Scottish Blog

The Act of Proscription was an act passed to try and quell any possible uprising of the Highland Scots, after the Jacobite Uprising.

The act of Proscription was passed and came into effect on the 1st of August of 1746, its prime purpose was to try and assimilate “unruly” Scottish Highlanders into post Act of Union Great Britain. The Act of Prescription aimed at achieving these goals through the attempted dismantling of the Scottish Clan system, the confiscation of weapons, along with prohibiting the wearing of “Highland Dress’ such as tartans and kilts. Punishment for repeated offences against the Act of Proscription could be as severe as "liable to be transported to any of his Majesty's plantations beyond the seas, there to remain for the space of seven years".

There are many claims which extend the effects and restrictions that the Act of Prescription had on the Scottish, some claim that even bagpipes and teaching Gaelic was prohibited. Although there seems to be no indication this being true, although that is not to say that it might not have been enforced as such in some technically illegal moments.
The Dress Act section of the Act of Proscription was repealed on the 1st of July 1782. It allowed the wearing of “Highland Dress” which had previously been illegal. Specifically, the repeal was:

Listen Men. This is bringing before all the Sons of the Gael, the King and Parliament of Britain have forever abolished the act against the Highland Dress; which came down to the Clans from the beginning of the world to the year 1746. This must bring great joy to every Highland Heart. You are no longer bound down to the unmanly dress of the Lowlander. This is declaring to every Man, young and old, simple and gentle, that they may after this put on and wear the Truis, the Little Kilt, the Coat, and the Striped Hose, as also the Belted Plaid, without fear of the Law of the Realm or the spite of the enemies.

Tartan Day is a celebration of the Scottish culture and ancestry of many North Americans.

With Scotland’s strong ties to North American settlement and the bond that many hold towards their Scottish heritage, it is unsurprising that a day would be held to celebrate the links that many North Americans hold to Scotland.

Currently, Tartan Day is held on the 6th of April of every year, the same date as the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath. Predominantly, celebrations are held in the biggest cities of North America. Recent events saw celebrities like Sean Connery attend celebrations in Washington D.C. and the sword of William Wallace leave Scotland for the first time in over seven hundred years, to be displayed in New York at the 2005 celebration.

In Canada, Tartan Day has been held on the 6th of April since 1986, when it was promoted by the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia. In the United States of America Tartan Day has been celebrated since 1998. Previous to this Tartan Day was held as a one-time event, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Repeal of the Act of Proscription of 1747.

The Shetland Pony is a breed of pony originating from the Shetland Isles, in Scotland.

The Shetland Pony officially ranges between 28 and 42 inches in height. For their size they are relatively strong, combined with their short legs, gives the Shetland Pony a strong and muscular appearance. In fact, in the right conditions, the Shetland Pony can pull approximately twice its own weight, as opposed to a draft horse which can is reputed to be able to pull half its weight. The Shetland Pony ranges widely in its coloring, and includes almost every color range of other horse breeds. It is also said that the Shetland Pony is an intelligent horse breed, although prone to bouts of stubbornness under improper training.

It is believed that the Shetland Pony could be found in the Shetland Isles from as early as 1000 B.C. Although the roots of the Shetland Pony are obscured and not found in any recorded sources, some researchers do have theories as to the origin of the Shetland Ponies. Primarily it is believed that the breed is related to the Celtic Pony, which was brought to the area as early as 2000 B.C. The other is that they are related to Scandinavian Ponies, as it is also believed that the Scottish Isles and Scandinavian islands were connected until the end of the last Ice Age.

Whithorn is the first recorded location of a Christian church in Scotland.

Today, Whithorn is a deceptively small village with little to no indication of its historical significance. It is comprised of roughly 870 inhabitants and it would be fair to say that for the average person, the Whithorn museum is easily the biggest drawing point.

It is generally believed that Saint Ninnian established his Christian monastery and diocese there in roughly 390, although some estimates place it at 397. The Whithorn priory was given the name Candida Casa (translating to “White House”). The church is reputed to have grown to cathedral status and a renowned place of theological thought. It is also the burial place of St Ninina.

By analysing the ruins in the Whithorn priory, along with some historical texts, it is known that the site was also used by the Northumbrians up until the 8th century. In the 12th century the reigning monarch re-instated the use of the Whithorn site as a Scottish Christian church. Although the remains of all three incarnations of the church now lie in ruins on top of each other.

Presently, the Whithorn priory site is a public museum and a general Scottish point of interest. One of the main attractions of the site is one of Scotland’s largest collection of medieval Scottish stones.

The current Scottish Parliament Building is located at Holyrood, Edinburgh.

The current Scottish Parliament Building is located approximately one kilometer to the east of the Edinburgh city center, near the edge of the Old Town district. The exact location where the current Scottish Parliament Building now stands was at one point inhabited by the Scottish and Newcastle Brewery, although this was demolished at the commencement of the Scottish Parliament Building project.

The construction of the Scottish Parliament Building began in June 1999 and continued until late 2004. The first debate was held in the Scottish Parliament Building on the 7th of September 2004, while the building was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth on the 9th of October 2004.

The longer than five year build time of the Scottish Parliament Building is now a major criticism of the building, specifically the project management of the construction team. This is only worsened by the total cost of the construction, which exceeded £400,000,000, above the original £10,000,000 estimate.

There are further criticisms of the Scottish Parliament Building, although the points in question are the highlights of the building by the regards of some individuals. Chief amongst these concerns is the relative “modern” and abstract look of the design. Although, some architecture critics claim that the building perfectly reflects a new age of Scottish nationalism.

1780-1847

Thomas Chalmers was a Scottish mathematician and leader of the Free Church of Scotland.

Thomas Chalmers was born in Anstruther, Fife, Scotalnd. He began attending the University of St. Andrews at the age of eleven, from the onset he was dedicated to the study of mathematics. By the age of 20 he was already licensed as a preacher. By the age of twenty three he had become a lecturer at the University of St Andrews. In 1832 this turned into the position of chair of Natural Philosophy, although he resigned from this position in 1838 when he was awarded a position as a professor of theology at the University of Edinburgh.

While being a renowned professor (reputedly having some of his mathematics lectures cancelled as the university council deemed that they caused too much commotion on campus), Thomas Chalmers was also a prominent church figure. The same year as he became the chair of Natural Philosophy at the University of St Andrews, he also became Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. In later years he led almost a third of the ministers of the Church of Scotland to split from the church and establish the Free Church of Scotland.

Flower of Scotland is regarded by many as the unofficial Scottish national anthem.

For many, Flower of Scotland is the answer to the lack of an official Scottish national anthem. In fact a recent poll by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra showed that it is Scotland’s preferred national anthem candidate, leading at 41% of votes, against its closest competitor, Scotland the Brave at 29%. The popularity of Flower of Scotland stretches even further, the song is sung in all instances by the Scottish national rugby union team and its fan’s.

There are many debates and views on Flower of Scotland and its competing Scottish national anthem nominees. The predominant arguments for the use of Flower of Scotland include its strong ties to Scottish history (as it is based on the Battle of Bannockburn) and it makes no mention of “God save the Queen”, making it more appropriate for Scottish and English sports exhibitions. On a negative note though, Flower of Scotland is reputedly a more advanced song to perform on bagpipes due to its use of the flat seventh note.
The current lyrics of Flowers of Scotland are:

O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see,
Your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.
The hills are bare now,
And autum leaves lie thick and still,
O'er land that is lost now,
Which those so dearly held,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.
Those days are past now,
And in the past
They must remain,
But we can still rise now,
And be the nation again,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

Atholl Brose is a unique Scottish whisky based liqueur.

Atholl Brose was first recorded in 1745 when, as legend says it was used to win a battle. Legend dictates that a reward was put on the head of John, the last Lord of the Isles. He was pursued by the Earl of Atholl. When the Earl discovered the forces of John, he also found the location of their water well. An order was given by the Earl of Atholl, where the well was secretly filled with whisky, honey, herbs and oatmeal. Understandably, John’s army was amazed and stayed to both enjoy and investigate the mystery. As this was happening, the forces of the Earl of Atholl surrounded and captured John. Since that point, Atholl Brose has been attributed to the Earl of Atholl.

Modern Atholl Brose is used as a quality liqueur throughout the world, with no specific drinking traditions, although the preparation of the liquid itself is still relatively similar to the original process.

Atholl Brose consists of the following ingredients 7 parts oatmeal brose, 7 parts whisky, 5 parts cream, 1 part honey. Tradition also dictates that these are mixed with a silver spoon and mixed with three times the amount of cold water and left overnight. The following day the ingredients are strained and ready to serve.

Cranachan is a simple, yet distinctive Scottish dessert.

With changing availability of ingredients and tastes, Cranachan has evolved over. Yet despite this, Cranachan is still found in a form that many would consider to be distinctively Scottish. A typical example of Cranachan would consist of cream, oats, honey, Scotch Whisky and raspberries.

The preparation of Cranachan consists of a number of simple steps. The hardest of these is probably the first, the preparation of the oats, which need to be toasted. Next cream needs to be whipped and then folded with some honey, Scotch Whisky and raspberries. The assembly of Cranachan is done differently by traditions of the family or region, but letting each guest assemble theirs separately is also popular. Generelly speaking the ordering of ingredients is raspberries in the bottom of the glass, followed by cream and lastly the oats.

The Border Terrier is a breed of dog originating from Scotland.

Although not an instantly recognizable breed, the Border Terrier is one of the most seen and highly rewarded dogs available today. Border Terriers excel above any other breed of terrier at American Kennel Club “earthdog tests”, which judge the dog’s natural hunting abilities and instincts. The Border Terrier breed has also played parts in a number of popular movies, including Toto in “The Wizard of Oz” and Puffy in “There’s Something About Mary”.

The Border Terrier breed originates from the Cheviot Hills, bordering Scotland and England. It is this location which lends itself to name the Border Terrier, as it was found near the border. The original usage of the dog was to aid in the hunting of ferrets, vermin and foxes. The traits required for such activity are still seen in the dog, including the ability to walk for miles with its master or even a horse, it is also muscular and a relatively patient dog. The breed was officially recognized by the Kennel Club in 1920.

The Border Terrier reaches 16 inches in height and a 16 pounds in weight. It is different to a typical terrier due to its “otter” shaped head. Color varies from dog to dog, with no strong traits which should be followed, although typically they are darker dogs. Their coats consists of a dense, soft undercoat and a very wiry outer coat, which is dirt resistant.

Dunlop Cheese is a type of cheese originating from Scotland, and to this day is still produced exclusively in Scotland.

Dunlop Cheese was first recorded in Scotland around the year 1688, in the village of Dunlop, East Ayrshire. The recipe was bought from Ireland by Barbra Gilmour, the wife of John Dunlop, a local farm owner. This allowed Barbra to recreate and refine her recipe for Dunlop Cheese. This story is generally accepted as an accurate account of the inception of Dunlop Cheese, although others throw doubt on the Irish influence on the recipe, or claim that Barbara was burned at the stake because local thought her method of cheese production was akin to witchcraft.

One of the reasons that Dunlop cheese was unique at the time was the design of the press within which it was drained. There are some relics which are claimed at being the original presses, whether they truly does not diminish the fact that they demonstrate the innovation of their design. The Dunlop Cheese presses consisted of an intricately carved stone trough with a number of draining holes and slits. This was covered by a heavy stone on a screw, which would allow the cheese maker to increase the pressure on the cheese when required, this allowed for fuller drainage of the cheese. The other unique aspect of the cheese is its taste, which is best described as mild cheddar with elements of fruit.