The Declaration of Arbroath. 2

On a previous page we wrote about how and why the Declaration of Arbroath came to be drawn up by Bruce and the Scottish Nobles.  We reproduce the English language translation below together with a photograph of the original charter or rather a copy retained in Scotland (as the original got lost in history).  Note the seals attached to the charter instead of signatures.  We have applied a similar seal to your Laird Certificate.

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Scottish humour (or humor if you are from the USA) is said to a very dry humour and often seen as putting down our nation and our own people.

For example one of the most common jokes in Scottish humour is about the meanness or frugality of Scots people. For example we still love to joke that we are tight fisted.

Advert in local newspaper.  For Sale Used Gravestone ideal for family named McDonald.

After a rather poor collection was gathered in, the church minister prayed, "We thank you , dear Lord, that the collection plate has been returned safely"

In reality research figures over many years have consistently shown that per head of population we give far more to charity than our English counterparts.

Many of us — including myself — love to hear the bagpipes when they are played well but with our Scottish humor we can joke about the sound they make to untrained ears that have no taste.

Wee Sandy had just moved to London.  Visited by a friend from Scotland he was asked how he was doing.

"Weel",he said, "its jist grand, apart from the English Neighbours. The lot next door scream and shout and doonstairs is forever knocking up wi a broom".

"For goodness sake, Sandy, How do you stand all this commotion?"asked his friend.

"Och,ah jist keep quietly practicing on ma pipes!"

A lot of Scottish humour includes jokes about our national drink (Scotch Whisky) often with a well deserved put down for other drinks that pretend to be our whisky.

For example three CEO’s of large whisky companies went into a hotel bar.

"Okay barman ", said the first one, "give me a Japanese Whisky, the finest whisky in the world." The Barman gives him his drink.

"Right barman," said the second CEO, Give me a large American Whiskey, the finest whisky in the world."  The Barman gives him his drink.

"Right barman," said the Scottish CEO. "Give me a coke"

The other two Whisky CEOs were astonished and asked " Why aren’t you drinking Scotch whisky?"

"Well", said the Scot, " I reckoned if you guys aren’t drinking whisky, neither would I"

 

We also love to to use our particular brand of Scottish humor to have a go at our politicians.

99.9% of Scots are decent, hardworking, law abiding and and honest citizens.  But we still have to learn to accept the blame for electing the other 0.1% to govern us.

But maybe more than anything the Scottish Humor tends to love to have a joke about our English neighbours south of the border.

When God created Scotland, He looked down on it with great satisfaction. Finally He called the Archangel Gabriel to have a look.

“Just see,” said God. “This is the best yet. Splendid mountains, beautiful scenery, brave men, the very finest of all women, nice cool weather. And I’ve given them beautiful music and a special drink called whisky. Try some.”

Gabriel took an appreciative sip.

“Excellent,” he said. “But haven’t you perhaps been too kind to them? Won’t they be spoiled by all these things? Should there not be some drawback?”

“Just wait till you see the neighbours they’re getting,” said God.

We will be adding large numbers of pages of Scottish humor jokes to this website over the next few months. Come back and see them regularly.

Alternatively contribute your own Scottish Humour to our pages below

How did this thorny Thistle flower become the national emblem of Scotland?

Answer — That Scottish Thistle saved the lives of a whole army of Scots from being slaughtered while they slept.  What better reason could you have!

An unusual wildlife topic.

In introducing the section on wildlife of Scotland we could not resist producing a page on the thistle — the national emblem of Scotland setting out why this rather prickly tough looking plant should be honoured in such a way.

The thistle plant grows wild all over Scotland with some 200 variations in growing all over the northern hemisphere. (One variety in the USA — known appropriately as the "Tall Thistle" — grows to a height of ten foot. However most other varieties of the Thistle grow to a height of only one to three foot.)

Thistle plants are tough wildlife with virtually no grazing animals eating them due to the very sharp spines and needles. However some animals such as a donkey will nip off the flower heads and enjoy them without touching the sharp needles.

Why make the thistle a national Emblem?

According to legend in 1263 one army led by King Haakon of Norway slipped ashore at Largs during the night hoping to take the Scots by surprise whilst they were still asleep prior to a battle planned for the following day.

In order to be able to move more quietly towards the sleeping Scots the invaders removed their footwear. Unfortunately for them that night they met up with something else hiding in the darkness. One of the invaders stood on a thistle and cried out in pain as the thorns went deep into his bare feet.

The Scots having been awakened by the cries arose and were able to fight driving the invaders back into the North Sea.

To honour the thistle plant that had so decisively saved their lives the Scots adopted the Thistle as their national symbol. Some two hundred years later James III put the thistle on silver coins in 1470.

Click to discover also the Order of the Thistle an ancient title first awarded in 1540 by the Scottish King.

Hello again. This issue of the Laird of Isle of Jura Newsletter brings you news about some new houses being built on the Isle of Jura along with a new ambulance, Arthur retires (who is Arthur? read on!) and the mysterious missing Jura Skull and bones.

News for March/April 2005

Isle of Jura Gifts

Isle of Jura Gifts is now online. We have a wide selection of books and gifts from the island and hope to expand our range shortly. Find us at www.isleofjuragifts.com

New houses on Isle of Jura

It is amazing the number of new houses that have been built, are being built or are planned to be built in such a small community ( Population about 170). At last count there are about 20 with over 50% of them being used or planned to be used as permanent residencies. It is also good to see the number of younger folk who are involved in this building frenzy. Don’t worry, though. In no way can this be seen as over development on such a sparsely populated island!

New ambulance for the Isle of Jura

The Isle of Jura is to get its own island based ambulance through the Scottish Community Ambulance Initiative. Support has come from all areas with free ferry travel being supplied by the ferry companies and a years supply of fuel donated by a local distributor. All that remains to be done is to train the volunteer crew in time for the ambulances arrival.

Arthur retires

After 36 years of plying the sound between Isle of Jura and Islay on the ferry, Arthur has finally hung up his skippers cap. He will be sorely missed and a party was held for him in the village hall in March.

The Lairds View

I will be back on Isle of Jura again at the end of the month visiting relatives and hopefully catching a trout or 2! Surely the weather will cooperate this time and I will get some nice pictures for the web site and newsletters.

The picnic table will be put into place and the bracken cut back so that any of you visiting Lairds or Ladies can fully enjoy the fine views.

I would be interested to here from anyone planning to visit this summer. Don’t forget to quote your 10% discount voucher if you are booking into the hotel!

Stories from Isle of Jura

For many years a skull and 2 limb bones sat on a rock protected by an overhang near the shore at Glengarrisdale on the west coast of the Isle of Jura. It is believed they were turned up when ploughing and could have belonged to the victim of a long ago massacre, as the skull had a slash in it which could have been made by a sword. Sadly they are no longer there.

Next time I will report on the annual Fell race and hopefully have these promised pictures!

Slainte David

"Every line of strength in American history is a line coloured with Scottish blood."
 President Woodrow Wilson praising the contribution of the Scottish Nation to the history of the USA

Why have countries set aside a special day called "Tartan Day"?

The effect of Scots moving the new emerging countries such as Canada and USA clearly effected almost every part of its culture and growth. It could even be said that the Scottish immigrants — many who still wore the tartan kilt in the new world — had a greater effect on the development of these new world countries than any other immigrant group from anywhere in the world.

Lets consider the effect of
Scots on the USA.

• Anyone looking at the map of North Carolina will find that there are 130 towns or places beginning with either "Mac" or "Mc".

• Nearly half of the Secretaries of the US Treasury and one third of the the Secretaries of State of United States have been of Scots origin.

• Nine of the thirteen Governors of the newly created United States were Scots or of Scottish descent.

• Of the fifty six signatories of the Declaration of Independence nine were directly or indirectly descended from Scots.

• At least eleven Presidents of the USA have had Scots ancestry

Our Laird of Jura book lists even more achievements but we lack space here to repeat them all.

Some people think of the Tartan Day as being a day to remember! A day to celebrate! Scotsmen and women left their native country to travel to faraway places around the world including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However as Scots they brought with them elements of their culture not just the tartan kilt and bagpipes but their skills their tenacity and hard work.

National Tartan Day on April 6th is about celebrating their achievements.

There are nearly as many descendants of Scots living in Canada as there are people living in Scotland; almost 5 million. In the US there are more than 12 million people of Scottish descent. 

Many Scottish groups and societies campaigned for recognition of their importance in the development of their country. Central to their campaign was the recognition of the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath (1320) as their national date to celebrate their Scottish roots.

A small part of that Declaration of Arbroath, states "For so long as one hundred men remain alive, we shall never under any conditions submit to the domination of the English. It is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but only for liberty, which no good man will consent to lose but with his life."

Canada was the first to recognise April 6th as the special Tartan Day.

America followed suit on March 20th 1998, when Senate Resolution 155 (S.Res. 155), proposed by US Senate Republican majority leader Trent Lott, was passed unanimously.

The full resolution as passed in the US Senate, with its preamble, is as follows:

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S. Res. 155
Whereas April 6 has a special significance for all Americans, and especially those Americans of Scottish descent, because the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish Declaration of Independence, was signed on April 6, 1320 and the American Declaration of Independence was modelled on that inspirational document;

Whereas this resolution honors the major role that Scottish Americans played in the founding of this Nation, such as the fact that almost half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent, the Governors in 9 of the original 13 States were of Scottish ancestry, Scottish Americans successfully helped shape this country in its formative years and guide this Nation through its most troubled times;

Whereas this resolution recognizes the monumental achievements and invaluable contributions made by Scottish Americans that have led to America’s preeminence in the fields of science, technology, medicine, government, politics, economics, architecture, literature, media, and visual and performing arts;

Whereas this resolution commends the more than 200 organizations throughout the United States that honor Scottish heritage, tradition, and culture, representing the hundreds of thousands of Americans of Scottish descent, residing in every State, who already have made the observance of Tartan Day on April 6 a success;

Whereas these numerous individuals, clans, societies, clubs, and fraternal organizations do not let the great contributions of the Scottish people go unnoticed:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate designates April 6 of each year as "National Tartan Day."

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Scotland has tried to establish a similar celebration Tartan Day over the last couple of years but it has yet to take off in any major way.   Arbroath of course taking the lead followed by other large towns.

The third largest city in Scotland Aberdeen has just just decided to launch its own Tartan day celebration but going against the international consensus of going for April 6th — the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath — but choosing a day in August.  WHY?

See our pages on the Tartan and The Kilt here

If you were asked the question “what is the most famous Scottish tradition” the wearing of tartan might be one of the first answers you give.

Almost everyone when asked that question would think about the Scottish kilt and the associated tartans that now symbolise Scotland throughout the world. Yet in the majority of cases they would be wrong in thinking of it as traditional wear!

A close examination of history will show us that although the Scots have indeed worn the kilt and the tartan from earliest times, the current style now bears very little resemblance to the original design. Indeed most of the now “traditional” tartans worn by Scottish Clans and sold throughout the world as such can only be traced back to the middle of the 18th century.

Historical Tartan Wear.

However history clearly shows that the kilt and tartans have been the true dress of Scots people for as long as their history has been recorded. Indeed there is still a sample of a small piece of Scottish brown and white tartan which was originally used as a stopper for an earthenware pot. This contained a treasure trove of silver coins and was found close to a Roman wall near Falkirk. This tartan cloth appears to have been buried in the third century.

There are also other references to tartans in various historic documents and paintings.

For example, a charter granted to Hector Maclean of Duart in 1587 for land in the neighbouring Isle of Islay details a rental payable in 60 ells of white, black and green colours. This is very similar to the pattern now being worn as the current Maclean Hunting tartan.

Origins of the Maclean clan on the Isle of Jura

Although the Maclean clan origin appears to be back in the Moray area of the north eastern Scottish Highlands the Maclean clan have been involved with the Isle of Jura for longer than any other clan (other than the MacDonalds).

It is thought that the Macleans were one of the Scottish clans moved to the Isle of Jura during 1161 by Malcolm IV King of Scotland in order to break up the threatening power structures that could have lead to him losing his kingdom.

However other records suggest that the Maclean clan has been associated since its earliest days with the Isle of Mull — an island visible from the Isle of Jura. The Maclean clan were always recorded as being expert seamen and their war galleys would have been landing on Isle of Jura and nearby islands.

The origin of the Maclean clan is disputed so we will give both versions to make sure we have the right one.

The Maclean Clan origins part one

The Maclean clan is said by some to be of Norman or Italian origin and having come through the Fitzgeralds of Ireland - one of whom was also reckoned to the founder of the Clan Mackenzie. The Fitzgeralds are said to have been descended from Seignoir Giralde who was one of the principal officers who came across with William the Conqueror in 1066. However records from the conquest times show little evidence of the existence of Giralde at that time.

The painting on the right hand side is of a Maclean Clan Chief by R R MacIan for "The Costumes of the Clans" published in 1845-47.

The Maclean Clan origins part two

The second (or Celtic) version of the Maclean clan origin suggests that in the or 13th century that Gillean or Gill-eoin meaning young man) was returning from hunting on Ben Tulla when he lost his way in fog. After a few days of growing weaker and weaker he hung his battle-axe on a laurel tree to mark his final resting place under a cypress bush. However friends found him before he actually died and took him home to recover fully. The axe, laurel and cypress have since been adopted by one of the branches of the Maclean clan in their own crest. Gillean had previously been acknowledged as being a superior warrior having fought at the battle of Largs against the Vikings in 1263 and had became known as "Gilleathain na Tuaighe" (Gillean of the Battleaxe).

Note: as the Gaelic language had not been fully developed as one standard written language by that time different spellings of the name have been found. In these writings we tend to use the most common format found today.

Whichever version of the orgin of the Maclean clan is true it is obvious that the Macleans are a ancient and honourable Scottish clan.

Read more about the history of the Maclean Clan on our Maclean Clan Tour!

The Declaration of Arbroath is one of the most famous
statements of independence throughout the world.

Every Scot knows the Declaration of Arbroath written in 1320 is one of the greatest statements of human rights ever written (although some would say the Magna Carta  in 1215 was coming a close second).

Many experts say the Arbroath Declaration was the model used when the new American nation was drawing up its own Declaration of Independance some  456 years later.  This is a very plausible statement as the majority of the new Governors were from Scots descent and knew the importance of what it had done for the people of Scotland.

"As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any condition be brought under English domination. It is in truth not for glory, nor for riches, nor for honour that we are fighting, but only and alone for freedom, which no good man surrenders but with his life."

The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 did not end the fighting between Scotland and England.  The Bruce (the Scottish king as he was known by many) continued to invade northern England inflicting great damage. The problem was the current then Pope still did recognise Scotland as an independant nation and in a strongly Catholic Scotland that meant a lot. Some historians have claimed that one of the strongest reasons for this refusal was Robert Bruce’s murder of John Comyn (his main rival to the throne).  As the murder had taken place inside of an Abbey the Pope had felt it proper to excommunicate Bruce (althrough I still do not understand why a murder on holy ground of a church building should be any worse than one committed a mile away).

In fact the Pope went stronger than simply not recognising Scottish independance he threatened to excommunicate the whole nation if they did not recognise the English King Edward as their own King.  The King and his nobles gathered together at Arbroath to write this petition to the pope to change his view suggesting that any refusal by time would lead to even more death  and they would be on the Popes shoulders.

Signed by all 38 Scottish Nobles the petition was successful although it was not until 1328 that the Treaty of Northampton was finally signed Bruce and Edward III recognising Scotland as a separate nation fully independant of England. The treaty was sealed with the marriage of Bruce to Edwards sister Joanna leaving Bruce free to concentrate on rebuilding his nation into relative prosperity and peace.

However the toil of fighting for so many years had ruined his health and in his later years he was constantly subject to bouts of illness.  He died in Cardross (now part of Dunbartonshire) although his body was then taken east to be buried in Dunfermline Abbey. However on his instructions his heart was removed and taken in a casket by Sir James Douglas to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage.

The heart of Bruce was then returned to Scotland and buried in Melrose Abbey .  Later in 1921 a small lead casket containing a human heart  was found buried in the grounds of the Abbey.  This was assumed to be the heart of Robert Bruce.

Read the full Declaration of Arbroath in English or in the original Latin .

At one time, every household on the Isle of Jura made enough "Scotch" whisky for their own needs. What happened to that?

However that was before the Scottish Parliament made their first tax levy on Scotch whisky in 1644. Then at various times during the 1700’s when the harvest was poor the producing of whisky was legally banned in order to save barley for food.

Many illegal whisky stills were then being operated and there are places on Isle of Jura where evidence of these stills can still be seen. In 1823 a licence fee of £10 was required to legally set up a whisky still. In spite of this, illicit distilling still took place with some of the whisky being consumed on the Isle of Jura the rest being smuggled to the Lowlands of Scotland.

The original Isle of Jura distillery was built in the early 1800’s close to a cave where illegal distilling had probably taken place for many years. It was built by Campbell, the Laird and Chief of the Campbell clan, and let out to many people over the years.    It is recorded it could produce 720 gallons of Scotch whisky per week.

It was then leased to James Ferguson in 1875 and was rebuilt in 1884, producing some 64,000 gallons per year.  When the lease expired, the Laird (owner) attempted to put up the rent. Ferguson would have none of it and dismantled and sold the machinery.  The roof was removed to avoid rates and it seemed as if distilling on Jura had come to an end.

The present Isle of Jura Whisky distillery was built on the site of the old one in 1963, with additions in 1971.  It has changed hands a number of times and is currently owned by Whyte and Mackay one of the major Scotch Whisky firms.

Note: The Isle of Jura Distillery is fairly close to the Isle of Jura Hotel where you can redeem the accommodation discount voucher supplied to all our Laird of Jura members.

 

Discover more about Scotch whisky distilleries on DVD

Laird of Jura newsletter no.7

Welcome to your Laird of Isle of Jura newsletter number 7. In this issue we bring you an update on the new year celebrations, new rainfall records set for wet and dry months in 2005, read about the hassle being caused by wild deer and goats in the village

News for January/February 06

Jura’s own band, Pete Smoke and the Roaches, helped blast Jura into 2006 with a storming set in the hall “after the bells”. The celebrations began with a ceilidh, led by Graham Rozga on the accordion, then it was time for some good old rock and/or roll with the Roaches! These boys came together by accident when a band due to play at the music festival in September cancelled at the last minute. They have since gone from strength to strength and have just completed a recent world tour of the neighbouring Isle of Islay! Try and catch them when you visit your Jura estate.

Rainfall for 2005

Rainfall records have been kept at Craighouse on Jura since 1983, and are also kept for the Paps, Inver and Lealt. It is amazing the difference some months between Inver and Craighouse, only about 5 or 6 miles apart as the crow flies, but separated by the Paps. For example, in May 2005 152mm fell on Craighouse while only 107.5mm fell on Inver. This can be attributed to the Paps drawing in the clouds which then dump their rain on the hills and on Craighouse, further to the east. Overall, the total rainfall for the year was slightly below average at Craighouse with July being the driest on record, and May being abnormally wet. (Just ask the fell runners!)

Deer and goats

These are becoming a pest in Craighouse doing lots of damage to gardens. In fact, my mother’s vegetable patch was recently stripped bare by a marauding stag!

Strange happenings on Jura

There have been quite a few instances of ghosts being seen on Jura. Here are some of them. During the 1980’s, several people reported seeing the headlights of a car approaching along the islands only single track road. Having pulled into a passing place to let the car past, nothing has appeared. There was no turn off between them and where they saw the car. The farmhouse at Lagg is reputed to be haunted by a poltergeist. It is rumoured that a past occupant used to take up a cup of tea to the room the ghost inhabited to quieten him down! Not far from Lagg, at the deserted house of Corrynahera, several people claim to have seen a face at the window on passing by. The ghost of a young lady was reportedly seen in Corran house by a doctor who was staying there. It is known that a young girl drowned whilst crossing the Corran river many years ago. A very reputable witness watched a strange creature swimming off Jura for several minutes back in the 1960s or 70s. His account was published in a book about Scottish sea monsters. Don’t forget to visit www.isleofjuragifts.com where you can find books featuring more interesting stories about Jura’s past. Until next time, Slainte David