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September 2022 Past Issues |
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September Gathering
Calling all Scottish expats, as well as those with Scottish ancestral blood running in their veins. Come along to a special event on Saturday 17 September, meet with your fellow Caledonian cronies, enjoy a wee drink together, and share some stories of the ‘Old Country’.
The afternoon social will be held at the Union Jack British Pub & Restaurant at 15689 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale. The hope is that some of the Scots who have lived for years in the Valley but not managed to attend a Caledonian Society event can make it along.
You’ll meet many Society members who have connections with Scottish clans and who will be delighted to see you.
The event is being hosted by two ‘natural-born’ Scots. Iain Lundy was born in Ayrshire and worked for many years in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Ian Warrander was born in Aberdeen and raised in Canada, and has family Scattered throughout the UK.
The event starts at 2 pm. We’d love to see you all for a few bevvies and snacks and reminiscences of Scotland.
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It Happened This Month - 1543
The date 9 September 1543 might not jump out at us, but it was one of the most important days in the history of the Scottish nation. That day, at Stirling Castle, the nine-month-old Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scots. Her reign was to become eventful, controversial and tragic in equal measure, culminating in her execution at the Tower of London.
The following account of Mary’s coronation is contained on the website The Rose and the Thistle.
"Nine-month-old Mary Stuart was crowned queen of Scotland on September 9, 1543. She had actually become queen on December 14, 1542, when she was only six days old. This was the day that her father had died, making her the youngest female to become queen.
Mary’s mother, Mary of Guise, had schemed and plotted for months, in an effort to avoid Henry VIII’s offers of marriage to her daughter. He wanted the little queen for his son, the future Edward VI. However, Mary of Guise, being a French Catholic, wanted nothing to do with the Protestant Englishmen. Although James Hamilton, the Earl of Arran, had been appointed as regent to the young queen, her mother was very much in control of the young child’s comings and goings. Her wit and political savviness enabled her to remove the young Mary from Linlithgow Palace, where she was born, and where Arran felt he had more control over her. By July, the baby had been moved to Stirling Castle, Mary Guise’s castle of choice. This removed the infant queen out from under Arran’s control and allowed her mother more time and freedom to plot how to free Mary from the reach of the English.
On the ninth of September, Mary was carried to the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle and crowned Queen of Scotland. It was a very solemn affair, having conferred not only civil legitimacy on the young queen, but it also validated her religious rights as queen as well.
According to biographer, John Guy, three items of significance were used during the ceremony. The Earl of Arran carried the crown, the Earl of Lennox held the scepter, and the Earl of Argyll carried the sword of state. The scepter was given to James IV in the 1490s by Pope Alexander VI, and the sword was obtained from Pope Julius II in 1507. The crown had been worn by Mary’s father, James V, at her mother’s coronation in 1540. These three items are known collectively as the honors of Scotland and are still on display at Edinburgh Castle today. However, they were not used together until the coronation of Mary.
The crown was, of course, too big for a baby to wear. Instead, Cardinal David Beaton held the crown over Mary’s head. He also anointed her with holy oil and said a blessing over her during the ceremony.
Traditionally, heralds would read aloud the royal genealogy, a list of titles and honors that could take up to a half an hour to recite. However, the infant queen had a different plan. She squawked and wailed throughout the ceremony, causing the typical proceedings to be cut short.
The coronation may have been a solemn affair, but it was followed by banqueting, masques, and dancing afterward."
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Favorite Songs
Society member Jean Jump is a true Scot, all the way from Bonnie Dundee, and nowadays living in Chandler. She didn’t take too long to come up with her favorite Scottish song. In fact, there could only really have been one choice, The Road and the Miles to Dundee.
Cauld winter was howlin', o'er moor and o'er mountain
And wild was the surge, on the dark rolling sea.
When just about daybreak, I met a young lassie,
Wha asked me the road, and the miles to Dundee.
Said I' my young lassie, I canna' weel tell ye,
The road and the distance, I canna' weel gie,
But gin ye permit me, tae gang a wee bit-tie,
I'd show you the road, and the miles to Dundee
At once she consented, she gied me her airm,
Ne' er a word did I speir, wha the lassie micht be.
She appeared like an angel, in feature and form,
As she walked by my side, on the road to Dundee.
Then she took the gowd pin, that she wore at her bosom,
Quoth she, tak ye this, in remembrance O' me",
Then bravely I bent, aye and kissed her sweet lips,
E'er I part-ed wi' her, On the road to Dundee
So, here's to my lassie, I ne'er can for-get her
And il-ka young laddie, wha's list'ning to me,
O never be a sweer, to convoy a young lassie
Though it's only to show her, the road to Dundee
Here it is sung by the late great Andy Stewart:
Recent Scotland Trips
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Quite a number of Caledonian Society members have taken trips to Scotland during the last few months. So, given that the ‘silly season’ has been upon us, we asked for some of their favorite vacation snaps of the Old Country.
Tom and Ginni Caldwell were in Scotland attending a Clan Oliphant gathering and conference but took time for a Rabbie’s Tours trip round part of the country. They visited Skye, known as the Misty Isle, and in the first photograph, the island lives up to its name.
A Highland Coo stopped their tour bus, and the grazing sheep made for a peaceful, pastoral image.
Michael and Cindy McClanathan embarked on what seemed like an endless Scottish tour, judging by Michael’s Facebook posts.
We’ve taken the liberty of picking three of the best.
The stunning basalt rock formations on the Isle of Staffa attract thousands of visitors, weather permitting.
And the clifftop ruins of Dunnottar Castle, facing the North Sea south of Stonehaven, make for quite an image.
As for the sitting statue of Robert Burns among the Birks (or birches) of Aberfeldy, it is included on the website Spooky Scotland. You can see why, can’t you?
Mark and Sue Pelletier stopped in Scotland during a 26-day Baltic/Iceland/Scotland cruise. One day was spent in and around Inverness, then the ship docked at South Queensferry, as seen from across the Firth.
From Edinburgh, they took an excurion along the Forth and Clyde Canal, visiting the Falkirk Wheel and Stirling.
Iain and Be Lundy were over for a wedding but managed to get out and about. The climb to the top of the Wallace Monument in Stirling afforded a view of the River Forth snaking through the town below.
They also visited Abbotsford House, near Galashiels, home of the great Scottish poet and author Sir Walter Scott. And on a walk around Glasgow, they were struck by the stunning art murals that have appeared on the sides of buildings in recent years. The artwork of a man holding a robin is perhaps the best known.
If you have recent trip photos, please send them with comments to Iain Lundy at editor@arizonascots.com
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