Muirhead Clan Society Newsletter June 17th, 2001 From the President: A wee bit about my trip to Scotland Answering the call of the Scottish bagpipes has been a dream come true for me. My journey to my ancestral homeland Scotland has now found a home in my heart and forever more it will be. With my interest in family history and over 35 years of research into my family's past, I expected to be impressed with Scotland, home of my ancestors but what I found in truth was something I never expected. Scotland did not impress me; it swept me off my feet. Scotland first touches your heart then charges your spirit with the wild passion that imprints its spirit on your heart forever more. Of Caledonia, the ancient name for Scotland, Sir Walter Scott wrote; "To you as to your sires of yore, belong the targe and claymore! I give you shelter in my breast, your own good blade must win the rest…" From sea to sea , Highlands to Lowlands, and islands, the beauty of Scotland's landscape is breathtaking to see. Lush wooded glens, windswept moors, lochs, that beckon you to walk and explore their shores. Over craggy mountain or down through stony brae, and even through emerald glens, you're inspired to journey on. Weather bathed in warmth of sun or shrouded in the mist of wooded glen and yes, even as mysterious as the famed brooding skies that can leave you wet from head to toe but can not dissuade your spirit to go. I think that when God made Scotland, he copied all the best from all the rest and put it down on this wee place to rest. For you do not need to be the biggest to be the best, you only have to experience it to know its better than all the rest. I had long heard of the Scottish hospitality but now having experienced it first hand. I would have to say that there was not one place in Scotland that I was not treated like royal family. Some may view Scotland as a small place but the grand hearts of the Scottish people would be hard to match. Heaven may be better than Scotland, but they'd need to see it to believe it, so I was told one day. You can come to know the Majesty of the Highlands and splendor of the Lowlands through books, pictures and words written by others yet until you experience it first hand you can never know the mysterious hold it will have on your heart forever more. Though I may travel far and call another land the place I live, I will always remember that in my heart Scotland is where my spirit is still wild with wonder. I will forever hear the pipes calling to me from over the sea where I journeyed to ancestral lands and where I must return one day for there is still much yet to learn and see. I would like to make a point to thank member and Time Line Historian, John Staley, for putting up with me for three weeks, in close quarters and surviving and doing the nerve racking job of all the driving while we were in Scotland. I had five appointments that were a must keep while in Scotland. The first was on the evening of the11th which was an invitation to a dinner hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Blair C. Macnaughton, Chairman of the Scottish Tartans Authority, at the Royal Hotel in Pirth. I had an excellent meal and conversation. Blair and his wife were most gracious hosts. John and I had a good time with all in attendance. The second was the next day again Pirth, attending the Tartan Authority AGM, which included a fine lecture and demonstration of custom swords by The World Famous Yendall Swords from The Claymore Armoury Kilmarnock Ayrshire. wwwbusinessbites.co.uk/featured/claymore.html All in all a good day and most interesting was the talk of the new Tartan Museum. Chairman Macnaughton introduced me to the membership and requested that I leave him some color photo copies of the Muirhead Tartan and history which I was more than happy to do. Perhaps one day they will be part of a display in the New Tartan Authority Museum. I will have posted the web address to the Scottish Tartan Authority membership is open to all. Third appointment on the 14th, far less formal but important to us all directly was a meeting with James Muirhead of Muirhead Buchanan Solicitors & Estate Agents, we had a good conversation about the Muirheads and James became our First Member in Scotland, paying dues on the spot. He also sent with me some of his Family history and genealogy to add to our data base and I shared ours with him. James will be a good contact for us in Stirling. I thank him for his donation to our society and help by sharing his information with us all as well as driving John and I around Bannackburn pointing out Muirhead Farm Sites and taking us to the cemetery where several of the Muirheads are interned. Fourth appointment was with Andrew Muirhead of Alva 18:00 hrs on the 18th. We arrived at his house and had the opportunity to meet and visit with his family as well as see some of his father's collection of Muirhead History and family Genealogy which he said he would make copies and send when he could. Many of his collection were copies of sourced documents and very well done by his father a historian and University Professor. It is my hope that Andrew's collection of his fathers work will be a great addition to our data base when received at a later date. Fifth was when John and I were picked up by Robert Hunter, C/O for Madame Hunter for our visit to Hunterston. The Clan Hunter Chief's grand Scottish hospitality May 19th, 2001 was most memorable. Madame Pauline Hunter of Hunterston and that ilk, Clan Chief and 30th Laird, is a grand lady whose invitation to us to visit Hunterston was, for me, the highlight of my stay in Scotland. Hunterston Castle is a precious jewel in the crown of all the places we visited in Scotland. The Hunter Clan members are most fortunate to have a Chief that cares so much about the preservation of Hunterston. It was and is an honor to have met Madame Hunterston and let me say that I think Robert, her C/O, is an outstanding officer. I now proudly call him a good friend. I also saw in him the same caring and love for history and Hunterston. We were met by Madame Hunterston at the Hunterston estate mansion where we first had tea, and visited. I then presented Madame Hunter with a handcrafted, scrimshawed powder horn as well as one for Robert from myself and the Muirhead Clan Society. I will post a picture when available. The powder horn gifted to Madame Hunter and Clan Hunter will find a home with honor in the Hunterston Museum. We then were escorted to the Castle where we were told we were the first to see it since the restoration work had been completed. Sadly, Hunterston Castle is not open to the public tours, open only for Clan Hunter members. I was honored to be invited to a private tour of this wee but grand castle by Madame Hunter personally. We then were invited to dine with Madame Hunter at a very nice local restaurant, where we had an excellent meal and continued our conversation on a wide range of topics. We later returned to the mansion where we said our goodbye and Robert drove us back to our B&B. I must say also that Robert Hunter went out of his way to see we had a good time and impressed me with his historical knowledge, not just of Hunterston but Scotland's history as well. During our stay at the second B&B, Carseview Guesthouse...Cambuskenneth by Stirling. The old abbey there had a small cemetery, where I found the King James III, and his lady wife's burial plots. In the adjacent cemetery, there was a memorial stone dedicated to a Muirhead and a Hunter, married couple. This was brought to the attention to Robert Hunter, who was not aware of this existing. This gives us more meaning to our relationship with the Hunter Clan, having fought and died in the same battles, and marriages within the clans. I did have several objectives set for myself but they are not listed here in order that they were attempted. One was to try and find an answer to the missing link in my own family tree but that was soon to be set aside not long after I got to Scotland for several reasons. Trying to research the records if they exist is near to impossible for anyone who can not decipher the old hand written records. Many records are in such a poor state that even an expert has problems. At seventeen pounds a day plus the parking problem one must decide if it is worth the expense. I opted to put this objective in the hands of a professional at a later date. My second objective was to verify the 1742 edition of Alexander Nisbet's A System of Heraldry Of the Family of the Muirheads of Lachop and obtain a official copy held in the Scottish National Library.