ROBERTSON’S RANT The Newsletter of the Clan Donnachaidh Society —Mid- Atlantic Branch BRANCH UPDATE VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 By Norman Dunkinson The Branch succeeded in two major areas prior to the 2013 Games Season—the JUNE 2013 acquisition of -t shirts, as reported in the last issue, and the revamping of the www.robertson.org website. T-shirts have now been distributed to the two major convening contingents, and will be available at all Games attended by the Branch Officers: Branch for the remainder of the year. Sizes are limited, so get yours soon! President: Please check out the newly redesigned website too—thanks to the efforts of Brian Robertson from the UK, the site has a bold new look! I would also like to Sam Kistler thank Mike Duncan for maintaining www.roberston.org for so many years! Vice President: Mike has now passed the mantle of Webmaster to Brian. Ron Bentz Secretary/Treasurer: LEXINGTON GAMES REPORT Norman Dunkinson By Jim Fargo On April 13th, the clan van arrived at the Rockbridge County High School in Lex- ington, Virginia. Branch President Sam Kistler and I soon had the van unloaded and gear set up at the tent site in the school parking lot. We were ready by 9am Inside this issue: th for the start of the 7 annual Lexington Scots Irish Heritage Festival. This year we Southern Maryland 2 were situated within a row of tents with House of Gordon and Clan O’Brien on Games Report one side and a face-painting vendor as our next door neighbor on the other. At this event, they intersperse vendors among the clan tents. Atholl in the Crusade— 2 It was a beautiful sunny and windy day in the low 70s, and the attendance was 1270 pretty good. Members Dave Strunk and Sonny Bishop and his family, along with Frederick Games Report 4 several potential new members, joined us in the clan tent. We welcomed many hungry visitors to our combined Gordon Grill/Donnachaidh Diner and everyone Fairhill Games Report 4 enjoyed themselves. New Member Welcome 5 There was no official clan parade again this year. The highlight of the music tent Clan Gathering/AGM 5 was the Celtic Martins (formerly the Martin Family Band). There were three pipe and Clan Annual Update bands on hand: Shenandoah Valley Pipes and Drums, Warpipe, and the VMI Blast from the Past 5 Pipes and Drums. The Robertsons of 6 The sponsor of this festival is the Lexington Lions Club and the proceeds from the Fearnan event go to support the Rockbridge Area Free Clinic. Sam and I had a good time and will be back next year. We hope additional clan members will consider join- McHenry Games Report 7 ing us at this festival. Upcoming Games and 8 Events Page 2 ROBERTSON’S RANT SOUTHERN MARYLAND GAMES REPORT By Jim Fargo At 8am on April 28th, the clan van arrived at the Jefferson-Patterson Park in Saint Leonard, Maryland, for the 35th an- nual Celtic Festival of Southern Maryland. Branch President Sam Kistler, several friends, and I soon had the van un- loaded and gear set up at our double tent site between the missing Clan O’Brien and the Scottish Society of Middle Maryland. We were ready by 9am for the arrival of Evan and Rosalie Duncan with the Donnachaidh Diner provisions. It was a wonderful Scottish sunny day in the mid-70s and the games attendance was very good. Along with the arrival of several potential new members, we welcomed many members and their families to the clan tent including Doug and Linda Kimball; Harry Robertson; and Mike and Kathy Sears. Evan Duncan, Andrew Fargo, and I were joined by the Katan family for the official clan parade and then reconvened in the clan tent for a wonderful lunch provided by the Duncans. This year, there was a Clan Lindsay tent on the same side of the athletic field. We visited them several times during the afternoon to socialize with the Lindsay convener - Leslie Hughes. This year marks the 621st anniversary of the “Raid of Angus!” This is a great Celtic festival and Sam and I believe everyone had a great time. Our double tent setup will certainly be back next year on April 26, 2014. ATHOLL IN THE CRUSADE—1270 By Jim Fargo The legate’s relations with Alexan- One of the problems was that coin- der III did not get off to a good age was in short supply and the Throughout the early 1260s, King start. By the summer of 1267, the Scottish economy was mainly based Alexander III was chiefly concerned papal legate’s visit became increas- on a barter system outside of the with the problems of the Western ingly directed toward preaching a major trading towns. The first inde- Isles which were not finally re- new crusade to the Holy Land. The pendent Scottish king to issue coins solved until the cession of the Isles legate demanded a subsidy of four was David I, an event that was to Scotland by King Magnus of Nor- merks from each parish and six clearly the result of the capture of way during the summer of 1266. merks from each cathedral church Carlisle by the Scots in 1136 which Alexander III had succeeded to the in Scotland just to cover his own gave David an established English throne during the summer of 1249 expenses. Also, the funds raised mint and nearby silver mines. All at the age of seven upon the death were to be given to the English to Scottish coinage up until Alexander of his father, Alexander II. Now at support the cost of Prince Edward’s III’s second recoinage in 1280 was age 24, his attention was drawn to expedition. Not one to financially limited to the silver penny. A world concerns. support the raising of an English Scottish penny was based upon the In July 1266 the Mameluk Sultan of army (even if it left England!), Alex- English sterling (0.925 silver) meas- Egypt had 1,700 Christian prisoners ander forbid the export of more ure of the same design and weight decapitated at the huge Templar than 2,000 merks to England. At (22.5 grains) with 160 pennies castle of Safed which dominated the end of 1267, Louis IX took the equal to one merk (called a mark in the upper Galilee. This atrocity mo- cross for the second time. England) or one pound of silver bul- lion. A penny represented a sub- tivated King Louis IX of France to In 1268 Antioch fell to the Sultan stantial sum of money, a full day’s begin planning his second crusade Baibars after 170 years of Christian wage for a skilled workman and to rescue the Holy Land. A Papal rule and with that defeat, came since no smaller denominations legate, Cardinal Ottoboni de additional pressure for a crusade. were struck, it was common prac- Fieschi, was sent to the British Isles King Alexander continued to resist tice to cut these pennies into halves to collect money for the aid of this English demands for money and and quarters (farthings) to make planned crusade to the Holy Land. promised to send men instead. Page 3 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 change as needed. the youngest daughter of Constan- second son of Conan of Glener- Alexander III’s reign produced the tine, who was the eldest son of ochie, natural son of Henry the last most extensive of all Scottish medi- Henry, last Celtic earl of Atholl. In Celtic Earl of Atholl. Andrew was eval coinage and included the intro- 1269 while David was away in Eng- the son of Duncan, a younger duction of the round halfpenny and land arranging his army’s passage brother of Earl Henry. These lands, farthing in 1280. Because the in- through England to France, John when added to his own lands of trinsic value of the English and Comyn of Badenoch took the op- Strowan, Lude and Strathtummel Scottish penny were the same, both portunity to enter the earldom of made him one of the largest Celtic coinages were freely exchanged Atholl and begin construction of a landowners in the earldom. Ewan between the two countries. Be- stone tower in the strath of Garry de Glenerochie would have proba- cause of limited quantities of silver in Blair Atholl. This John Comyn bly been present at the Norman mined in Scotland, English pennies was the grandfather of the John earl’s regality court at Tulliemet or gained through trade with England Comyn killed in Dumfries by Robert “Hill of Judgment” to watch the earl made up the bulk of currency circu- the Bruce in 1306. Once this en- lead his men south toward England. lating in Scotland, and its removal croachment was reported to King Certainly we know he stayed be- to fund the English army would Alexander, Comyn was forced to hind. Ewan’s cousin and future son- have had serious economic conse- abandon this tower and leave the in-law Andrew de Atholia (the fa- quences. earldom. This tower remains our ther of Duncan, our first recognized only physical connection to that clan chief), was probably born Hector Boece in his history stated time and place. Visitors to Blair about 1275. that in early 1270 Alexander sent Castle walk through this tower on The picture, below center left, 1,000 men under the earls of Car- the guided tour. The “Cumming’s shows the obverse and reverse of a rick and Atholl and many other no- Tower” contains the Treasure and Scottish penny (second coinage) ble captains to join the French ex- Old Scots rooms on the ground that was in circulation during Alex- pedition which sailed to Carthage floor, the Blue Bedroom on the first ander’s reign.