122 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MALJCH 12, 1877.

I.

NOTICEE QUIGRICTH F O SK CROZIE O HT FILLA S F O RN ANF O D ITS HEREDITARY KEEPERS, IN A LETTER TO JOHN STUART, LL.D., SECRETARY DANIEY B . L WILSON, LL.D., HON. MEM. S.A. SCOT., TORONTO.

MY DEAR DB STUABT,—It is with feelings of peculiar gratification that I am now able to report to you the successful negotiation for the transfer of the Quigrich or Crozier of St Fillan, to the permanent custody e Societoth f f Antiquarieo y f Scotlando s . This venerable relion f o c of the primitive missionary bishops of Scotland, to which fresh interest is s addeassociatioit y b d n with Eober achievemene e Bructh th td ean f o t nationae l th hands y I independencetransmi u m d yo n an ,i o t w t no s i , duly executed deed by which Alexander Dewar, the lineal representative of " Malic s eforbeari e tymhi Doir th f Kin d o en an ese sg Eobert the f before,Brayso d an , " surrenders unte Societth o f Antiquarieo y f o s Scotlan saie dth Quigrich ,trus n " o deposio t t Nationa e same th th t n ei l Museu f Antiquitiemo t Edinburgha s , ther o remail t timeal o t en i n como for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the Scottish nation." For years, as you are well aware, it has been an object aimed at by me in various ways to affect the restoration of this most interesting national relic to Scotland. Wheu in 1858 my negotiations for its deposition with the Society of Antiquaries failed, I entertained the idea of communicating correspondentd ol wity m h r AugustuM , s W. Franks, wits hviea it o wt acquisition by the British Museum. But acceptable as such safe keeping would have been comparison i , n wit s inevitablhit e fat f muci e h longer abandoned to the contingencies of a Canadian clearing, I coul t overcomno d e feelinth e g tha a relit c thoroughly Scottisn i h all its associations would be robbed of much of its genuine interest if transferre e custodth o t df strangers yo s only it M r y fo . anxiets i w yno conveyance across the Atlantic. Once it is safe in your hands, I shall rejoic e custodo believt th e n i f thoso ey s y whoi b thae t s i tmit archceologica historicad an l l value canno estimatete b fai o t l t theida r true worth. In the brief notice of the Quigrich introduced by me into the " Prehistoric Annals of Scotland," I quoted a letter from the Eev. QU1GEICNOTICE TH F EO CKOZIEK HO SF TKO 3 F1LLAN12 .

M'Donell Dawson, whose ancestors were for a. time its guardians; and to indebtewhos informatioe wa th m I r dfo n which enable recoveo t e dm r the lost traces of the relic. " The celebrated crook of St Fillan," he then wrot meo et , "is e keepinstil th e verCanadan i lth n i yf go d famil an , y to whose ancestor it was confided.1 This family, it appears, lost possession of the crozier for a time, having disposed of it for a sum of money to an ancesto mother'y m f ro s family adhereo e ancienwh ,th o dt t faith. Soon after this transaction, however, ceasing to prosper, and attributing their chang f circumstanceo e o theit s r indifferenc sacrea o t e d object thad ha t been solemnly entruste themo dt , they persuade e purchaserdth rather o , r the person who inherited the crozier from him, to part with it in their favour." The Dewars, however addy , ma discredi I , idee th ta that their ancestors ever parted money r witfo t t hbelievi bu , s onle thawa y t depositei t n di securit loaa r f moneyno yfo recovered an ,s repaymentit n do . But this is not inconsistent with the belief that the repayment of the money was hastene e convictioth y b d n that they cease o prospet d sooo s rs the a n y resigned their sacred trust. The idea, alike of the Dewars and of the Rev. .35. M. Dawson, it will be seen, is that the beautiful ancient relic, now restored to Scotland,

1 The letter in which the Eev. M. M. Dawson conveyed to me the above informa- tion was addressed to me from Dunfermline, at a time when I occupied the post of Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, with no anticipation of wandering beyond my native shores. Curiously enough, the Eev. . DawsoJE.M s nowi n , like myself, settle n Canadai d , being . e Parish Rrectot C Johnth .S f f o o r, , Osgoodef o . Co , Russell I hav. e accordingl morr yfo appliee m detailehi o dt d information aboue th t alleged transfe t Fillan'S f o r s crook fro direce mth s custodianst it lin f o e e thuH .s writes to me in reply :—"It was one of the Glengarries—I believe Lord M'Donell and Arrass, temp. Charles II., the same who also rescued the chalice of lona (vide "Prehist. Annal f Scotland, . o s482)—whp . vol . ed ii .. 2d " o acquire t Fillan'dS s crozier from the family to whom it was entrusted on the field of Baunockburn by King Robert Bruce, in consideration of a sum of money. From the family of Glen- garr e Doireyth s received agai croziere nth , when they believed that they coult no d prosper without the possession of what was indeed a sacred trust. There is now, I believe livine on whoo go t ,n m I coul rely dy ma appl u namer yo y fo datest d san Bu . on the fact that the Quigrich was for some time in the possession of the Glengarry family, and only surrendered by them iu consideration for the people who were con- stitute guardians dit greatese kings.r th ou y sb f o t " 124 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH ]a, 18??.

is the actual silver case, or fertory, referred to by Booce, which the Bruce had in his tent the night before the battle of Bannockburn, to which the arm-bon e sain s miraculouslth f wa to e y restored divine n tokei ,th f neo favoue royath lo t r cause, whe e faithlesth n r disloyao s l priest hads a , Bellenden expresse , "broughsit tume th t fielde th cai ,n si dredone d that the rellik sold be tint in the field, quhere sae greit jeopardeis apperit/ It is manifest, at any rate, from the royal letter of James III., that, so e yeaearlth rs ya 1487 e Quigricth , acknowledges hwa havo dt e been i the keepin Doiree th e tym f th gf o Kins o en "se g Eober e Bruys,th t " and the belief of Alexander Dewar, the last of. its hereditary custodians s thai s ancestohi t s selecte battle s keepee wa rclosth it th f s edet o a a r because of special military services rendered to his royal master on that eventful day. It is creditable to the race that they have so faithfully maintained their trust in poverty and exile; have more than once, since their arrival.in Canada, rejected pecuniary offers sufficiently large to strongly test their fidelity, and only now resign the custody of the sacred relic in orde securo t r s restoratioeit Scotlando nt . vague Th e drea f evido l befallin e faithlesgth s custodia sacreo s f no da trust has not been without its influence on the retention of the crook of St Fillan, through good and evil fortune, in the keeping of its hereditary guardians. This, along wit e genuinth h e spiri f veneratioo t lase th t f no e Scottisoth f h Dewar f Strathfillano s , afforded some guarantes it r fo e eighty-sevents hi n i w no s i hn year sucma d d an h: ol senti e th safety t - Bu . ments are not likely to form any portion of the inheritance of his Canadian heirs. His son smiled when I asked how far such feelings were recip- rocated by the younger generation-. It is vain, indeed, to imagine that their New World training could foster such ideas. The charm was broken when the Quigrich and its custodian were expatriated; and the only stimulus revivae th o f t suco l h obsolete sentiments depende thein do r influencn i e enhancin e marketablth g e valu f thio e s singular family inheritanceI . have accordingly looked forward with anxiety to the transfer of its custody to a younger generation as the mere transitional stage to its acquisition Barnumy b somr o , e other American curiosit ys las it hunter to s stag d ean ; of degradation would be as a showman's prize, before its final passing to the melting, pot. Once it is safely restored to Scotland, very different anticipatee b w Quigrice fortuneth no r y dI venturfo r hma s ;fo thino et k NOTICE OK THE QUIGlilCH OK CItOZLEB OF ST F1LLAN. 125

thau possesyo t s vernationaw fe y l relic f greateo s r antiquit r moro y e genuine interest. Its associations with the Scottish monarchy are older than the Kegalia, so sacredly guarded in the Castle of Edinburgh ; while more sacred memories carry bac primitive fance th th k o yt e missionaries of the Christian faith, when the son of St Kentigerna, of the royal race of Leinster, withdrew to the wilderness of Glendocharfc, and there initiated the good work which has ever since made Strathfillan, with its ruined cell, its miraculous pool, and its no less potent hell, famous in the legendary history of the early Scottish Church. It is now uot far short of a century since, in the year 1782, Mr William Thompson, au Oxford undergraduate s shownhouse wa th , f Malicn eo i , e Doiree villagth t f bankKilline a ,o eth f Locn so o , h Tay, the Quigrich, or crozier of St Fillan, from whom the neighbouring strath received its nameofficiae Th . l transcrip lettere th f gif f o Jametsy o b t s III., produced for registratio Malicy nb e Doir n 1734ei probativa s a , e writshowd an , n to Mr Thompson along with the relic, has ever since been preserved; and possessiony m purposn e i th w r fo restorinno ,f eo s i Scottiso t t gi h custody, along wit nationae hth l reli whico ct t hrefersi . Doubtles wilu syo l take due care to secure thereby recognition of all the rights, privileges, and immunities of the hereditary custodiers for their successors, so that you, and the venerable fraternity of Scottish Antiquaries, to which I have the honou belongo t r , shall make "nane obedienc ansuerr epersouno a n o et n spirituale nor temporale in ony thing concernyng the said haly Eelik, uthir wayis tha contenis ni aule th d n infeftmentiti s thereof." Als t owili foe lb r that same venerable body, as the corporate " lator," or custodian of the said relic, to determine how far it may, be wise to reclaim the ancient awmous, or annual dole of meal due to you from every inhabiter of Glendochart; and whether, in consideration of pennies Scots, or a pair o f e inquisitio shoest th fortse n s i ha , f e Blac1428o nth n ki , Boof ko Taymouth, you will undertake the oversight of all the reevers of Strath- fillan ; and make pursuit for the recovery of pilfered chattels throughout the real Scotlandf mo I nee. d only remark here wilthau lyo t find that the old parchment which I send to you, though fairly copied as a whole versioe inth Society'e th vold n 3 f printe o .e th s Transactionsn di , differs in s somdetailsit f eo , especiall orthographn yi abbreviationsd yan . It is altogether unnecessary for me to trouble you with a description of 126 PKOCEEDINGS OF THK SOCIETY, MARCH 12, 1877.

the Quigrich, or to enter into any discussion as to its probable age as a speci- me Celtif no c art, sinc eI hop e that, before thi peruses si you y prizede b ,th d relic itself will be in your possession. The only fact worthy of note is, that in the zeal of its late custodiers to make it look at its best, it appears to have been rubbed r ratheo , r scoured, tracetile th l f gildinso g whichI remembe havo t r e noted whe t i eightee I nfirs w sa t n yearw sno agoe ar , very slightly traceable t woulI . stile b d l morm e ai superfluou o t e m r fo s illustratioy an t a thef no . histor veneratee th f yo d baehus abbothi d r o lan , crook, by references to Boetius, Bellenden, or Camerarius; to the Aberdeen Breviary, or the Black Book of Taymouth. The subject has already been e Spaldinmadth n ei youn g ow rMiscellany d wilan ,l doubtless receive ample illustration, when the crozier of the saint has followed his bell, in evidenc theif eo r fidelit e sacreth o yt d soi f Scotlando l . t therBu e remain brance son f illustratioho e subjecth f no t whicu hyo will naturall e DewarsyTh loo r fro. fo k,m me fro e e eldesth mth f o t line of Finlay Jore, the lator or custodian in 1428, or of Malise Doire, King James's servitou n 1487i r Alexandeo t , r Deware th e las f th ,o t hereditary keepers of the Quigrich, by whom it is now transferred to the custody of the Scottish Antiquaries, are a just subject of interest in connection with this national relic. The Dewar f Glendocharto s , though retaining their charge th f o e croziet FillanS f d belongeo r ha , r generationfo d e Presbyteriath o t s n Church d whe e an chie;th n f perquisite d responsibilitiean s e th f o s custodier alikhad s e cease accompanto d y their tenure Dewarsthe , , s alreada y noted, were tempte o alienatt d e their charg n favoui e f o r others, who, as adherents of the ancient faith, doubtless cherished a stronger belief in the virtues of the saint's relics. But prosperity vanished unfaithfue witth hf o tha t ac lt steward; until, attributing their evil fortunes to their neglect of the sacred trust, they succeeded in recovering its possession. Bugood-wile th t sainte th f o whict ,o l h Scotland owe mucho s ss wa , more easily forfeited than restored. Malice Doire hereditare th , y keeper, in whose custody the Quigrich was found in 1782, though then described as " the envied possessor of the relic," had sunk to the condition of a mer labourer y presumptive eda th d an ; e heir, the nyouta f nineteenho , lay droopin e lasth t n i gstag f consumptiono e . Occasional gleamf o s NOTIC THF EO K QU1GKIC CKOZIER H O 7 KILLANT S 12 F HO .

better fortune followed, but they were transient; and the sole inheritance the Doires were able to transmit to younger generations was a pedigree riche n historicai r l interest than man f thoso y e whose ancestors figure in the Ragman Eoll, and a test of fidelity, which they have faithfully sustained n prosperiti , d adversityyan r upwardfo , f fivo s e centuried san a half. At length, in 1818, the Doires of Glendochart, driven forth by poverty from the glen where they had seemed in so peculiar a sense glebce, adscripti, turning their back n Strathfillao s n Scotlando d an n , carried with them to the New World the curious memorial of obsolete rites and venerable superstitions. The following narrative embodies the accounts which I have received from time to time from Mr Alexander Dewar, the last hereditary custodier of the Quigrich:—Alexander Doire, or Dewar, of Killin, the younger brother apparentl f Malicyo e Doire, succeede e hereditarth o t d y keepership on the failure of the elder line. His son, Archibald, born t Killia onle th 1756n n i y d survivo an direce , th n ti r line, removed from Killin o Connit . e while stil youna l g man. s employeTherwa e h e y db Campbell of Edinchip as manager of a sheep-farm,- and retained this charge for twenty years. Thereafter he rented two small farms on the Edinchip property vallee th Balquhidderf n yi o , . This inland pastoial parish, lyin p amonu g e Grampiansth g e th n i , western extremit f Perthshireyo , beautifu s diversifieit r fo l d mountains, declivities, and lakes, and famous in Scottish song as the Braes of Balquhidder, seems bette minstree r artise th fitte th r r fo dt o ltha e nth farmer. But the experience of Archibald Dewar well fitted him for sheep- farming, and he made money there. But on the death of his old maste o quin t 180i r d lostholdings e 8h Balquhidderha hi t d an , e H . thereupon rented another farm in Glenartney, in Strathearn, where he remained for the next ten years. " But," as his son writes to me, " after Frence close th th f eo yeae h th war n i 1815r , time t vergo sy .bade th , price of cattle got very low, and thousands of farmers were ruined. e Foth r t a three rent £10d d th e ad an o ; year0t o t y fathe m sd ha r numbeA e leas th e wer. enl w it f etireo al derf o dpetitione e dth Governmen frea r e fo tpassag frea d e egranan f lano t n dCanadai , which was granted on condition of every male over eighteen years of age 128 PKOCKKBINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 12. 1877.

depositin hande g th -£10 f Governmentn so i e returneb , o whict s d hwa after they e landsettleth n . o d Thifaithfulls wa s y donemothey M . r townshie settlee h th d n i dan f Beckwitho p e , ag wher e th e dieh et a d of seventy-five s considerewa e H .a smartd , cleve ra goo mand dan , judge of cattle, for which he was ofttimes called out as judge. I being the eldest son, was left at home to settle up everything, and dispose of the crop, which belonge e outgointh o t d g tenant. When everythins gwa sold, I left my native country on the 14th of April 1819, and on the 1st of June arrived at Quebec. I pushed on to my father's place, where I arrived on the 20th. I secured one hundred acres of land, vvlych I got from the Government; but for some time I made no t lik countrwork.e e no eth th d r improvementdi "yno I r fo , it n so greateA r contrast, indeed, cannot wel conceivee b l d tha e transfeth n r fro ma pastora l farm e Braeoth n f Balquhiddero s e valth f o en i r o , Strathearn, to an uncleared farm in one of the flattest regions of Western Canada. All his own or his father's experience in Scottish farming was unavailing d likan e; many another emigrant s nativ hi e pine h r , efo d land, and only tarried in his new home because it was no longer possible to return. But a brief experience inures to the novel life of a bush farm; and so Mr Dewar states :—"At last I married a girl from my own country, settled, and cleared my lot, so far as it could be done; that is about fifty acrest i beine res f th ,o tg swamp y thiB s. tim y famil m es ver wa yy large, being seven sond fouan sr daughters f whoo l mal , still survive, excep eldesy m t t daughter." But in. Canada a large family is a blessing. Mr Dewar prospered. Iii 1850 he bought his present farm of two hundred acres in the townshi f Plymptono p d cleare d ha whed broughan e ;an dh n t into cultivatio e hundreon n y a $200 pa ds r abl fo o wa acres0t e e h , neighbour' d fallesha farmo n intwh , o arrears wit e Trus th hd Loa an t n Company. On this he settled one of his sons, who is now its successful a lateowner t rA dat. e purchaseh e a dhundre d acres adjoiningd an , settle anotheds . son hi sf o rthere . y family,m " Alf e o addslh " , s livini o gwh wit, havn "excepso me he e e doinmarriear on t d g an d well. Four sons are settle n Britisn dOntarioi i s i e h on ,Columbia d an , two are in . the State of Michigan. I have thirty-one grandchildren. NOTICQUIGRICIE TH F EO I OR CROZIE 9 FILLANT S 12 F RO .

Of those eightee malee ar nd thirtee san n females I havbrothee . on e r livin n Plymptoni g e onlth , y other survivo y father'm f o rs familf o y fou daughtere ron sond san , alf whoo l d largmha e families f nephewO . s and nieces I cannot tell the number. We have done well in coming out West." All the sons are farmers except the eldest, Archibald, who unites wite resignatiofathes th hhi n e custodiershii r th f o n e Quigrichth f o p . He met with an accident in farming, which ultimately involved the o compelles amputatiochoosd o t an m s : righ edhi hi g anothef le to n r occupation. Availing himself of the educational advantages of Canada, he for the first time acquired the power to speak the English language, and having acquired the requisite training for a school teacher, he now occupies the honourable position of Provincial Public School Inspector for East Huron. Alexander Dewar, the hereditareth las f o t y custodian t Fillan'S f o s s crook alreads a , y stated s noi , w s eighty-sevent inhi h year. stils i Bu e lth hale and hearty, with full command of his faculties ; and even taking pleasur bearinn ei requesy s m farme ha wort e g shara e th A th th f k.o n e i promised to have his photograph taken ; in which case I shall forward it to you as an appropriate accompaniment of his resignation of his "lator- ship " into your hands. His son remarked to me that in his earlier days thee worldth y beyond f liveo an ,t range dou d th f newspaperseo . Their books were those thaformed ha tlittle th d e librar t Strathearya e th n; whole home talk, entirely in Gaelic, was of old Scottish memories and traditions , thougso d han ; himsel a nativf f mors Canadao e wa e e h , familiar with Glendochar Balquhidderd an t , than with anything transpir- Nee ing th .w in World t whil Bu e genera.th e l impression surviven i s the Canadian Scot, he has too vague a recollection of the old tales and legends of St Fillan, and his bell and crozier, to be able now to reproduce them in detail. Such recollections, however, as I have been able to glean I shal, l note ris e heretediumf th ko t a , . The virtues ascribed to the bell are familiar to you ; and have received renewed attention owing to the unlocked for recovery of the long lost relic. Those ascribe Quigrice th o dt h appea havo rt e bee vera f nyo varied description watee Th whicn d beei r. ha nt h i dippe regardes dn wa a s a d effectual remed r feverfo y , either when sprinkle e patientth n r o do , administere a draught s a d easen I . s o-f scrofula e King'th r o ,s Evilt i , I VOL. XII. PAK . TI 130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 12, 1877.

wa sleso reputen s e efficacioub o ds t curativ it n i s e powers when rubbed affectee onth eves d wa nparts t morI .reputn i e diseaser fo e f cattlo s e; and tlie traditio e ancienth f o n t obligatio s custodianit f o n o makt s e pursuit aftee stoleth r n e dwellercattlth f o e n Glendocharti s , survived in the form of a belief in its virtues as a charm for their discovery and restoration. On this point Mr Dewar writes to me:—"It is quite true a charm tha e s relilookes th a t tsinc wa cn bu ;o d t e i cam e inty om possession I have not been much troubled with it in that way, except ibr disease f cattleo o men,"—Canadias Tw . n Highlandere b y ma t i s presumed,— sicd ha k o cattle"wh , cam gefo r theet cfo watemt t i ;bu f o r I never inquired whether it cured them or not." There- are also vaguer recollections of tales of the relic being resorted to, to give binding sanctity to an oath. The tradition is that any one who swore an oath t crooe FillaoS th n f ko n and proved false, los e poweth t f speeco r n ho each returning anniversary of the day on which he had forsworn him- self. ' - - - . -. ... Mr Dewar also refer anotheo t s r clas curef so s more correctly associated with the bell of St Fillan, which I may as well note here. " St Fillan," he says , beed "ha n through Perthshire therd e severaan ;ar e l places there named after him, suc s Dun-fhaolia h t Fillan S e hil f th o t l n : a , the east end of Loch Earn, where women with sickly children used to attend on the morning of the 1st of August, and bathe them in a spring that rose at the foot of the hill, believing that there was some virtue in the water d theran , e they lef t clothee somth e f th o e sn o tha d t ha the d yha e hilth l f a e forlargthero th f mp o es e i to arm-chaie th childn O r. e rockth f , o wher t cud preache t ou tFilla S an e people t th nsa o t d . There is likewise, in Strathfillan, still standing, or at least was when I left Scotland, the walls of an old chapel where people used to go with f theithos o wer o t re ou wh e mind d aftean , r dipping r thretheo o metw times in a deep pool of water that is in Uisge-fhaolia, they would leave chapeld ol the t loosd suce nighgo me th an ,s eth h tiea n r i throughtd fo the night they believed would get better, but those that remained bound •were concluded incurable.1' The name of Jore, Deor, Doire, or Dewar,—originally signifying 'a •wanderer pilgrim,—har o , s been born variouy eb s hereditary custodierf so ecclesiastical relics, as by the Dewars of Monivaird, the keepers NOTICE OF THE QUIGRICH OK CEOZIER'OJ ST FILLAN. 131

t Eowan' S ofo doub n s ts wa appliebell d an ;n referenc i d e th o t e officia l e latoth dutie f o sucf ro sh venerated relic f o primitivs e Scottish saints. The terms applied to the crozier itself, in the official copy of 1734 of the royal letters of 1487, is Quegrich—not Quigrith, s latterla y printed. Lookin s connectioit o t g n thaothed ni an t r early notice significance s th looo wit t r e grea kfo d th he le th t s kingf eo wa I , name descriptiva s a , e memoria f suco l h historical associations a com n i , - poun f Cuag-Righ,o d e King' r "o Th s Crook." Bue learneth t d Celtic antiquary Keve th , . W. Beeves, D.D., recognise o morsn int i e. thaa n modification of the Erse " coigreach," "stranger." However inapplicable such a name may have appeared to the Quigrich during all the long centuries during whic t tarriehi n Strathfillandi wels ha l t meritei , e dth title for the last fifty-nine years, during which it has proved a stranger to its native strath and to the Land of the Bruce. But since the bell of the venerable saint, after a still longer exile, has at length found its way back to Scotland, and the Quigrich'is now following its example, your next quest must be for the famous Black Eood of St Margaret, long regarded as our Scottish palladium. Meanwhile, if I were only fully assured of e restoratioth e Quigric th e sacre f th o n o t dn haccomplishea sois a l d fact I migh, allowee b t indulgo t de pleasan th n i e t fancn a y s thai t i t ome goof no d hop r otheefo r exiles from Scotland rateI y shall. an ,t a , comfort myself with the feeling that my long absence from my native shore has not been wholly purposeless, since it has been the means of securing the restoration to Scotland of an historical relic of such interest value.—Believd an deay r Stuartm rD , eme , yours faithfully, I)AN. WILSON. JOHN STUART, Esq., LL.D., F.S.A. Scot., Register House, Edinburgh.