![The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]](images/wwwboard.gif "The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]") |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Diana
Pioneer
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 18 2002
Status: offline
|
 Posted - April 06 2004 : 08:34:25 AM
|
Greetings to all:
This is a quick note to let everyone know that today, April 6, is National Tartan Day. (US, that is). So, break out those plaids--
Camerons, MacDonalds, Campbells, McLarens, Sinclairs, and so forth.
Diana
|
|
report to moderator
|
|
|
Kate
Ariel's Cabin Caretaker, Retired
United Kingdom
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
June 10 2002
Status: offline
|
Posted - April 06 2004 : 5:32:49 PM
|
Hi there, Diana,
We started our celebrations a little early, here in Arbroath. At the weekend, we had the Gathering of the Clans, who re-enacted various battles. We had a fun 18th Century 'market' in the shadow of the Abbey, and we had a mini-pageant, calling the clans to Gather for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, (signed April 6, 1320 by Robert the Bruce on the High Alter of the Arbroath Abbey). There was a 'mini-pageant' of the signing this morning, but there will be a full, three night pageant of the trial of William Wallace and the signing of the Scottish Declaration of Independence, in August.
Image Insert:
43.16 KB
"For so long as a hundred of us are left alive, we will yield in no least way to English domination. We fight not for glory nor for wealth nor honours; but only and alone we fight for freedom which no good man surrenders but with his life". Well... not quite Mel Gibson's 'Wallace' speech, "... they'll never take away our freeeeeeeee-dom!" but - it's still powerful stuff.
Image Insert:
43.67 KB
For those that might not know, your own American Declaration of Indpendence is based on the Scottish Declaration of Indpendence (or the Declaration of Arbroath, to give it it's other name), chunks of which were taken out and put in yours. Thus, making you ALL somewhat 'connected' to the tartan... Or, as they say here, 'we're a' Jock Tamson's bairns'.
Thanks for the reminder, Diana. |
Kate
"Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thainig thu." (Remember the people from whom you came.)
~ Celtic Wisdom
|
report to moderator  |
|
|
Diana
Pioneer
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 18 2002
Status: offline
|
Posted - April 08 2004 : 09:02:46 AM
|
Kate--thank you for taking note.
I had forgotton the significance of April 6. You reminded of it. I also recall a writing of Thomas Jefferson who wrote in 'On the Necessity of taking up Arms', 1775 (I think this is it.) "We fight not for glory or for conquest...."
Isn't Robert the Bruce buried there? Or his heart?
Hope all is well in that bonney land.
Diana |
| report to moderator |
|
|
Kate
Ariel's Cabin Caretaker, Retired
United Kingdom
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
June 10 2002
Status: offline
|
Posted - April 08 2004 : 12:52:07 PM
|
Noooo… unfortunately, we can’t claim to have the body OR the heart of Robert the Bruce. We DO have the heart of William the Lion buried at the High Alter here in our Abbey, though.
Robert the Bruce’s body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey,
Image Insert:
44.8 KB
Below is a picture I took of the brass plaque which lies over Robert the Bruce's burial place.
Image Insert:
41.77 KB
Now THIS one below was a little... gruesome to look on! It's a resin cast of Robert the Bruce's skull! Honestly, you feel he's looking you square in the eye!! It was made when his bones were discovered in 1818, before they were re-interred.
Image Insert:
35.4 KB
Note the teeth. A cast was made of Bruce's skull as part of the archeological examination process and copies were made for Dunfermline Abbey and the National Museum of Antiquities. However, In the 1960s, the sculptor Charles d'Orville Pilkington Jackson obtained a cast of the skull, and using techniques developed in Soviet Russia, sought to rebuild the face of Bruce, for his monumental sculpture at Bannockburn.
Image Insert:
14.7 KB
Pilkington Jackson's cast was purchased from his estate by Dunfermline Heritage Trust in 1993. Jackson's facial representation of Bruce took account of the missing front teeth. However these had been accidentally put to one side when the original cast was being taken, and were passed to the safe keeping of the Earl of Elgin in 1819, and are still with his descendents. However, this is THE cast made from Robert the Bruce's skull. Sorry about that, Rob!! But... you know how it is...
They believe that the bones WERE Robert's because the breast bone had been cut and replaced, which would be consistant with the story that his heart was taken on Crusade. Also, there were still remnants of the 'cloth of gold' in which the bones had been wrapped. It's unlikely that such a valuable cloth would have enclosed the mortal remains of anyone of lesser rank than King. The coffin was also of good quality - too expensive for someone of lesser rank.
When his bones were re-interred, they were put into a new, lead lined coffin and 'pitch' poured in over them, to fill the coffin and preserve his remains, while his heart is buried at Melrose Abbey. On his deathbed, Robert asked that his heart be taken on Crusade to the Holy Land. Unfortunately, the bearer of his heart, Sir James Douglas, died before getting to the Holy Land and Bruce’s heart was brought home to be buried in Melrose (who have an EXCELLENT Rugby team, by the way!! Yay!!!).
Excepting Iona, Dunfermline Abbey has received more of Caledonia’s royal dead than any other place in the kingdom. Within its precincts were b |
Kate
"Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thainig thu." (Remember the people from whom you came.)
~ Celtic Wisdom
|
| report to moderator |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!] |
© 1997-2025 - Mohican Press |
|
|
| Current Mohicanland page raised in 0.25 seconds |
 |
|
For the Cameron's and others
