Issue no.5 –Jan 2016

The Official Newsletter for Clan Scott Scotland

A warm and sincere greeting from us all at Clan Scott Scotland, and a ‘Guid New Year to yin and aw’.

Well, what a year the last one turned out to be. Many projects were discussed, started, are continuing, as we launch into all that this year may hold for us. May we wish you, overall, good health? In this issue, we have interesting articles on the Duke of Buccleuch Hunt, the upcoming Burns Night celebrations, Walter Scott’s connection, and haggis- truths and tales. Other pieces include news from both our Chairman and Secretary, whilst we continue our Grannie Scott’s words. Some background to how surnames have come about, and ‘Scottie Dug’s’ jokes, make up another busy issue of your Bellendean Bugle. I hope that you enjoy your reading.

2015/2016

January is often a time to reflect on what has been happening in the previous year and also when we look forward to the coming year. Last year, Clan Scott Scotland was very busy with lots of additional material being added to our Web site thanks to the co-operative efforts of the Executive Committee Members - ranging from a major expansion (still continuing) of the Picture gallery to articles on the "Scotts and the Scots - Who Are They?", Buccleuch Castle, Scott-related places to visit such as Drumlanrig Castle, Scotstarvit, Dryhope and Smailholm towers, Dryburgh Abbey and lots more helpful links to explore. And of course the "Bellendean Bugle" continued to be sent on a regular basis to Members, covering articles on a wide range of Scott/Scotland subjects.

A major project in 2015 was also to make progress on creating a memorial cairn at Bellendean, the traditional clan rallying point, west of Hawick. Planning permission from Scottish Borders Council is being pursued and it is hoped to have this new point of interest completed by this summer.

As for 2016, you will hear a lot more on a project to create a major Heritage hub at the Scott property at Branxholme Castle, south of Hawick, involving as many Border clans as possible. We also have a "Clan Scott Trail" project aimed at helping visitors to the Borders and other parts of Scotland (whether on the ground or via the Web) to learn about the many locations associated with clan Scott. And the Web site will continue to grow with additional illustrated articles.

But we would welcome your input to what we are doing - please send us a note of what you want to see more of - either via the contact page on our Web site, Facebook or the email address clanscottscotland@gmail.com

Alan ScottChairman

Bellendean Bugle

(2) Branxholme Potential?In recent times Clan Scott Scotland has been much taken with the idea of becoming involved in bringing this ancient keep into a modern use of significance beyond Clan Scott. The castle was visited as part of Homecoming organised by the staff at Bowhill, under the direction of, His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch.Our Clan Chief owns the ancient building. In brief, the lands of Branxholme, in 1306, were handed over by King Robert the Bruce to Henry de Balliol. When King David II was captured, at the battle of Durham, the Branxholme lands were returned to the Lovel family. The first significant Scott ownership at Branxholme occurred in occurred 31st January 1420, when Robert Scott, Lord of Murthockston, became the owner of half of the lands. His son, Sir Walter, acquired the other half of the land when the previous owner found he could not cope with the rustling of his livestock. Sir Walter, a wise and careful Scott, then uttered the famous words that “the Cumberland cattle were as good as those of Teviotdale.”Under David Scott, a strengthened Branxholme became the principal seat of the Buccleuch family in the late 15th century and, as a stronghold, proved crucial to maintaining control in the Border area, as well as an excellent centre for the repulsion of invaders. Branxholme was an essential centre for the Scotts, especially given the turbulent inter Clan rivalries, such as that with the Kerrs, amongst others. This stronghold, of course, was also necessary in the management of the Marches, and was of sufficient relevance as to be recorded in the ‘Lay of the Last Minstrel’.In the late 18th century, the castle was re modelled. With the settling of the Border lands, after the Union of the Crowns, and eventually Parliaments, Branxholme lost its military significance and became simply a peaceful residence. At the present time, it is unoccupied, but possible that it could once again become a very important place in Border history. As the Secretary of Clan Scott Scotland, I was asked to join a Scottish Government Committee, which involves itself in promoting clan interests, throughout the country. After many discussions ,there is an awareness that the Highland Clans are keen to set up a clan visitor centre in Inverness, whilst there is also a number of Border Clans and Families who realizing the advantages of a similar centre in the Borders. The project is still at an embryonic stage. Central to this concept is Branxholme Castle. A group of staff members from the Buccleuch estates, including a surveyor, who was involved in the restoration of Dumfries House, inspected the premises, late in 2015. An assessment of the building has been made, and a report will be given to interested parties, late January 2016. If the proper funding can be found from one of the major bodies which support such projects then a case will be made to make a suitable application for the necessary funds to modernise those parts of the building to be used as a multi-purpose facility. Early days, but the prospects very exciting, especially since, not only are we Scotts interested, but other Clan reps are due to attend the preliminary, discussion meeting. We, the border clans, have a common interest in the possibility of setting up a multi-clan centre, with a museum, appropriate to the Border story. The building is not the usual type of castle, with a huge baronial hall and gallery. Rather, it is a myriad of small to medium sized rooms, each capable of separate functions. There are bedrooms, toilets, and even bathrooms used by recent caretaker/ tenants. If the project continues, we will let members know, as they evolve. Clearly, we are at the start of something which, apart from Clan Scott, could be of great significance to inter clan co-operation. And I know that our overseas kinsmen are more than a little interested in our negotiations. Watch this space. Roy Scott, Secretary.

Duke Richard, Transformed This Abandoned Coal Mine into a Cosmological Land-Art Park

This August, 2015, a scarred landscape in rural Scotland became a grassy multiverse, now open for exploration. Open-pit coal mining has turned parts of rural Scotland into desolate, denuded eyesores but, this site, owned by, His Grace,. Richard Scott, the

tenth Duke of Buccleuch, managed to turn it into a modern-day Stonehenge, whilst self- financing the project himself. The newly-opened Crawick Multiverse, a 55-acre land-art park, outside the town of Sanquhar, was designed by artist, and landscape architect,

Charles Jencks.

"This former open cast coal site, nestled in a bowl of large rolling hills, never did produce enough black gold to keep digging. But it did, accidentally, create the bones of a marvellous ecology," says Jencks

Jencks took a pair of hills created when polluted earth was removed from the site and sculpted them with spiralling paths, representing the Andromeda and Milky Way

galaxies. There's also a "comet walk," a "supercluster" of triangular mounds, and a mudstone path carved with figures representing different theoretical arrangements of the universe, all decorated with some 2,000 boulders found on the site. Construction,

had begun in 2012,

"The Multiverse celebrates the surrounding Scottish countryside and its landmarks, looking outwards and back in time to present a difference view of the situation we are in. Jencks worked with the ridges and furrows of the mining site, rather than completely reshaping them, so in a sense, his work is a kind of post-industrial, art landscaping.

November 15th on BBC2 saw His Grace, Duke of Buccleuch speaking on the recent proposals about land reforms, on the site of the above ecological project which he has managed from start to finish.

Hunter and Hounds: The Buccleuch Hunt

It is a beautiful late autumn day in Selkirkshire. From hilly farmland near the village of Lilliesleaf one can look across several miles of green countryside towards the rolling Cheviots that mark the border with England. The urgent, staccato sound of a horn carries quite clearly through the mild morning air and confirms that this is indeed a fox hunt.

History The Hunt country crosses 3 counties - Roxburghshire, Selkirk and Berwickshire & includes three large estates comprising of three-quarters of the country. It still lends itself very well to cross country riding, All the country is very well fenced to facilitate staying with the hounds whether over timber or wall or through a gate

The Hunt was founded in 1827 by the 5th Duke of Buccleuch who took over the hounds of Mr George Baillie – regarded as the Father of Foxhunting in the north.

 Buccleuch hounds were bred on Old English lines up until the 1970’s. The, 25 strong, pack today is predominantly female, having kept three tail female lines, two of which are solid Buccleuch back to 1860’s and Belvoir Singwell (1864).

Of Scotland’s ten mounted hunts, five are based in the Borders and one in Dumfriesshire. This is, in part, a quirk of topography – the landscape of southern Scotland offering plenty of open, relatively flat countryside, ideal for hunting on horsebackJust look at the continuing popularity of the Common Ridings, those great annual equestrian celebrations of community that take place in many Borders towns; they are an expression of the same local taste for costumed ritual and deep immersion in landscape. The important thing is that they endure.

Cancellation of a Common Riding would be unthinkable. And so it is with fox hunting. It too has “aye been” – well, for a couple of centuries, anyway – and has carried on because hunters have found a way to do so within the law, but also because resistance to change is a quality Borderers imbibe with mothers’ milk.

  The Buccleuch Hunt led the way after the 2002 ban in Scotland and are still looked upon as the guiding light. Thirteen years after controversial legislation changed fox hunting for ever, it still thrives among the riders who regard it as a birthright.

Hunts now present themselves as pest-control operations offering a service to farmers. Trevor Adams, huntsman with the Duke of Buccleuch’s Hunt for the last 23 years, suggests that of all the foxes killed by his hunt, one third are dispatched by hounds. Indeed, the protocol on how to hunt foxes within the new law was developed by the Buccleuch and endorsed by the Master of Fox Hounds Association, the governing body for fox hunting in the UK

To the outside eye nothing much may have appeared to have changed with followers still looking very traditional, but the Hunting is run by a recognised protocol that is accepted by both the Police and the Landowners. Most of today’s riders are dressed in the subdued tweeds known as ‘ratcatcher’. The Buccleuch hunt made a decision to stop wearing red jackets following the introduction of the new law in 2002 as a visible sign of change. Only the three men running the hunt – the huntsman Trevor Adams, the field-master and the whipper-in – continue to wear the traditional dress, mostly because it makes them easier to see. Adams is a stocky Englishman, the son of a dry-stone waller; his red coat having five brass buttons, each bearing the Buccleuch crest. “We are hunters,” explains one member of the Buccleuch. “We’ve got a hunting gene.”

First, though, there is the matter of the Stirrup Cup, the traditional pre-hunt drink.Gloved hands reach down from horseback to accept plastic cups of port and whisky served from silver trays. Stomach-lining is provided by trays of sausages and home-made fruit cake. Some find it helpful to have a small stiffener as an aid to leaping fences. In the section of the Buccleuch website dedicated to dress code, hunters are advised not to forget their hip flasks. Sloe gin is the favoured tipple.

For some, the so-called ‘thrusters’, that entertainment comes from riding hard and jumping fences. For others, the real appeal is the hounds, especially the sound they make when they scent a fox. This is known as ‘speaking’ or ‘giving tongue’ and is loved by many. “When they are in full cry it’s an amazing sound, especially if it’s echoing in a wood,” says Eric Paxton, the former Kelso and Scotland rugby player, who hunts with the Buccleuch.

The Buccleuch Hunt has a, subscribed, membership of around 150, the majority of whom are mounted. It isn’t cheap, and certainly still attracts the expected share of blue-bloods. The hunt essentially belongs to the Duke of Buccleuch, the UK’s biggest landowner, and it is no surprise to see the Duchess of Roxburgh go trotting by on a white horse, or to notice one of the foot followers tip his cap to her.

A recent host was one Marjorie Hepburne-Scott, whose farm is one hunted regularly.. Her late husband Francis died recently, just a few days shy of his 90th birthday. Hepburne-Scott’s father had hunted with the Buccleuch, and her husband was at one time chairman of the hunt. Fox hunting has its risky side with the late ninth Duke of Buccleuch, who died in 2007, breaking his back in a hunting accident in the early 1970s, and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

The Buccleuch hunt 3 days a week by invitation - Wednesday, Saturday & Monday up until the New Year.  Thereafter they hunt Wednesday & Saturday with additional bye-days on Mondays at the discretion of the Joint Masters. These currently are;

Duke of Buccleuch

Tim Allen MFH

Jamie Scott MFH.

Visitors should always contact the Secretaries prior to hunting. Please contact buccleuchfoxhounds@gmail.com. For updated Meet details/last minute changes can be obtained on their home page or by calling the answer machine at the Kennel on 01835 822383

Date painted: 1893 Oil on canvas, 69 x 102.5 cm Collection: Abbotsford, The Home of Sir Walter Scott.

The Meeting of Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott at Sciennes Hill House (Charles Hardie)

Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns

There has been much written about these two literary giants individually over the years. Interestingly, one wrote many books and poems. The other wrote only one book of poetry although additional poems were added to later editions. One became rich from his writing and publishing while the other had to work a thankless job to provide a meagre living for his family. One took ten years to build the house of his dreams and the other lived in farm houses or in town rental properties. One became bankrupt but worked himself out of insolvency while the other flirted with bankruptcy all of his life. One entertained his king at one of the biggest and grandest celebrations ever held in Scotland when one-seventh of the population of Scotland turned out to greet George IV. The other, as far as I know, never had the opportunity to look his king in the eye, much less sit at a meal with the king or be knighted by him.

Yet, the latter is far more celebrated annually by Scots around the world than the former. Most of us are familiar with the one time in history when Scott and Burns actually met and had a conversation. Scott, a mere lad of fifteen, met the twenty-seven-year-old Burns in the “winter of 1786-87” in Edinburgh while visiting in the home of his good friend, Adam Fergusson, where the movers and shakers of “Auld Reekie” met to lionize the newly discovered poet Burns, who would become known as Scotland’s National Bard,

Many years later, Scott wrote to his son-in-law, John Gibson Lockhart, that he recalled the poet’s eyes as they “glowed under the influence of feeling”. There must have been excitement in those eyes for Scott to recall and describe the scene so vividly. Scott went on to describe how self-confident Burns seemed in the presence of the city’s literati, and he writes of Burns’ appearance as an “old-time farmer”, all of which left an indelible impression on the young teenager. Scott referred to Burns as

“the Boast of Scotland”.

When Charles Robert Leslie, the painter commissioned to paint a portrait of Scott, was working at Scott’s Abbotsford home, he asked if he would likely be able to meet with a haggis. Scott, ever the considerate host, replied, “I don’t know a more likely house than the one you are in” and Scott had a haggis prepared for the following evening. Later Leslie tells how, “holding out his hand over the dish, Scott recited Burns’s Address to the Chieftain of the Pudding Tribe, or To A Haggis.

HAGGIS.

HAGGIS - in praise of an honest sonsie faceOne of the best known Scottish national dishes, haggis probably had its origins in prehistoric times. Paleolithic hunters are believed to have cooked the more perishable parts of their kill in the animals own paunch, hanging it in front of their camp fire. The nomad Scythians too were still doing it in the 5th century BC and explorers in Africa in the 18th century AD were still discovering tribes similarly eating.

The ancient Greeks had a form of haggis similar to our own much-loved stuffed sheeps paunch - described to the philosopher Socrates as "so was I served with a stuffed paunch I broiled. Bounce, goes the bag, and covers me all over, with its rich contents of such varied sorts. Then there were the Romans who reputedly carried haggis all over Europe in their kit bags. Possibly a corruption of the French word "hachis" (minced meat) or even earlier from a 9th century Scandinavian word "hag" (to chop or hack"). Since the meaty contents are all chopped or minced, this latter explanation seems the more credible.

However, it has not always been sheep. Before the Highland clearances, black cattle were common in the hills of Scotland and a type of beef haggis was then made in the cows intestine. There were also venison haggis, since deer was so commonplace, which were stuffed in ox bungs before being boiled.

The haggis we Scots know, consists of a sheep or lambs stomach bag stuffed with oatmeal, suet, stock, liver, minced hearts and lungs of sheep, onion, salt and pepper. These ingredients probably explain why few, if any, Scots make it at home now, being so widely available at butchers.

A few enterprising butchers now make vegetarian haggis. The cooked pluck is then cooked with beef fat, before being packed into the natural casings or "bungs" - the bovine equivalent of an appendix for medium and small haggis, a sheeps stomach for the larger haggis.

Cheap and nourishing, haggis manages to be an everyday dish yet, at the same time,

fulfilling its ritual part in Burns Supper celebrations. Although Robert Burns endorsed the haggis as being honest and frugal fare, the very embodiment of Scottish thrift and parsimony, haggis ranged from being both a peasants dish, to gracing some of the finest tables in the land. Haggis is still used to stuff pheasant, large flat mushrooms or even a whole chicken, spicy haggis also being served with gamey birds such as wood pigeon.

For sweet, you could serve layers of haggis and stewed apples into individual ramekin dishes, topped with a drizzle of double cream, and plenty of seasoning before heating through in a medium oven.

However, it is as the centre-piece to a Burns Supper, held around the bard's birthday of 25th January that we most often eat the haggis. Ceremonially presented to the top table, to the accompaniment of the bagpipes it is then solemnly and traditionally addressed by the vigorous rendering of Burns own poem "Ode to a Haggis";

"Fair fa' your honest sonsie faceGreat Chieftain o' the puddin - race “.

At its conclusion the haggis is ceremonially stabbed by the orator, with varying degrees of flair, perhaps depending on the amount of whisky consumed. (This is not quite as easy as it sounds as the haggis has a stretchy skin, occasionally plastic, which if not prepared properly will tend to bounce off the plate and on to the floor. A method at once symbolic and practical was to cut a St. Andrews cross on the top, turn back the flaps and insert the serving spoon. The first Burns Supper was, allegedly, held by the Greenock Burns Club a short six years after his death.Traditionally accompanied by neeps (turnips) and tatties (mashed potatoes), whisky is customarily drunk with it also. Full-bodied malt whiskies do not overpower the haggis but for a more distinctive flavour an Islay whisky contrasts well with a really spicy haggis. If red wine appeals as a more appropriate accompaniment, with an offal-based dish such as this then try an Australian Shiraz, whose smooth, supple fruitness stands up extremely well, or a heavy hearty Spanish red Rioja, with its rich gusty flavours (or a white Rioja, if that is your preference).

Haggis should not be so dry that it crumbles, but neither should it be moist that it sticks to the fork. The colour should be a good biscuity brown, and should preferably be served in a natural casing, rather than a plastic one - a good butcher being a far safer bet than most supermarkets.

Although, for long, the subject of nonsensical myths with short-legged (on one side to get around the hill-sides easier) haggis roaming the braes, amongst the blooming heather, nothing tastes better than a freshly caught haggis.

An official World Haggis Hurling Association exists, an event thought up by an Irishman, and the current record stands at 180 ft 10 inches, (55.11m) for a 1.5lb haggis thrown by Alan Pettigrew at Loch Lomond in 1984. For the record, the fastest time recorded to eat a 1.5lber is 1 minute, 51 seconds, whilst the largest haggis ever made stands to Troon Round Table and the chefs of Glasgows Hilton Hotel who, in 1993 used 80 ox stomachs in their world record haggis of 303.2kg (668lb 7oz).

The Haggis SongThe haggis season has begunAll over Scotland every gun

Is taken down with loving careThough some prefer the haggis snare

For haggis are a wily lotThat's why they are so seldom shot

"We're the haggis, aye, hooray;We'll live until next Hogmanay"

Its flying upside down and lowThe guns all fire, but they're too slow

And though it's rather old and fatIt's awfully hard to hit like that

And as it flies off in the mistGreat hairy clansmen shake their fistsAnd scream their curses to the crags

And stamp on empty haggis bags

And so the haggis gets awayTo live until next Hogmanay

"We're the haggis, aye, hooray;We'll live until next Hogmanay"

Haggi survive storms

At the Town Arms, the Great Selkirk Haggis Hunt begins on Sunday (January 24th). Hunters meet in the Market Place at 11am, which, begins with a proclamation and stirrup, before being piped to The Hill.The wearing of tartan is encouraged – experts say it lures the haggi into a false sense of security. The only weapons allowed are baggie nets and homemade bows and arrows. Guns are forbidden. Walking sticks should only be used for walking. Riddell Fiddles will provide music for the dancing of the specially-arranged Haggis Polka, outside the Argus Centre.The usual rules apply. The only weapons allowed are baggie nets and home-made bows and arrows (blunt) although cricket bats are now also permitted. The wearing of tartan is encouraged. Davie told us: “We have been greatly impressed over recent years to see how much tartan takes to The Hill, and this year we would like to see more – kilts, trews, scarves, jackets, skirts, waistcoats, bonnets or knickers.

“It has also been fantastic to see so many families and youngsters take part – that has been really pleasing for us. Certificates and badges will be issued to all those hunters taking part and we hope that everybody has a fantastic day.” Once the captured chieftains have been counted, a few will be cooked after they have been addressed by a member of the hunt organisers. On the return, an afternoon of music takes place in the lounge of the Town Arms whose proprietor Mark Hay is one of the main benefactors, juice will be provided for the bairns. Last year the hill was snow-covered, which was good news for the rare albino haggis, which found it much easier to escape detection.

Gale-force winds failed to blow the haggis from Selkirk Hill and the traditional January hunt will go ahead as planned. Scouts toured the hill once the storms abated and winds had whipped in,– dreading the worst, but were able to report good numbers of Haggi in excellent condition. Parts of the prime breeding and hunting ground were flooded but had now cleared, and, so with favourable weather forecasts, all should be well.

They returned. Assistant Head Haggis Hunter Davie Scott told us: “We have had many sleepless nights, and it wasn’t the wind. The chieftain o’ the pudding race, the Hill Haggi is a hardy beast and isn’t bothered by wind, although it has been known to cause some wind problems. In recent years they have survived prolonged snow and temperatures that would have done nasty things to brass monkeys. “It was the rain that worried us. Haggi are thin-skinned creatures and if penetrated by water they very often swell up and simply burst. It’s not pleasant to see. “And because their principal habitat is heather-clad

moorland, away from water, they are not very good swimmers. “We saw about half a dozen floating on their backs but fortunately we managed to rescue them, dry them off, and ferry them to the safety of the higher ground, none the worse for their ordeal.

“In fact, there were only a few confirmed sightings of a haggis doing the back or the breaststroke – and none of those have occurred in the Borders. “They have never been seen doing the crawl or the butterfly. The Border haggis does not like the wet.”

They must have heard the BBC’s weather forecasts and most escaped to the higher ground away from what became the flood plain and found shelter and safety amongst the whins and heather. “So it looks as though the numbers are as good as previous years – possibly greater thanks to a warm breeding and growing season

Security on The Hill is provided by Commander Beachy Grieve. He commented: “Poachers beware. I have been highly trained by the British Army, and although a retired soldier, I am still in peak condition.” The battle-hardened army veteran told The Wee Paper: “When you have fought against desert sands and blazing sun, you can’t allow a breeze and a few showers to get in the way of a job that has to be done,” whilst he surveyed the hunting grounds. Organisers met to discuss what they described as troublesome news. Now, following a hastily-arranged scouting mission, additional security measures have been put in place. “Poachers have been a problem in the past, but not in recent years, so we believe this is a new breed and not a return of the old brigade. In its early days the hunt was plagued by sabs, but many were won over and are now keen supporters. Some of the old poachers are also now hunt supporters. The haggis currently roaming The Hill were taken from the breeding flocks of butchers Lindsay Grieve, Halliwells, James Cockburn and Son, and current Scottish haggis-making champion Darren Hoggan of J.A. Waters. . Others have also been nourished and bred by supermarket Sainsbury’s.

Fancy a haggis ice-cream with neeps sorbet?

A dairy farm has cooked up an offally good way to enjoy Scotland’s national dish in honour of the Year of Food and Drink. Glen Urr served up haggis ice cream with a side of neeps sorbet and oatcakes to adventurous diners at August’s Galloway Country Fair at Drumlanrig Castle in the fair’s food marquee.The dish immortalised by Robert Burns is the latest in a line of unusual flavours created by the Castle Douglas company, including whisky, beer, black pepper, curry and goat’s cheese. Owner Jane Davidson said:We have made unusual flavours before, but these are definitely the most adventurous. The distinctive, cold haggis, dessert was on offer alongside a wide range of Scottish produce.

The award-winning St Andrews restaurant, The Adamson , served up spiced Haggis flavoured ice cream in Jan 15, whilst even Morelli’s , in swanky Harrods , London had their own, for sale, within their famed food hall.

Ma Grannie Scott’s (Scots) words and sayings (Part Two)

Deek –v- to have a look.Deoch an doris-n.-A final drink taken before parting. Gaelic meaning "a drink at the door".

Dicht

Andy Murray gives his forehead a dicht. Dicht- to wipe,refers to personal grooming or dusting.

Dinger- ‘Go/do yer’ means to become extremely excited, or angry, about something, involving raised voices, possibly throwing objects and slamming of doors.

Dook- Dook- to dip into , or submerge, as in dookin for apples(Halloween), in for a dook(swim), dookers (trunks), or looney dook-New Year dip in River Forth at Queensferry. Even drookit-means soaked through to the skin.

Doolally – To appear visibly upset or mentally unhinged, as in” I’ve just seen yer maw, and she’s goin’ doolally.”

Dreep- v- To disembark oneself from a high place (wall, roof etc.), holding on, hands on edge, then letting go and landing feet first(hopefully) on ground

Dreich

A dreich day at Edinburgh's Calton Hill.

Little wonder the word dreich is so popular in Scotland, as it is used to describe the weather, Meaning wet, overcast, dull, cold and misty. With the exception of a week-and-a-half sometime in July, Scottish weather can always apply to one of those. It’s not exclusively used to refer to the weather - though that is its more common use - and in other contexts is seen as a byword for dreary.You could say someone or something had a dreich future or outlook. And it’s far from a compliment to have it attached to your personality.

In January 2013 a You Gov poll awarded dreich the honour of being the favourite word in the Scots language, receiving 23 per cent of the public vote, just pushing it ahead of glaikit.

Drouth/Drouthy

THOSE of you who like a drink or two might recognise ‘drouthy’ from the name of certain

pubs in Scotland - there are four named ‘Drouthy Neebors’ in the city of Edinburgh and in Dundee, Stirling and St Andrews. Those who are more concerned with Scottish heritage might recognise the phrase from the opening lines of Robert Burns’ epic poem ‘Tam O’Shanter.’

‘When Chapman billies leave the street, And drouthy neebors neebors meet,

‘Drouth’-adj- for thirsty (dryness), normally for some form of alcohol or liquor whereas ‘drouthy,’ is often used to refer especially to those ,who have a particular fondness for drink.

Dunderheid- a person of unsound mind.

Eedjit- (similar to above) Pronounced ee-jit . Meaning idiot, simpleton, one not possessed of all their mental faculties, such as ‘Yer aff yer heid, ye eejit’

Fandabbydozy.- means "fabulous, great. This word was made popular several years ago on a childrens TV show,"The Krankies”.

Fankle-n.- Any complex tangle in string, or wool or cable.eg”. Ah wis fishin, but the nylon's in a fankle”.

Fash-.v-. Upset, worry. "Dinna fash yirsel!",.not to get annoyed/hassled by a situation ,or not to inconvenience yourself with something or someone.Fouter – n- meaning one who muddles through or a fiddly, tiresome job,ie. “Thats a right fouter”.

Scottish Surnames and Variants

Permanent surnames began to be used in Scotland around the 12th century, but were initially mainly the preserve of the upper echelons of Scottish society. However, it gradually became necessary to distinguish ordinary people one from the other by more than just the given name and the use of Scottish surnames spread. In some Highland areas, though, fixed surnames did not become the norm until the 18th century, and in parts of the Northern Isles until the 19th century.

Foreign influences on Scottish surnames External influences have played a crucial role in the shaping of surnames in Scotland. The migration of the Scots from Ireland into the Southwest in the 5th century, nurturing the spread of Gaelic language and culture, the influence of the resident Picts, the establishment of the Britons in Strathclyde, and Anglian immigrants in Lothian and the Borders, all contributed to the melting pot of surnames that we have todayFada's Farsaing - Naming CustomsThe Scots often followed a simple naming pattern in the 1700s & 1800s and this has often proved helpful when trying to piece together family trees. For example, an eldest son was often named after his paternal grandfather while a second son was named after his maternal grandfather, a third after his father .Similarly, a first daughter was named after her maternal grandmother, second daughter her father’s mother, and third daughter after her own mother. This still happens to this day. The concept of a 'surname' is a relatively recent historical development, evolving from a medieval naming practice which would be used in situations where more than one person had the same name. Surnames were usually derived from patronymics (taking the father's Christian name e.g. Robertson orMacDonald) or occupation (e.g. Smith from blacksmith (the most common surname of all) or locality (e.g. Wood) or a nickname (e.g. White, Little).   In many parts of the world, even today, surnames are a rarity. See http://rampantscotland.com/gaelic/gaelic_fada_farsaig_surnames.htm

Scottie Dug- las

(cartoons)

Hope that you enjoyed this issue, Editor Kevin the Scott