When an organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause, as such the context of the chosen article series title, should be apparent.

 

This proverb is of ancient origin but precisely which of the ancients coined it is probably beyond our ken at this distant remove.

 

The early date of this citation and the fact Porter was in a position to be authoritative on the Turkish custom, being as he was British ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire for 15 years in the second half of the 18th century, gives Turkey a strong claim to be the birthplace of this proverb.

 

Of course, the proverb isn’t a lesson in piscine biology. The phrase appears to have been used in Turkey in a metaphorical rather than literal sense from the outset. That’s just as well as, in reality, it is the guts of fish that rot and stink before the head. 

 

 

Many countries lay claim to it. I’ve seen sources that place it in China, Russia, Poland, England, Greece and so on…, but usually with no evidence to substantiate those claims. A correspondent of mine has asserted that it was written in a Greek text by Erasmus, who died in 1546. That may be the case, but I’ve not been able to substantiate that claim.

 

All of the early examples of the phrase in print in English prefer the ‘a fish stinks from the head down’ variant to ‘a fish rots from the head down’, which is more popular nowadays.

 

Those early examples all ignore the nations mentioned above and credit the term to the Turks. Sir James Porter’s Observations on the religion, law, government, and manners of the Turks, 1768, includes this proverb:

 

Credit and further Insights: phrases.org.uk

It used to be part of the lands of the Clan Chisholm. The Battle of Glen Affric took place in 1721.

The area is a Caledonian Forest Reserve, a National Scenic Area and a National Nature Reserve. Often described as the most beautiful glen in Scotland, it contains one of the largest ancient Caledonian pinewoods in Scotland as well as lochs, moorland and mountains.

 

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

Click on image, or here to view “Glen Affric – Heart of Scotland”

 

Gleann Afraig, anchoring energies of Love and Light throughout the ages.

 

A special History surrounds this place, take part in our journey.

Invite yourselves on a journey that offers a moment to release all feelings and though forms that are not of the light.

Just let them go and sent them to this very special place where the divine energy is enriched with the Violet Flame of Transmutation, a special gift from Ascended Master Saint Germain.

 

Basic Invocation of the Violet Flame

 

Call on Divine powerful energy, The Violet Flame of Saint Germain and transmute all your pain, fear and all negative thoughts to those of Love Light, Compassion, Abundance, Joy, Peace and Harmony.

Visit Gleann Afraig, in spirit or in embodiment. Feel the loving and caring energy, that are there awaiting you!

 

Live in the NOW, set yourself free.

Forgive and Love yourself. 

Life is a gift, celebrate it!

 

 

Invite the Royal Houses along on your Journey…

 

 

The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots (Middle Scots: King of Scottis, Modern Scots: Keeng o Scots Scottish Gaelic: Rìghrean Albannaich) was Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín), who founded the state in 843. The distinction between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of the Picts is rather the product of later medieval myth and confusion from a change in nomenclature (system of names or terms, or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field), i.e. Rex Pictorum (King of the Picts) becomes Rí Alban (King of Alba) under Donald II when annals switched from Latin to vernacular around the end of the 9th century, by which time the word Alba in Gaelic had come to refer to the Kingdom of the Picts rather than Britain (its older meaning).^[1]

The Kingdom of the Picts just became known as Kingdom of Alba in Gaelic, which later became known in Scots and English as Scotland; the terms are retained in both languages to this day. By the late 11th century at the very latest, Scottish kings were using the term rex Scottorum, or King of Scots, to refer to themselves in Latin. The title of King of Scots fell out of use in 1707, when the Kingdom of Scotland was merged with the Kingdom of England to form a single Kingdom of Great Britain. Thus Queen Anne became the last monarch of the ancient kingdoms of Scotland and England and the first of Great Britain, although the kingdoms had shared a monarch since 1603 (see Union of the Crowns). Her uncle Charles II was the last Scottish monarch actually to be crowned in Scotland, at Scone in 1651.

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

The Royal Houses have left their traces in history, legends and folklore. 

Invite them to join you, 

 

Click here for list of Scottish Royals and Family Histories, whilst a list of European nobility can be found here.

 

 

Next stop:

Balmoral Castle, Crathie, UK

 

Click for more images of Balmoral Castle

Credit: balmoralcastle.com

Click on image, or here to view “Queen Elizabeth’s Balmoral Castle”

 

King Robert II of Scotland (1316–1390) had a hunting lodge in the area. Historical records also indicate that a house at Balmoral was built by Sir William Drummond in 1390.^[2]

The estate is recorded in 1451 as “Bouchmorale”, and later was tenanted by Alexander Gordon, second son of the 1st Earl of Huntly. A tower house was built on the estate by the Gordons.^[3] Tower houses often are referred to as castles because of their formidable construction.

In 1662 the estate passed to Charles Farquharson of Inverey, brother of John Farquharson, the “Black Colonel”. The Farquharsons were Jacobite sympathisers, and James Farquharson of Balmoral was involved in both the 1715 and 1745 rebellions. 

The Farquharson estates were forfeit, and passed to the Farquharsons of Auchendryne.^[4] In 1798, James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife, acquired Balmoral and leased the castle.

Sir Robert Gordon, a younger brother of the 4th Earl of Aberdeen, acquired the lease in 1830. He made major alterations to the original castle at Balmoral, including baronial-style extensions.

Sir Robert Gordon died in 1847 and his lease on Balmoral reverted to Lord Aberdeen. In February 1848 an arrangement was made—that Prince Albert would acquire the remaining part of the lease on Balmoral, together with its furniture and staff—without having seen the property first.^[7]:5

 

 

Coronation portrait of Victoria - by George Hayter, 1837

The royal couple arrived for their first visit on 8 September 1848.^[8] Victoria found the house “small but pretty”,^[9] and recorded in her diary that: “All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils”.^[4] The surrounding hilly landscape reminded them of Thuringia, Albert’s homeland in Germany.^[7]:5

The sale was completed in June 1852, the price being £32,000, and Prince Albert formally took possession that autumn.^[3][7]:8[13] 

Balmoral Castle - a principal keep similar to that of Craigievar Castle is the central feature of the castle, while a large turretedcountry house is attached

The growing family of Victoria and Albert, the need for additional staff, and the quarters required for visiting friends and official visitors such as cabinet members, however, meant that extension of the existing structure would not be sufficient and that a larger house needed to be built. 

Construction began during summer 1853, on a site some 100 yards (91 m) northwest of the original building that was considered to have a better vista.^[16] Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone on 28 September 1853, during her annual autumn visit.^[17]  While visiting the estate shortly thereafter, Prince Frederick of Prussia asked for the hand of Princess Victoria.^[7]:11

The new house was completed in 1856, and the old castle subsequently was demolished.^[3] By autumn 1857, a new bridge across the Dee, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel linking Crathie and Balmoral was finished.^[7]:11

During the 1850s, new plantations were established near the house and exotic conifers were planted on the grounds. Prince Albert had an active role in these improvements, overseeing the design of parterres, the diversion of the main road north of the river via a new bridge, and plans for farm buildings.^[3] These buildings included a model dairy that he developed during 1861, the year of his death. The dairy was completed by Victoria. Subsequently, she also built several monuments to her husband on the estate. These include a pyramid-shaped cairn built a year after Albert’s death, on top of Craig Lurachain. A large statue of Albert with a dog and a gun by William Theed, was inaugurated on 15 October 1867, the twenty-eighth anniversary of their engagement.^{[7]:20–21[25]}

 

Memorial cairn for Prince Albert, Balmoral Estate

 

Following Albert’s death, Victoria spent increasing periods at Balmoral. It was during this period that Victoria began to depend on her servant, John Brown. He was a local ghillie from Crathie, who became one of her closest companions during her long mourning.^[7]:23

In 1887, Balmoral Castle was the birthplace of Victoria Eugenie, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was born to Princess Beatrice, the fifth daughter of Victoria and Albert. Victoria Eugenie would become the queen of Spain.

In September 1896, Victoria welcomed Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and Empress Alexandra to Balmoral. Four years later Victoria made her last visit to the estate, three months before her death on 22 January 1901.

 

Edward VII relaxing at Balmoral Castle - photograph by his wife, Alexandra, c. 1907-1908

After Victoria’s death, the royal family continued to use Balmoral during annual autumn visits. George V had substantial improvements made during the 1910s and 1920s, including formal gardens to the south of the castle.^[3]

During the Second World War, royal visits to Balmoral ceased. In addition, due to the enmity with Germany, Danzig Shiel, a lodge built by Victoria in Ballochbuie was renamed Garbh Allt Shiel and the “King of Prussia’s Fountain” was removed from the grounds.^[7]:25

 

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

Next stop:

Scone Palace, Perth, UK

 

Click for more images of Scone Palace

Click on image, or here to view Royal upstairs, downstairs Scone Palace

 

The story of Scone can be viewed as having several separate but intertwined strands. The most recent involves Scone Palace itself. The building you see today was built in the years from 1803 by the 3rd Earl of Mansfield and has been largely unaltered since its completion, £60,000 and nine years later. Today it is considered to be one of the most important Gothic houses to have survived from the Georgian era.

Visitors to Scone Palace tour all the magnificent formal rooms and galleries on its the ground floor: probably more than half the whole interior of the palace. Guides in each room are happy to explain to you the significance of the fixtures, fittings and artworks on view. What emerges is a family home on a truly grand scale, but one with a surprisingly comfortable feel. You could never, perhaps, imagine yourself actually living here; but it is easy to understand that the family of the Earl of Mansfield still does.

The tour of the palace includes the Dining Room, in which Queen Victoria and Prince Albert dined in September 1842 and the opulent Drawing Room. Other highlights include the magnificent Library, whose shelves are now home to the family’s collection of porcelain rather than books.

Later on in your tour you come to the Long Gallery, which at 150ft or 45 metres long is the longest room of any house in Scotland. Here Queen Victoria and Prince Albert witnessed a demonstration of the sport of curling, with the polished wooden floor standing in for ice. Following the demonstration, Prince Albert accepted an invitation to become the first President of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. The far end of the gallery is home to an impressive organ, still used during the weddings performed here. Also included on the public tour of Scone is Queen Victoria’s Suite, three rooms, on the ground floor at her request, prepared for Queen Victoria’s stay at Scone

Scone Palace is also home to a restaurant and gift and food shops. Beyond the palace itself, the most obvious feature is the chapel. The building you see today largely dates back to 1807, when an earlier chapel built on the site in 1604 was remodelled. It serves as a mausoleum for the Murrays, the family of the Earls of Mansfield. Not far away is what is described as the archway to the City of Scone, beyond which stands the mercat cross of Old Scone. Nearby is Scone’s ancient burial ground. The archway and the mercat cross are all that survive of the village of Old Scone. In 1805, as part of the landscaping of the grounds of the new Scone Palace, the old village was simply removed and its residents resettled in a new village over a mile to the east, originally known as New Scone, but now simply called Scone.

The chapel stands on what is known as Moot Hill, and in front of it a stone block in which two rings are set rests on two uprights, forming a stone bench. The stone block is a replica of the Stone of Scone, one of the emblems of Scottish nationhood, and its presence here is the key to unlocking the story of Scone and explaining why this place is so important to the story of Scotland.

Legend relates that Scotland is named after an Egyptian princess, Scota, who was exiled from Egypt in about 1400BC and whose descendents settled in north west Spain, then in Ireland. There they became known as the Scoti before migrating to what is now Argyll in Western Scotland and establishing the dark age kingdom of Dalriada. Among the possessions Scota took from Egypt was a 152kg sandstone block which had been used as a pillow by Jacob when he had the dream reported in Genesis about Jacob’s Ladder. This found a later use as the seat on which the Kings of Dalriada were enthroned and became known as the Stone of Destiny.

The last King of the Scots of Dalriada was Kenneth I or Kenneth Mac Alpin, who lived from 810 to 858. At the time much of north and eastern Scotland was ruled by the Picts. After they suffered a severe defeat at the hands of the Vikings in 839, Kenneth pressed his own claim through his mother’s side to add the crown of the Picts to the crown of the Scots he already held. Scone had been an important Pictish centre for centuries, and the Picts and the Scots met here to discuss the Pictish succession in 843. The story goes that after much alcohol had flowed, Kenneth’s Scots turned on their Pictish hosts and killed them, and Kenneth was subsequently crowned King of the Picts and the Scots at Scone, using the Stone of Destiny to legitimise the coronation.

Scone, and what became known as the Stone of Scone, became key features in the coronation of many succeeding Kings of Alba and later of Scotland. As William Shakespeare put it in “Macbeth”: “So, thanks to all at once, and to each one, Whom we invite to see us crown’d at Scone.” Scone’s role as a focal point for the spiritual and ceremonial life of the kingdom grew further when Alexander I founded an Augustinian priory here in 1114. Fifty years later the priory became an abbey, and in 1210, Scone’s status was further enhanced when the Parliament of Scotland met here for the first time. It would continue to do so until 1450.

In 1296, Edward I of England invaded Scotland and stripped the country of many of its symbols of nationhood. The Stone of Scone was removed to Westminster Abbey, where, apart from during an 8 month period following its removal by Scottish Nationalist students on Christmas Day 1950, it formed part of the throne used during the coronation of English, and later British, monarchs up to and including Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In 1996 the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland, and it now resides in Edinburgh Castle.

Scottish Monarchs, and those seeking to become Scottish Monarchs, continued to come to Scone to be crowned, including Robert the Bruce in 1306, James IV in 1488 and Charles II in 1651, before his defeat at the battle of Worcester and subsequent exile. James Francis Edward Stuart, the “The Old Pretender”, came to Scone during the Jacobite uprising in 1716 in the hope of being crowned King of Scotland, but had to flee in on hearing of Government troops in the area. His son, Bonnie Prince Charlie or “The Young Pretender”, also visited during the 1745 Jacobite uprising.

Scone Abbey flourished for over four hundred years. In 1559 it fell victim to a mob from Dundee during the early days of the Reformation and was largely destroyed. In 1580 the abbey estates were granted to Lord Ruthven, later the Earl of Gowrie, who held estates around what is now called Huntingtower Castle. The Ruthvens rebuilt the Abbot’s Palace of the old abbey as a grand residence. In 1600, James VI charged the family with treason and their estates at Scone were passed to Sir David Murray of Gospetrie, one of James‘s loyal followers.

This was the start of over four centuries of residence by the Murray family at Scone, which continues today. Sir David was later made Lord Scone and Viscount Stormont, and in 1776 a descendent, William Murray, was created Earl of Mansfield while serving as Lord Chief Justice for England. In 1803 the 3rd Earl of Mansfield commissioned the architect William Atkinson to rebuild the 1580s Abbot’s Palace, and what emerged was the Scone Palace you still see today.

Credit and further Insights: undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

 

Click on image, or here to view “Chapel and Destiny Stone”

 

The Stone of Scone (/’sku?n/; Scottish Gaelic: An Lia Fàil, Scots: Stane o Scuin)—also known as the Stone of Destiny, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone—is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and later the monarchs of England and the Kingdom of Great Britain. Historically, the artefact was kept at the now-ruined Scone Abbey in Scone, near Perth,Scotland. It is also known as Jacob’s Pillow Stone and the Tanist Stone, and in Scottish Gaelic, clach-na-cinneamhain. Its size is about 26 inches (660 mm) by 16.75 inches (425 mm) by 10.5 inches (270 mm) and its weight is approximately 336 pounds (152 kg). A roughly incised cross exists on one surface, and an iron ring at each end aids with transportation.^[1] The Stone of Scone was last used in 1953 for the coronation of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

Next stop:

Stirling Castle, Kirkhill, UK

 

Click for more images of Stirling Castle

Credit: heritagedaily.com

 

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification from the earliest times. Most of the principal buildings of the castle date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few structures of the fourteenth century remain, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the early eighteenth century. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1542. There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, including several during the Wars of Scottish Independence, with the last being in 1746, when Bonnie Prince Charlie unsuccessfully tried to take the castle.

The first record of Stirling Castle dates from around 1110, when King Alexander I dedicated a chapel here.^[9] It appears to have been an established royal centre by this time, as Alexander died here in 1124. During the reign of his successor David I, Stirling became a royal burgh, and the castle an important administration centre.^[9] King William I formed a deer park to the south-west of the castle, but after his capture by the English in 1174 he was forced to surrender several castles, including Stirling and Edinburgh, under the Treaty of Falaise. There is no evidence that the English actually occupied the castle, and it was formally handed back by Richard I of England in 1189. Stirling continued to be a favoured royal residence, with William himself dying there in 1214,^[10] and Alexander III laying out the New Park, for deer hunting, in the 1260s.^[11]

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

Argyll’s Lodging

It is uncertain who built the first house that developed into the house eventually known as Argyll’s Lodging, located in Castle Wynd on the uphill approach to Stirling Castle. It is assumed that the house was built originally by the wealthy merchant John Traill and comprised two storeys with a hall on the first floor and a kitchen on the ground floor. In 1559 Traill sold it to Adam Erskine, the Commendator (lay administrator) of nearby Cambuskenneth Abbey.

In 1629 Sir William Alexander, whose family was related to the Campbells of Argyll, bought the house from the Erskines. The house adjoined property of the Campbells who had owned several houses in Stirling since the fourteenth century. Around 1600 their residence stood on the corner of Broad Street and Castle Wynd. Sir William was able to buy the Erskines’ home because he was related to the family, his wife being Janet Erskine.

Sir William was born in 1577 in Menstrie, a village lying a few miles to the north east of Stirling. He was one of several tutors to Prince Henry, heir to the Scottish throne. In 1603, when the crowns of Scotland and England were united, he followed King James VI to London. He was knighted in 1609 and in 1626 was appointed principal Secretary for Scotland for life. He is chiefly remembered today for his settlement of the colony of Nova Scotia in North America under a royal charter granted in 1621. In 1630 he was elevated to 1st Earl of Stirling and Viscount Canada.

Sir William had his Stirling home redecorated when he realised that Charles I was intending to come to Scotland for his Scottish coronation in 1633. He had the house remodeled into a small palace with public and private suites and a grandly decorated exterior. He died insolvent in 1640, leaving the house to his son Charles, but the town of Stirling claimed the property in lieu of his unpaid debts. The town council wanted to furnish it as a guesthouse, but this plan was never realized, and in the 1660s, it was sold to the Duke of Argyll.

In 1764 the 4th Duke of Argyll sold the house to Robert Campbell and James Wright, who in turn sold it to the McGregors of Balhaldie. Around 1800 the Army bought the house for use as a military hospital, because of lack of space in Stirling Castle. During the Napoleonic wars the army was greatly expanded, from 40,000 to 225,000 men, and the small hospital in the castle proved inadequate.

 

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

 

Highlights of the lodging include; the Renaissance façade and main entrance which prepare the visitor for the 17th -century splendours within. These include the High Dining Room with its impressive and precious painted decoration, the Drawing Room with its grand fireplace, recreated tapestries and elaborate chair of state and My Lady’s Closet, where Lady Anna, Argyll’s second wife, would have spent much time.

Credit and further Insights: stirlingcastle.gov.uk 

 

Click for more images

 

An armorial tablet on the wall above the main entrance displays Alexander’s coat-of-arms. The shield is supported by a Native American and a mermaid. A scroll above displays his family motto Avt Spero Avt Sperno and a scroll below the motto of Nova Scotia per mare per terras. The crest is believed to be the first armorial representation of a beaver.^[3]

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

The High Dining Room, Argyll’s Lodging

 

Church of the Holy Rude

Click for more images

 

The Church of the Holy Rude is the second oldest building in Stirling after the castle. Founded in 1129 during the reign of David I (1124 – 1153) as the parish church of Stirling.

Robert II, during his reign (1371-1390), founded an altar to the Holy Rude and thereafter the Church of Stirling became known as the Parish Church of The Holy Rude of the Burgh of Stirling. “Holy Rude” means Holy Cross, giving it the same origin as Holyrood in Edinburgh. David I’s church was destroyed with much of Stirling by a catastrophic fire in March 1405. Shortly afterwards a grant was made by the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland to have a new church built. The Nave, South Aisle with rounded Scots pillars, Gothic arches and original oak-timbered roof and the Tower were completed about 1414.

The nave is an impressive structure, but by far the most remarkable part of it is the original oak-beamed roof held together entirely by oak pegs. One of very few medieval timber roofs still surviving in Scotland, the timbers still carry the marks of the adzes used to shape them six hundred years ago.

The second phase of construction took place between 1507 and 1555. This added a choir to the east of the original nave complete with a spectacular apse to round off, literally, the east end of the church. The apse dominates the road leading up to Stirling Castle and is by far the church’s most impressive aspect. At the same time the western tower was increased in height, to keep it in proportion with the much longer church.

The third phase of construction was intended to comprise a large central tower with north and south transepts. At the same time the nave was to be heightened to match the choir. But the Reformation halted further work on the church, leaving its overall structure much as you see it today.

As a result aspects of the church can seem odd. Viewed from either side (see header photo) the Church of the Holy Rude looks rather misshapen, with the choir built to a very different scale than the earlier nave. The height of the intended roofline for the rebuilt nave can be seen from the lines visible on the east side of the tower.

On the plus side, had phase three gone ahead, the beautiful nave roof we admire today would have been lost. This may be the only example of church architecture in Scotland being saved rather than destroyed by the Reformation. Internally, signs of the planned phase three include the crossing designed to support the intended central tower and provide a focus for the transepts that also never arrived.

Credit and further Insights: undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

 

The third phase of construction was intended to comprise a large central tower with north and south transepts. At the same time the nave was to be heightened to match the choir. But the Reformation halted furtherA plaque on the floor marks the spot where the infant, King James VI was baptised in 1567. The child was christened in a gold font sent by Elizabeth of England. He was carried into the chapel by the Count of Brienne, as proxy for his godfather the king of France. Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Savoy were also godparents. The ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of St. Andrews according to Roman Catholic rites while the Protestant lords stood outside the chapel. 

Mary, Queen of Scots, worshipped in the Holy Rude

Credit and further Insights: ancient-egypt.co.uk

In considerable haste, the coronation was duly held in the Church on 29 July 1567. John Knox preached the coronation sermon, presumably with some relish, on the slaying of Queen Athaliah and the crowning of the young King Joash. The crowning was carried out by the Bishop of Orkney, amongst others, the ceremony was attended by the Earls of Mar, Morton and Home. Hastily conducted in twenty minutes for fear of catholic counter attack, the Prince was then safely returned to the castle.

If James VI’s coronation was the highlight of Holy Rude’s history, perhaps its lowest ebb was during the long period from 1656 to 1936 when a wall divided the nave from the choir, and the church served two divided congregations. This was originally the result of an argument between the minister of Stirling, Rev James Guthrie and a colleague. The Rev Guthrie had a knack of making enemies and he was eventually executed for treason in Edinburgh on 1 June 1661, his head subsequently being displayed on a spike in the city as an example to others.

But the dividing wall long outlived him, and survived major alterations to the church in the 1800s which included the removal of the great west door. But from 1935 to 1940 the wall was removed, together with most of the 1800s alterations, including a ceiling that had been inserted in the nave to conceal the roof beams. The result is the beautiful if slightly eccentric building you see today.

Credit and further Insights: undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

 

Credit: thomaseichmann.wordpress.com

The young King James received his education at Stirling Castle, under the famous scholar George Buchanan. During the winter of 1589 King Jamis travelled to Denmark, where he married the Princess Anne (1574 – 1619), daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark.

In 1603, on the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England , King James VI of Scotland also became King James I of England. He was the natural successor to the childless Queen Elizabeth as his great-grand-mother was Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII. Amongst other acts James authorised the translation of the Bible into English — the “Authorised” or “King James” version. King James died 27 March 1625.

On the 24 May 1997, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was present in the Church of the Holy Rude to witness a re-enactment of the coronation of her ancestor, and to unveil a commemorative inscription to mark the event.

Credit and further Insights: holyrude.org

 

 

The Church of The Holy Rude, Stirling and the Star Pyramid  (also known as Salem Rock). 

Outside the church is the Valley Cemetery. In past times was the site of jousting tournaments and markets. The Cemetery has a Pyramid, built by William Drummond in 1863.

 

- note the white marble Bibles incorporated by Barclay round the base of the edifice and the names of religious tracts (published by his brother Peter’s “Drummond Tract Enterprise”).  The Pyramid is dedicated to all those who suffered martyrdom in the cause of civil and religious liberty in Scotland. William planted a Pleasure Garden round the Pyramid, complete with trees and plants. He also paid for five of the six statues seen in various parts of the graveyard and donated trees to be planted round the National Wallace Monument.

This area was laid out as a public pleasure ground by local nurseryman and evangelist, William Drummond. The Star Pyramid, with its texts and emblems, was nearing completion in April 1863, when a bible and the Confession of faith were sealed into a chamber within the structure. It recalls the principles of the Reformation and publicised the famous Drummond Tract Enterprises.

The pyramid is on a raised plinth of 4 steps and has a set of steps leading to it. Each of the faces are very similar. On one face is a circular marble plaque, the text of which is very worn and some of the lower part is readable.

 

In the graveyard, the graves of merchants and traders are carved with signs and symbols of their craft or trade.

Credit and further Insights: ancient-egypt.co.uk

 

Click for more images

 

 

Mar’s Wark

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John Erskine, 1st Earl of Mar (c.1510–72), was a moderate Protestant during the tumultuous years of the Scottish Reformation.

As governor of Edinburgh Castle he maintained a neutral position during the regency of Mary of Guise (1554–60). But he turned against her daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, following the murder of Lord Darnley, Mary’s second husband, in 1567. 

The earl was stripped of the governorship but compensated with the hereditary keepership of Stirling Castle. He was given custody of Mary’s infant son, the future James VI and, following the assassination in 1571 of Regent Moray, was rewarded with the regency. He died during his first year in office.

Mar began building his impressive Stirling town house, originally known as Mar’s Lodging, on becoming keeper of Stirling Castle. It remained unfinished at his death. His widow took up residence but never completed the original scheme.

James VI and Queen Anna briefly stayed here in 1593. Subsequent earls of Mar used it until the 1715 Jacobite Rising, led by the 6th Earl, who fled into exile as a result and forfeited his estates, including Mar’s Wark. Thereafter, it served as a workhouse for a time before being abandoned.

Mar’s Wark was a proud Renaissance mansion in its day. It still has an impressive entrance facade facing onto the street, dominated by a great arched pend, or passage, flanked by octagonal turrets. The façade features a wealth of sculptures, heraldic panels, gargoyles carved to resemble cannon and humorous rhyming inscriptions. The vaulted entrance pend led into a courtyard, around which were ranged two-storey lodgings.
 

Credit and further Insights: historic-scotland.gov.uk

 

Next stop:

Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness, UK

 

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Click on image, or here to view “Urquhart castle on the shores of Loch Ness”

 

Excavations have provided evidence of settlements in this area going back to as early as 2000BC, and it seems that during the 6th or 7th century, a simple fort may have existed at the location of the present castle. However, the first records of the stone castle indicate it existed in the early 13th century, probably built by the Durward family.

It gained the title of a ‘Royal Castle’, and was used by Kings of both Scotland and England – King Edward I of England occupied it in 1296, King David II of Scotland stayed there in 1342.

As with so many Scotland castles, Urquhart was at the center of a tug-of-war between the English and Scottish, in this instance lasting from the 14th to the 17th century. This castle has a very active military history, and was also fought over by the Crown, the Clan MacDonald and the Grant family.

After several turbulent centuries, the castle was abandoned in the early 1600′s, and was nothing more than ruins by the end of that century.

 

Credit and further Insights: scottish-at-heart.com

 

From the 1200s until its demise in 1692, Urquhart saw much military action. In 1296 it was captured by Edward I of England, ‘Hammer of the Scots’. Thereafter, the stronghold passed back and forth between Scottish and English control. In 1332, in the dark days following King Robert Bruce’s death, Urquhart remained the only Highland castle holding out against the English.

Soon after the English threat evaporated, the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles arrived. Time and again, they swept through Glen Urquhart in their quest for more power. The castle passed back and forth between the Crown and the Lords of the Isles like a bone between two dogs. Their last raid, in 1545, proved the worst. The Islesmen got away with an enormous hoard, including 20 guns and three great boats. 

James IV had given the barony of Urquhart to the Grant family in 1509, together with instructions to rehabilitate the castle and the estate. At some point during the 1500s, the Grants built the five-storey tower house known as the Grant Tower.

Credit and further Insights: historic-scotland.gov.uk

 

Urquhart castle was destroyed, dynamited, blown up, in 1692 under English parliamentary orders, so as to prevent the Urquhart castle becoming a Jacobite stronghold – Jacobites believed in royal lineages and in keeping them in tact, as was the belief of clan Urquhart, while the English parliament believed they had the right to appoint the king they wanted from the lineage – puppet kings in other words. This was the end of days for the Scottish Highland warrior clans and the end of the Urquhart clan as it once stood.

The Urquhart clan was loyal to and tenaciously determined to, have the Scottish royalty returned to power. In the end these acts of bravery and absolute loyalty, all but destroyed the Urquhart clan financially. I recall reading that, at one point, the Urquhart clan was divided over pursuing their true monarch’s ambition of being returned, because of the great financial drain it would place on the Urquhart cophers, particularly if the campaign was lost. So clan Urquhart became divided, with one group of Urquharts marching off to support the Scottish monarchy and the other half remaining in favor of the English – at least appearance wise. The destruction of Urquhart castle by the English parliament, though, suggests to us that that ambition was truly feared by the English and that they clearly saw the Urquhart clan and castle as a threat, amongst many other of the clans who refused to cow-tow to the English like lappy dogs.

Credit and further Insights: historyandlegends.com

 

Next stop:

Inverness Castle, Inverness, UK

 

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Credit: Dave Conner

 

A succession of castles has stood on this site since 1057.

The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which Macbeth of Scotland according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim’s father Donnchad I of Scotland, and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.

The first Inverness Castle was partially destroyed by King Robert I of Scotland and a replacement castle was sacked in the 15th century by the Clan Donald during the Siege of Inverness (1429). The castle was occupied during the Raid on Ross in 1491.

 

Castle of Inverness. J. Clack, lithographed by Schenck, Edinburgh 1745 – 1746

 

Historic view of Inverness Castle

In 1548 another castle with tower was completed by George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (1514–1562). He was constable of the castle until 1562. The castle was later taken by the Clan Munro and Clan Fraser who supported Mary Queen of Scots during the Siege of Inverness (1562). Robert Mor Munro, 15th Baron of Foulis, chief of the Clan Munro was a staunch supporter and faithful friend of Mary Queen of Scots and he consequently was treated favourably by her son James VI.

George Buchanan states, that when the unfortunate princess went to Inverness in 1562 and found the gates of the castle shut against her; “as soon as they heard of their sovereign’s danger, a great number of the most eminent Scots poured in around her, especially the Frasers and Munros, who were esteemed the most valiant of the clans inhabiting those countries in the north”. These two clans took Inverness Castle for the Queen, which had refused her admission. The Queen later hanged the governor, a Gordon who had refused entry.^[2]

George Buchanan’s original writings state:^[3]

“

Audito Principis periculo magna Priscorun Scotorum multitudo partim excita partim sua spoute afferit, imprimis Fraserie et Munoroii hominum fortissimorum in illis gentibus familiae.

”

Which translates in English as:

“

That as soon as they heard of their Sovereign’s danger a great number of the ancient Scots poured in around her, especially the Frasers and Munros, which were esteemed the most valiant families inhabiting those countries.

”

 

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

It gained the title of a ‘Royal Castle’, and was used by Kings of both Scotland and England – King Edward I of England occupied it in 1296, King David II of Scotland stayed there in 1342.

This castle was linked to Macbeth, it is supposedly where he murdered King Duncan. Malcolm Ceanmore destroyed this castle in revenge for the murder of his father. The story of the murder and feud is generally well known thanks to Shakespeare. But historical accuracy of some of the accepted facts has become somewhat blurred, maybe also thanks to Shakespeare.

 

Credit and further Insights: nessriver.co.uk

 

 

Next stop:

Royal Mile, Edinburgh, UK

 

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Click on image or here to view “Edinburgh – birth of a city”

Credit and further Insights: dudleymall.co.uk

 

The Royal Mile (Scots: Ryal Mile) is the name given to a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The name was first used in W M Gilbert’s Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century (1901), and was further popularised as the title of a guidebook, published in 1920.^[1]

The thoroughfare, as the name suggests, is approximately one Scots mile long^[2] and runs downhill between two significant locations in the history of Scotland, namely Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand.

 

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org

 

Click on image or here to view “Secrets of the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle”

 

Next stop:

Hollyrood Palace, Edinburgh, UK

 

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The Palace of Holyroodhouse (/ˈhɒlɪˌruːd/ or /ˈhoʊlɪˌruːd/^[1]), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century, and is a setting for state occasions and official entertaining.

Queen Elizabeth spends one week in residence at Holyrood Palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range of official engagements and ceremonies. The 16th century Historic Apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots and the State Apartments, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public throughout the year, except when members of the Royal Family are in residence.

Credit and further Insights: wikipedia.org