DATES IN
HISTORY
6 July 1436
Marriage at Tours of the Dauphin Louis to Margaret, daughter of James I,
King of Scots.
6 July 1560
Treaty of Edinburgh between England and France agreed that French troops
would be withdrawn from Scotland and that France acknowledged Elizabeth
Tudor as Queen of England.
6
July 1932
Birth in St Andrews of James ‘Tip’ Anderson, legendary golf caddie who
helped American stars Arnold Palmer and Tony Lema to win three Open
Championships between them. He was elected Golf Caddie of the Year in the
United States in 1965.
7 July 1930
Death of Edinburgh-born Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer and creator of
Sherlock Holmes, in Crowborough, Sussex, England.
10 July 1689
Glasgow ships The Pelican and Janet were overwhelmed by three French
frigates of superior power, who were bringing Irish Jacobite reinforcements
to Scotland in support of the Dundee Rising on behalf of the exiled James
VII, King of Scots, and II of England. The Scottish Convention had hired the
two ships in an attempt to stop such reinforcements.
10 July 1946
Jackie Paterson made his first defence of the World Flyweight Championship
title, defeating Liverpool’s Joe Curran on points over 15 rounds at Hampden
Park, Glasgow, in front of a crowd of 45,000.
11
July 1818
The English poet John Keats visited the birth-place of Scotland’s National
Bard, Robert Burns, in Alloway and completed his poem ‘Written in the
Cottage Where Burns was Born’.
11 July 1944
US Staff Sergeant Joe Louis, world heavyweight boxing champion, was in
Glasgow for a ‘meet the troops’ visit. He boxed an exhibition match and
played golf at Douglas Park.
11 July 2006
15,000 visitors flocked to the reopening of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and
Museum in Glasgow after a three-year closure for renovations. The £35
million revamp commenced in June 2003, at the time the museum attracted more
than one million visitors annually.
See Dates in History in our
Features Section
SCOTTISH QUOTATIONS
I like to have quotations ready for every occasions - they
give one's ideas so pat and save one the trouble of finding
expression adequate to one's feeling.
Robert Burns
Statements in prose and verse which reflect
all aspects of Scottish life and outlook from the 1st century to the present day.
New
quotes added every week. The
quotations are not restricted to native Scots but include observations
from abroad which help us, in the words of our National Bard, Robert
Burns, "To see oursels as others see us"
|
This
is the 100th week of this feature and the final selection
of quotations from Billy Kay’s fascinating book ‘The Scottish
World’. Author and broadcaster Billy Kay displays, as a Nationalist
and Internationalist, all that is best in modern Scotland. He has
widely travelled the world, since a Scottish schools trip to Russia
in 1968 aged 16, unearthing Scottish influence and descendants
wherever his feet have travelled. His books, radio and television
programmes are never blighted by the dreaded Scottish ‘cringe’ and
always make for essential reading, listening and viewing. More
strength to his elbow! |
George Elder
Davie (1912-2007)
It
may be argued, moreover, that under post-Union conditions, it was the
secular component rather than the sacred which was chiefly responsible
for the continuing foreignness of the Scottish ethos. After all, the
egalitarianism of the Presbyterians always made a certain appeal over
the border, although to be sure it was un-English in an official sense.
On the other hand, the ratiocinative approach of Parliament House,
looking as it did to Roman and Continental law, was out of line with the
inherited English practice; and still more alien and uncongenial was an
educational system which, combining the democracy of the Kirk elders
with the intellectualism of the advocates, made expertise in metaphysics
the condition of the open door of social advancement. Thus the barrier
between north and south was proverbially located in the contrast between
rationality and rule of thumb, between principle and precedent, and the
English with their tolerant good humour could refer to the complex
sister nation as ‘metaphysical Scotland’.
(The
Democratic Intellect 1961)
Allan Octavian
Hume (1829-1912)
A free and
civilized government must look for its stability and permanence to the
enlightenment of the people and their moral and intellectual capacity to
appreciate its blessing.
(1859)
Francis
Jeffray, Lord Jeffray (1773-1850)
I think it
is a great good on the whole [the generalist democratic approach of
Scottish education], because it enables relatively large numbers of
people to get – not indeed profound learning, for that is not to be
spoken of – but that knowledge which tends to liberalise and make
intelligent the mass of our population, more than anything else.
David Herbert
Lawrence (1885-1930)
At the
end, the Germans were all touched with admiring, delicious melancholy,
they praised her in soft, reverent voices [after singing ‘Annie
Laurie’]…’Wie schön, wie rührend! Ach, die schottischen Lieder, sie
baben so viel Stimmung!’ [How beautiful, how moving. Oh, the Scots songs
are so atmospheric.]
(Women in Love
1942)
Hugh
MacDiarmid (born Christopher Murray Grieve) (1892-1978)
My
decision to make the Scottish cause, cultural and political, my life
work dates from that moment.
(Meeting with
Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, early 1920s)
See
Scottish Quotations in our Features Section
THE BLUE
TOON SONG BOOK
A selection of popular Scottish songs compiled by Anne Fowler and
published by Peterhead branch of the Scottish National Party in
September 2000.
SCOTLAND AGAIN
Gordon Menzies
I
dream, I dream of Scotland again
From the plain to the western shore.
And in my dream are women and men
They will stand for their homeland once more.
Chorus:
Caledonia, Caledonia, my heart and my hand,
Are reaching in peace to you.
Caledonia, Caledonia, my dearest green land
The place where my dreams come true.
When the wild rose is blooming on mountain and shore
Then I’m dreaming of Scotland once more.
I
sing, I sing, of Scotland again
Where the hopes of my heart can fly
And in song of river and glen
There is freedom of spirit for you and I.
Flagnote:
Another fine song from the pen of Gordon Menzies whose output of song has
greatly helped to enrich the Scottish tradition.
See the
THE BLUE TOON SONG BOOK in our
Features section
SCOTTISH FOOD, TRADITIONS
AND CUSTOMS
Since
the early Sixteenth Century Queens of May have been recorded in
Scotland. The practice of crowning a Summer Queen is still wide spread
and basically the proceedings followed are similiar - the ceremonious
arrival of the Queen and her attendants, crowning on a decorated dias,
procession, sports and games. Many of the Summer Queens have
distinctive names eg in Lanark, a Lanimar Queen, crowned on Lanimar
Day which is essentially a children's Gala Day. Lanimar Day is one of
the highlights of Lanark Lanimar Week which dates back to 1140 and
arose from marking the Burgh's boundaries.
On a
lesser scale than Lanark the East Wemyss Gala has just been held
with The Flag’s 11-year-old Caitlin Wallace as Gala Lass – she had a
great day.
Whatever the title of your local Summer
Queen, she will surely enjoy a "Royal" treat, Balmoral
Shortbread. Queen Victoria was said to be very fond of this shortbread
and regularly enjoyed it with a fly cup! To her credit, Victoria found
the plain and simple delicacies of the Scottish baking tradition much
to her taste.
Ingredients: 12 oz ( 375 g ) plain
flour; 4 oz ( 125 g ) sugar; 8 oz ( 225 g ) butter; pinch of salt.
Makes 36 - preheat the oven to 350 deg F/
180 deg C or gas mark 4
Method: Sift the flour onto a board. Put the sugar
into a separate pile and, using both hands, work all the sugar into
the butter. Now start kneading in the flour a little at a time.
When all the flour is worked in you should have a firm ball of dough.
Sprinkle a little flour on the board and roll out very thinly 1/8 "
- 1/4 " ( 3 - 5 mm ). Cut into circles about 2 1/2 "
in diameter ( 6 1/2 cm ) and prick with a fork in domino fashion with
three pricks. Bake on a greased tray in a moderate oven for 30
minutes.
A KIST O
FERLIES
A Keek at the Guid Scots
Tung
By Peter & Marilyn Wright
(Note: All words underlined in
this section are RealAudio links)
divert : diversion; entertainment
dreip : drip; drizzling rain; soft,
spiritless person
Wee Willie Winkie rins through the toon,
Upstairs an' doonstairs in his nicht-gown,
Tirlin' at the window, crying at the lock
"Are the weans in their bed, for it's now ten o'clock?"
COMPLETE POEM
Daughter of a Perthshire Jacobite,
Carolina Oliphant married William Nairne and called herself ‘Mrs
Bogan of Bogan’ to write her songs, many of which are still widely
popular today, including ‘Caller Herrin’, ‘Will ye no come back
again?’ and ‘The Auld Hoose’.
The
Laird o’ Cockpen
by Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne
The laird o’ Cockpen,
he’s proud an’ he’s great,
His mind is ta’en up wi’ things o’ the State;
He wanted a wife his braw house to keep,
But favour wi’ wooin’ was fashous to seek.
Down by the dyke-side a
lady did dwell,
At his table head he thought she’d look well,
McClish’s ae daughter o’ Claverse-ha’ Lee,
A penniless lass wi’ a lang pedigree.
His wig was weel pouther’d,
and as gude as new;
His waistcoat was white, his coat it was blue;
He put on a ring, a sword and cock’d hat,
And wha could refuse the laid wi’ a’ that?
He took the grey mare,
and rade cannily,
An’ rapped at the yett o’ Claverse-ha’ Lee;
‘Gae tell Mistress Jean to come speedily ben,
She’s wanted to speak to the laird o’ Cockpen.'
Mistress Jean was
makin’ the elder-flower wine.
‘An’ what brings the laird at sic a like time?’
She put aff her apron, and on her silk gown,
Her mutch wi’ red ribbons, and gaed awa’ down.
An’ when she cam ben
she bowed fu’ low,
An’ what was his errand he soon let her know;
Amazed was the laird when the lady said ‘Na,’
And wi’ a laigh curtsie she
turned awa’.
Dumfounder’d he was,
nae sigh did he gie,
He mounted his mare — he rade cannily;
And aften he thought, as he gaed thro’ the glen,
She’s daft to refuse the laird o’ Cockpen.
Click
here to listen to this in Real Audio
Gordon
Wright’s Scottish Photo
Library