First, there was the St. Patrick’s Day parade in March which was very successful. We were greeted very warmly all along the route by the parade spectators. I would like to thank all those who helped out and who turned out for a fun, enjoyable time. Thanks to Debbie Sanchez who made it possible, via her contacts at Beach Ford, for us to have two Mustang convertibles for members to ride in, and a big thank you to Rita and Ham Hamilton and to Carolyn Barkley for picking up the vehicles, driving them in the parade, and then returning them to Beach Ford. Needless to say, the Society also thanks Beach Ford for their generous support for this event. Further thanks go to Don Findlay for bringing his Morris Minor and to all who marched and rode that day. I’m sure that next year we will have an even bigger turn out.

There wasn’t much time for us to catch our breath, and then it was time for this year’s Tartan Festival. The event was held at Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake and it was an unequivocal success. I am still receiving messages of congratulations on a great event. Again, I’d like to thank all of those who were involved and specific thank you’s to the planning committee members: Rita Hamilton, Don Fraser, Skip Hunter, Scott MacGregor, Nancy Miller, Eleanor Unger, and John Wallace for all their work in making Tartan Day a success. C. G. Miller did an excellent job as master of ceremony, as did program presenters. The members who staffed the Society table provided membership and Scottish heritage information to those stopping by.

It is certainly heartening to see so many turn out to support our activities. We did so much in only four months. Now it’s time to start planning next year’s celebration. We have some excellent ideas and plans to make Tartan Festival 2002 bigger and better than ever before. One thing we will clearly need is YOU. We will need members to volunteer to work on teams that we will be forming in the next few weeks—hard-chargers and go-getters like you to come out and work together to make the Scottish Society of Tidewater’s Tartan Festival an event that all of Tidewater will want to attend. I see our Tartan Festival as the vehicle to make the public aware of Scottish art, culture and history, and as a means to enrich the Capt. Richard S. Baird Scholarship Fund and to make it an award that students of Scottish culture would be proud to accept.

Nancy Miller, our immediate past president, has laid the ground work and set a high standard for us to follow. We should always strive to improve upon our past endeavors.

In closing I extend the Society’s condolences to the family and friends of Capt. James Campbell who passed away on April 12th. He will be surely missed.

Larry

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Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face..... Great chieftain o' puddin-race!
Rob Lockwood addresses the haggis while Rita Hamilton "holds the toast"

Josiah Hunter, left, and Rita Hamilton, right, with members of Tidewater Friends of Folk Music

Clan Campbell Suffers Double Loss

April 2001 has proved to be a sad month for Clan Campbell and the local Scottish community with news of the April 12th death of Captain James H. Campbell, the first president of the St. Andrew’s Society [of Tidewater Virginia], and past president of Clan Campbell (USA). He will be missed by all who had the pleasure of his company over the years.

News from Scotland, several days later, brought yet more sad news for the Clan Campbell family worldwide. The Scotsman Online on April 23rd reported the sudden death of Ian Campbell, the 12th Duke of Argyll, in London the previous day, his having suffered heart failure during surgery at a London hospital.

The Duke was educated in Switzerland and Canada, attending McGill University. His father, the 11th Duke, had laid claim in 1949 to a long list of titles including the Duke of Argyll, Marquess of Kintyre and Lorne, Earl of Argyll, Earl of Campbell and Cowall, Viscount of Lochow and Glenyla, Baron Inverary, hereditary Great Master of the Royal Household in Scotland, Keeper of Dunstaffnage, Carrick, Tarbert and Dunoon Castles. The 11th Duke, his several wives, and family were often involved in scandals or controversies.

Because of his childhood experiences, it has been said that Ian wanted to be as “unlike his father as humanly possible”. In 1962, his father made him a trustee of the Inverary estate, and on his father’s death in 1973, Ian inherited everything and moved to Inverary Castle with his wife, Iona (Colquhon), and their two children, Torquil and Louise.

In 1975, a devastating fire on Guy Fawkes night reduced the Castle to a shell and it took four years, 600 artisans, and about £1.25 million to restore it. Luckily, despite the losses, the unique collection of 1400 antique weapons were rescued. Ian Campbell considered himself a modest man, despite his vast property holdings, and believed that his role was that of a custodian.

His business interests in Scotch whisky, electronics and banking provided a counterpoint to the challenge of managing the estates and he was an enthusiastic patron of Scotland’s National Gallery.

He did not completely avoid controversy, making several efforts to redress what one might describe as 300 years of accumulated “bad press” for the Campbells. Unfortunately, remarks about Culloden being little more than an inept Highland skirmish with a good result for Scotland did not endear him to many and resulted in an uproar when he stated in a 1995 television documentary that he was “very satisfied with the result”.

The duke’s son, Torquil, will become the 13th Duke of Argyll, succeeding him as Chief of the Clan Campbell.

Friends and family of Captain James H. Campbell, U.S. Navy Retired gathered at the Little Creek Amphibious Base Chapel on Monday, 16 April, to pay last respects to a well-loved member of the Tidewater Scottish community.

Campbell, the first President of the St. Andrew’s Society of Tidewater, died in Virginia Beach on 12 April. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1933 and served as a submarine officer with five war patrols in the Pacific during World War II.

Following the war, Campbell commanded the destroyer, USS Leary. He later served as commander of the U.S. Naval Ammunition Base in Hingham, Mass., where he mobilized the facility for the Korean War during which he also commanded AKA USS Diphda. He later commanded harbor defenses in Norfolk.

Campbell served on a number of boards including the James Monroe Memorial Foundation. He was a founding member of the Presbyterian Church in America and was an Elder in that denomination.

He was past president of Clan Campbell Society USA and a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Protestant Chapel at Little Creek Amphibious Base, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Sons of the American Revolution, and was a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lazarus. He was awarded the James Monroe Distinguished Service Award by Governor Gilmore in 2000. He belonged to the St. Andrew’s Society, the Harbor Club of Norfolk, and the Caledonian Club in London.

The St. Andrew’s Society membership extends its sincerest condolences to all the Campbell family.

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Barton, Jr. (Ann)
Lt. Garrett Campbell
Mr. & Mrs. Bobby D. Quisenberry (Vicky Lyn)
Mrs. Carol Shrader

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The term waulking is a Scots word from the 14th century meaning the same as “full” in English, a process that makes cloth, traditionally Harris tweed, more airtight.

When tweed is made, it needs to be fulled to increase its ability to keep out the wind. Waulking is a process of repeatedly beating the cloth to full it and prepare it for use. The process, always done by women, was an event characterized by a sharing of village gossip and accompanied by an entire genre of music known as “waulking songs”. The women were usually seated around a table and the tweed would be placed on the table, or perhaps a door which had been taken off its hinges. A woman would pull the cloth toward herself and then pass slightly to her left before pushing it back. The cloth was thus turned round the table in a clockwise manner as it was being waulked. This movement supported the Gaelic superstition of counter-clockwise movement. There might be one woman at each end and maybe about 4-5 down each side. One person would sing out the verse and then everyone would join in the chorus. The songs comprise a musical form unknown elsewhere in Western Europe. The process could last 2 to 3 hours, often followed by a ceilidh. It is also suggested that the surname Walker may be connected with this occupation.

At the annual Gathering of the Guilds at the Francis Land House, members of the Tidewater Weavers Guild waulked the Austin tartan that Charlie Austin has had woven for him during the past year.

Duke Allen, of the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Pipe Band provided the music for the event, that was attended by many friends and members of both the Scottish Society and the St. Andrews Society. Congratulations to Charlie on bringing this traditional event to Virginia Beach.

Rita Hamilton has been bringing home the awards from early Spring festivals and games. At the Jacksonville (FL) Highland Games, she was named Piper of the Day and won first place in the harp competition. She is shown below accepting the award plaque from Mark Douglas, President of the Jacksonville St. Andrew’s Society. In April, at the Loch Norman Games (NC), Rita placed second in the senior amateur division of the harp competition and was awarded COSCA’s Ethel K. MacNeal Scottish Harp scholarship for her contributions in Scottish harp. Congratulations, Rita!

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Two rare letters containing eye-witness accounts of one of the most savage battles in British history were auctioned in Edinburgh on February 28th. Shapes Auctioneers said the first-hand accounts of the Battle of Culloden, which was fought on flat moorland near Inverness, were expected to fetch around £8000.

The chronicles of the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite rebels by the English-led Hanoverian Army in April 1746 were found in a house in Ayr. The authentic reports of the Young Pretender’s inglorious defeat were uncovered more than 250 years after the battle—in the back of a cupboard where they had lain unread for many years. They were discovered by the owner of the house who was looking through a a box of old papers. Both letters are addressed to the Rev. John Warden, a minister from Campsie, Stirlingshire.

The documents, which contain curious spellings at times, contain a contemporary account of Prince Charlie’s movements in the days after the battle. They substantiate claims that the “bonnie prince” dressed inw omen’s clothes to evade capture. The letters have been examined by experts and authenticated.

The first letter—from William Warden of Gargunnock, the clergyman’s cousin—describes the battle plan and names leading figures who were killed or taken prisoner. One excerpt from the single-page letter, written nine days after the battle, reads: ‘The Horse and Dragoons who were placed in the wings, flanked the right and left and met in the centre of the Rebel Army, and then it became a universal rout. The King’s Messenger from Inverness brings an account that 4000 rebels lie dead on the field. They are daily bringing in such numbers of prisoners that the prison and churches cannot contain them. With so small a lost Prince William, our glorious Deliverer, has got as compleat victory ever was known.’

The second letter, from Mungo Hope, a soldier in the King’s army, was written on June 28, 1746—the same day Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora McDonald sailed over the sea to Skye. It chronicles the speculation surrounding Bonnie Prince Charlie’s whereabouts and hints at him disguising himself as a woman to protect his identity on the Isle of Skye. The hunt for the prince is described, the soldier telling of how ‘the Campbells and a detachment of Regular Troops have gone out in search of the Pretender.’

His letter also states that despite all accounts in the newspapers of the Pretender’s landing in France, ‘it is reported by persons of credit that he is still in the Isle of Skye, sometimes in highland clothes and sometimes in women’s habits.’

Paul Howard, of Shapes, said the letters, sold together, are an ‘exciting find’, adding, ‘Rare documents such as these will be sought by collectors across the world. However, their historical significance makes them of national importance and my main hope is that they remain in the country. They are fascinating accounts of what took place, both sent to the same man, a minister at Campsie, in Stirlingshire, who was obviously anti-Jacobite.’

Every year 200,000 people travel to Culloden, the bleak moor marking the site of the last major conflict on British soil, and the end of hopes for a Stuart restoration.

From the Edinburgh Evening News Online

Angry retired military top brass have attacked plans to break up Scotland’s National War Museum which they fear will see it stripped of staff and priceless resources. The museum in Edinburgh Castle has told the story of Scotland’s military history since it was established in 1930. Insiders revealed that museum managers plan to move staff and a leading military research library from the Castle to the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street.

The move will effectively downgrade the museum at the Castle to little more than a colorful attraction for tourists and it is feared expertise developed at the Castle will be lost forever. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Ian Shepherd, 61, who served with the Royal Highland Fusiliers for 34 years, said he has raised concerns with museum chiefs but he had been politely ignored. ‘The museum will look much the same to tourists, but it will be pretty much useless to anyone who wishes to carry out any in-depth research of the Scottish military.’

The museum, which until recently was called the Scottish United Services Museum, houses 15,000 items of uniform, 3500 medals, 5000 pieces of art and 3000 weapons. It is, however, the relocation of 5000 photographs and 5000 documents that has angered the military. The photographic collection ranges from private snapshots taken by members of the armed services to official regimental photographs of formal occasions.

The document collection features a wide range of material from letters and diaries, to collections of official or semi-official papers. The latter include the papers of General Sir David Baird and Admiral Viscount Duncan, both senior officers of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Museum Council compared the National War Museum of Scotland with the Imperial War Museum in London.

From the Edinburgh Evening News Online

Turlough O'Carolan
by Patrick Ball, Harper
March 24/25, 2001, Francis Land House, Virginia Beach
Sponsored by the Tidewater Friends of Folk Music

Background: This is the story of the most famous harper in Ireland, Turlough O'Carolan. Patrick Ball tells the story of Carolan through the eyes of Charles McCabe, his friend and companion. In this one-man play, Patrick Ball becomes  McCabe, an itinerant poet and harper, the son of a farmer. The setting is 1738 in a small room in county Roscommon, Ireland, just after the burial of Turlough O'Carolan

Turlough O'Carolan, known as the last of the Irish bards, was born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1670, the son of a poor farmer. In 1688 he was stricken with smallpox and left totally blind. He was given a harp and another harper, Blind Mary, taught him for three years as in those days a blind person was able to earn a living as an itinerant musician.

His primary patron during his lifetime was Mary McDermott Roe, who with her husband, lived in Alderford House. They were a wealthy Irish Catholic family. It is there that Patrick Ball, as Charles McCabe, meets Carolan and they begin to travel together, along with Hugh, Carolan's guide. Their travels continue for 32 years until the death of Carolan in 1738. Though never a great hand as a performer, he quickly discovered his genius for composition and more than 250 tunes attributed to him are still played to this day. For the remainder of his life he traveled throughout Ireland, staying in the houses of the gentry, both Irish and Anglo-Irish alike, and composed for them. He is to this day regarded as Ireland's most beloved and celebrated musician, and, for what it's worth, his face is on the Irish £50 notes. He died in 1738.

The Play: Ball starts the play with the death of Carolan and in the first act recounts their meeting, Carolan's early history and ends with their setting off together. McCabe refuses to enter any house that is inhabited by those of English descent. He objects strenuously to the English usurping the lands and homes of the Irish because they would not embrace the official religion of England. The Irish were being hanged by the English and times were quite hard for many of the Irish. Some time is devoted to the development of Charles McCabe and this gives the audience a chance to place the men in the history of their times.

The second act expands our view of the world of Ireland at that time. This act covers much more of Carolan's time than the first and seems to need even a third act to smooth out the tempo of the story. One touching moment is when Charles McCabe recounts the chance meeting of Carolan's teenage love, Brigit Cruise, on a ferry boat after a pilgrimage.

Patrick Ball intersperses his reminiscences with Carolan tunes throughout the evening. The setting is intimate, and at times Patrick talks to his audience as though they were old acquaintances. His language was appropriate for the times - bawdy - compared to normal society of today, but completely. in character.

With only a harp, chair, table and mug, Patrick is riveting as he brings a view of Turlough O'Carolan, a man whose wit and genius were legendary in his own time, and whose tunes are still played today. He will vary the tunes he plays from performance to performance. Tunes that you might hear during the course of this two-act play include Carolan's Draught, Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady, Blind Mary, Sheebeg Sheemore, Lady Maxwell, Maurice O'Conner, Carolan's Farewell to Music, Brigit Cruise, Fanny Poer.

Patrick Ball's Discography: The Music of Turlough O'Carolan, From A Distant Time, Secret Isles, O'Carolan's Dream, Fiona, Storyteller

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MacLean, J.P. An Historical Account of the Settlements of Scotch Highlanders in America. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2001. Reprint of the 1900 edition.

This title explores Highlanders in Scotland, the Scotch-Irish in America, causes that led to emigration, and specific settlements beginning with the Darien fiasco as well as settlements in North Carolina, Georgia, New York and the Hudson region, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, highland regiments in America, Scots hostilities toward America, Highland regiments in the Revolution, and distinguished Highlanders. It represents a significant study of Scots emigrants during the time period prior to 1783.

Available from Heritage Books, Inc. (http://www.heritagebooks.com or 1-800-398-7709) for $28.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling.

Ferguson, Arthur B., compiler. Genealogy of the Descendents of John Ferguson: A Native of Scotland, Who Emigrated to America Before the Revolutionary War. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2001. Reprint of the 1911 edition.

This book outlines the genealogy of the descendants of John Ferguson, 1736-1820, who came to America in about 1767. The contents include a brief history of the name and covers 94 male and female descendants up to 1911. Entries include date and place of birth, date of marriage, and name of spouse, date and place of death, varying biographical information and names of children. Biographical sketches have been included for several descendants.

Available from Heritage Books, Inc. (http://www.heritagebooks.com or 1-800-398-7709) for $16.50 plus $4.00 shipping and handling.

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