslim countries and had sent mercenaries tofight in Iraq or Afghanistan were also “absolutelywithout foundation”.

He added: “This kind of talk endangers our vol-unteers in the Muslim world. In Bethlehem we havea maternity hospital which delivers 3000 babies year,80% of them Musulim. We are Catholic but neu-tral”.

Winfried Henckel von Donnersmarck, a mem-ber of the order’s Sovereign Council, said the or-

der had 80,000 volunteers and spent £500 milliona year helping the world’s poor. “The only mys-tery is one of history. Any organisation is going to

have mysteries if it has a thou-sand years of history behind it“ he said.

He said women played agrowing role, with NoreenFalcone recently becoming thefirst woman head of the order’snational association in the US.

On its website the order’s Brit-ish chapter notes that there wereEnglish knights from the time ofthe First Crusade, with two prio-ries established in the twelfth cen-tury , one for England, Wales andScotland, and another for Ireland.The Grand Priory of England “re-ceived a great accession of wealth

and property when the Templars were suppressed in1312.”

The order was disolved by Henry VIII in 1540,when several prominent Knights of Malta were ex-ecuted. The Grand Priory’s ecclesiastical seat isthe Church of St. John of Jerusalem in St. John’sWood in London. It is separate from the Most Ven-erable Order of St. John of Jerusalem in the Brit-ish Realm, founded in 1888, but the two bodiessigned a co-operation agreement in 1963.

Knights of Malta, continued from page 21

Crest of the Knights of Malta

See Pat Long’s column on Orkney/USA connections on page 18!

Read more about Orkney’s connections with the USA at

www.BuyOrkney.comOn-line shopping, guide book, webcams and more from

the Orkney Islands!


The Southern Genealogist’s Exchange Society(Jacksonville, Florida) meeting is Saturday, April12, 2008 at 10:15 AM. The meeting will be heldat the Mandarin Regional Library, 3330 Kori Roadin the Community Meeting Room.

Our speaker will be Sarah Quintin from QuintinPublishing Co. The topic will be “Publishing YourWritings”.

SGES, Jax sets April meetingThis is a follow up to our March Meeting of

“Bringing Your Ancestors to Life” writing work-shop. Ms. Quintin will present information oncopyrights and tips on publishing. Our meetingsare free and open to the public. Additional infor-mation, call (904) 778-1000 Nela Eberhardy, SGES, 904 487-6588,P u b l i c i t y @ s g e s . c o m

The Arizona Games are now in Phoenix!Check their website for February 2009 information..

www.arizonascots.com/

Page 24 April 2008 Beth�s Newfangled Family Tree Section B?

Clan Wallace International Gathering set for next September11-30 at Estes Park, Colorado Long’s Peak Scottish/Irish Festival

Clan Wallace asks that you mark your calen-dars now and plan to attend the 2009 Clan WallaceInternational Gathering to be held in Estes Park,

Colorado September 11 - 13 in conjunction withthe 33rd Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Highland Fes-tival.

Clan Wallace has been chosen as one of the

Honored Clans for the 2009 festival.Over 75,000 are expected to attend the event,

one of the largest in the United States. Over fiftyactivities run throughout the weekend, includinga US/International Jousting Competition, Amateurand Professional Scottish Athletic Championships,Evening Tattoo’s with pipe bands from around thecountry performing. There will be dancers, food,clan exhibitions, dog competitions, 100+ Celticimporters and crafters, nightly concerts and more.

Please visit http://www.scotsfest.com for com-plete information on the Long’s Peak Scottish/IrishHighland Festival.

If you’d like to attend the Wallace event, andwould like to have information on the InternationalGathering, please send your full name, access, ages- if youth, phone numbers, email address and anonrefundable payment of $10 per person. Mailto Lisa Donant, CWSW Treasurer, 7454 Plum RoseCourt, Mechanicsville, VA 23111.

Persons who respond will be placed on a Pri-ority List for the Gathering and provided with allrequired information for attendance to be mailedearly next year. If you have questions, please [email protected]

Sir William Wallace

I have a group of individuals and families that I am researching, notall related. I have found some of the women widowed and owning landin their own names. Much of this information comes from 1820-1840census documents for Lincoln Co., TN. They made a move from SurryCo., NC to Lincoln Co., TN just prior to 1820. I found something inter-esting on the census for 1820. On three pages there are listed 12Widows as head of household with no men in the household of an ageto be a husband. Some of them are listed next to families of the samename. It seems a little strange to have so many husbandless familiesin the same area. What was going on in history during this time framethat could explain such an occurrence? How about women owning landin their names? Isn’t that odd for the time? Why would this be allowed?

Reply <[email protected]> please.

A mystery for TN & NC history buffs...


You’re invited toTartan Dayfestivities in NYC

New York’s Tartan Day festivities don’t endwith the parade on Saturday. We hope you can joinus on Sunday, April 6 for Tartan Day on Ellis Is-land.

Ellis Island will again play host to a broad rangeof outstanding performers who will presentScotland’s “portable culture” – the music, dance,and folk tales that were brought to this country byScottish immigrants.

The growing roster of performers include, TheNew York Celtic Dancers, Grammy Award-win-ning fiddler, Lisa Gutkin, “Pipes of Christmas”favorites Susie Petrov (accordion) and ChristopherLayer (uilleann pipes) of Local Hero, and the St.Ann’s of Hampton (NJ) Pipe Band.

In addition, several Scottish-themed films willbe screened in the Ellis Island Theater. Titles in-clude, “A New Way to a New World” from thecritically-acclaimed “Island Tapes” program,“Scotland: The Pride and the Passion” fromVisitScotland, “The Gathering 2009” which out-lines theupcoming international clan gathering inEdinburgh and Clan Currie’s award-winning docu-mentary, “The Crafter’s Song.”

Program runs from 10AM to 4PM. Admissionis free-of-charge for all events.

For further information on Tartan Day on EllisIsland, visit www.clancurrie.com

For complete ferry schedules from Battery Park(NY) and Jersey City (NJ), visitwww.circlelinedowntown.com. There is a fee forferry service. NOTE: Lines get quite long for theferry from NYC early in the day.

For a complete listing of New York Tartan Weekactivities, including Tartan Day in the British Me-morial Garden, Whisky Live, the Kirking of theTartans, the St. Andrew’s Society Reception andTartan Ball and the NY Tartan Day Parade, visit

www.tartanweek.comTartan Day on Ellis Island is presented annu-

ally by the Clan Currie Society - producers of “ThePipes of Christmas” concert which returns toNew York on Sunday, December 21, 2008.

Important Reminder - wearing the kilt or tar-tan is strongly encouraged but sgian dubhs, dirksand other ornamental weaponry is not permittedand will be confiscated by security screeners andNOT returned. Bands - Please contact us in ad-vance if you would like to bring pipes and drumswith you. Ellis Island is a terrific spot to play withthe NY City skyline as your backdrop!

Please share this announcement with yourfriends and colleagues. Robert Currie, FSA Scot,Chairman Tartan Day on Ellis Island.


Flowers of the ForestSherwin J. “Shevie” Kader, died last sum-

mer at the age of 72. He was the husband ofPriscilla “Pete” Kucik and father of Dana (Alan)Robb, Rona (Gary) Wolfe, Judy (Bruce) Brennerand Jacob (Sarah) Kader. He was also survived bynumerous grandchildren.

The Clan MacLeod newsletter says that Sheviewas probably one of the world’s longest-livingheart transplant recipients.

He attended Washington High School in Milwaukee.He was an outspoken advocate of the State of

Israel and served in the Israeli Border Guard andworked at several kibbutzim.

In Milwaukee, Shevie worked at A.O. Smith fornearly 20 years. He was a founding member of Con-cerned Jewish Citizens in Milwaukee and was amember of Clan MacLeod, founding member of theRobert Burns Club, 32nd degree Mason and was amember of the Society for Creative Anachronism.

He taught fencing, was a winemaker and en-joyed building model ships. He loved to tell a goodstory and knew thousands of jokes.

Please let us know if you have Flowers of the Forest for publication.Just email - and enclose a color photograph in jpeg format if you wish [email protected]

Deadlines are always the 15th of the month preceding publication.


Flowers of the Forest The N. Joann MacKinnon OsborneScholarship Award applications nowaccepted for July 2008 awards

Applications for the N. Joann MacKinnonOsborne Scholarship Award will be sent to mem-bers of the Clan MacKinnon Society along withtheir membership renewal notices. Members willhave until July 1, 2008 to return the applications.

The purpose of this award is to further Scot-tish heritage for future generations by supportingstudents of the Scottish/Celtic arts of piping, sing-ing, dancing, fiddling and Highland athletics. Theaward is to be used for the tuition, equipment andfees involved with competing.

Each year the Clan MacKinnon Society will awardfor up to two scholarships in the amount of $250 each.

The winners will be notified by phone or emailand their names, along with photographs, will bepublished in the winter issue of The Shank Bone.

If you would like information on membershipin Clan MacKinnon or the scholarships, please con-tact [email protected]

The scholarships are in honor of the founderof the Clan MacKinnon - N. Joann MacKinnonOsborne.

I cherished my friendship with Joann andOzzie. I still have a little sparkledy American flag

Clan MacKinnon tartan.

pin that Joann gave me and think of her each timeI wear it. Joann and Ozzie both worked so hard toensure that the Scottish family of MacKinnon wasrepresented at Highland Games. They were dearand special folks. I miss them both. Your ed.

“Glenfiddich” means what?One of the rivers in the Speyside region of the

Scottish Highlands is on the River Riddich.Glenfiddich Distillery is located in one of the glensof that river.

“Glenfiddich” is Scots Gaelic, meaning “valleyof the deer (or stag)”.

In case you’re also wondering...that’s also whythere is a beautiful stag as part of the Glenfiddichwhisky logo and label.

With thanks to my friend, Ray Pearson.


July 10 - 13, 2008MacRae Meadows, Linville, NC

Thursday, July 10th

Picnic, Torchlight Ceremony & Sheep Herding4:30 PM Picnic -Food concessions are available at MacRae

Meadows or you can bring your own. Scottish Entertainment Traditional Celtic Music. Performers to be announcedSheep Herding: Sheep Herding with Border Collies on the

field.7 PM The Bear: Assault on Grandfather This five-mile

footrace climbs 1,568 feet in elevation from the town of Linville tothe summit of Grandfather mountain. Over 800 runners will startup the Old Yonahlossee Road from Linville at 7 PM, circle theHighland Games track around 7:15, and head up the GrandfatherMountain summit road

More Sheep HerdingTorchlight Cermony:Opening ceremony announcing each participating Clan’s

arrival to the GamesFriday, July 11th8 AM The Grizzly Bike Race9 AM MacRae Meadows Opens: Preliminary athletic

competition, sheep herding, music/dancing exhibitions. CelticGroves will be open and other activities will highlight the day.

Opening Ceremonies• Highland Wrestling Clinic for children

• Children’s Tent and Field Activities

• Harp Workshop

• Sheep Herding

• History & Genealogy Studies at Clan Tents

• Highland Dancing Pre-Championship

• Lochaber Trump Competition in the Harp and Fiddling Tent

3:00 PM Day events completed, preparation begins for CelticJam

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Presents: 7 - 11 PM Celtic Music Jam Concert tracing the evolution ofCeltic Music from the ancient to the contemporary at MacRaeMeadows.

8 - 10 PM Ceilidh Family gathering of Scottish folk music, song and dance.

Hayes Auditorium at Lees-McRae College. $10 adults/$5 children12 & under (Tickets sold only at the door).

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games presents 8:00 PM - 12 AM Scottish Country Dance Gala Williams Gymnasium at Lees-McRae College. $20 dancers / $3spectators. (Tickets sold only at the door).

Saturday, July 12th7:00 AM Mountain Marathon begins in Boone, NC. Runners

will arrive at Games track around 9:30 AM. Among the moststrenuous marathons in the nation.

7:30 AM MacRae Meadows Opens• Amateur Heavy Athletic Qualifying Begins

• Competition begins for Highland Dancing AtlanticInternational Championship, piping, drumming, Scottish athleticevents, track & field events, Scottish country dancing, Scottishfiddling, and Scottish harp.

• Children’s Highland Wrestling Competition

• Sheep Herding

• Massed Bands on track

• Opening Ceremonies

• History & Genealogy Studies at Clan Tent

• Children’s Tent Activities Continued on page 29


• Celtic Grove Music

• Highland Wrestling

• Harp Competitions

• Pre-Premier Highland Dance Competition

• Scottish Fiddling Workshop & Jam Session Grandfather Mountain Highland Games presents:7:00 - 8:30 Piping ConcertTrillium Room, Broyhill Inn & Conference Center, Boone. $10 ( Tickets sold only at the door). Under age 5 free.7:00 PM Celtic Rock Concert at MacRae Meadows. $10 Adults / $5 Children age 5-12Grandfather Mountain Highland Games presents8:00 - 10:00 PM CeilidhConcert of Scottish folk music, song & dance.Hayes Auditorium at Lees-McRae College. $10 adults / $5 children 12 & under. (Tickets sold only at the door).Grandfather Mountain Highland Games presents8:30 PM Alex Beaton & Friends Concert by Scotland’s premier

entertainer. Trillium Room, Broyhill Inn and Conference Center,Boone, NC. $10 per person. (Tickets sold only at the door).

Sunday, July 13th8:00 AM MacRae Meadows Opens• Scottish Heavy Athletic Demonstration and Clinic

• Prelude Music for Worship Service Begins9:00 AM Scottish Worship Service Outside main gate, bringa folding chair. Includes Kirkin’ of the Tartans.Children’s Border Collie Demonstration on the main field.

Celtic Grove Entertainment BeginsParade of Tartans Guests of Honor & Distinguished Guests

are introduced as all members of the sponsoring clans are invitedto march in the parade behind the massed pipe bands.

Scottish Fiddling CompetitionAtlantic International Highland Dance Championship

CompetitionCompetition takes place throughout the day for Scottish

athletic events, sheep herding, kilted miles, children’s events,Scottish country dancing, Scottish harps, Clan Tugs-of-War. CelticGrove entertainment continues.

History & Genealogy Studies at Clan TentsSheep Herding Demonstration4:00 PM Closing Ceremonies

Grandfather Mountain, continued from page 28


Robert Burns Lives!Robert Burns Lives!Robert Burns Lives!Robert Burns Lives!Robert Burns Lives!Frank R. Shaw, FSA Scot, Dawsonville, GA email: [email protected]

This article is dedicated to those fine people atMount Airy, NC who are members of The ScottishHeritage Society of the Blue Ridge and The MountAiry Museum of Regional History for sponsoringBurns Nicht, especially to Linda Blue Stanfield,museum director, and Scotia Script editor, TomScott, who puts out a great newsletter for thesociety’s members. I particularly want to thank themany others whomade possible thewonderful timethose of us attend-ing had in celebrat-ing Burns Nicht atthe Cross CreekCountry Club onJanuary 26, 2008.The theme for theevening was “ACelebration of theLife and Times ofRobert Burns.”

I look back on that occasion with great memo-ries. A tip of the hat to the Reverend Dale Cline,our emcee, for his humor, particularly about pip-ers and their bagpipes. Dale delivered an outstand-ing rendition of “Address to the Haggis”. Specialthanks are also in order to the Triad Scottish Fid-dlers & Friends who entertained during dinner withsongs from Robert Burns, a very nice touch in-deed! (Other Burns Clubs should take note!) I wasnotably thankful for the wonderful haggis. The chefwas kind enough to serve me a second helping, aswell as a wee bit to bring back to Atlanta. I mustconfess, though, it never made it any farther thanmy motel room!

Susan and I enjoyed the warm welcome of thesegracious men and women who proudly spoke oftheir Scottish heritage and wore their tartans withan air of dignity! These Scottish Southerners did

justice to the acclaimed hospitality that Scots andSoutherners alike are known for around the world.It was an honor to be asked to deliver The Immor-tal Memory in the home town of famed televisionstar, Andy Griffith. I only hope your Burns Nichtwas as good as ours in Mount Airy – it ranked rightup there with the best I have participated in overthe years!

With that said,I was curious toknow how BurnsNicht was cel-ebrated here in theUnited States andin Scotland thisyear, so I fired offan email to severalof my friends toinquire. What fol-lows are illustra-tions on how hun-dreds honored the

birthday of Robert Burns with their celebrationsaround the world. Maybe this article will temptyou to look up more on the Internet.

Let me start with a Scottish cottage - thoughnot in Scotland - that means a lot to Susan and me.I have it on good reportthat the Atlanta BurnsClub, of which I am amember, had its usualfull house. I missed cel-ebrating with my fellowmembers due to thecommitment to speakat Mount Airy. Onething is for sure, how-ever, you can alwayscount on an excellent

Luncheon honoring Susan and Frank Shaw at the CaledonianClub in London by members of the London Burns Club.

Globe Inn in Dumfries where Burns overnightedand had manya dram over the years.


Burns Nicht Bits, Tidbits, and Fragments


program and wonderful food at the Burns Cot-tage. If you are ever planning a visit to Atlanta andwant to see the Burns Cottage, plan ahead, and letme know of your arrival. I will do my best to ar-

range to have it opened for you. There is muchScottish history in this Burns Club, and their hos-pitality is just superb!

My own St. Andrew’s Society in Atlanta ob-served their Burns Nicht Dinner at the Druid HillsGolf Club two weeks later than originally planned.Mother Nature’s blanket of snow and ice inter-vened, and a make-up event was necessary. It wasthe first time in the club’s history that a dinner ofany kind had been cancelled, but the streets wereimpassable and the chef thought it wise not to riskanyone being out in the elements. However, thecancellation did not dampen the spirits of thoseattending the later date as the club’s beautiful ball-room was packed with over 140 people. Some ofthose who could not attend the make-up date werereplaced by some who could not attend on the origi-nal date. It was a great evening enjoyed by oneand all. An outstanding Immortal Memory wasdelivered by friend Jim Montgomery. One sugges-

tion: I hope next year the Chef does a better jobwith the haggis – it’s not to be served like a sliceof meatloaf. Perhaps a call to Chef Chris Wishartat the Cross Creek Country Club in Mount Airyfor a few tips would be in order, or take a hint andtry Caledonian haggis next time!

I heard from the Burns Club of London thatthey had 230 in attendance for their dinner. JimHenderson, the club’s honorary secretary, and Icorrespond from time to time. I can say from per-sonal experience that these people know how towelcome guests from around the world. In 2005they hosted a luncheon for Susan and me at theCaledonian Club in London, and the time withthem will always be remembered as a very specialone. If pressed, I would testify under oath that thebest haggis I have ever eaten came from their club,in the heart of London, but then they have a fulltimeScottish chef who knows how to pamper the Scot-tish membership. Their hospitality ranks amongthe best in my Burns world!

From way up in Wester Ross, Scotland camethis message from Ian McMillan, a very interest-ing and talented Burnsian: “Our Burns night wasonce more a great success. We squeezed well over60 into our hotel and were again oversubscribed.Our club, The Wester Ross Burns Club, up to 20strong, will now join the (Burns World) Federa-tion.” Ian was a busy man this Burns season. Hegave the Immortal Memory at the Avoch BurnsClub on the Black Isle and also spoke at the Ro-tary Burns night in Ullapool and the StrathpefferBurns Club in Dingwall. Congratulations, Ian! Youare truly a Burns ambassador.

Benny Gillies, friend and one of Scotland’s topantiquarian book dealers, told me he went to an“Evening with Burns” at the Coach and Horses Pubin Dumfries “just around the corner where Burnsstayed in Banks St.” Benny’s niece from Irelandwas visiting him, along with seven of her friends,for the weekend and “they fancied a bit of haggisand neeps”. He goes on to say that this was a fairlyinformal event and the “haggis was addressed ingood fashion”. I have learned that many pubs in

Frank Shaw, continued from page 30

Scots still celebrate Burns as evidencedby this poster in the entryway to theScottish National Portrait Gallery.



Scotland have a Burns Nicht and draw big crowds.If ever there was a Burns “honest man”, Benny isthat man! Check out his web site atwww.bennygillies.co.uk for his Secondhand andAntiquarian Scottish Books, Maps, and Prints lo-cated in Kirkpatrick Durham, Castle Douglas, nottoo far out of Dumfries. He’ll do you right!

Shirley Bell, Chief Executive of the RobertBurns World Federation in Kilmarnock, wrote thatshe attended several Burns Nicht functions “andperhaps two most memorable were the West SoundBurns Supper held in Glasgow and St. Michael’sBurns Club Supper held in Dumfries”. The WestSound Supper had 600 in attendance with the high-light of the evening being the School Childrenwinners of the Federation Schools Festivals. Stand-ing ovations were given to the flautist, singer, andchoir. Karen Dunbar, a well known comedienne,recited Tam O’Shanter and this was certainly thebest interpretation of the poem I have heard. Shewas wonderful.”

Shirley went on to say that a new club, St.Michael’s Burns Club formed by members of thechurch, had 77 attending. “Robert Burns is ofcourse buried in the Church yard and the ministerrightly claims that the club is nearest the Bard!David Shankland, MBE, delivered the ImmortalMemory to a hushed audience and had everyonespellbound with his honest and thought provokingmessage.” Much has been written about Burns andreligion over the years. When Susan and I visitedSt. Michael’s Church on our last visit to Scotland,I made sure to take a couple of pictures of the des-ignated “Burns Pew”. Yes, Burns attended churchthroughout his life!

A “SOLD OUT” Burns Nicht was held at theFirst Presbyterian Church in the City of New York.Good friend Thomas Keith, one of the organizers,writes that 115 celebrated Burns Night to honorthe poet and hear successful crime novelist ValMcDermid speak and sing. Tom said she spokeabout what Burns meant to her while growing upin Scotland. Her theme: “The universal qualitiesof Burns writing that anyone and everyone can re-late to in regards to love, friendship, humor, re-

sponsibility and respect for our fellow humans,”and she would sing a Burns song when appropri-ate during the Immortal Memory. Entertainmentwas by “The Highland Shatners” and about twohours of Scottish dancing was led by Ann Hawkinsand Jack Cole. Chief of this fine club is Ian R.Betts.

Clark McGinn, known and heralded as the“Burns Supper Specialist” and one of many out-standing members of the London Burns Club,writes that he was active during the Burns Nichtseason. He literally traveled over 36,000 miles,speaking to over two thousand people around theworld. He called it “360 degrees of Rabbie” with18 Immortal Memories this year with the SydneyOpera House being the exciting one! That’s a lotof haggis, my friend!” For those of you wanting toput a wee bit of zing into your Burns Dinner/Sup-per, check out his current book, The Ultimate BurnsSupper Book: A Practical (But Irreverent) Guideto Scotland’s Greatest Celebration. Clark goes onto say, “I am just finishing the draft of my newbook which is a look at all the festivals of Scot-land today…”

Ron Murray, Associate Director at the Univer-sity of Virginia School of Medicine’s Office ofContinuing Medical Education, emailed that “theKilmarnock and District Pipe Band’s Burns Nichtwas a grand mix of music, dance and readings” onFebruary 2nd. An extra touch this year to beginthe program was a darkened hall with a spotlighton the Rampant Lion with Ron, out of sight of theaudience, reading the poem, “A Man’s A Man ForA’ That”. The lights came up on the rolls and theband made a stunning entrance. Located nearWeems, Virginia, the pipe band observes BurnsNight to raise money for their band. Other groupsshould take note of this great idea.

David Smith, my friend and contact at TheGlobe Inn’s Burns Howff Club in Dumfries, writesthat their club observed its 119th anniversary din-ner on January 25, 2008. The Immortal Memoryspeaker was Alex Fergusson, MSP and PresidingOfficer of the Scottish Parliament, who delivered




a passionate speech. “The speaker believed thatBurns did not enjoy farming but found great abil-ity as a poet while at the plough and was able topaint pictures with words, theonly tools at his fingertips.”As is their custom and tradi-tion, the club presented Mr.Fergusson with an honorarymembership. The ConsulGeneral of the Ukraine, Mr.Bohfdan Yaremenko, was aspecial guest of the club. TheConsul General noted that“Robert Burns was very fa-mous in the Ukraine andschool children were taught ofhis life and work”. A spiritedversion of “Auld Lang Syne”concluded the evening’s pro-gram. A 119-year-old-celebra-tion deserves our heartiestcongratulations. That, myfriends, is a lot of Burns andhaggis over the years!

Word on the street is thatthe Heather and Thistle Clubin Houston had over 700 in at-tendance this year. That is inpart a large tribute to JackHume, one of the finestBurnsians I have ever known.He and his friends have builtthat club into one of the big-gest in the world. I can’t imag-ine that much haggis in oneplace! Congratulations, Jack!

A few more programs were brought to my at-tention that you may find of interest. On theevening of our St. Andrew’s Burns Nicht in At-lanta, I was given a page downloaded from theInternet describing a Burns Supper held at theRabbie Burns Scottish Club. This club/pub, ownedby two ex-pats, opens daily at 6 p.m. and closes at3 a.m.-ish! They proudly report they held their ownBurns supper and “educated the unacquainted to

Robert Burns.” The pub is located in Calangute,Goa, India. Good for them!

Scotsman.com reports that Edinburgh’s Ukrai-

nian community observed a Burns Supper during thelatter part of February. They celebrated both theUkranian poet Taras Shevchenko and Robert Burnswith their traditional dish of red beetroot soup alongwith haggis, neeps and tatties. Over 80 Scots andUkranians attended. Red beetroot soup? I would hopeI would not shy away from it the way some do haggis,but I confess it might be hard not to!

You’ll be interested in knowing that 110 people


Continued on page 33Continued on page 34


gathered at the Hotel Melia to observe Burns Nightin Hanoi, Vietnam. This Burns Dinner was orga-nized by the Indo-China Usegebeathe Club and wasreplete with piper, haggis, toasts, dancing and TheImmortal Memory. Can you imagine Robert Burnsin Hanoi?!

For a little more international flavor, I wish tothank Thomas Keith for the following information.The Scotsman published their “Best InternationalBurns Suppers” list and those making it were: 1.The Highland Heritage Society of Buenos Aires,Argentina 2. The Granite Club/Scottish StudiesFoundation of Toronto, Ontario 3. The CaledonianBar in Budapest, Hungary 4. The St. Andrew’sSociety of Moscow 5. The Jeddah Caledonian So-ciety of Saudi Arabia

Such lists remind me of a wee story I heardyears ago about a drunk and the thermos bottle.This fellow was trying to figure out how a ther-mos functions. You put in a hot item, and it re-mains hot for a while. You fill it with a cold item,and it remains cold for a while. He gave up tryingto understand how the thermos works by simplyasking in his inebriated condition, “How do itknow?”

Frank Shaw, continued from page 30I like to poke fun at such lists because, like

restaurant lists and movie reviews, they are highlysubjective. I checked out the story and could notfind that anyone from The Scotsman attended anyof these Five Best International Burns Dinners.More importantly, the article was written on Janu-ary 23, two days before any of these dinners wereobserved. So, I have just one question for the writer:“How do you know?”!

This has been just what it started out to be –bits, pieces, fragments, and tidbits about a few ofthe Burns celebrations around the globe that havecome across my desk. Burns Nicht, let me assureyou, was celebrated from Russia to the UnitedKingdom and from America to the Middle East.Wherever Scots go, from the Alamo to the Artic,they take their Burns poetry and songs with themand celebrate both with gusto! No other poet inthe history of mankind, including WillieShakespeare, is celebrated year in and year out likeBurns. Remember, Robert Burns told his wife Jeanjust prior to his death that he would be more fa-mous in a hundred years than while living. My,my, my...little did he know! This is why, years ago,I named my Burns web site Robert Burns Lives!

Thought everyone who ever had an old “homeplace” would enjoy this photograph of the road leading to everyone’smemories. No matter where your own homeplace is actually located, you can “see” it just around this bend.



Thurs. May 29th - Sun. June 1st, 20082008 Chief of the Games

David Charles Irvine 26th Baron of Drum

2008 Honored Clan:

2008 Honored Society:The Kingdome of Raknar

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