RBWF Chronicle Summer 2012
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Robert Burns World Federation Limited www.rbwf.org.uk Summer 2012 The digital conversion of this Burns Chronicle was sponsored by the Detroit Burns Club in recognition of our 100th anniversary The digital conversion was provided by Solway Offset Services Ltd by permission of the Robert Burns World Federation Limited to whom all Copyright title belongs. www.solwayprint.co.uk Burns Chronicle Summer 2012 Making Teacakes for your Thomas Tunnock Ltd., 34 Old Mill Road, Uddingston G71 7HH Tel: 01698 813551 Fax: 01698 815691 01387 262960 Tel: Printers, Dumfries. Email: [email protected] the enjoyment www.tunnock.co.uk Solway Offset Solway Offset 22208_OTM 297x210 1205.indd 1 12/05/2011 14:18 High quality fine wool neck tie THE BURNS FEDERATION1885 – 1985. James A Mackay. A comprehensive account of the history of the Burns Federation, published for the centenary. James Mackay traces the origins and development of the Burns movement over the years since the death of Robert Burns in 1796, with special reference to the Burns Federation. Manufactured in lightweight “Reiver” worsted wool Fourteen chapters covering in depth all aspects of Burns by Lochcarron appreciation and the Federation with detailed appendices. RRP £15.95, The Robert Burns World Federation From the Federation Office at the modest price of President 2011 - 2012, RBWF price £10.00Jim Shields £7.50 plus post and packaging. Burns Chronicle Summer 2012 SUMMER 2012 Contents Editorial ..............................................................................................................................2 No 7 in our series 20th C Burns Scholars, Robert D Thornton. Patrick Scott, University of South Carolina ..........................................................................3 Hamilton Paul: A Forgotten Hero. Clark McGinn .............................................................8 News of our Built Heritage ..............................................................................................13 Dr Jim Connor Memorial Quiz ........................................................................................15 Jim Thomson, Candidate for Junior Vice-President ....................................................17 News from around the Burns World ..............................................................................18 2012 Schools Festival, a pictorial report .........................................................................24 The Scottish Local History Forum .................................................................................26 Royal Scottish Country Dance Society .........................................................................27 Book Reviews ..................................................................................................................28 A Gold Medal ....................................................................................................................29 Portrait of Betty Burns ....................................................................................................29 Digitising Burns at USC ..................................................................................................30 Editor’s 2012 trip to USA ................................................................................................30 Burns and Highland Mary, Greenock Burns Club Seminar, Ken Simpson, G Ross Roy, Gerard Carruthers .................................................................33 Contributions should be emailed to [email protected]. They should be in a “word” document or similar format, sent as an attachment to the email not embedded within, in a simple clear format, cased and capitalised as appropriate; please check spelling, punctuation and spacing. Pictures should be sent separately, not embedded in the feature, jpegs or similar, in as high definition as possible. If you cannot email, mail on a DVD, USB stick, flashcard or similar common medium to the Federation office, The Dower House, Dean Castle Country Park, Kilmarnock KA3 1XB. If anyone has problems in complying with these requirements contact the Editor. Appraise the Editor of anything you have in mind to submit, even before the event or function. [email protected] The Robert Burns World Federation Ltd does not accept any responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed in the Burns Chronicle, contributors are responsible for articles signed by them; the Editor is responsible for articles initialled or signed by him and for those unsigned. All communications should be addressed to the Federation office, The Dower House, Dean Castle Country Park, Kilmarnock KA3 1XB. Copyright rests with The Robert Burns World Federation Ltd unless otherwise stated. 1 Burns Chronicle Summer 2012 Editorial In the Spring Chronicle I should have included a little explanation about the hat adorning our bard on the front cover. It is a representation of a teacake, soft mallow cream on a biscuit base fully covered in chocolate, famously made by Thomas Tunnock Ltd, sponsors of our Schools competitions. While a Tunnock’s teacake is a familiar sight in Scotland, our overseas readers puzzled over what the object in its distinctive wrapping was. I am aware of the internationalism of readers and contributors and I accept US English and mid-Atlantic idiom where it occurs. Many know that my own spoken style can be quite local but I aim to avoid distinctly regional usages in general texts and in future I will try to remember to explain imagery that is similarly localised. Regarding language, I puzzle over how I should describe our readership/membership/circle/ body. In my first edition as Interim Editor I used the word ‘cult’ to describe a following and this was commented on ‘across the pond’ where the word ‘cult’ has gathered some sinister connotations. Recently I had a similar comment on this, the UK, side suggesting that “Burns cult” is an inappropriate usage. Checking The Oxford English Dictionary which includes, even in their US English edition, for ‘cult’ “a person or thing that is popular or fashionable, especially among a particular section of society” and therefore our readership/membership/ circle/body may in future editions be described as the ‘Burns cult’ without implying anything sinister about our interest group. In times past at federation meetings, a motion would be raised condemning someone for the heinous crime of miscalling our Bard; the Federation was always a stout defender of the correct form of appellation and was particularly irked by the mispronunciation of Robbie as if an ‘a’ was substituted for the ‘o’, I say ‘was’ because in today’s federation I frequently hear senior figures cheerily refer to “oor R*bbie”. I have ceased to campaign openly against this usage since there is a definite upswing in popularity of our cult, the language of today will prevail and I have little energy for a losing battle. I will however endeavour to keep “R*bbie” out of the Burns Chronicle. The irony is that the same people who use “R*bbie” baulk stalwartly when an American refers to Bobby Burns; we have to be consistent in acceptance of derivatives of the name and Chronicle consistency will not stretch to Bobby either even though I do accept that it is the obvious diminutive in certain countries. Earlier in the year I indulged myself with an extended study break in the USA en route to the RBANA Conference. I started in South Carolina at the Eighteenth Century Scottish Studies Society Conference where I gave a paper in an outstanding programme among a number of eminent academics presenting on Burns and other subjects related to the period. Following the conference I spent a wonderful 10 days in the Library there searching among the depth of materials in the Roy Collection and these researches will lead to articles in future Chronicles. My grateful thanks are extended to Patrick Scott, Elizabeth Sudduth and all the staff who made my stay so enjoyable. I travelled to Philadelphia to visit The Rossenbach Library, home to another great collection of Burns manuscripts and materials, my regret is that I had not more time to spend searching over their archives and I hope to return to pick up where I left off to travel to wonderful Williamsburg Virginia for the RBANA weekend. Following conference I enjoyed the hospitality of Lesley and Nancy Strachan in Bedford VA. Les is a great Burns enthusiast and has a fantastic collection and library which I looked over with some envy. I was over three weeks on this trip and it is quite significant to realise the worldwide importance of Robert Burns is such that one can spend an extended period of time totally absorbed in Burns outwith Scotland. This trip will produce a number of future Chronicle pieces which hopefully will entertain the international Burns cult. Bill Dawson 2 Burns Chronicle Summer 2012 No. 7 (and last) in the series ‘Twentieth Century Burns Scholars’, overseen by the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, University of Glasgow. Robert Donald Thornton Patrick Scott, University of South Carolina Robert Donald Thornton (1917-2007) is known to most Burnsians as the man who defended James Currie. His landmark biography of Currie, The Entire Stranger (1963), gave a fascinating and well-documented account of Currie’s whole career, but what drew startled attention was Thornton’s conclusion that Currie’s long-disparaged edition of Burns can be “a reliable guide in the pursuit of further truth.” Yet Thornton’s challenging reappraisal of Currie was only one in a whole series of contributions that