Scotiana » Castles

Scottish Gifts under the Christmas Tree…

MAJA — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:00:33 +0000

Hi everybody,

BONNE ANNEE A TOUS !!!

We’re just coming back from Sologne where we spent the New Year holidays not far from Aubigny-sur-Nère and a few kilometers from two of the most famous châteaux de la Loire: Chambord and Cheverny.

Cheverny is the castle which served as a model to the Belgian comic book creator Hergé for the drawing of his fictional “Château de Moulinsart” (“Marlinspike” in English), Capitaine Haddock’s estate, in the Adventures of Tintin books. Moulinsart castle first appears in The Secret of the Unicorn.

Hergé's "Château de Moulinsart" in The Adventures of Tintin - Source : Wikipedia

On Hergé’s Moulinsart there are no outermost wings but the central tower and the two inner wings have been kept.

With its beautiful and well-furnished interiors, its magnificent painted ceilings recalling those of Crathes Castle in Scotland, the Château de Cheverny is very interesting to visit. The personal touch given by its owners can be seen in each room and its decoration which changes according to the season still adds to the very lively and cheerful atmosphere of the castle. We’ve visited it several times and it’s one of our favourites.

Château de Cheverny hunting dog © Marie Lorchat 2012

The Château de Cheverny is also famous for its pack of hunting dogs (beagles). I like very much Marie’s photo . The dogs are fed daily, and this time we arrived on time to assist to their dinner. It’s quite impressive !

Today, I’m going to tell you a few words about some of the gifts I’ve found under the Christmas tree … those with a Scottish touch

I can’t remember of any letter written by me to Santa Claus when I was a little girl though I’m pretty sure there must have been one at least ! But Father Christmas seems to be well-informed Otherwise, how could he know that I’m collecting teddy bears, that I’m a fan of Scotland and that I do love books and… chocolates! This year, he has been particularly kind and generous with me for among the many marvellous presents which were waiting for me under the Christmas tree I didn’t find a single one which did not appeal to one of my favourite tastes. Stuck on some of them I found a little envelope with a message full of humour and tenderness. Dear Père Noël, many many thanks …

Now, just have a look at my Christmas presents !

Oeuvres de Walter Scott Histoire d'Ecosse Traduction AJB Defauconpret Furne 1835

Un chef d’oeuvre en péril !

Il faudrait un miracle pour le restaurer.

Inutile d’appeler l’éditeur, car le téléphone n’existait pas lors de l’impression!!!

Seul un miracle…

(Le Père Noël)

The missing book ! That’s the first one…

A few years ago I had found on Abebooks a rather cheap but incomplete French edition of Sir Walter Scott’s books, translated by A.J.B. Defauconpret. This illustrated collection was composed of 30 violine half-shagreen volumes and had been edited by Furne, Ch. Gosselin, Perrotin in 1835, three years after Sir Walter’s death. Five volumes were missing (I’m still looking for them) : I : Waverley, IV : Rob Roy, VI : La prison d’Edimbourg, VII : La fiancée de Lammermoor and volume XXVII : Histoire d’Ecosse 2ème série, the famous Tales of a Scottish Grandfather. The seller had been very kind to give me seven extra books, wee odd volumes (about 14 x 9 cm) from another collection (I’m also looking for the missing books ) : La prison d’Edimbourg (2 volumes), Le nain noir (1 volume), Les puritains d’Ecosse (2 volumes), Ivanhoe (first volume). These last ones had been edited by Librairie de Lecointe Paris 1830 (Sir Walter was still alive then !).

Oeuvres de Walter Scott Histoire d'Ecosse 2ème série Traduction AJB Defauconpret Furne 1835

So… the book I’ve found under the Christmas tree belongs to a sister edition of my own 1835 edition of Paris, Furne, Ch. Gosselin, Perrotin. Only the cover is different. There seems to have been many editions of Sir Walter Scott’s books at that time in English and in French too. M. Defauconpret was a great admirer of Sir Walter Scott and he was invited to Abbotsford with his wife. I’m very impressed by the huge work of translation he did in so little time. He was helped in this work by his son. I’ll try to know more about these translators…

Journal des voyages et des aventures de terre et de mer n° 826 mai 1893 - Les Superstitions d'Ecosse by F. Morans © 2012 Scotiana

Les prédictions de la Gypsie :

Epreuve de la pomme et du miroir – Epreuve de la graine de chanvre

Le chou arraché – Epreuve de la meule de foin – Epreuve du van dans la grange.

(…) La superstition a peuplé les clairières et les solitudes de spectres ou de génies tutélaires, et le “Shellycoat”, – génie des eaux, qui égarait les voyageurs attardés, après les avoir fascinés par le cliquetis de son armure, – a laissé son nom à plus d’un rocher et plus d’un écueil dangereux.

Le foyer domestique a perdu peu à peu ses dieux, avec les ruines moussues, les bruyères et les grèves. L’Elf seul a bravé le “chant du coq” qui, dans Shakespeare, “dissipe les illusions et les esprits nocturnes” ; il hante encore les vallées perdues au fond des cantons montagneux et boisés ; s’il n’a plus de fidèles que chez les hommes de moeurs simples et de foi traditionnelle, – que n’a point encore atteint le scepticisme moderne, – son souvenir s’y conserve, indécis et vague, abrité par le sentiment national.

Le voyageur rencontre bien sous les hêtres et les chênes séculaires des ombres épaisses et mystérieuses, mais rien qui ressemble aux êtres surnaturels dont nous entretient la légende. Les arbres contemporains du “Conquérant” étalent fièrement leurs membres tordus et leur feuillage sombre, qui se détache sur les fauves bruyères ; un léger nuage plane au-dessus d’un feu grêle, alimenté de bois vert, qui jette plus de fumée que de flamme ; mais ce n’est point “la braise de minuit”, allumée par le “brownie” fantastique et capricieux ; les rayons de la lune tombent avec une sérénité blafarde sur le toit rond ou pointu de deux ou trois tentes dont la toile grossière frissonne au souffle du vent ; un âne, parfois un vieux cheval, broutent paisiblement en liberté l’herbe courte ; un hibou glapit par intervalle sous la futaie ; hommes et femmes en haillons sont accroupis autour des coquemars et chantent une vieille ballade, interrompue souvent par les faibles aboiements des chiens hargneux ; ce ne sont point les sorcières de Macbeth, ni les génies protecteurs de la forêt, c’est un clan de gypsies, de “Rums” et de “juwas” ; à défaut des fées, on y trouve des devineresses olivâtres et des diseuses de bonne aventure (…)

(F. Morans)

L’Ecosse est un pays de traditions…

Il est de tradition chez certains de chercher des introuvables, tout en évitant les doublons !!!

(Le Père Noël)

Sur les bruyères d'Ecosse P. Kinsbourg et M. Gratiot Paris 1893

Un voyage d’Ecosse raconté en 140 pages !… Disons bien vite que ce récit est simplement l’itinéraire de la sixième de nos excursions. Vous ayant ainsi prévenus, nous serons sûrs, au moins, de ne pas vous tromper.

Dans vingt ans, en relisant ces petites feuilles, nous nous souviendrons de tout ce qui nous a charmés dans le pays de Walter Scott et des Highlanders. Et c’est là notre seule pensée. D’ailleurs le voyage que nous voulons vous tracer n’a pas été seulement une longue pérégrination pédestre à travers coteaux et montagnes : les lacs écossais ont fait plus souvent de nous des navigateurs que des marcheurs. – Que de fois, depuis deux années, nous parlions de cette Ecosse qui semblait toujours nous échapper ! Retardée déjà à deux reprises, cette excursion passait presque à l’état de chimère, et voilà qu’elle nous semble maintenant un ancien souvenir…

(P. Kinsbourg et M. Gratiot -1893)

And last but not least… look at what dear Québécoise Mère Noël brought to me ! An Amazon Kindle… WOW !!!… it arrived only two days ago but Mr Kindle is already a great friend of me. For somebody who has always been a book addict and who owns hundreds of old and new books it comes as a surprise ! I can’t believe it. It doesn’t replace my books but it is quite complementary to them… Just imagine : no more need to take with me a heavy suitcase full of books when I travel… Mr Kindle has already ingested lots of books and my virtual library is growing rapidly. And guess what were the first two collections to enter Mr Kindle’s library? The Complete Works of Sir Walter Scott (Illustrated) and of Robert Louis Stevenson

Now, let us end this post with Scotiana’s good resolutions for 2012 :

Walter Scott’s First Letters to and from C.K. Sharpe at Hoddom Castle

MAJA — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:44:01 +0000

Thomas Carlyle Portrait

In books lies the soul of the whole Past Time:the articulate audible voice of the Past,

when the body and material substance of it has altogether vanished like a dream.

(Thomas Carlyle)

Hi everybody,

Day after day, we’re adding colourful pieces to our great Scottish mosaic and when we aren’t roaming the beautiful roads of Scotland we are browsing one or other volume of our well-furnished Scottish libraries

Today, some of the most ancient representatives of my crowded bookshelves have landed on my desk, inviting me to go back to Hoddom Castle where we’ve already spent some time. The old mansion doesn’t seem to have delivered all its secrets still. No wailing ghost there but a lot of fading images and waning echoes of the past…

Walter Scott Redgauntlet, 'Oeuvres de Walter Scott' traduction A.J.B. Defauconpret, tome dix-septième, Paris, Furne, Charles Gosselin, Perrotin éditeurs

And Sir Walter Scott is never very far…

In my last post, I told you how I was eager to read Redgauntlet, a story which is supposed to have links with Hoddom Castle. So, added to the fact that I have not forgotten my promise to read all Walter Scott’s books, a promise we’ve made with Janice at Abbotsford, in 2006, in front of the sculpted bust of its beloved master, I wanted to know more about these links.

So eager was I to read Redgauntlet that I didn’t wait for the arrival of the Oxford World’s Classics English edition I had ordered just after writing my last post and I decided to read it in my 1835 French edition (Oeuvres de Walter Scott traduites par A.J.B. Defauconpret, tome dix-septième, Paris, Furne, Charles Gosselin, Perrotin éditeurs). I like very much the translation of Sir Walter’s books by Auguste Jean-Baptiste Defauconpret (1767-1843). This French man of letters had been invited by Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford and, with the help of his son, M. Defauconpret did translate all his works. The language may seem old-fashioned today but it was the language of the time and it was in keeping with the writing of Sir Walter.

I soon forgot the musty smell of my book, for I quickly got immersed in the reading of the letters written to each other by Alan Fairford and Darsie Latimer, the two main protagonists of the story. The action takes place in Edinburgh and on the north side of the Solway Firth, in the southwest of Scotland, a place from where you can easily see the nearby coast of England. There is an old map at the end of my book which is very useful to situate the main points of interest in the story. But I will tell you more about Redgauntlet as soon as I’ve finished the book

Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe portrait

Last time, I’ve drawn your attention on the friendship between Sir Walter Scott and Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, one of Hoddom Castle’s late owners. This life-long friendship had begun with Sir Sharpe’s contribution to The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border . I was trying to know more about that when I fell upon Sharpe’s copious and very interesting correspondence, more especially on the letters he exchanged with Sir Walter. The first ones date from August 1802. Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe was only 21 years old then and he was still studying at Christ Church, Oxford, to become a minister when he wrote them. Walter Scott was 32 years old and he was living partly in Edinburgh and partly at Lasswade at that time. Below is an extract of an article about Sir Walter Scott’s houses. It comes from a very good source of information about Sir Walter: The University of Edinburgh Walter Scott Digital Archive.

On December 24, 1797, Scott married Charlotte Carpenter. The newly-weds initially rented a house at 50 George Street then in autumn 1798 moved to 10 South Castle Street. Here Charlotte would give birth to two children, Charlotte Sophia on October 24, 1799, and Walter on October 28, 1801. Shortly after Walter’s birth, the young family moved into a house that Scott had had built at 39 North Castle Street. A spacious, three-story, gray-stone dwelling, this would remain Scott’s Edinburgh home until financial disaster struck in 1826. It is currently occupied by a firm of solicitors.

Scott’s Edinburgh home was only his winter residence. From 1798 to 1803, he summered in a cottage on the outskirts of Lasswade, a village six miles south-east of Edinburgh on the river Esk. Many of Scott’s friends had country residences in its vicinity, including the novelist Henry Mackenzie, and his old history teacher Alexander Fraser Tytler. As well as exchanging visits with these, Scott entertained a number of literary guests, including, in 1803, William and Dorothy Wordsworth. It was at Lasswade that Scott began his career as an author, translating verse and drama from the German, and writing his own first original ballads, one of which, ‘The Gray Brother’, celebrates the countryside around Lasswade. It was here too that Scott wrote the opening stanzas of his first great poetic success, The Lay of the last Minstrel.

At the beginning of the year 1802, Sir Walter Scott had published the first two volumes of Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border and this book was the object of young Sharpe’s first letter. Here it is, followed by Sir Walter’s answer :

From Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe to Walter Scott, Hoddam Castle, August 5th 1802.

SIR, I hope that the enclosed ballads will plead my excuse for thus addressing you without the pleasure of a personal acquaintance. I received so much delight from the perusal of your Border Minstrelsy that I could not refrain from sending you “The Twa Corbies” and “The Douglas Tragedy”, hoping that they may find a place in a third volume of your charming work, which report hath taught us to expect. From my infancy I have been fond of old ballads, and have sat for days listening to the ” spinsters and the knitters in the sun ” singing many of the songs published in your collection.

Of course I learnt to repeat a great number, and still retain in my memory a few entire, with an immense hoard of scraps. ” The Douglas Tragedy ” was taught me by a nursery -maid, and was so great a favourite that I committed it to paper as soon as I was able to write. I have this copy still, in beau spelling, together with a song of ” Mary Hamilton,” whom I take to be the Queen’s Mary in the ‘ Minstrelsy,’ and the ditty of ” Lady Dysmal,” alias Ghismonda from Boccaccio, with a strange debasement of Guiscard into a kitchen-boy. There is a variation from history in my edition of Mary Hamilton the king himself is her gallant.

He attempts to destroy her child before birth with the leaves of the ” Abby Tree,” and she finally drowns it. I would have sent you this song, and also ” Lady Dysmal,” had I not left the book containing them at Oxford. I expect it, however, in a few days, and, should you wish it, will transcribe them for you. The song of ” The Twa Corbies ” was given to me by Miss Erskine of Alva l (now Mrs Kerr), who I think said that she had written it down from the recitation of an old woman at Alva. I am, sir, your obedient sert, CHAS. KIRKPATRICK SHARPE. I forgot to mention another ballad in my possession, beginning ” Fair Lady Ann sat in her bower,” which, if you please, I will also send you. My direction is Hoddam Castle, Ecclefechan.

From Walter Scott, Esq., to Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe

SIR, I beg your acceptance of my very best thanks for your valuable and obliging communication, which I received yesterday, and which will form an interesting addition to the 3d volume of Ballads which I intend shortly to publish. I have been very anxious to open some literary communication with your part of Dumfrieshire, and am truly happy in embracing the opportunity which your politeness has offered me. The wild and beautiful tale of the Corbies resembles in the outline an old English poem published by Ritson, from
an ancient MS., with this important and remarkable difference, that in the English verses the hawk, hound, and lady all remain faithful to the slain warrior, and the moral of the tale runs thus :

” God send every gentleman

Such hawks, such hounds, and such a lemman.”

I had a very corrupted and inferior copy of the ” Douglas Tragedy,” which is doubly acceptable to me, as I had been long desirous of obtaining a good set. Popular tradition has pointed out the scene of this fatal story, and assigned it to Blackhouse in Selkirkshire, where there are ruins of a very ancient castle, said to have belonged to a Lord William Douglas, who sat in a parliament of Malcolm Canmore. The scenery around it is savage and desolate : a stream called the Douglas-Burn is said to have been that where the lovers stoped to drink, and seven huge stones are averred to have been erected in memory of the seven brothers. The Douglas -craig is in the immediate vicinity, and takes its name from the same family. All these circumstances seem to argue that the uniform tradition of the country people has some foundation in fact. I am just going to that part of the country, and shall carry the “Douglas Tragedy” along with me.

The ditty of ” Mary Hamilton ” will be most acceptable to me. I have several fragments of it, but not a compleat copy. I also am greatly indebted to you for your offer of “Lady Dismal,” which I think I have either seen or heard of. To the ballad of ” Lady Anne sate in her bower ” I am a perfect stranger, at least I do not remember any which begins withthat line.

I am to make some excursions through the Borders in the course of this month. It is not impossible but I may have the pleasure of meeting you ; but at any rate, when business or pleasure calls you to Edin r . or its neighbourhood, I shall claim the privilege of returning you my personal thanks for the obligation you have conferred on me. My usual summer residence is at this little retreat, where it would give the greatest pleasure to receive a call from you. Should you write to me in the course of a fortnight, direct to me Sheriff’
Clerk’s Office, Selkirk, as your letter will probably find me wandering in Ettrick forest, after which I return here. I remain, sir, your obliged and faithful [friend],

Walter Scott,

Lasswade Cottage,
Near Edinburgh , 13 Augt. [1802.]

Nota Bene. Every scrap of legendary intelligence, prosaic or poetical, will be most thankfully received.

These letters did mark the beginning of a life-long friendship between Sir Walter Scott and Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, a man who seemed to have more than one string to his bow. I’m quite eager to know what Janice has learned about him, in her mysterious old book…

But before ending my post I would like to introduce succinctly the book I’ve already mentioned a number of times. The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border is certainly well-worth the reading though it doesn’t seem to be easy reading. I’ve only read but a few pages of it yet (with the help of my OED dictionary). I’m particularly fond of the many notes one can find in the old editions of Sir Walter Scott’s books. They prove quite useful to understand the geographical and historical contexts of the songs (the ballads used to be sung in the olden times). We can rely on Walter Scott’s notes for he was an expert in local history and he knew every nook and cranny of his native country for having roamed about it since his childhood.

Walter Scott The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border James Thin 1979 The Mercat Press Edinburgh

Few books can give more delight by the winter’s fire,

when the sea-wind shakes the windows and roars in the chimney ;

few are better to read among the summer woods or the blowing heather;

fewer still can bring a fresher breath of nature

across the minds of those whose windows are only shaken by the traffic of modern cities ;

(The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border – Introduction by Alfred Noyes - Mercat Press edition – 1979)

Just to give you an idea of the titles of the ballads to be found in this interesting but not complete edition of The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, here’s is the book’s contents :

Sir Patrick Spens

The Wife of Usher’s Well

Clerk Saunders .

The Twa Corbies

Barthram’s Dirge

The Broom of Cowdenknows

The Flowers of the Forest

The Laird of Muirhead .

Hobbie Noble

Graeme and Bewick

The Douglas Tragedy .

The Lament of the Border Widow

Fair Helen

Fause Foodrage .

The Gay Goss-Hawk

The Silly Blind Harper .

Kinmont Willie .

Lord Maxwell’s Good-night

The Battle of Otterbourne

O Tell Me how to Woo Thee

The Queen’s Marie

A Lyke-Wake Dirge

The Lass of Lochroyan .

The Young Tamlane

The Cruel Sister .

Thomas the Rhymer

Armstrong’s Good-night

APPENDIX

Jellon Grame

Rose the Red and White Lilly

O Gin My Love were Yon Red Rose

Annan Water

The Dowie Dens of Yarrow

Archie of Ca’field

Jock o’ the Side .

The Battle of Bothwell Bridge

The Daemon-Lover

Johnie of Breadislee

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12742/12742-h/12742-h.htm

I would like to conclude this post on a very interesting extract by H.V. Morton, one of our favourite travel writers. This passage underlines the historical importance of the Scottish Border…

“Here at the very gates of Scotland is the first milestone of romance:

It fell about the Lammas-tide,

When the muir-men win their hay,

The doughty earl of Douglas rode

Into England to catch a prey.

He chose the Gordons and the Graemes,

With them the Lindesays, light and gay,

But the Jardines wald not with him ride,

And they rue it to this day.

I remember the words of Sir Philip Sidney; ‘I never heard the old song of Percy and Douglas that I found not my heart more moved than with a trumpet.’ All the chivalry of ancient warfare flowered in that fight. To read Froissart’s account of it – such a careful, authentic piece of description – is to feel the ache of having been born in an inferior age.”

A very good story follows this short passage but it will be for another day, unless I’ve made you feel like reading H.V Morton’s book IN SEARCH OF SCOTLANDIn Search of Scotland published in 1929

Bonne lecture!

A bientôt.

Mairiuna

Hoddom Castle: Old Stones and Stories in Dumfries & Galloway…

MAJA — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 22:00:46 +0000

: Blooming rhododendrons at the entrance of Hoddom Castle, in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland © 2006 Scotiana

Just try to imagine what it can be to get asleep and wake up in the shade of an old castle, to be immersed in the silent atmosphere of such a place when the only sounds around are the murmur of the wind and the jackdaws’ cries. It’s a unique experience which makes you feel deeply the magic of the place. It changes your perspectives. It makes you feel different and it will remain impressed in your imaginary forever.

Now, as I’m trying to recollect the memories of our travels in Scotland, in order to give you the best idea I can of that marvellous country with which we’ve fallen in love a few years ago, it’s that kind of memories that come back to my mind: a unique moment, a specific light and atmosphere in the midst of the wilderness, in the crowd of a busy city street or in one of those enchanted gardens which make you feel you’ve landed in the Garden of Eden…

One day, I remember, we were lingering in the vast and magnificent park of Kennedy Castle and the magic of the place was such that we had lost all sense of time and finally got locked up in the park after closing time …

: View of Hoddom Castle from campsite © 2004 Scotiana

After a busy travel day, as I’ve mentioned in my last post, we pitched our tent (on the above photo, it’s the first on the right of the entrance) on the vast and thick carpet of grass which stretches in front of the castle. There were not many campers then and, as night was falling and the daily noises became muffled, we immediately got immersed in the atmosphere of the place.

: Jackdaws at Hoddom Castle in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland © 2004 Scotiana

Two or three couples of jackdaws (expressively known as ‘choucas des tours’ and ‘corneille des clochers’ in French) were pecking at the crumbs of our frugal supper, as they would do in the morning with those of our breakfast, and we quietly enjoyed the sight before slipping into our sleeping bags for a good resting night in the open air …

: Sunset on the tower of Hoddom Castle, Scotland © 2004 Scotiana

Certain places, said Stevenson, cry out for a story,

and Scott, in any new surroundings, straightway invented an appropriate tale,

if there were not already a story or tradition in existence.

One might even believe that the place itself tells its own tale to the sympathetic imagination.

(Border Ghost Stories Howard Pease 1919)

When we discovered Hoddom Castle, surrounded by its big rhododendrons and majestic trees, it was late and the setting sun was reaching the tower as if to focus on the oldest and most interesting part of the castle which dates back to the 16th century. The entrance arch was inviting us to enter and so we did to get a closer view of the castle with its many architectural details, turrets, crenellated battlements, mullioned windows, which are typical of the Scottish baronial house style, an architectural style which flourished in Scotland in the 19 th century and beginning of the 20th century.

: Thistle motif on a stone pillar at Hoddom Castle – © 2004 Scotiana

Hoddom Castle, aka Hoddam Castle and previously called ‘Hoddam Stanes’ because it was built with the stones of the old Hoddom Castle, dates back to the 1550s and began as a tower-house. The original castle has undergone a number of changes over the centuries though many of the architectural additions were demolished between 1953-75. Hoddom Castle was built c. 1568 by Sir John Maxwell, 4th Lord Herries, as his main residential stronghold on the West March*, on the site of a chapel (which he had demolished).

The tower-house with its height of over 21.3m high and walls which were 2.7m thick at the base is a big structure for its date, and I’ve read it was attacked three times by the English during the early years of its existence. I’ve found interesting information about the tower house and the Scottish baronial style on Wikipedia.

The article about the Scottish baronial is illustrated with a drawing of one of the most famous Scottish baronial castles (we still did not visit this one) : the royal residence of Balmoral. Below is an extract of the article with its illustration.

Balmoral Castle – Wikipedia – Source Project Gutenberg eText 13103: ”Great Britain and Her Queen”, by Anne E. Keeling

The Scots Baronial style is part of the Gothic Revival architecture style, using stylistic elements and forms from castles, tower houses and mansions of the Gothic architecture period in Scotland, such as Craigievar Castle and Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. The revival style was popular from the early 19th century until World War I. Buildings of the style frequently feature towers adorned by small turrets. Roof lines are uneven, their crenelated battlements often broken by stepped gables. While small lancet windows may be in towers and gables, large bay windows of plate glass were not uncommon, but even these often had their individual roofs adorned by pinnacles and crenelation. Porches, porticos and porte-cocheres, were often given the castle treatment, an imitation portcullis on the larger houses would occasionally be suspended above a front door, flanked by heraldic beasts and other medieval architectural motifs. This architectural style was often employed for public buildings, such as Aberdeen Grammar School.

However, it was by no means confined to Scotland and is, in truth, a fusion of the Gothic revival castle architecture first employed by Horace Walpole for his Twickenham villa, Strawberry Hill, and the ancient Scottish defensive tower houses. During the 19th century it became fashionable for private houses to be built with small turrets and dubbed in Scottish Baronial style. In fact the architecture often had little in common with tower houses, which retained their defensive functions and were deficient with respect to 19th century ideas of comfort. The 20th-century Scottish Baronial castles have had the reputation of architectural follies. Among most patrons and architects the style became disfavoured along with the Gothic revival style during the early years of the 20th century. The Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or Neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement which began in the 1740s in England.

I’ ve learned that in 1935, and before falling into a ruinous state, Hoddom castle had become a youth hostel. We keep unforgettable memories of the nights, suppers and breakfasts we’ve shared with other people in the Scottish Youth Hostels which, as their name doesn’t indicate, welcome visitors of all age .

We’ve even slept one night in a castle, a haunted one, but we didn’t stay long enough to be introduced to the ghost We’ll soon devote a special page to the Scottish Youth Hostels and also to the ghosts on Scotiana. How we would have liked to spend a night in one of the rooms of Hoddom Castle !

Hoddom Castle Youth Hostel

Another huge hostel started up at Hoddom Castle, near Dumfries, in 1937. This was offered for a peppercorn rent by Captain Brook, who showed great generosity in preparing the battered old central keep for use by SYHA. There were 60 beds at first, though it was claimed that the capacity would soon be quadrupled. Like other properties, it was lost to the Association at the beginning of the war. Nowadays it is a glorious and vast ruin, the centrepiece of a caravan holiday park. Hoddom created a further link between Winshields and the Carlisle area of YHA.

It is interesting to note that Hoddom Castle was requisitioned by the military during the Second World War and that it was not reoccupied afterwards. The tower house being derelict, it has been included on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland and on the Historic Scotland’s Castle Conservation Register which aims to identify buildings which could be successfully restored.

: Hoddom Castle carved coat of arms © 2004 Scotiana

Hoddom castle is unveiling its secrets one after the other but let us try to find people who know perfectly its history. Commander H.E. Spragge, R.N. is one of them. At Hoddom Castle, we found his very interesting little book entitled Hoddom Castle and the Western Gateway into Scotland . This book also contains a few black and white photographies of Hoddom Castle and many other places in the neighbourhood which we’ve already visited or intend to visit during our next trip there (Repentance Tower, Hoddom Bridge, Church and Crosses, the ruins of the old Castle). Below is an extract of this book :

Hoddom Castle is an example of the many pele towers that were a feature of the Borders. These towers must be regarded as private residences that could be defended in an emergency, and not confused with the great castles that were designed as fortresses to withstand armies. Church towers were sometimes fortified with the same defensive object and the Pele Tower, Annan, was an example of this. The pele tower was a development of the motte and bailey introduced by the Normans. The motte was a sttep sided mound surmounted by a wooden tower and surrounded by a ditch and palisade.’ The castle is not in the parish of Hoddam, the boundary of which is the River Annan, but in Trailtrow. A much older castle stood on the site of Hallguards Farm across the river in Hoddom and this was known of old as Hoddom Castle. This castle was probably partly demolished to build the present one which was consequently known as Hoddom Stanes. An etching exists dated 1780 which shows the ruins of this old castle which was probably of 14th century date.’

: Jackdaws flying above Hoddom Castle Tower © 2004 Scotiana

Though our photo with the two black birds hovering above the tower (crows, ravens or jackaws) is not the kind of image we generally associate with cheerfulness, the atmosphere surrounding Hoddom Castle is not gloomy, as in other castles we’ve visited in Scotland, which doesn’t mean that it has not its lot of old and eerie stories to tell to the visitor who is ready to listen to them.

In his book, Commander H.E. Spragge’s focuses on the historical side of the castle but, as I’m not very keen on genealogical facts, I’ve tried to find a more romantic approach of things in the old books contained in my library. What I’ve found is well worth the time I’ve spent on this research! First, in The Country of Sir Walter Scott by Charles S. Olcott, one of my favourite books about Sir Walter Scott, I’ve found a very interesting passage about the use by Sir Walter of Hoddom Castle as a background for Redgauntlet.

Last but not least, the chapter is illustrated with a black and white photography of Hoddom Castle taken by Charles Olcott around 1913. This photo gives us an idea of what the castle looked like a century ago, with its ivy-covered walls. The following extract from Charles S. Olcott, makes me feel like reading Redgauntlet… and I know I will

But let us begin with the reading of an extract from Charles Olcott’s book :

‘The English residence of Hugh Redgauntlet to which Darsie was conducted by his captor, described as ancient and strong, with battlemented roof and walls of great thickness, but otherwise resembling a comfortable farmhouse, is purely fictitious. We visited, however, on the Scottish side of the Solway, a splendid modern castle, which, judged by an old painting of the place as it was in 1789, would admirably fit the description.

This is Hoddam Castle, five miles southwest of the village of Ecclefechan, Carlyle’s birthplace, where we spent a night in one of the quaintest little inns in Scotland, a survival of the time when Scottish inns offered few comforts to the traveller, but made up for it in proffered sociability. Hoddam Castle is beautifully situated in the midst of a grove of fine trees overlooking the river Annan.

A battlemented tower, surmounted by conical turrets, rises high above the extensive modern structure surrounding it. This is the ancient building, for centuries occupied by the Herries family. Scott originally intended to call his novel ‘Herries instead of ‘Redgauntlet’ , and was with much difficulty persuaded by Constable to accept the latter title. The old castle was built in the fifteenth century by John, Lord Herries, to whom was granted an extensive tract of land, extending over three or four counties.

The Herries family, to which Hugh Redgauntlet is supposed to belong, was always powerful. In their later years, like their fictitious descendant, its members were ardent supporters of the Stuart family. John Maxwell, who took the name of Lord Herries upon his marriage, was a zealous defender of Mary Queen of Scots.

He assisted her escape from Loch Leven Castle, fought for her at Langside, escorted her, after the battle, to his own house in Galloway, and thence to Dundrennan Abbey, and finally conducted her, in a small vessel, to England. His descendant, William, the ninth Lord Herries and fifth Earl of Nithsdale, participated in the Jacobite uprising of 1715. He was made a prisoner at Preston and sent to the Tower, where he was tried and condemned to death. His countess, with rare courage and resourcefulness, first forced her way to an audience with the King in St. James’s Palace, and pleaded on her knees for her husband’s life. Finding this ineffectual, she paid a last farewell visit to her husband, taking several lady friends with her.

They succeeded in disguising the Earl in feminine apparel and thus effected his escape. When Darsie Latimer was obliged, at his uncle’s command, to wear petticoats as a means of concealing his identity, he was only following the example of one of his ancestors.’ (The Country of Sir Walter Scott – ‘Redgauntlet’ -Charles S. Olcott – 1913 )

I’ve read somewhere that Hoddom Castle may also have been used for Guy Mannering but I must confess I don’t know much about that. I only know that there is a link with the impressive Caerlaverock Castle. We’ve only seen photos of this castle yet but they give a good idea of the place. Anyway, don’t you feel like reading Sir Walter Scott both novels now ? I do…

: Redgauntlet Walter Scott Oxford World’s Classics 2011

: Guy Mannering Walter Scott Penguin Classics 2003

Hoddom Castle seems to have been a familiar place to Sir Walter Scott. In fact, he had a very good reason to visit the place for Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, one of Sir Walter’s best friends was born and inhabited there!

Both men seem to have shared many common points… Charles Kirkpatrick was a writer, an antiquarian, an artist and he also had a passion for the old ballads of the Scottish Border. He even contributed to the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border!

: Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe

‘In 1690 the castle and Barony of Hoddam passed from the Herries family to John Sharpe, and remained in the hands of his heirs until very recent times. One of these was Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Scott’s intimate friend, who helped collect the ‘Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border’ to which he contributed two ballads.

Scott was a frequent guest at his house, and he often dined with Scott’s family in Edinburgh or at Abbotsford. He was a man of distinction in letters and an artist as well.

Two well-known etchings by him, the ‘Dish of Spurs’ and ‘Muckle-Mouthed Meg,’ besides a caricature of Queen Elizabeth, adorn the walls of Abbotsford. His ancestors, like the Herries family, were ardent Jacobites.’

(The Country of Sir Walter Scott – ‘Redgauntlet’ -Charles S. Olcott – 1913 )

: The Twa Corbies, Illustration by Arthur Rackham to Some British Ballads Wikipedia

The best known contribution of Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe to Walter Scott’s Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border is ‘The Twa Corbies’. I can’t help feeling Hoddom Castle is an appropriate place to listen to that kind of ballad full of macabre humour . I’ve found a beautiful illustration of it by Arthur Rackam (1867– 1939), one of the most famous English book illustrators to whom we owe the marvellous illustrations of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, the masterpiece of J M Barrie, one our favourite Scottish authors.

The origin of this ballad is very ancient and there are several versions of it. The following is from the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders Part Second – Romantic Ballads – by Sir Walter Scott:

The Twa Corbies

As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t’other say,
“Where sall we gang and dine to-day?”

“In behint yon auld fail[A] dyke,
“I wot there lies a new slain knight;
“And nae body kens that he lies there,
“But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.

“His hound is to the hunting gane,
“His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
“His lady’s ta’en another mate,
“So we may mak our dinner sweet.

“Ye’ll sit on his white hause bane,
“And I’ll pike out his bonny blue een:
“Wi’ ae lock o’ his gowden hair,
“We’ll theek[B] our nest when it grows bare.

“Mony a one for him makes mane,
“But nane sall ken whare he is gane:
“O’er his white banes, when they are bare,
“The wind sall blaw for evermair.”

[Footnote A: Fail--Turf.]

[Footnote B: Theek--Thatch.]

The Introduction of Twa Corbies written by Sir Walter Scott is quite interesting. It reads :

This poem was communicated to me by Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq. jun. of Hoddom, as written down, from tradition, by a lady. It is a singular circumstance, that it should coincide so very nearly with the ancient dirge, called The Three Ravens, published by Mr Ritson, in his Ancient Songs; and that, at the same time, there should exist such a difference, as to make the one appear rather a counterpart than copy of the other. In order to enable the curious reader to contrast these two singular poems, and to form a judgment which may be the original, I take the liberty of copying the English ballad from Mr Ritson’s Collection, omitting only the burden and repetition of the first line. The learned editor states it to be given “From Ravencroft’s Metismata. Musical phansies, fitting the cittie and country, humours to 3, 4, and 5 voyces, London, 1611, 4to. It will be obvious (continues Mr Ritson) that this ballad is much older, not only than the date of the book, but most of the other pieces contained in it.” The music is given with the words, and is adapted to four voices:

There were three rauens sat on a tre,
They were as blacke as they might be:

The one of them said to his mate,
“Where shall we our breakfast take?”

“Downe in yonder greene field,
“There lies a knight slain under his shield;

“His hounds they lie downe at his feete,
“So well they their master keepe;

“His haukes they flie so eagerly,
“There’s no fowle dare come him nie.

“Down there comes a fallow doe,
“As great with yong as she might goe,

“She lift up his bloudy hed,
“And kist his wounds that were so red.

“She got him up upon her backe,
“And carried him to earthen lake.

“She buried him before the prime,
“She was dead her selfe ere euen song time.

“God send euery gentleman,
“Such haukes, such houndes, and such a leman.

Ancient Songs, 1792, p. 155.

I have seen a copy of this dirge much modernized.

……………………………..

For our French readers below is a translation of The Two Corbies I’ve found on Wikipedia

Alors que je me baladais tout seul,
J’ai ouï deux corbeaux poussant des râles.
L’un envers l’autre dit,
“Où irons nous dîner aujourd’hui?”

“En arrière de ce vieux mur de torchis.
Je sais qu’il y a là, nouvellement occis, un chevalier par terre.
Et personne ne sait qu’il est allongé là par terre,
Sauf son faucon, son chien et sa dulcinée belle.

Son chien est parti à la chasse,
Son faucon quérir des gibiers à plumes.
Sa dame a pris un autre amant,
Et donc on peut prendre un repas succulent.

Tu te percheras sur les os blancs de son cou,
Et je piquerai ses beaux yeux bleus.
D’une boucle de ses cheveux de chaume doré,
On recouvrira nos nids quand ils seront dénudés.”

Plein de monde pour lui geignent,
Mais personne saura où il est allé.
Sur ses os blanc dénudés
Le vent soufflera à jamais.

: Redgauntlet by Walter Scott | The Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels | 1997

Well well well… it seems that we always come back to Sir Walter and that’s with great pleasure! How we would like to have much more time to read all his books, and to be able to buy all the volumes of the Edinburgh edition of the Waverley Novels !

Dear readers, keep tuned for a little bird has just told me that Janice had a very interesting book to introduce on Scotiana… a book about Sir Walter Scott.

Bonne lecture !

A bientôt. Mairiuna

: Hoddom Castle – Rhododendrons Wood © 2004 Scotiana

* Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated after the personal union of England and Scotland under James VI of Scotland (James I of England).

On both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border there were the West March, the Middle March and the East March. These regions nearly mirrored each other but there was some overlap between the Scottish and English regions. The Lord Wardens of the Marches who oversaw these regions were tasked with keeping their monarchs domain secure, and when it was in their interests they would encourage cross border raiding or even full scale war. For centuries the Marches on either side of the boundary was an area of mixed allegiances, where families or clans switched which country or side they supported as suited their family interests at that time, and lawlessness abounded.

Before the two kingdoms were united as the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Border clans would switch allegiance between the Scottish and English thrones depending on what was most favourable for the members of the clan. For a time a powerful local clans dominated a region on the border between England and Scotland. It was known as the Debatable Lands and neither monarch’s writ was heeded. (Wikipedia)

From Castle Douglas to Hoddom Castle in Dumfries & Galloway…

MAJA — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:54:21 +0000

Hoddom Castle Caravan Park map

Hi everybody !

In a recent post about golf, I’ve mentioned Hoddom Castle for its quiet and beautiful golf links, promising to tell you more about the castle itself in another post. Standing as it is, amidst a vast wooded estate which has been partly converted into a first class caravan park and campsite, the castle is well worth the visit for its history and architecture. We like it very much and we are not alone. There, we met a passionate and incredibly erudite young boy who was visiting the place with his mother and who seemed to know every nook and cranny of the castle. Had not we been departing we would have readily followed our young guide inside the castle

I remember perfectly the day when we first discovered Hoddom Castle. It was in June 2004, at the end of a long travel day which had begun at Castle Douglas. To be allowed to pitch our tent at such a late hour and just in front of the old castle, when we had lost all hope to find a place for the night, came to us as a miracle. We were at the same time grateful for having found the gates open and very excited at the idea of spending the night in such a mysterious atmosphere.

Of course, we plan to go back to Hoddom Castle during our next trip to Scotland. Its campsite which offers top quality services to the visitors is one of our favourites. I have chosen the following extract from the campsite brochure just to give you an idea of how you can spend your evening there after a long walk in the countryside (we’ve tested it) : ‘The Bar has been superbly decorated using the features of the old Coach House providing bar meals, a very warm welcome, and a good Whisky or two!!! There is always a log fire burning and on certain nights there is entertainment laid on.’

There are activities for everybody in situ, for all ages and all tastes…

Starting from Hoddom Castle, there are also very nice walks to do and a lot of interesting things to visit in the neighbourhood. The Repentance Tower, the history of which is closely linked with that of the Castle, is only at a short walking distance from Hoddom Castle, as well as Hound’s Monument and St Kentigern’s Kirkyard, as shown in the above map panel. Not very far either, we’ve discovered the ruins of the old Hoddom Church which has been destroyed by fire in the 1970s. Our photos of its overgrown walls and empty arched windows would not be out of place in a ghost stories volume

But the title of my post has invited you to follow us on the road ‘from Castle Douglas to Hoddom Castle’. It’s a very beautiful road, rich in culture and history, so let us go back in time…

We had spent the night before in the very good Lochside Caravan and Camping Site, situated in the picturesque little town of Castle Douglas and pitched our tent under the shade of centenary trees reflecting on the waters of the nice little Carlingwark Loch. This loch is inhabited by swans and wild ducks and also probably by families of frogs which must appreciate the shelter of a beautiful carpet of waterlilies. That night, under our little tent, we quickly fell asleep, listening to the chime of a nearby clock…

We didn’t left Castle Douglas before ten in the morning for we wanted, before leaving, to take photos of the nice little loch and to feed the ducks and swans Our first aim was to visit the magnificent ruins of Sweetheart Abbey which is situated south of Dumfries. This ancient Cistercian monastery is certainly one of the most beautiful Scottish abbeys and we’ll soon devote a page on Scotiana to this marvellous stone jewel.

After visiting Sweetheart Abbey and the nearby churchyard in search of interesting old graves, we took the direction of Dumfries where we spent some time walking on the steps of Robert Burns. The omnipresence of the poet in the town testifies to his popularity there. I must confess, however, that we still don’t know very much about the great Scottish bard and we count on Iain and Margaret to help us acquire a minimum knowlege before we plan to follow his trail in his native country

After strolling some time along the riverside and the picturesque streets of the town…

we decided it was high time to leave Dumfries to take the direction of Moffat .

On our road, we stopped at Grey Mare’s Tail, just intending to climb along the narrow path up the foot of an impressive waterfall but we finally stayed there quite a long time to watch the rescue by two goats of their kid which was desperately bleating at the very edge of a dangerous precipice…

The weather was very fine and the landscape so beautiful that we lingered on and on along the Moffat road, stopping every other minute to take photos… blue sky and green hills…

…herds of belted galloway cows grazing here and there…

At one moment two superb peacocks, a blue one and a white one, landed on the road just in front of the car before flying off up to the wall of the entrance gate of a B & B, as if to invite us to knock at the door. We could have done so for it was getting late and we still didn’t know where we would stop for the night…

As I wanted absolutely, and don’t ask me why, to take a picture of the big ram statue which dominates the square in Moffat, we stopped again there… but it was getting late and as we couldn’t find accommodation in Moffat we decided to hurry on in search for a campsite in the neighbourghood. We were beginning to feel tired and the perspective of putting up our tent was rather depressing. After roaming about for what seemed to us a very long time, we suddenly fell upon Hoddom Castle caravan park. A caravan park… and we had only a little tent…

The gates were open and though it was late we decided to try our luck…

… and we followed the beautiful road lined with gigantic rhododendrons… it was like entering the Garden of Eden ! Would there be an austere guardian at the end of the road, some kind of St Pierre? Will we be accepted with our little tent ? But you already know the happy end of our day since I’ve begun my post by the end

The above photo was taken in 2006 when we came back for the second time to Hoddom Castle, in June again. Spring and the beginning of summer seem to be a good season to visit Scotland, especially for those who do love flowers

So, here we are, at the end of my little story. Next time I will tell you more about the history and architecture of this intriguing little castle, a 16th century border keep, to be more precise. I still don’t know if one or several ghosts are haunting the castle but I’ve found one or two things quite interesting… so keep tuned if you want to know more…

Bonne lecture!

A bientôt.

Mairiuna.

Inspirational “Going The Extra Mile” Scottish Story

MAJA — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:55:02 +0000

Hi Mairiuna! Hi Jean-Claude!

I sincerely hope the weather is fine while you are roaming the roads during this festive season to visit family members and relatives in different parts of your lovely French country.

Upon your return, you will have added more than 2,000 kilometers to your car’s km counter and that is quite some mileage!

Let us take together a moment to wish all Scotiana’s loyal readers, a very Safe & Happy Holiday season, and all the very best for the New Year!

The Christmas Holiday season being one of sharing, I would like to share a very inspirational story about someone who has benefited by the “Habit of Going the Extra Mile”.

It starts like this…

“Many years ago, an elderly lady was strolling through a Pittsburgh Department Store, obviously killing time. She passed counter after counter without anyone paying any attention to her. All the clerks had spotted her as an idle “looker” who had no intention of buying. They made it a point of looking in another direction when she stopped at their counters.

Finally the lady came to a counter that was attended by a young clerk who politely asked if he might serve her. “No,” she replied. “I am just killing time, waiting for the rain to stop so I can go home.”

“Very well, madam,” the young man said with a smile. “May I bring out a chair for you?” And he brought it without waiting for her answer.

After the rain slacked, the young man took the old lady by the arm, escorted her to the street, and bade her goodbye. As she left, she asked him for his card.

Several months later the owner of the store received a letter, asking that this young man be sent to Scotland to take an order for the furnishings of a home.

Andrew Carnegie -USA 1960 Scott# 1171

The owner of the store wrote back that he was sorry, the young man did not work in the house furnishings department. But he explained that he would be glad to send an “experienced man” to do the job.

Back came a reply that no one would do except this particular young man. The letters were signed by Andrew Carnegie, and the “house” he wanted furnished was Skibo Castle in Scotland.

The elderly lady was Mr Carnegie’s mother. The young man was sent to Scotland.

He received an order for several thousand dollars worth of household furnishings, and with it a partnership in the store. He later became the owner of a half interest in the store.”

Skibo Castle in Scotland | Source: www.libraryhistorybuff.org

Isn’t this a great story! It’s taken from Napoleon Hill’s book The Master-Key To Riches, a timeless and such useful work for all motivational thinkers.

We should always make a greater effort to get the task done correctly, or to please someone. Going the extra mile also means ”to do more than one is required to do” to reach a goal. Very inspiring…

Andrew Carnegie - Scottish Immigrant

Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. In 1848, the family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where Carnegie eventually made his fortune in the steel industry.

In 1900, he sold his steel company, to become the “richest man in the world” and dedicated his time to philanthropy. Carnegie created many funds, charities, and foundations to distribute his wealth, but the bulk of it would go towards education, mainly libraries.

Carnegie was strongly opposed to war and used his finances for publications and conferences to promote peace. Through his efforts, he established eleven national hero funds, three temples of peace and an endowment for international peace. Andrew Carnegie died on August 11, 1919.

Source: www.epokhe.com/entrepreneurs/andrew-carnegie

Great Britain Aerogram - Andrew Carnegie | Source: libraryhistorybuff.com

Larry T. Nix from the libraryhistorybuff.com wrote a great philatelic tribute “Carnegie Librairies on Stamps” and the stamp images below are sourced from his site.

Andrew Carnegie donated more than $56,000,000 for construction of 2,509 english-speaking library buildings

Canada - Victoria Public Library in Victoria, BC (1904) - Funding came from Andrew Carnegie

Other Related Webpages:

- Andrew Carnegie: A 175th Anniversary Tribute

- Carnegie Library Links

I’m gonna treat myself tomorrow and go to the bookstore to buy more Napoleon Hill & Andrew Carnegie related books. I suggest you do too

Bye for now,

Janice

Greenknowe Tower: A Fortified House in the Scottish Borders

MAJA — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:31:36 +0000

Map adapted from a Scottish Borders map found in Scotland An Encyclopedia of Places & Landscapes David Munro Bruce Gettings RSGS Royal Scottish Geographical Society 2006

It was the end of a grey and rainy summer day when we arrived at Greenknowe Tower, half a mile west of the village of Gordon and about 6 miles north from Smailholm Tower, as the crow flies. It is located on the A6105, close to the junction with the A6089.

We had had a busy day, travelling in the Borders and visiting Abbotsford, Thirlestane Castle and Smailholm Tower, so try to imagine our feelings when we suddenly found ourselves in front of such a landscape!

At this hour of the day, the place looked still more solitary than Smailholm. No farmer and no cows here but it was a most beautiful and romantic scene with the ruined tower standing amidst an ocean of flowers and surrounded by big old trees.

Some of these trees, like watchful sentinels, seemed to keep guard over the Tower, and as we approached it, we noticed on one of them strange and grotesque shapes which looked rather puzzling… green men hiding there … who knows!

The 16th century old building is well-preserved and its countryside environment well-kept, as usual in Scotland. Unlike Smailholm, Greenknowe Tower is not staffed but there is an illustrated notice board in the car park which describes it perfectly.

We stayed a long time outside the tower trying to make a good idea of its architecture. This four storey L-shaped building is a good example of the Scottish fortified house. Its narrow entrance door is situated at the point where the two rectangular blocks meet. A stair turret rises above it. We noticed that Greenknowe Tower had more and bigger windows than its Smailholm counterpart, which suggests that even if it had been built with security in mind it was mainly used as a comfortable dwelling.

Whether it be for defensive or decorative purposes, three of the building’s angles are surmounted by small turrets with gun loops.

On the lintel of the entrance door, shields containing symbols, a date and initials are engraved in the stone. The inscriptions have weathered with time but we can still read the date (1581), the initials (I, S, I, E), a moon symbol and a few other heraldic motifs, probably linked to the family who owned the place.

The informative board in the car park proved very useful to us and we learned that one letter we had taken for a I was in fact a J, which gave J S for James Seton and J E for Janet Edmonstone. James Seton had married Janet Edmonstone and he had built the tower in 1581 though the estate belonged to the family since the 15th century when Alexander Seton married a Gordon heiress. In the 17th century it passed to the Pringles family whose best known member was the famous Covenanter Walter Pringle of Greenknowe and then to the Dalrymple family. Today, the well-preserved ruins are in the care of Historic Scotland.

Since the building was open we decided to visit it though, at this late hour, the tower looked rather dark and gloomy. Local folk tales saying that it is the most haunted place in the area still adds to the eerie atmosphere… The ‘yett’* , the original iron gate, creaked when we opened it and so eerie was its noise that we recorded it.

Inside the tower, we noticed some interesting features : a vaulted kitchen, an impressive fireplace in which we would have liked to make a big fire in order to make the atmosphere of the place a little more cheerful, a spiral stair which leads up to the hall… but experts in architecture would certainly have found much more to say about this old tower.

I was the only one not to climb up to the top of the tower. I didn’t meet any ghost but I can’t say I felt easy to remain alone in the lower rooms.

After visiting the cold, damp and gloomy tower we were very happy to find ourselves in the open air, amidst a field of delicately scented, creamy-white flowers…

My old little book about British flowers says the latin name of this white flower is “Spirae Ulmaria” and that it belongs to the family of Rosaceae. It adds that it is also known as “Queen of the Meadows”, our French “Reine des prés”, and that it can be found in wet meadows and by the sides of streams and rivers. No wonder this beautiful flower is growing so well at Greenknowe (which means “green hill”) since the place is surrounded by marshy ground.

We didn’t linger too long on the place, and certainly not near the big dark trees. We remembered quite well the story of Reverend Kirk’s tree at Doon Hill Finally we ended our day by a small pilgrimage to the breathtaking Scott’s View !

What a day !

A bientôt. Mairiuna

*A yett (from the Old English and Scots language word for “gate”) is a gate or grille of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower houses. Unlike a portcullis, which is raised and lowered vertically using mechanical means, yetts are hinged in the manner of a traditional gate or door, and secured by bolts attached to the yett, or by long bars drawn out from the wall or gateway. (Wikipedia)

The “Nine Worthies” on the Oak Heads Medallions at Stirling Castle?

MAJA — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:33:09 +0000

Stirling Castle -2006 - Photo Scotiana.com

Mairiuna, here’s an important element for our Scottish studies: Dr Sally Rush, senior lecturer from the History of Art department at Glasgow’s University has found a link between the Nine Worthies and the medallion-shaped Oak profiles adorning the Scottish Stirling Castle King’s Presence Chamber!

King Presence Chamber - Stirling Castle - Oak Heads Ceiling

Dr Rush has dug deep into arts, crafts, fashions, politics and iconography of Renaissance Europe to gather evidence about the heads – like a detective opening a 450-year-old case. And in some cases the clues are very subtle, for example a flower in the hands of a woman showed she was married, and if her hair was down she was a new bride. Source: Historic Scotland.

You may ask : who are the Nine Worthies? Well, they were historical and mythical figures believed to personify the ideal of chivalry.

Oldest known sculptures of the Nine Worthies at the old city hall in Cologne, Germany. Source: Wikipedia

We find them under three distinct categories within their tradition.

Christian: King Arthur, Charlemagne et Godfrey of Bouillon.
Jewish: Joshua, David and Judas Maccabeus.
Pagan: Hector, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.

The Nine Worthies : Hector of Troy, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Joshua, David, Judas Maccabeus, Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon (Drawing by Publius- bbs.stardestroyer.net)

Wikipedia defines the Nine Worthies as a group representing all facets of the perfect warrior.

All, with the exception of Hector and arguably Arthur, are conquering heroes. Most came from royal families. All brought glory and honor to their nations and were noted for their personal prowess in arms. As individuals, each displayed some outstanding quality of chivalry, which, in combination with their historical context, made them exemplars of knighthood. Source: Wikipedia

The link?

Read carefully….

Dr Sally Rush discovered a sketch by German printmaker in woodcut, Hans Burgkmair, (1473-1531) depicting Roman Emperor Caesar that resembles one of the 33 remaining Stirling Castle’s Oak Head carvings.

View more of the oak heads medallions series

Rush said that the presence of Caesar made it “very likely” that all Nine Worthies were represented:

“We are a long way forward in sorting out the identities of the Stirling Heads, separating the real-life people – recognisable figures in the court – from the fictional.

“In this kind of iconographical programme you might expect the inclusion of the Nine Worthies – great military heroes of the past, connected with ideas of chivalry and virtue.

“The inclusion of the Nine Worthies would have made the palace ceiling a hall of fame.

(…)

The historian’s breakthrough came after she studied portraits made at the same time as the carvings.

She said: “My belief was that the king would not sit in front of a carver and pose for him, but that the carver was given an image of James to work to. This process would have been applied for all the heads.”

However, Rush said there was a strong likelihood that many of these drawings have been lost.

She added: “But there is a contemporary image, by Burgkmair, showing three of the Nine Worthies, including Julius Caesar.

“This image of Caesar is very close to a Stirling Head previously thought to be the god Apollo”.

Source: Scotland On Sunday

Master Carver John Donaldson

A replica set is under construction by master crafter John Donaldson and researchers are trying to identify the figures.

Mr Donaldson’s copies of the Stirling heads will decorate the ceiling of the presence chamber — described in its own day as “the most sumptuous room in Europe” — when it reopens to the public in 2011, as part of a £12 million refurbishment project undertaken by Historic Scotland. The original heads will be on display in a new gallery in the castle.

To read more on this subject, click on the following PDF links published by Historic Scotland:

The Stirling’s Heads

The Origins Of The Heads

The Wood Carver

Surviving Originals and New Versions

What the Stirling Heads Show

Talk soon !