David Profumo goes behind the scenes at Blair Castle in Perthshire to discover the proud history of the Duke of Atholl’s private army, the Atholl Highlanders
The only remaining private army in Europe, the Atholl highlanders is a ceremonial infantry regiment that acts as the personal bodyguard to the Duke of Atholl—Chief of the Clan Murray, a family that has thrived in Perthshire for some 700 years. Although it has no military role, this handpicked body of local men is armed (with impressive Lee Metford rifles), but not collectively dangerous. A highlander, resplendently attired in full regimental dress, is effectively the genius loci of this part of Scotland, where I live.
The army’s precursors stretch way back into clan history, to the fearsome reputation of the Men of Atholl who defended Murray lands— the family’s motto ‘Furth Fortune and Fill the Fetters’ derives from an instruction by James III in 1475 to subdue the Lord of the Isles. however, its formal beginnings date from 1839, when Lord Glenlyon (later the 6th Duke) assembled a uniformed bodyguard of estate retainers to accompany him to a medieval-style tournament in Ayrshire.
He named this entourage the ‘Athole highlanders’ (due to poor handwriting) and, in 1842, turned out two smart companies of these ‘tournament men’ before Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort when they visited Dunkeld. her famous devotion to all things Caledonian seems to have its origins in the pageantry and highland hospitality of this singular event.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
