Buadhaiche (winners) from St. Andrew's Week

homecomingscotland2009.com

We have buadhaiches from our daily giveaways:

September 28: 
- Hawaiian trivet: Danielle

September 29:
- Hawaiian trivet: Lil Miss Molly
- Tara Nina's CURSE OF THE GARGOYLE: Stephanie
- Tara Nina's EYES OF STONE:  Jessica
- CH Admirand's  A SCOT'S HONOR:  Jane, Chey, and Izzy

September 30: 
- Hawaiian trivet:  Alba/Ann

December 1: 
- Hawaiian trivet:  Loretta

December 2: 
- Hawaiian trivet:  Estelle

December 3: 
- Hawaiian trivet:  Jane
- Debbie Mazzuca's LORD OF THE ISLES:  Donna S.
- Kate Perry's books:
-- MARKED BY PASSION, CHOSEN BY DESIRE, TEMPTED BY FATE:  Casey
-- CHOSEN BY DESIRE, TEMPTED BY FATE:  Heather

If you didn't win a Hawaiian trivet, you have one more chance!  Leave a comment about your favorite clan, castle, tartan, and saying.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

I leave you with one last bit of trivia.  On November 17, Maggie MacKeever joined us to promote her latest release, THE TYBURN WALTZ.  In my post script, I challenged the SOS readers to connect Maggie to the painting below. The six degrees of separation provide a quick lesson in Scottish history.

1. From Surname Database, McKeever is an ancient clan surname that has been recorded as "MacKeever, MacIvor, MacIver, Makiver, Maccure, and Maceur." It is derived from the Norse Viking name of Ivarrt. "The first recognizeable surname holder was Donald Makbeth MacYwar, who was a guardian of the land boundary between Arbroath Abbey and the barony of Kynblathmund in the year 1219."

Arbroath Abbey cared by Historic Scotland

2. Arbroath Abbey hosted the gathering of King Robert the Bruce and Scottish nobels where they signed the Declaration of Arbroath. From BBC's history files:

‘It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.’

Signed on April 6, 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was delivered to the Pope in Avignon to declare Scotland was independent of England. It gave birth to a national agenda,

'for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.’

Declaration of Arbroath
National Archives of Scotland

3. Robert the Bruce, like the Scottish Kings before and after him, was crowned as he sat atop the Stone of Scone. It was located on the grounds of the Scone Abbey.

Honours of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle

4. In 1296, Edward I of England claimed the Stone of Scone as the spoils of war and placed it under his Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey. It symbolized his claim to be "Lord Paramount" of Scotland with right to oversee its King. In 1567, King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England atop the Stone of Scone, still in Westminster Abbey. His coronation united the two kingdoms but the sacred stone remained in England.


Coronation Chair
life.com


5. On December 25, 1950, four Scottish students removed it from Westminster Abbey, ferried it through a network of sympathetic supporters, and laid it to rest at Arbroath Abbey. The stone was returned to Westminster Abbey. On November 30, 1996, the Stone of Scone was given back to the Scottish people and placed next to the Scottish Regalia at Edinburgh Castle. 



Replica crowning stone at Scone Palace
scone-palace.co.uk



6. Some claim the stone returned to Westminster Abbey was a replica - that the Church of Scotland would never allow the original stone to leave Scotland again. A recognized replica can be found on the grounds of the original Scone Abbey.  In 1559, a mob burned the abbey as part of the growing rebellion during the Protestant Reformation.  In 1600, James VI granted the land to Sir David Murray. Sir David's descendants became the Earls of Manfield and built Scone Palace. The palace is the home of the painting below - portrait of Lady Elizabeth Murry (right) and Dido Elizabeth Belle (left). Lady Elizabeth was the earl's daughter and Dido was the "natural born" niece. The painting is famous for documenting Africans in Britain. For more information, log onto the discussion at English Heritage.



scone-palace.co.uk