tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86069523704139319882024-03-06T04:06:45.083+00:00Walter Scott's Treasures of AbbotsfordAbbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-47966881384435432922016-08-20T09:12:00.001+01:002016-08-20T09:12:54.776+01:00We're Moving!Over the last few months we have been working hard on developing a new look for Abbotsford's website. We're delighted to announce that you can head over to <a href="http://www.scottsabbotsford.com/">www.scottsabbotsford.com</a> now to keep up to date with our latest stories, news and events - including the latest from the Heritage team as we post updates to the new integrated blog.<br />
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All that's left to say is a huge thank you to everyone for supporting <i>Walter Scott's Treasures of Abbotsford</i> over the last year and we hope to see you on the other side!<br />
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Kirsty and the Heritage team <br />
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Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-41308306802922252502016-06-06T17:19:00.000+01:002016-06-06T17:29:47.496+01:00A Tale of Two Harps<br />
Our collections here tend to be fairly static because of their very nature; we are not a Walter Scott museum and don't buy filler material on a theme or on the man as a general rule. We exist to showcase the Abbotsford collection, care for this building, repatriate items that may have been lost over the years and to share our passion and celebrate our commitment to caring for Scott's legacy. For this reason, new acquisitions are somewhat rare. And they don't get much more unusual than a stunning Regency period harp! Those of you that have visited us before might be scratching your heads right about now, muttering under your breath that you were sure that there <i>was</i> already a harp at Abbotsford...and of course you would be right. Here she is, a gilt and black Sebastian Erard harp with neoclassical decoration, manufactured in 1820 according to her unique serial number and purchased by a Mrs J. Lockhart (nee [Charlotte] Sophia Scott):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophia Scott's 1820 harp</td></tr>
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We know that Sophia was playing the harp with considerable skill long before 1820 (she was born back in 1799, the eldest child of Walter and Charlotte Scott), and she was doing so much to the great pleasure of her father and to the delight of many a guest to grace these 'halls' as Scott affectionately termed them. This, clearly, cannot be the instrument that Sophia played so enchantingly for her audience, one of whom proclaimed that the spectacle seemed almost an 'act of religion.' This young woman, keen to showcase her refined capabilities in her formative years, seemed capable of melting hearts. And this is rather apt, for this particular instrument is far more likely to be piece purchased in her name by her husband, perhaps as a wedding present in 1820. During their two-year courtship, John Gibson Lockhart would have spent many an evening listening to musical entertainment in the Drawing Room of the original Cartley Hole Farmhouse (we must remember that the Drawing Room as we know it today had not yet taken shape). Perhaps it was in the throes of musical sentimentality that Lockhart fell for Sophia a la Mary Crawford in Jane Austen's <i>Mansfield Park</i>: <br />
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<i>"A young woman, pretty, lively, with a harp as elegant as herself, and both placed near a window, cut down to the ground, and opening on a little lawn, surrounded by shrubs in the rich foliage of summer, was enough to catch any man's heart." </i><br />
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Or perhaps I am getting carried away..!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady with a Harp: Eliza Ridgely", portrait by Thomas Sully, 1818</td></tr>
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Regardless of the intricacies of their romance, we can say definitively that there <i>must</i> have been another harp. Mr. Pole was the 'harper,' the tutor who taught both of Scott's daughters for many years, indeed tried to offer Scott money when he found himself in serious financial difficulties in 1826. Anne's musicianship is, I think, so often overlooked simply because scholars have tended to cast Anne in the role of a poor substitute for her artistically merited sister, and made much of the green-eyed monster that rears its head in some of the episodes or choice comments that have survived in letters:<br />
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<i>"Sophia is rather too much with her harp... I wish she would take example of old times and hang it up." </i><br />
Anne Scott<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Anne Scott in the Abbotsford Drawing Room</td></tr>
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I have yet to find any reference to Anne's aptitude at the harp but she certainly did play, so it's not as if she is condemning musicianship itself. What she does seem to have, without a shadow of a doubt, is distaste for her sister's love of the limelight! When the girls are mentioned playing music together at Abbotsford, there are a number of instrument combinations mentioned: harp and guitar, harp and viol and piano and harp. It is very possible that Anne could play a number of different instruments capably, and was less devoted to the harp in particular because this was so much Sophia's speciality and every sibling naturally strives for a measure of individuality. Having said that, competition amongst siblings is just as natural...<br />
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So without further ado, enter stage left: harp number two! This piece was discovered in Oxfordshire in the hands of a private owner who thoughtfully approached the Abbotsford Trust in March 2014 with details of the piece and its supposed connection with Anne. Further research by our team using the serial number on the harp traced it through the company archives to its original purchase for Anne Scott in 1818. It's another Erard double-action harp, but it is distinct in its design. Although the applied plasterwork with it's Grecian assortment of caryatids, winged lions, gryphons, Greek masks and acanthus leaves is a constant, the soundboard decoration is very different and the colour of the the harp's body, a luscious green now sun-bleached in places, is beautiful. We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase the piece through the kind donation of a benefactor, and this donation has also enabled us to send both harps off for treatment with furniture conservator, Sarah Gerrish. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The arrival and unveiling of Anne Scott's 1818 h</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">arp</span></div>
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The majority of specialist treatment was reserved for the new piece, with Sophia's instrument undergoing a full conservation clean, using a combination of dry brushwork, white spirit on the areas of copper alloy and 5% Tri-Ammonium Citrate and water on the gilding. The body of the harp was then waxed with a micro-crystalline product to protect the finish. Anne's harp needed a lot more in the way of 'consolidation' work, i.e., stabilising the piece, particularly the gilt on the soundboard and body of the harp. Rabbit glue was used on the many loose elements (animal glues are always used in conservation repairs) and the decorative losses on the soundboard were 'tinted in', meaning that instead of attempting to actually recreate the decoration itself to fill gaps which is not really what we want to be doing, Sarah uses water-based acryllic paint to infill the gaps to match the surrounding base colour. This makes areas of loss less visible and the surrounding areas less prone to flaking without trying to reimagine the piece. The two harps arrived back at Abbotsford last week and the difference in their appearance was astounding. The important thing now is to ensure that we minimise the danger of light damage to Anne's harp by closing the shutters in the Drawing Room whenever we can and positioning the piece in such a way that its delicate soundboard is protected. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The soundboard of Anne's harp before and after tinting</td></tr>
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Now, having already established that the black and gold harp is not the one Sophia played here when she was an adolescent, we are left with a bit of a conundrum. In 1818 when the green harp was purchased, Sophia was 19 and Anne, 15/16. It is implausible that there was no harp at Abbotsford preceding this date and this missing instrument would have presumably belonged to Sophia. This lost harp may even have been exactly the same model as Anne's 1818 instrument, although whether a doting father would have opted for that course of action is open to debate! The whereabouts of this third harp are now unknown but it was presumably replaced by our elaborate 1820 harp purchased in the year of Lockhart and Sophia's marriage. The most likely scenario is that Anne received the green harp as a sixteenth birthday present and perhaps Scott was further encouraged to make this purchase by Lockhart's simultaneous arrival on the scene, heralding the countdown to the spiriting away of his favourite musical entertainer, Sophia. The supposition is that following her marriage, Sophia initially keeps her 1820 black and gilt harp at their Great King Street residence in Edinburgh before the family move to London in 1825, when it is decided the 1820 instrument will be stored at Abbotsford for use during the family's summer vacations. Perhaps she took her original harp, the mystery third instrument, with her to London, or perhaps it was sold off at this point. Anne would have then found herself with the 1820 harp at her disposal for the majority of the year whilst nursing her father through his financial strife and final years of ill health. There would have been no need for her 1818 instrument and it could well have been sold on or gifted to somebody at this point. How it ended up in Oxfordshire all those years later is a mystery, but at least one with a happy conclusion.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two harps on display together</td></tr>
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Placing Anne's instrument underneath her beautiful portrait in the Drawing Room was actually incredibly moving. This was presumably more 'her' room than any other member of the Scott family, considering Sophia had already married and moved out by the time that the 1822-4 east extension was completed and her mother had died shortly after this in 1826. I feel very privileged that this process of bringing the harp to Abbotsford has concluded under my watch and that through this story we can help Anne Scott to step out from her sister's shadow.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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Kirsty Archer-Thompson<br />
Collections and Interpretation Manager <o:p></o:p></div>
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Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-73952544321041241822016-03-28T15:09:00.000+01:002016-03-28T15:09:38.688+01:00Rave Reviewer: Kirsty on the Evolution of an Exhibition <div style="text-align: justify;">
My apologies for going completely dark; the closure season seemed to go past in the blink of an eye! We achieved a great deal over the winter, hand-cleaning all of Scott’s books, waxing all of the wooden fixtures and fittings (whilst being sensitive to Scott’s intended finishes), and deep cleaning at height in the Library, Chapel and Entrance Hall, alongside our annual artefact and furniture cleaning programmes. I simply couldn’t have done it without my intrepid team of volunteers and I am indebted to them all the more as time goes by.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicate cleaning using fine brushes and cotton buds has made the detail in this gorgeous ebony armchair sing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of the cuirassier's helmet in the Entrance Hall from the tower scaffolding</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Library in the final few days before reopening! </td></tr>
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The work in the house over the last three months isn’t the only thing that has been keeping me busy. We are in the final stages of preparing to launch <a href="http://www.scottsabbotsford.com/press-release-on-rave-reviewer/"><i>Rave Reviewer: Scott on Frankenstein, Emma & Childe Harold</i>,</a> our 2016 season exhibition brought to visitors in partnership with the National Library of Scotland (NLS). Those of you keen to see the exhibition can do so with an Abbotsford house admission ticket from 2nd April 2016 <i>and </i>purchase exhibition catalogues in the shop with enhanced detail, transcriptions and photography of each display item (a steal at a mere £3 a copy!). In amongst the frantic activity that always defines the days leading up to the launch of any exhibition, I thought it was worth offering you a window on the process up until this point, particularly as creating displays such as this is a key part of the work of heritage teams across the country.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUTGuS7hwExV70SJ3HVSwbKEP4qLFqEWkPR-zyrDPbYq3Evx-nI69T6j3Jd3CKCMzP3CiHZrHVUUqjsfdwFocQoQeXNQ4iaCk8K132wzqFhf7zdKOtcwy7xudWeJvaRV_L0hUg30789c/s1600/bookshelf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUTGuS7hwExV70SJ3HVSwbKEP4qLFqEWkPR-zyrDPbYq3Evx-nI69T6j3Jd3CKCMzP3CiHZrHVUUqjsfdwFocQoQeXNQ4iaCk8K132wzqFhf7zdKOtcwy7xudWeJvaRV_L0hUg30789c/s320/bookshelf1.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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It was an unseasonably sunny day in November 2014 when I first sat down with David McClay to have a look at some of the jewels of the John Murray Archive at NLS, and to discuss how the material in their care might help us tell stories about the relationships between Scott and the literati of his day. Although I’d only been at Abbotsford for a couple of months at that point, as a keen consumer of classic literature I was particularly interested in the reading and writing community of the early nineteenth century; in part because of the phenomenal array of household names writing at the time also in the hope that fascinating stories might be told through examining their correspondence with one another.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OOC1rdGAaG6iwFEijUe5tOmMOyMeqWViUfbSgI-_vid-bLVLQNRIqzEHphDFitfZ1M8opOiVZH1t5-UinLv4CmTxoIipPAvaouiXPyNAkyeuZczAn2zbtQbguUI5pQWSBBg9Mca7jJk/s1600/Byron+seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OOC1rdGAaG6iwFEijUe5tOmMOyMeqWViUfbSgI-_vid-bLVLQNRIqzEHphDFitfZ1M8opOiVZH1t5-UinLv4CmTxoIipPAvaouiXPyNAkyeuZczAn2zbtQbguUI5pQWSBBg9Mca7jJk/s320/Byron+seal.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord Byron's seal. Byron and Scott first met one another in April 1815 at John Murray's premises in London</td></tr>
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These days, for many, Walter Scott is not familiar name in the manner of Jane Austen or Lord Byron who seem to have transcended literature altogether (probably because of celluloid and sheer notoriety respectively!), although I do think Scott’s star is now in the ascendant and his achievements in literature and many other areas are being recognised once again. Despite the difficulties some have with Scott’s prose and the blank faces others give you when you mention his name, we must never forget that these sentiments would be completely alien to the reading public of the nineteenth century to which he would have been nothing less than an institution. My thought process was very much that the manner in which other famous writers pay homage to Scott in their own writings might help cement this idea, and give visitors a way in to understanding Scott’s mass appeal as an author and poet. I came away from that November meeting with ideas flitting around in my head, having been introduced to a novel concept by David McClay – that this complex world of authors in dialogue might be brought to life by exploring a key cultural feature of this period: the review periodicals.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGb2poo30fiFbghUk2zymaXopJfey_XjG-8VaN9cQiey7FClQHqwkS7zJzxl50cu1sLJ3BVD4vGdOQ1y3cpxOkOj9jcwW_9hxcr3L_b3zcdBnK_SrD1mJ0LAnSDCJcH4UJlhD2vqXeDg/s1600/Lockhart+editor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGb2poo30fiFbghUk2zymaXopJfey_XjG-8VaN9cQiey7FClQHqwkS7zJzxl50cu1sLJ3BVD4vGdOQ1y3cpxOkOj9jcwW_9hxcr3L_b3zcdBnK_SrD1mJ0LAnSDCJcH4UJlhD2vqXeDg/s400/Lockhart+editor.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wonderful image of Scott's son-in-law, J.G. Lockhart as editor of the <i>Quarterly Review</i></td></tr>
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I am indebted to David for signposting me towards this lesser-known story about Scott, because consequently I have found myself spirited away by the intrigue and crafty manoeuvring of Walter the reviewer whilst we have been working hard on the co-curation of the exhibition. In a nutshell, we are focussing on his career as a prolific contributor to the periodicals, a thread of activity that runs in tandem with his two legal appointments in Edinburgh and Selkirk and the blossoming of his own writing career. We have cherry-picked moments within this twenty-year period during which Scott engages with significant writers as an anonymous reviewer, including mercilessly reviewing the first part of his own series, <i>Tales of My Landlord</i>, which was attributed to a fictional pseudonym when published. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxcs1qprn4-iRtmHYDCZpO5fVTanXUd4rHW24cuSJjKcJKLJeFXQEEliYUjzfdi6x_EzTIj89BSAH9o4mjuWmJhEJQgbeki0Oi8Y11SPmn6pnB8Xrz6Wol15BCWmoBHabRotvnRcYPEQ/s1600/Tales_of_My_Landlord_1st_series_1st_edition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxcs1qprn4-iRtmHYDCZpO5fVTanXUd4rHW24cuSJjKcJKLJeFXQEEliYUjzfdi6x_EzTIj89BSAH9o4mjuWmJhEJQgbeki0Oi8Y11SPmn6pnB8Xrz6Wol15BCWmoBHabRotvnRcYPEQ/s400/Tales_of_My_Landlord_1st_series_1st_edition.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title page of <i>Tales of My Landlord</i>, 1816, complete with mention of the fictional editor Jedediah Cleishbotham</td></tr>
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We have by no means covered everything and this is the challenge of small-scale exhibitions where you want to inspire and enthuse your audience to find out more without trying to cover too much ground and sacrificing the detail, which is often where the charm is to be found. And this is precisely what we have tried to do here, particularly in selecting the items going on display from the John Murray Archive. You’ll see a tactful letter from Mary Shelley to Scott, correcting his assumption that the author of <i>Frankenstein </i>is male, manuscript reviews of articles on Byron’s poetry and Southey’s edition of Pilgrim’s Progress that reveal something of the process of writing and publishing a review, not to mention rare first editions from the Abbotsford Library of the works sent to Scott to elicit articles for John Murray’s <i>Quarterly Review</i>. Even just comparing the handwriting of Byron, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley and Scott is electrifying if you are a lover of classic literature.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7a-dBG1r-6zq4adpuu0yPLcuWDl3mPwq7v7nOZEio3QFCtj9S49qq5A90AUTOqnzoXVq-cxgp3ybFkkkIqFtf6cK97w0Nw-Loy367TAG0Mozmg4TwtWrISM1V3iGle-aypIKkK499wig/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7a-dBG1r-6zq4adpuu0yPLcuWDl3mPwq7v7nOZEio3QFCtj9S49qq5A90AUTOqnzoXVq-cxgp3ybFkkkIqFtf6cK97w0Nw-Loy367TAG0Mozmg4TwtWrISM1V3iGle-aypIKkK499wig/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The signature of Mary Shelley. The exhibition showcases a letter in her hand. </td></tr>
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If I was asked what the appeal is of an exhibition about reviewing culture, particularly in relation to Scott, I would say this; Scott sometimes has a somewhat unwarranted reputation for being dry, both as a man and as a writer. To me, in everything I’ve read either by him or about him and everything I understand about his home, he is anything but this; he is warm, affectionate, compassionate and exceptionally quick-witted. This comes across in his anonymous reviews just as much as it does in the Waverley Novels, where the presumed stuffy, cautious and conservative Scott pens the only sympathetic, even progressive review of Mary Shelley’s <i>Frankenstein</i>, a review that went very much against the grain but stands alone as being the one that still resonates with us today.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MaY2jQ4gA6G0VEmB2xhyphenhyphenpzHzzip8G-L7qQT4jhIFce5Vt6sY-M7FZjmCjIF8In_Zn6hA6ADEtyA_YvePQkQwWomSFvLDXqyXVm4i4QVYUG_4WQUalbsz0-DD8fFi-AkpJBIWzGs8fG8/s1600/_MG_9441-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MaY2jQ4gA6G0VEmB2xhyphenhyphenpzHzzip8G-L7qQT4jhIFce5Vt6sY-M7FZjmCjIF8In_Zn6hA6ADEtyA_YvePQkQwWomSFvLDXqyXVm4i4QVYUG_4WQUalbsz0-DD8fFi-AkpJBIWzGs8fG8/s320/_MG_9441-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott's review of <i>Frankenstein</i>, published in <i>Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine</i></td></tr>
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Yes, he presumed the author was Percy B. Shelley, but I think this more likely to be a blunder of speed-reading a letter rather than a comment on the shortcomings of female authors. He lauded Jane Austen’s ability to capture and distil the rhythms and interactions of life with the skill of a Flemish painter, and hailed Ann Radcliffe as a pioneer of the Gothic. In his review of Austen’s <i>Emma</i> he makes a stand for novel reading and writing, attempting to erode some of the distaste for the medium still prevalent in high society at the time.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMs1pc77VnPvvaoDGNZOzy5rIykce68v5UTD1Oo-qtPFlU8WMMEAZa2bbuAJUnOxOrbc0PRb-w9XVVXuAToXp8gSKPB2Q96zGl6TYb_oPvqsbC7Z6fceI31PA56j5HIF2CFJLzqNmX04/s1600/Austen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMs1pc77VnPvvaoDGNZOzy5rIykce68v5UTD1Oo-qtPFlU8WMMEAZa2bbuAJUnOxOrbc0PRb-w9XVVXuAToXp8gSKPB2Q96zGl6TYb_oPvqsbC7Z6fceI31PA56j5HIF2CFJLzqNmX04/s320/Austen.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Jane Austen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Scott
is also a complex character, ever sidestepping and evading ownership of his own
words, partly for the sheer fun of it and partly because he detested a fuss being made
when it was in his honour. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">This
is brought vividly to life when you see his anonymous review of his own
anonymous work in </span><i>Rave Reviewer</i>, proclaiming the tale to be ‘unoriginal’ and ‘impotent in its conclusion’.</div>
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Sometimes when the philosophical mood takes me, I think the ‘tangled web’ Scott weaves is a deeper comment on the nature of history itself. Whose story is it? History is a cacophony of voices and stories which may find their way on to the page through one man’s wizardry, but this strange genre of historical fiction that finds its mouthpiece in Scott is a strange beast. The writer of historical fiction attempts to weave a narrative from original source material, anecdotes of a first-hand or often, a second-hand nature and perhaps even folkloric tradition. In Scott’s case, this material was often reaching him through antiquarian friends with their ears to the ground. Perhaps after all of this is taken into account he felt as if these historical novels simply could not belong to one man. A similar effect was created through re-imagining Cartley Hole Farm as Abbotsford, creating a fascinating conglomeration (or ‘strange jumble’) of other buildings, design ideas and relics from sources both genuine and spurious – a place where stories come together and clamour to be heard and you’re never quite sure which one is true!</div>
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If you were then to ask me what the challenge is with an exhibition like this, where fantastic manuscripts, books and letters are going on display, I would say quite simply that any exhibition of a literary ilk can struggle with visual appeal, purely because the displays consist of the paper-based ephemera that tells the story and light levels need to be relatively low to protect the original documents from deterioration. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7U78Nq3AT-hlO3Q_fr5BfIksgLMMX-t4amrO1Om6fabqcjLcXbJKnYCGVU7GHMOYW74sdLigK4rIPmbTF6Uw7916OuRvtQVRtQnEPT_dOZ-NWSou1sJeREg7-mKtw6th2UoRyYUNNU8/s1600/quill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7U78Nq3AT-hlO3Q_fr5BfIksgLMMX-t4amrO1Om6fabqcjLcXbJKnYCGVU7GHMOYW74sdLigK4rIPmbTF6Uw7916OuRvtQVRtQnEPT_dOZ-NWSou1sJeREg7-mKtw6th2UoRyYUNNU8/s320/quill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We’ve tried hard with <i>Rave Reviewer </i>to create visual interest elsewhere in the interpretation panels, captions and catalogue, giving it its own visual identity. This is Abbotsford’s first truly collaborative exhibition and we do hope it will be the start of many more to come, so do help us spread the word and encourage people to come and dip their toe in to the waters of early nineteenth-century literary criticism. We want to capture some of the intrigue of this world of presumptions and guesswork, and will be asking visitors to review the exhibition under a pseudonym of their choice. You can help us here by visiting the exhibition and reviewing your own thoughts using the hashtag #RaveReviewer2016, and by following it in turn to see what others have to say.</div>
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Let’s create another community of rave reviewers!</div>
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Thanks for reading. I shan’t leave it so long next time.<br />
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Kirsty Archer-Thompson<br />
Collections and Interpretation Manager<br />
<br />Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-2032765645067846532015-11-22T15:00:00.000+00:002015-11-22T15:14:27.798+00:00Winter is Coming...<div style="text-align: justify;">
As we have a good old British grumble about the first chilly spell of the winter, I couldn't resist naming this post after the famous phrase from George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series <i>A Song of Ice and Fire</i>, better known to many as <i>Game of Thrones</i>. After all, Martin has claimed that Scott's Waverley Novels, particularly <i>Ivanhoe</i>, had a great influence on his work. But more on this another time...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcevq0yiIWJEkYoAoewkaGc5efFPy7K3JBqXku4WiXOU9XEoQgzIb4jRFCR7JkCa7ZC6nB_q_inZ7uXGMIENJCrAHTngNB1WjK6tGEOnFbJcJ5fZIFgefE_7_hOnsxZhjkHQrq7Z0zwQ/s1600/tourney.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcevq0yiIWJEkYoAoewkaGc5efFPy7K3JBqXku4WiXOU9XEoQgzIb4jRFCR7JkCa7ZC6nB_q_inZ7uXGMIENJCrAHTngNB1WjK6tGEOnFbJcJ5fZIFgefE_7_hOnsxZhjkHQrq7Z0zwQ/s400/tourney.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ser Loras Tyrell rides in the joust at the Tourney of the Hand in <i>Game of Thrones</i>.<i> </i>The Canadian writer Margaret Atwood refers to the saga that has taken the world by storm as '<i>Ivanhoe</i> with the rape and gutting scenes included.' Gritty would have been a gentler turn of phrase!</td></tr>
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The arrival of winter heralds a time of change for Abbotsford, and oddly it isn't a case of closing everything down at the end of November as our seasonal opening times may suggest. Visitors are still enjoying the house and collections as I sit here typing this and it couldn't be a more beautiful example of a crisp and still winter's day, but underneath the calm water we are paddling away ferociously!</div>
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A lot of people approach me and ask out of genuine curiosity what goes on here when the house closes to the public, and indeed why it has to close at all. I have no doubt that, although the number of intrepid visitors would be small in the colder months, we will always have people keen to come and explore Abbotsford, no matter what the weather. And so, this post is an attempt to try and explain to those of you that might not know, why so many historic houses tend to close in the winter and what is going on behind those closed shutters. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbotsford with a beautiful dusting of snow last winter</td></tr>
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Of course some houses and stately homes are family-owned and close in the winter so that the occupiers can 'reclaim' particular wings or key rooms in the house, particularly as Christmas approaches. With Abbotsford in the hands of a charitable trust, this isn't something we have to worry about, although we do have an 1850s wing of the house dedicated to private holiday accommodation which is open year-round for bookings. Sometimes historic houses close because of the risk posed by adverse weather conditions and the difficulties of ensuring access and safety around the gardens, the approach to the house and even out on the wider estate. This is certainly something we are not immune from here at Abbotsford, even though the site as a whole is more bijoux than many of the other stately homes in the area. Locals will know that the winters in the Borders can be extremely harsh and becoming snowed in in this little riverside hollow is not unheard of!</div>
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The primary reason that we close between December 1st-February 29th is in order to conduct an intensive period of museum housekeeping across the interiors of Abbotsford known as 'conservation cleaning'. In a nutshell, this signifies a very different type of cleaning than you or I would conduct in our homes - it isn't a case of applying liberal amounts of elbow grease and coating everything in Brasso and detergents! This approach is a method of cleaning interiors and artefacts that focuses on non-invasive techniques, thereby protecting vulnerable historic decoration and antiques from harm. This means we always have to steer away from traditional chemical cleaning agents and use an entirely separate kit designated for the Scott-period interiors at Abbotsford. Some examples of the type of things you would find in our kits are: HEPA filter museum vacuums of various sizes complete with specialist attachments, a battalion of brushes with different types of natural bristles, including goat hair and pig hair, deionized water, microcrystalline wax polish, cotton swabs, gauze and an awful lot of powder-free gloves! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKyffeX8Z0k2uqHDSpGIp1Pl1vdILy1kjCCDIeYa5hQdowRgTS0J56SCrtYhAanJ2eHYNcUNqNybVsYnyS-zOZxQQDNvPYyJ_4TgvUc6rxb03MjrEHCKP3yc9DXYrE9lLVS94y6Aievc/s1600/Dusty+helmets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKyffeX8Z0k2uqHDSpGIp1Pl1vdILy1kjCCDIeYa5hQdowRgTS0J56SCrtYhAanJ2eHYNcUNqNybVsYnyS-zOZxQQDNvPYyJ_4TgvUc6rxb03MjrEHCKP3yc9DXYrE9lLVS94y6Aievc/s400/Dusty+helmets.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We cannot wait to eliminate the layer of dust that has settled on the tops of the helmets in the Entrance Hall! </td></tr>
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Although our daily housekeeping routines tackle the dust and dirt that can build up around floor and shoulder height, the closure of the house allows us to work through the rooms from ceiling height downwards in a circular motion to ensure that the dust we disturb falls downwards and is removed as we go. One of the main reasons we have so much to do here in the winter months is the sheer amount of material here in Scott's 'museum for living in'. Put simply, dust has no shortage of surfaces to settle on! Abbotsford's ceilings are not as high as in many other historic houses but reaching the cornicing and the tops of paintings and shelves still requires building the tower scaffolding and using a mid-range platform for cleaning the wall-mounted items. We approach the very high areas on a rotational basis and this year it is the turn of the Chapel and Library, along with the Entrance Hall which always requires cleaning at height due to the position of the room in the house and the array of collections items it contains. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1An449iW2dTs56S3fPfyc0aNL0GFAZM3Yq3THqKq3tGQhLw8soAVygKqf49k3bwAk13RCSb4nL9ZhpZ_c9B1KfGRt14LpzYQTmwdBwXAonPNY2u8l2fBeD8dJabR23DRR0WHqTrDsxM/s1600/Raeburn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1An449iW2dTs56S3fPfyc0aNL0GFAZM3Yq3THqKq3tGQhLw8soAVygKqf49k3bwAk13RCSb4nL9ZhpZ_c9B1KfGRt14LpzYQTmwdBwXAonPNY2u8l2fBeD8dJabR23DRR0WHqTrDsxM/s400/Raeburn.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tackling the picture frames and the cornicing in the Chinese Drawing Room in February 2015</td></tr>
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I'm sure there will be many people out there who are thinking that Scott certainly didn't dangle around at perilous heights cleaning all these artefacts on the walls and that in all probability he wanted it to look dusty and antiquated, and I'm sure there is an element of truth in that, judging from the brief he gave David Ramsay Hay for artificially aging the paintwork in the Entrance Hall. But this isn't about aesthetic principles, although all of the team involved in the closure work would love for their work to be noticed and commented upon; sadly because our work does not make everything gleam, this tends not to be the case! Our main aim is to protect the collections items by eradicating any impacted dust and grime. In our own homes, we may well see a little dust as no harm whatsoever and certainly in museum environments, there are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't over zealously clean surfaces, but in actual fact a buildup of dirt attracts two things that we try and avoid at all costs: moisture, which can be harmful in itself, and insect pests that seek moist environments and live by feeding off the proteins in dust, amongst other foodstuffs. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the joys of conservation cleaning: a different view of something we know so well - Henry Raeburn's 1809 portrait of Scott</td></tr>
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When I mention museum vacuums to people, even some of our volunteers, they often give me a withering look as if they suppose that the prefix 'museum' when used in equipment purchasing has the same effect as the word 'wedding'! In some cases this is most certainly true and you can find fantastic substitutes that are not branded for museum or conservation work for a fraction of the cost, as long as you keep a careful eye on what things are made from. However I think these vacuums are fantastic pieces of kit, offering complete adjustment of suction so that you can hoover carpets and hard floors comprehensively alongside delicate textiles, books, plasterwork and carved wood, all with the same appliance. They come with many fine brushes and nozzles so that you can reach and remove the dirt ingressed around the spines of books and in the crevices of carvings and gilt frames. Not to mention the fact that one of them is a backpack museum vacuum for working at height, affectionately known by our team as the 'Ghostbuster vac'! When we are using one of the vacuums on delicate objects, particularly books and textiles, we always start on the lowest suction setting and cover the end of the narrow tube with a square of gauze or fine netting secured with a plastic band. This is a method used to examine whether the cleaning is removing more than just dust, such as detached leather fragments or textile threads. If this is the case the item cannot be vacuumed and must be hand brushed or in some cases, left well alone if it is simply too fragile to be handled. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our largest Museum vacuum or the 'Ghostbusters Vac'.</td></tr>
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The 9,000 or so books in the Abbotsford Library are all hand cleaned over the winter, some using direct appliance of the museum vacuum and others, perhaps of a significant age or with a binding in a state of deterioration, are hand brushed into a box with a hole in the side for the vacuum attachment. This way the dirt is contained and picked up without risking harm to the book. With many of the key insect pests that can cause havoc in museums enjoying devouring a good book, so to speak, this is also the time to visually check each volume and note down alterations in condition or areas of concern. It's a huge task and one in which we have to be extremely careful to preserve the order of Scott's books on the shelves, just as he left them in 1832. This preserved order is of course one of the most famous attributes of the Abbotsford Library. Last year the books took our team just under four weeks to complete and this year we're hoping to beat that record!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISwlBKC_pHFqWD88lphMApC3UCaoeMlhUj62HvUWwF54z3TGHc6veRu3qz7ZLGuzSwj47BNWyiGHOBmJGRXBwrpF3wD8mBywpLOCiXJpZYn88VpAGbMe_LH_FtADJGiOfxRT2fKIXKr8/s1600/4Y7Z3103-Abbotsford+House-Bremner+Design-Angus+Bremner%25C2%25A9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISwlBKC_pHFqWD88lphMApC3UCaoeMlhUj62HvUWwF54z3TGHc6veRu3qz7ZLGuzSwj47BNWyiGHOBmJGRXBwrpF3wD8mBywpLOCiXJpZYn88VpAGbMe_LH_FtADJGiOfxRT2fKIXKr8/s400/4Y7Z3103-Abbotsford+House-Bremner+Design-Angus+Bremner%25C2%25A9.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the trickiest areas for book cleaning is the Study Gallery. </td></tr>
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Of course cleaning isn't the only thing going on here over the next 2-3 months. We are also completing essential maintenance works across the site and planning ahead for the changeover of the Visitor Centre exhibition books in early January. I'm also working on a very exciting project for our new 2016 exhibition in the historic house, launching at the beginning of April. Blog readers will get the first news about this hot off the press in due course...</div>
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I shall be photographing our behind the scenes activities over the next few weeks to share with you all in a winter roundup early next year, so do keep checking the Abbotsford Collections blog or sign up for updates to receive a prompt when the next post goes live. </div>
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Thanks for reading and wrap up warm!<br />
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Kirsty Archer-Thompson<br />
Collections and Interpretation ManagerAbbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-54973644550361196922015-10-30T18:45:00.000+00:002015-10-30T18:45:42.384+00:00Things that go Bump in the Night<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">‘The ghost nowhere makes his appearance so well as with you.’</span></i></blockquote>
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So declared the first Englishman to translate <i>Leonore</i>, Gottfried August Bürger’s blood-curdling tale of a bereaved fiancée inadvertently lured to her end by the phantom of her beloved. William Taylor’s praise was directed at the young Walter Scott who had been inspired by Taylor’s work to produce his own translation from the German as soon as he was able to secure a copy of the original text. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An 1896 Kirchbach illustration of <i>Leonore</i></td></tr>
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<i>The Chase and William and Helen</i> was Scott’s first publication, and how fitting that the subject matter echos the supernatural ballads about fairies, witches and ghosts that he would go on to collect and publish in <i>The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border,</i> and later invoke in various guises in many of the Waverley Novels. Consider the supernatural tales from the days of the Covenanters ringing in the ears of Jeanie Deans as she clambers up Salisbury Crags to meet Effie’s captor in <i>Heart of Midlothian</i>, or the gypsy incantations and prophecies of Meg Merrilies in <i>Guy Mannering</i>, or the visitations of the spectral White Lady in <i>The Monastery</i>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-p8ahDm4AV0nCw8-PFEqXepjZkJF9hts2lRfOmIxupSiRMhscdoxyrQx8jsTBIOAlICo_zcGXLh3fuDL6M87soTtJEJz0kiqsecD70MjU1rZRSlg3n7jI__9S3g-JtJh9L8SK7M8dsG4/s1600/mary+monica+toadstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-p8ahDm4AV0nCw8-PFEqXepjZkJF9hts2lRfOmIxupSiRMhscdoxyrQx8jsTBIOAlICo_zcGXLh3fuDL6M87soTtJEJz0kiqsecD70MjU1rZRSlg3n7jI__9S3g-JtJh9L8SK7M8dsG4/s320/mary+monica+toadstone.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the bottom right of the illustration is the toadstone amulet at Abbotsford. The stone, thought to grow inside the toad, was believed to ward off evil spirits and protect the vulnerable, particularly infants, from being kidnapped by fairies. </td></tr>
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That Scott had a lifelong passion for the history and evolution of folk beliefs is beyond dispute. The Abbotsford Library contains around 250 works on sorcery, witchcraft and demonology dating from 1477 to 1832, from the infamous witch-hunting manual <i>Malleus maleficarum</i> to Bowdler’s <i>The Devil’s Cloven Foot</i>. His own beliefs are far trickier to pin down. Certainly he is careful not to demonstrate contempt or disregard for belief systems in a post-enlightenment world, and regards the bathos sometimes apparent in the conclusions of Gothic stories as insulting to the reader. </div>
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<i>A stealthy step behind the arras, may doubtless, in some situations, and when the nerves are tuned to a certain pitch, have no small influence upon the imagination; but if the if the conscious listener discovers it to be only the noise made by the cat, the solemnity of the feeling is gone, and the visionary is at once angry with his senses for having been cheated…’</i></blockquote>
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This particular critique appears in his prefatory memoir to the collected works of Ann Radcliffe, one of the most influential early pioneers of Gothic literature. This collection was printed posthumously by Ballantynes in 1824. This castigation seems to be directed as much towards other unnamed writers of the Gothic tradition as to Radcliffe herself, whom Scott believed for the most part to be a ‘genius’ and ‘mistress of her art.’<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The novelist Ann Radcliffe</td></tr>
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For Scott, musing over the difficulty of concluding a tale of wonder in a way that satisfies the reader, he draws attention to the conundrum facing a writer of supernatural tales: the consumer is always torn between the childlike impulse to account for all unnatural occurrences, and the sheer delight of an enduring mystery, allowing the imagination to explore what remains unsaid. The phrase he uses is beautiful, so much so that it deserves to stand apart. These imaginative revellers are described as:</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">‘men that walk for pleasure through a moonlight landscape.’</span></i></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1e6K_cp__04eYvXHBlVHlnHYPxwkApSGn0tkZa8T458J1ygy_iNFak9WWxx-rDexhPhDQVCKpw4qYjIu_XQIBoJA6T_E8FQC53yLqQs_KXH01M7BYCfaNQn8taXafsHfKr1p_yIBlocU/s1600/Melrose+Abbey+by+Moonlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1e6K_cp__04eYvXHBlVHlnHYPxwkApSGn0tkZa8T458J1ygy_iNFak9WWxx-rDexhPhDQVCKpw4qYjIu_XQIBoJA6T_E8FQC53yLqQs_KXH01M7BYCfaNQn8taXafsHfKr1p_yIBlocU/s320/Melrose+Abbey+by+Moonlight.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melrose Abbey by moonlight by J. M. W Turner</td></tr>
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So, which appetite did Scott decide to appease in his own ghost story, ‘"The Tapestried Chamber,” one of three short stories in <i>The Keepsake of 1829</i>, a literary annual published for Christmas? You can read the full text of the story <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1668/1668-h/1668-h.htm">here</a>. The appearance of the apparition in the chamber, slowly advancing towards the General’s bed, ghoulishly grinning all the while, really does make your skin crawl. The assessment of the night’s events in the cold light of day is particularly interesting:</div>
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<i>Strange as the General's tale was, he spoke with such a deep air of conviction that it cut short all the usual commentaries which are made on such stories. Lord Woodville never once asked him if he was sure he did not dream of the apparition, or suggested any of the possibilities by which it is fashionable to explain supernatural appearances as wild vagaries of the fancy, or deceptions of the optic nerves, On the contrary, he seemed deeply impressed with the truth and reality of what he had heard; and, after a considerable pause regretted, with much appearance of sincerity, that his early friend should in his house have suffered so severely.</i></blockquote>
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Here, there are no aspersions cast on the eyewitness testimony of the General. After subsequently recognising the old hag in a late seventeenth century portrait, we learn that the phantom is a ‘wretched ancestress,’ responsible for ‘infanticide and unnatural murder,’ very much a real entity in all her decomposing glory. I should imagine insomnia would become a common affliction in the Woodville pile after this upsetting turn of events...(!) </div>
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Outwith the literature, there are two tales of supernatural occurrences here at Abbotsford during Scott’s lifetime that are worth exploring in the light of this discussion. The first is relatively well-known and goes some way to explaining why Abbotsford often sneaks on to the lower rungs of the ‘most haunted’ lists in Scotland.<br />
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In April 1818, work was still underway with the first extension to the Cartley Hole farmhouse, creating the original Study, Armoury, Dining Room and Conservatory (now lost). The cabinet-maker George Bullock had been engaged to create the fixtures and fittings, and indeed it was Bullock who had persuaded Scott to fit up one of these new rooms as a dedicated Armoury for his ever-growing collection of armour, weaponry and ethnographic objects from around the world. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Section of the Abbotsford Armoury</td></tr>
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On two consecutive nights at the end of April that year, Mr and Mrs Scott were woken at 2am by what sounded like heavy furniture being dragged across the floor in the Armoury below their sleeping quarters. On the second night, Scott crept downstairs, brandishing the Killiecrankie broadsword of his great-grandfather, Beardie, to find nothing amiss. In his letter to Daniel Terry of April 30th, 1818, he recounts events of the nights before and dismisses ghostly interventions in light of the fact that the house is 'exposed' during the period of building work. Scott was as yet unaware that as his letter landed with the Terrys in London, news was breaking of Bullock's sudden death in the early hours of the morning. From this point onwards the presence of the cabinet-maker's spirit at Abbotsford will be felt, making itself heard during periods of renovation and restoration. At least we don't have a malevolent ghost; at least not one that we know of... </div>
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The second incident is related in the memoranda of Mr. J. L Adolphus, English lawyer, author
and a friend of Scott, and interestingly it is a story that J. G. Lockhart suggests Scott did not encourage bringing up in conversation. When he does recall the episode of encountering Byron's ghost in the medium of print during the course of his <i>Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft</i>, he uses the thin veil of writing in the third person although the setting is unmistakably Abbotsford: </div>
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<i> " Not long after the death of a late illustrious poet who had filled, while living, a great station in the eye of the public, a literary friend, to whom the deceased had been well known, was engaged during the darkening twilight of an autumn evening in perusing one of the publications which professed to detail the habits and opinions of the distinguished individual who was now no more. As the reader had enjoyed the intimacy of the deceased to a considerable degree, he was deeply interested in the publication, which contained some particulars relating to himself and other friends. A visitor was sitting in the apartment who was also engaged in reading. Their sitting-room opened into an entrance -hall, rather fantastically fitted up with articles of armour, skins of wild animals, and the like. It was when laying down his book, and passing into this hall, through which the moon was beginning to shine, that the individual of whom I speak saw, right before him, and in a standing posture, the exact representation of his departed friend, whose recollection had been so strongly brought to his imagination. He stopped for a single moment, so as to notice the wonderful accuracy with which fancy had impressed upon the bodily eye the peculiarities of dress and posture of the illustrious poet. Sensible, however, of the delusion, he felt no sentiment save that of wonder at the extraordinary accuracy of the resemblance, and stepped onwards towards the figure, which resolved itself, as he approached, into the various materials of which it was composed. These were merely a screen, occupied by great-coats, shawls, plaids, and such other articles as usually are found in a country entrance-hall. The spectator returned to the spot from which he had seen the illusion, and endeavoured with all his power to recall the image which had been so singularly vivid. But this was beyond his capacity ; and the person who had witnessed the apparition, or, more properly, whose excited state had been the means of raising it, had only to return into the apartment, and tell his young friend under what a striking hallucination he had for a moment laboured." </i></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Lord Byron. He died in 1824 aged only 36, probably of septicaemia.</td></tr>
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The rationale here is that the phantom is nothing more than a figment of the imagination, summoned up through our very own literary's friend's choice of highly suggestive reading material on that dusky autumnal evening. Scott was no stranger to the concept of optical illusion and will discuss this at length elsewhere in the <i>Letters,</i> his rational study of the occult published in 1831. He was an associate and neighbour of Sir David Brewster, author of <i>Letters on Natural Magic</i>, a treatise on how science had been manipulated by religious and political authorities to delude and scaremonger.<br />
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Brewster was also the inventor of the kaleidoscope and an authority on the trickeries possible through light and false perspective. However, the eyes remain easier to trick than the ears. I wonder if Scott attributed the same rational explanation to the hammering and thumping he heard during the witching hour of April 28th and 29th 1818. Something tells me otherwise...</div>
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I hope you all have a thoroughly horrible Hallowe'en. </div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Kirsty Archer-Thompson</div>
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Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-41446737666694597032015-09-21T10:00:00.000+01:002015-09-21T10:39:43.446+01:00Restoring a Great Unknown<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"We laid her there, the Minstrel's darling child"...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">This blog post supports the monument campaign of the Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">On the anniversary of Scott’s
death, it feels like the right time to explore one of the key concerns he had
regarding his legacy - the fate of his children. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">It is well documented that
Scott died attempting to pay off the massive debts he was saddled with
following the collapse of the publishing firms he had invested in. His
creditors were finally appeased on </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> February 1833</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">, a mere six months after his death. The price of this settlement was high, sacrificing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>the
profits accrued from the sale of all his copyrighted material. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is less well known however, that as his
health failed Scott grew increasingly anxious about the fate of his four
children after his death, especially his younger daughter Anne, who had stayed
at home unmarried in order to look after him following the death of her mother
in 1826. Anne's devotion to her father is captured strikingly in Allan’s 1834
painting ‘The Orphan,’ now owned by the Royal Collection and held at the </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Palace</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> of </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Holyrood
House</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQsUHau3xza3LW-cmrBcuVP0aHurF-WMXVfA7IySXSy8OtR4-gYiKXqaa91oXxfp8BDjdohzJ5rFl1Qc8PJM4wNvofNGWcjBmA3E57s2WrvuuYgtehz8-b9VPrGa4V1dgi9Yq4-jG858/s400/royal+collection.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="325" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'The Orphan</i> by Sir William Allan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Although
the Trust set up for the benefit of his creditors claimed most of his literary
earnings, the income from his court salary, his journalistic work and the proceeds of some of
his other writing, such as the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tales of a
Grandfather</i> series, were his own. Thus, Scott divided his time accordingly,
redoubling his literary output in an attempt to repay his debts and provide a
legacy for his children. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Sadly
none of his family survived long enough to enjoy their inheritance. His
much-loved grandson, Little Johnnie, for whom he wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tales of a Grandfather, </i>predeceased him by eight months: ‘The boy
is gone who we have made so much of’, as Scott wrote from Naples in his
Journal; Anne Scott died in June 1833 of a ‘brain fever’, just nine months
after her father; Sophia, his eldest child, in May 1837 aged only 38; Charles in 1841 and
Walter in 1847. Inheritance through the female line is a recurring feature of
the family’s fortunes down the years. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A portrait of Mr and Mrs Lockhart painted after Sophia's death in 1837. The prominence given to Sophia's wedding ring suggests the portrait is intended to commemorate their marriage. This portrait is the property of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Following
her father’s death, Scott's youngest daughter Anne moved to </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">24 Sussex Place</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> in </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Regents</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Park</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">, </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">London</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">, to
live with her sister Sophia and brother-in-law John Gibson Lockhart, who had relocated to London from Scotland after becoming editor of the <i>Quarterly Review</i> in 1825. Together, the sisters worked
on collating material for Lockhart’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life
of Scott</i>, published in 1839. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sussex Place, Regents Park, overlooking the boating lake c.1827</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> Both daughters died in </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">London</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">, and were buried in </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Kensal</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Green</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Cemetery</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">, the ‘</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">New</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Cemetery</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> in the </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Harrow Road</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">,’ together with Sophia’s son, John Hugh Lockhart. Sophia’s
burial service was presided over by the Very Reverand Henry Hart Milman, an
historian and dramatist in his spare moments and a friend of the Scott family. So
moved was he by observing the mourners that day that he penned some verses to
commemorate the event. On hearing the auspicious song of a lark, this particular stanza references Sophia’s spiritual home in the Borders:</span></div>
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<i>We laid her there, the Minstrel's darling child. </i><br />
<i>Seem'd it then meet that, borne away </i><br />
<i>From the close city's dubious day.</i><br />
<i>Her dirge should be thy native woodnote wild ;
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<i>Nurs'd upon nature's lap, her sleep </i><br />
<i>Should be where birds may sing, and dewy flowerets weep?</i></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worn inscription of the grave in Kensal Green. You can just make out the names of Charlotte Sophia Lockhart (known as Sophia) and her son, John Hugh Lockhart. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Sophia
and Anne’s forgotten monument <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was
discovered a few years ago by a volunteer researching on behalf of Abbotsford.
It is dirty, uneven, overgrown, and the inscriptions are almost illegible,
bearing almost no resemblance to the graves of Sir Walter Scott, his wife Charlotte
Scott, and J. G. Lockhart, buried in the north transept (or St. Mary’s Aisle)
of Dryburgh Abbey. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWqaLa3ZLP6pOMcyY3h-wdfaey9GHDNNFCMqx6Bi5k6kAReyCsltANv9e2Oq97hHeFrg0c2VOrdsQ4VSnLbelysnL1EzFRsM8Ru8N9RXv8YxX_ufiePsRQDrHtxkv6Pt7FnRNhFX4Htw/s1600/North+transept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWqaLa3ZLP6pOMcyY3h-wdfaey9GHDNNFCMqx6Bi5k6kAReyCsltANv9e2Oq97hHeFrg0c2VOrdsQ4VSnLbelysnL1EzFRsM8Ru8N9RXv8YxX_ufiePsRQDrHtxkv6Pt7FnRNhFX4Htw/s320/North+transept.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The north transept of Dryburgh Abbey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtlDp4FHzL5XMaRiNyptL29lSH3N5KgEN__UcmGBaJ9CRZgjGy8WvRXLREKDZGHJJCKMcYuQW2u7Ct7-zeOrdWohFI5iyOFtaR5jL77PpxpnbjkREOB_vwudr7gktO7Pp2VrjRe2AFpc/s1600/Scott%2527s+grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtlDp4FHzL5XMaRiNyptL29lSH3N5KgEN__UcmGBaJ9CRZgjGy8WvRXLREKDZGHJJCKMcYuQW2u7Ct7-zeOrdWohFI5iyOFtaR5jL77PpxpnbjkREOB_vwudr7gktO7Pp2VrjRe2AFpc/s400/Scott%2527s+grave.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The graves of Sir Walter Scott, first baronet, and his eldest son, also Sir Walter, <span class="postbody">Lieutenant-Colonel in the Fifteenth Hussars. The commemorative stone in the foreground was erected by his son's widow, Jane Jobson. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Lockhart died at Abbotsford in 1854 in the care of
his daughter, now Mrs Charlotte Hope-Scott. This goes some way to explaining
why this loving husband and wife were buried 350 miles apart even though six
plots had been purchased by Lockhart at Kensal Green, presumably so that his
family could be together in death. Kensal Green was consecrated in 1833, so the
bodies of Anne and little Johnnie were buried prior to the purchase of the plot and
were consequently exhumed and reburied with Sophia. Sophia and her little boy
actually share the same grave. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFI6T_ZLPgxQvDDL7GzKUv85ulOwd5eBbTwyxonMtC-BOoAgavAx1ONazeoB380S2nxG0n45193xVnObqGN_qeF6vcLBQlETgRQnYb21o8mT5pAhgxCDRnZ8FTjTENr7B7ZxNR_ZBPU4/s1600/grave+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFI6T_ZLPgxQvDDL7GzKUv85ulOwd5eBbTwyxonMtC-BOoAgavAx1ONazeoB380S2nxG0n45193xVnObqGN_qeF6vcLBQlETgRQnYb21o8mT5pAhgxCDRnZ8FTjTENr7B7ZxNR_ZBPU4/s320/grave+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Falling into disrepair - the Kensal Green grave monument</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Scott would surely be saddened if he could see the dilapidated and
forgotten Kensal Green graves today. It is estimated that a mere £2,449 could
help restore the monument to its former glory. If you would like to help
restore the memory and legacy of Sophia, Anne and Scott’s beloved grandson, 'Hugh
Littlejohn Esq', please contact </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="mailto:hontreas@walterscottclub.org.uk"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">hontreas@walterscottclub.org.uk</span></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Thanks for reading!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Kirsty Archer-Thompson</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Collections and Interpretation Manager </span></span><br />
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<br />Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-40587953957116714422015-08-15T20:20:00.001+01:002015-08-15T20:21:11.325+01:00A Birthday to Remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is always a buzz amongst staff and volunteers at Abbotsford on Scott's birthday. It's a particularly beautiful day today, and, having just hosted a wonderful outdoor theatre performance of Shakespeare's <i>The Tempest</i> in his honour, we're now poised to welcome archers, re-enactors and visitors for all manner of family fun at the annual Abbotsford Arrow tomorrow.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNgUpprsc3SQjMSdN-j34bt25EQLzqiQ2n4iC1-igUFpDoXORN7j5oZLYLfPTL8pMOs4j-vxgpYpFpnPDoGYisioAGimh1uqYDhLSrAL-N1j0ULz2MTXS7VTes1bouyhLV9CwhXP13zU/s1600/tempest.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNgUpprsc3SQjMSdN-j34bt25EQLzqiQ2n4iC1-igUFpDoXORN7j5oZLYLfPTL8pMOs4j-vxgpYpFpnPDoGYisioAGimh1uqYDhLSrAL-N1j0ULz2MTXS7VTes1bouyhLV9CwhXP13zU/s400/tempest.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Tempest</i> in the Sunken or 'Morris' Garden </td></tr>
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In the mist of all of this celebratory activity, I stopped to look through the journal and see if Scott ever acknowledged his own birthday. I had a suspicion that he wouldn't, as squirreled away in our collection stores, we have a wonderful little notebook where Scott actually notes down the birthdays of his children and close relations (including, poignantly, the nameless infant who did not survive). With delicious eccentricity, he duly adds his own name and birthday to this list, as if it might easily slip his mind! Leafing through the journal, he is almost always writing on his birthday in these later years, which, considering his literary output and the financial challenge he faced, isn't surprising. In August 1826, he spends the 15th beavering away writing portions of <i>The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte</i> and <i>Chronicles of the Canongate</i> and suffering from 'oppression' of the chest, proclaiming:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I will never relax my labour in these affairs either for fear of pain or love of life. I will die a free man if hard working will do it.</i></blockquote>
As far as birthdays go, this day of toil, anxiety and palpitations probably wasn't a particularly pleasant one. However, in 1822, the situation was somewhat different. By this time, Scott had become much more than just a writer; he was a phenomenon, a man that seems to encapsulate the essence of Scotland and speak on her behalf.<br />
<br />
The day before his birthday that auspicious year, Scott had famously been branded by King George IV as 'the man in Scotland I most wished to see,' on the deck of the HMS Royal George in the driving rain. The arrival of this ship marked a momentous occasion for a Scotland still nursing deep wounds stemming from the Jacobite rising - a British monarch was to step on Scottish soil for the first time since 1650. The pressure was on Sir Walter Scott, the nationalist unionist, to heal this rift and banish the bad blood, rekindling a sense of pride in Scottish nationhood. He had only three weeks to plan and stage manage a theatrical spectacle the likes of which Edinburgh had never seen.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlR-PkXSR8cHvbKkmJog8Sv8VKuA84Ll7ER0JbUeonldLdDJvIR5MnGvlgSM961E9mLCfk9r7dllJVylhPc1atocVHrwQnMav6Qq8dRfeLQzkndXNam-Ag4vd1V9DUrbguUZ-phGXE9Q/s1600/calton+hill.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlR-PkXSR8cHvbKkmJog8Sv8VKuA84Ll7ER0JbUeonldLdDJvIR5MnGvlgSM961E9mLCfk9r7dllJVylhPc1atocVHrwQnMav6Qq8dRfeLQzkndXNam-Ag4vd1V9DUrbguUZ-phGXE9Q/s400/calton+hill.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entry of George IV into Edinburgh from the Calton Hill by John Wilson Ewbank. </td></tr>
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The 300,000 or so spectators lining the streets of the capital on the 15th August 1822, sporting springs of thistles and heather and clasping St. Andrews crosses, eagerly awaited the progress of the king. This procession from the king's landing to Holyrood Palace took just over two hours and commenced and ended with the firing of a royal salute. Pomp and pageantry was very much the order of the day, with a bonfire on Arthur's seat, presentation of the keys to the city and even the erecting of a large illuminated crown on the chimney of the Edinburgh Gas Works that seemed to float above the building. Once inside the palace, he was presented with the Honours of Scotland, the crown jewels long buried within the vaults of Edinburgh Castle and 'recovered' by our very own Sir Walter Scott in 1818. Then, mid-afternoon, he departed for Dalkeith Palace with a party of Scots Greys to spend the evening as the guest of the young Duke of Buccleuch. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignJjJo4VVPL6Hq-fT8ww1dRMKdvX-sIBP3_UKX0TRNFO7LvK6glgVApKMIqTJnhTJXtsBLT0GVSRdpPRCsPBKwIAbJm68uKsItfN7SYm4at0WkhSkqJpuWr408y4AaJRB1yFlEwZ7uWs/s1600/Honours.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignJjJo4VVPL6Hq-fT8ww1dRMKdvX-sIBP3_UKX0TRNFO7LvK6glgVApKMIqTJnhTJXtsBLT0GVSRdpPRCsPBKwIAbJm68uKsItfN7SYm4at0WkhSkqJpuWr408y4AaJRB1yFlEwZ7uWs/s400/Honours.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oil painting of The Regalia of Scotland. Gilt frame with 2 shell
decorations, by Andrew Geddes (1783–1844), Scottish portrait painter and
etcher. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In this first 24 hours, Sir Walter Scott had achieved a tremendous amount. The king had proclaimed that the crowds represented 'a nation of gentlemen' full of 'patriotism and valour.' Of course, Scott had ensured that all those in proximity to his esteemed guest wore their flower pins and carried their crosses and medals to denote their loyalty to the Hanoverian monarch. That particular day, the king was in naval uniform but he is also famed for sporting rather lurid tartan regalia during the state visit. This choice of clothing was a masterstroke dealt by Scott to re-establish the legitimacy of Highland dress, even if some spectators saw more of the kilt-wearing King than they were intending to! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0dMqGSvVkRl8VXy2mHUZusVTi3-mCFRe1T4Q1e2usizn_NT7d0h_oDq30QERsRUca8E1-c03p68Duu7ykR4mVMkKb-8fXIELv9moV8ksAqevxoC5WFcgmhcA-yoJwldXPqB0x_UJRMU/s1600/KingGeorgeIVKiltsmall.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0dMqGSvVkRl8VXy2mHUZusVTi3-mCFRe1T4Q1e2usizn_NT7d0h_oDq30QERsRUca8E1-c03p68Duu7ykR4mVMkKb-8fXIELv9moV8ksAqevxoC5WFcgmhcA-yoJwldXPqB0x_UJRMU/s320/KingGeorgeIVKiltsmall.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Wilkie's portrait of George IV in Highland dress. Wilkie has
kindly lengthened the cut of the kilt on the rather portly monarch and
removed his infamous pink tights! </td></tr>
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As his birthday drew to a close on the 15th August 1822, Scott must have reflected on the first hours the king had spent in Scotland and savoured the success of his rigorous planning (even if the rain had slightly muted the effect of his flaming beacon!). Fast forward to the 29th August after a fortnight of jubilation and the king leaves Scotland armed with a gift from the great writer that really encapsulates all the symbolic and historic threads of a proud nation acknowledging their monarch. This 'compound relic' was a snuff box made from eleven varieties or sources of wood associated with Scottish legends, history, events and song. This little snuff box could be viewed as a symbolic message illustrating how the diverse strands of Scotland's past might be reconciled and brought together in the hands of a just ruler who never dismisses the proud heritage of her people. Talk about loaded gifts!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDZuSk-q6zp1lx7lz6tiFGaFuoAYRN_klix2ncft-L5sOjRS6nTsIWRH-ZeaY3szDTvEf0okBxMi_7rnp25Sw0S6ddorqufI6TKOxomReIH_Xkf-q2Sstdff-jwSrXSyoMkoPCTjJFMA/s1600/Snuff+Box.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDZuSk-q6zp1lx7lz6tiFGaFuoAYRN_klix2ncft-L5sOjRS6nTsIWRH-ZeaY3szDTvEf0okBxMi_7rnp25Sw0S6ddorqufI6TKOxomReIH_Xkf-q2Sstdff-jwSrXSyoMkoPCTjJFMA/s320/Snuff+Box.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of a Mauchline Ware wooden snuff box, made of segments of
wood from ten different trees/woods by Daniel Craig of Helensburgh,the
man responsible for making the snuff box gifted to King George IV. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It must have been an electric day, one that propelled Sir Walter Scott and Scotland to the forefront of the British conciousness. So, on that note, a very happy birthday to Sir Walter and thank you for reading. <br />
<br />
Kirsty Archer-Thompson<br />
Collections and Interpretation Manager<br />
<br />Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-12703653957487636872015-07-14T19:44:00.000+01:002015-07-14T22:36:26.659+01:00The Ground Beneath Our Feet<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well the 25th national Festival of Archaeology is just getting underway, so it got me thinking about a side of Scott's antiquarian pursuits that perhaps doesn't get as much coverage as it should: his interest in what we know today as archaeology and the early evolution of this discipline. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qWvVbu0mwv0G4S6wKR7kzy0iSHmfWthmKSmsLGaTVWElm-n2Q7zI9UdnuKwBkWeGnwqTNUAUrTwQqefgnjN10pWvEIrw8mlvH0cCoA3EA9R4WyWg4kUm4XCtBvvV3cmt8YK3ijn-4Zk/s1600/25Years_Logo+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qWvVbu0mwv0G4S6wKR7kzy0iSHmfWthmKSmsLGaTVWElm-n2Q7zI9UdnuKwBkWeGnwqTNUAUrTwQqefgnjN10pWvEIrw8mlvH0cCoA3EA9R4WyWg4kUm4XCtBvvV3cmt8YK3ijn-4Zk/s200/25Years_Logo+%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The area around Abbotsford is extraordinarily rich in archaeology, with over sixty scheduled monuments/sites recorded within a 10km radius of the house. This tangible evidence of the past did not escape Scott's attention. In fact, it may well have drawn him to the landscape of Cartly Hole Farm in the first place as he recalled childhood memories of visiting the Turn-again stone with his father, a 'rude stone' </span>marking the spot where the retreating followers of Buccleuch killed the persuing Kerr of Cessford in 1526.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> As the Abbotsford estate started to take shape a<span style="font-family: inherit;">nd</span> the years went by, Scott was proud to own the land that, amongst other things, encompassed the site of the Battle of Melrose, ''the last great battle of the Borders;'' a section of the old Roman road running from the camp on the Eildon hills to the ford <span style="font-family: inherit;">of</span> the Tweed after which <span style="font-family: inherit;">Scott named his new home</span>, and two Iron-age hill forts at Castlesteads and Huntlyburn. He also acquired Rhymer's Glen, a site powerfully associated with folklore traditions of the area. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmf564E025nYcewptkV6p5OXu2C3JGklTOYjtGYJiJitH9u29N6RUq-qZxpyWHfYlX0Bgx1oTEeFT-M7eODto4bg900HxXuykCTcTAj4AB6A7lw1k9JNHQla6FK5D0DXhrqNkqwRc2VI/s1600/DSC06420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmf564E025nYcewptkV6p5OXu2C3JGklTOYjtGYJiJitH9u29N6RUq-qZxpyWHfYlX0Bgx1oTEeFT-M7eODto4bg900HxXuykCTcTAj4AB6A7lw1k9JNHQla6FK5D0DXhrqNkqwRc2VI/s400/DSC06420.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Section of the 1838 estate map showing the Castlesteads site </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Scott was a child of the Enlightenment and this movement spurred on a desire to understand and document the past in a more comprehensive manner. National and imperial agendas were rife as institutions and societies sought to amass impressive collections of exotic artefacts and curiosities to compete with one another. Excavations in the Middle East, Egypt and the <span style="font-family: inherit;">heartlands of Roman Europe</span> yielded up treasures that, for the most part, ended up very far from home. Remember that the silver urn given to Scott by Lord Byron in 1815 contained </span>‘bones found in certain ancient sepulchres within the land walls of Athens.'<span style="font-family: inherit;"> During Scott's lifetime, the importance of object association and stratigraphy (the study of layered deposits beneath the ground that reflect periods of human activity), was just beginning to capture the proto-archaeologist's imagination. Having said that, it was not until shortly after Scott's death that antiquarians started to understand that finds could be ordered chronologically by using this technique. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyn2ptXNBYOizSkLiardapwBaOgnCxhYRw6NkSLWDN0kySUvkPsvG5xSSfq7zdjG0dyK7pmZ-Nb7nMiWhgIGOe5VY3I4NkSdB5u2GEFBFwxfORZJxhR3LBET3QHJSDJFMobJR1iIospA/s1600/Napoleon+Egypt+Expedition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyn2ptXNBYOizSkLiardapwBaOgnCxhYRw6NkSLWDN0kySUvkPsvG5xSSfq7zdjG0dyK7pmZ-Nb7nMiWhgIGOe5VY3I4NkSdB5u2GEFBFwxfORZJxhR3LBET3QHJSDJFMobJR1iIospA/s320/Napoleon+Egypt+Expedition.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>The Egyptian Expedition under the orders of Napoleon
Bonaparte</i>, painted by Léon Cogniet. This painting shows a key element of the
expedition 1798-1801: the very first overseas archaeological excavation
conducted by scientific experts of the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Scott's library, you will find early works such as 'Archaeologica Britanni<span style="font-family: inherit;">ca</span>,' published in 1707. There are also a fair few accounts of funerary monuments and sepulchral remains in churches and graveyards across Britain, a dissertation on the Roman tombs of Great Britain, and several of Sir Robert Sibbald's works on the antiquarian sites of Scotland (Sibbald was once Geographer Royal of Scotland). This was a time when 'archaeology' and 'antiquarian' were terms that could just as easily refer to philological study, and certainly there are many more books in Scott's library that explore the languages of past peoples, particularly those of the</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Britons. Etymologically, archaeology didn't acquire it's association with scientific study until the mid-1820s. Until that point, it had simply denoted the study of the ancient world. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG-Za-8mUhSAIOv5PTJBwGLH4vQJgXtXrX76FOxzQsbyvGxeGl6Io9hoWH3WkXHzEr2b5sMq9SLmOqMk4g75-HZiX2P38fMkTQ7lqSyJt7fVFoMFBlDnxGob6fre3RRVbnMDabVf9oJY/s1600/Robert+sibbald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG-Za-8mUhSAIOv5PTJBwGLH4vQJgXtXrX76FOxzQsbyvGxeGl6Io9hoWH3WkXHzEr2b5sMq9SLmOqMk4g75-HZiX2P38fMkTQ7lqSyJt7fVFoMFBlDnxGob6fre3RRVbnMDabVf9oJY/s320/Robert+sibbald.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Sir Robert Sibbald (1641–1722), Physician, Antiquary and Geographer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At Abbotsford there isn't a great deal of archaeological material on display. The wonderful Tors Chamfrein discussed in my last post is probably our key piece, on show in the Ante Room alongside a <span style="font-family: inherit;">brass</span> pot and hexagonal cup </span>reputedly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> found in the ruins </span>of Graham's Dyke near Kirkintilloch, the site of a Roman Fort situated on the Antonine Wall, on the 14th April 1822. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In our collections stores we have a handful of pottery <span style="font-family: inherit;">sherds</span>, an oss<span style="font-family: inherit;">u</span>ary urn,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>fragments of timber from Birdoswald Camp on Hadrian's Wall, and two Roman oil lamps. However, if you look outside it is a very different story. The niches of the South Court yield up some archaeological joys and were actually designed </span>specifically<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to display this material. Five sculpted stone altars to the gods Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Mercury and Venus set in these niches actually come from the Roman fort of Voreda at Old Penrith. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altar to Mars, God of War, in the Abbotsford South Court</td></tr>
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Chancellor Richard Ferguson, the President of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian Society (founded in the Victorian period), understood how much Voreda had captured Scott's imagination, claiming that the writer “ had made it a practice never to go south without stopping at it and meditating upon it.” Indeed Sir Walter’s journal entry of April 4 1828 mentions that “in our stage <span style="font-family: inherit;">to Penrith I introduced Anne to the ancient Petreia, called Old Penrith.” Now, whether you agree with the circumstances in which Walter acquired such treasures or not, it is somewhat of a relief that the altars have been displayed together as a group - albeit interspersed with roundels from the Mercat Cross! Another inscribed stone in the South Court was carved by a detachment of a legion <span style="font-family: inherit;">active 'between the walls'</span>. At first this inscription was thought to come from Voreda, but, much like the <span style="font-family: inherit;">brass</span> po<span style="font-family: inherit;">ts,</span> it may in fact hail from the Antonine Wall area. <span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span>f the tiny figure outside of the border is interpreted as<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a depiction of Capricorn, it provides valuable information on the movements</span> of the Twenty-second '<i>Primigenia</i>' Legion<span style="font-family: inherit;">, who used it a<span style="font-family: inherit;">s one of their symbols.</span></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought I'd finish with a wonderful excerpt from the </span>American<span style="font-family: inherit;"> author Washington's Irving's account of visiting the Abbotsford estate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>'In the course of our morning's walk, we stopped at a small house belonging to one of the labourers on the estate. The object of Scott's visit was to inspect a relic which had been digged up at the Roman camp; and which, if I recollect right, he pronounced to have been a tongs...As he stood regarding the relic, turning it round and round, and making comments upon it, half grave, half comic, with the cottage group all around him...I seemed to see before me that prince of antiquarians and humorists, holding forth to his unlearned and unbelieving neighbours.' </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you've enjoyed reading about a few of our true antiquities today. </span><br />
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Thanks for joining us!<br />
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Kirsty Archer-Thompson<br />
Heritage and Engagement Manager</div>
Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-86281421357085559702015-06-17T21:17:00.002+01:002015-06-17T21:18:12.302+01:00Field Marshal Blücher's Tiny Teapot and Other Adventures...<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Earlier this week, our volunteers were treated to a trip up to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. As with all staff get-togethers, it was long overdue and offered a rare opportunity for volunteers based in different areas to meet one another properly and have some fun! </div>
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Of course, this was a cultural outing and it was my mission to put together an itinerary that had some relevance to Scott. With a sprinkling of fairydust from external funders, we can ensure that this is the first of a series of excursions that will help our volunteers make associations and connections with other historical sites, people in history and major events that shaped Scott's worldview. </div>
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Perhaps no event is more significant in Scott's lifetime than the battle of Waterloo, especially when you consider it is the culmination of a pervading mood of fear and hostility that had been simmering away in Britain ever since the French Revolution, at least amongst the conservative faction. Now, I shan't harp on about Waterloo again after such a recent blog post on the subject (even if it is tempting within a whisker of the bicentenary itself), but I would like to draw attention to the first pitstop on our Scott-themed tour of NMS: an excellent little exhibition entitled <i>'</i>Waterloo: After the Battle,' curated by Dr. Stuart Allan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA5-jlM0awDNEJTqWtU5SJ5dynPbqtKA4Cup_Jf4WyxSRG8pHJvAF5dGSvyoln_8t3C-7h1YN8wzxYX78bDDNZ7WyUIAQ4ZnKivQ_XhkbURsc3aj5R9dJPO2hhwPyQCNdNapKFh8JJcY/s1600/InstagramCapture_78ec5db9-324f-4427-b50b-23a63ef90fe9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA5-jlM0awDNEJTqWtU5SJ5dynPbqtKA4Cup_Jf4WyxSRG8pHJvAF5dGSvyoln_8t3C-7h1YN8wzxYX78bDDNZ7WyUIAQ4ZnKivQ_XhkbURsc3aj5R9dJPO2hhwPyQCNdNapKFh8JJcY/s320/InstagramCapture_78ec5db9-324f-4427-b50b-23a63ef90fe9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Volunteers Malcolm and Will putting Dr Allan through his paces</td></tr>
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We were lucky enough to have Dr. Allan show us around the displays which really helped to bring everything to life. Perhaps most poignant for the Abbotsford troupe was the chance to see the captured bronze eagle of the French 45th Infantry, one of two Napoleonic totems taken by the British forces during the battle. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eagle of the 45th</td></tr>
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Why is it relevant to Scott? Well, we have an eagle at Abbotsford, albeit something a little less 'shiny...' For some time it was rumoured that this was the real deal, until it was pointed out that the whereabouts of the two captured imperial eagles was already known! Our wooden version is, we think, more likely to be a stage prop that accompanies a set of flags we have in the archives, one of which is a replica standard of the French 105th Infantry, the other regiment to lose its colours on the 18th June. Other artfefacts on display in this exhibition included Napoleon's sugar bowl, part of a wonderfully ornate tea service (which I am sure Scott would have moved heaven and earth to get hold of if he could have done), commemorative Black Watch pottery fired in 1816, and my personal favourite: a tiny little silver teapot that supposedly belonged to Field Marshal Blücher, the septuagenarian commander of the Prussian forces. I guess he wasn't quite as butch as history would have you
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It appears the Prussians also marched on tea. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonderful rustic Scottish pottery from Portobello</td></tr>
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After wolfing down a tasty lunch, we were treated to a fantastic tour of the Scottish galleries with George Dalgleish, Keeper of Scottish History and Archaeology. George is an Abbotsford Trustee and as such, he was able to give us a fantastic overview of the objects in the museum collection that Scott had owned, written about and seen exhibited. One of the real treasures of Abbotsford, the Torrs Chamfrein, actually resides at the National Museum after it was sold decades ago by Scott's descendents to avert ever-present financial difficulties. Luckily, the museum provided us with their Victorian replica of the artefact at the time of that transaction so visitors can still see a version of the piece in its rightful setting here at Abbotsford.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Torrs Chamfrein at NMS, once belonging to Sir Walter Scott</td></tr>
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Chamfreins, being ceremonial or armoured headpieces for horses, are interesting things and this one in particular is a bit of a conundrum. There are fine examples from Roman Britain in other institutions, but this Iron Age example, dated to approximately 200BC is more likely to have been ritual in function. Whether it was made for animal or human is very much open to debate; perhaps in a shamanistic ceremony it transformed an individual from one thing to another. The pony cap and horns were unearthed in a peat bog at Torrs Farm in Dumfries and Galloway in the 1820s and given to Scott as a curiousity worthy of his 'museum for living in'. Having been found initially as two separate items in the same location, it is unclear how the cap and horns marry together both physically and chronologically but they have been displayed as one piece for some time now. Until new research can find a way to navigate the minefield of 'cult archaeology', the enigma of the Torrs chamfrein continues. </div>
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Passing through the medieval gallery, we caught a glimpse of the famous Lewis chessmen. We were all surprised to find that Scott narrowly missed out on acquiring these, in reality due to his ailing health.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Selection of the Lewis Chessmen</td></tr>
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An Edinburgh Antiques dealer had put his collection of chesspieces up for the consideration of the Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum on the 17th October 1831 and Sir Walter Scott happened to see the relics, being present to consult manuscripts for research purposes. His journal entry that day is as follows: 'the morning beautiful today, I go to look after the transcripts in the
Museum and leave a card on a set of chess men thrown up by the sea on
the coast of Scotland which were offered for £100.' As the twists and turns of fate would have it, it was actually his friend Charles Kirkpatrick-Sharpe who ended up owning eleven pieces of the much larger collection. I wonder how different things would have been if he hadn't been so unwell at the time and what a joy the chesspieces would have been to have at Abbotsford! </div>
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After having wended our way past the towering Scottish Maiden, a guillotine that features in Scott's novel <i>The Abbot</i>, the final highlight of our tour (and there were many more than I can possibly cover here) was seeing the sporran that inspired that famous passage in <i>Rob Roy</i>:<br />
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"I advise no man to attempt opening this sporran till he has my
secret,'' said Rob Roy; and then twisting one button in one direction,
and another in another, pulling one stud upward, and pressing another
downward, the mouth of the purse, which was bound with massive silver
plate, opened and gave admittance to his hand. He made me remark, as if
to break short the subject on which Bailie Jarvie had spoken, that a
small steel pistol was concealed within the purse, the trigger of which
was connected with the mounting, and made part of the machinery, so that
the weapon would certainly be discharged, and in all probability its
contents lodged in the person of any one, who, being unacquainted with
the secret, should tamper with the lock which secured his treasure." </blockquote>
<span class="st"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFhefYgd1eqNtXVqqtEiPHiUzeUiLh2xmLn84vCcyNz2nh1DtVH5FAwC1qFkwBxr66frRuVNsvfEtkT1gn3Eyb_eywfUJ4mT-j1af91n82PgLTMcNA6CC0W5ZszZY4RHcUP8oz6qS1D0/s1600/InstagramCapture_7b585b30-8419-4f70-9759-bc4b2f371bc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFhefYgd1eqNtXVqqtEiPHiUzeUiLh2xmLn84vCcyNz2nh1DtVH5FAwC1qFkwBxr66frRuVNsvfEtkT1gn3Eyb_eywfUJ4mT-j1af91n82PgLTMcNA6CC0W5ZszZY4RHcUP8oz6qS1D0/s320/InstagramCapture_7b585b30-8419-4f70-9759-bc4b2f371bc6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gentlemen, beware! Sporran clasp concealing two small steel pistols</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22F_ni6K9RmCzF2CzIyUj6XiTEcOs9QmTqvKJxJqFBVf2ebyCB76Ne-0wYq3dl1YDiiEGK7W5DDw1TG2sHhvFnmZqW_4zv5CzPLpq_c4B5FTVtPG0PfOHX9DqOEl5qc2S7L73-uTyJPI/s1600/InstagramCapture_ac4d1349-90f0-4c18-9c1f-3b89744e3a94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22F_ni6K9RmCzF2CzIyUj6XiTEcOs9QmTqvKJxJqFBVf2ebyCB76Ne-0wYq3dl1YDiiEGK7W5DDw1TG2sHhvFnmZqW_4zv5CzPLpq_c4B5FTVtPG0PfOHX9DqOEl5qc2S7L73-uTyJPI/s320/InstagramCapture_ac4d1349-90f0-4c18-9c1f-3b89744e3a94.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cautionary tales around the Scotch Maiden</td></tr>
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<span class="st"> Now, as with all items that occupy that murky border country between history and myth, this NMS item is popularly referred to as Rob Roy's sporran, and indeed it must have inspired that passage in the novel, but there is no evidence whatsoever that it ever belonged to the folk hero. As ever with these things, the popular imagination sides with the storyteller. And isn't it more fun that way? Scott would have most certainly thought so. </span></div>
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<span class="st">I hope you've enjoyed our little virtual excursion though the National Museum of Scotland. </span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">Thanks, as ever, for reading!</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">Kirsty Archer-Thompson</span><br />
<span class="st">Heritage and Engagement Manager</span><br />
<span class="st"><i> </i></span><br />
<span class="st"><i> </i></span><br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
one
button in one direction, another in another…when the mouth of the
purse…opened… a small steel pistol was concealed within the mounting,…so
that the weapon would be discharged’ - See more at:
http://www.26treasures.com/creationstories/sporran-clasp-four-concealed-pistols-stuart-delves#sthash.NiWKwVcx.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
one
button in one direction, another in another…when the mouth of the
purse…opened… a small steel pistol was concealed within the mounting,…so
that the weapon would be discharged’ - See more at:
http://www.26treasures.com/creationstories/sporran-clasp-four-concealed-pistols-stuart-delves#sthash.NiWKwVcx.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
one
button in one direction, another in another…when the mouth of the
purse…opened… a small steel pistol was concealed within the mounting,…so
that the weapon would be discharged’ - See more at:
http://www.26treasures.com/creationstories/sporran-clasp-four-concealed-pistols-stuart-delves#sthash.NiWKwVcx.dpuf</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-50662744356231517122015-05-31T16:03:00.000+01:002015-05-31T16:56:45.165+01:00On this day in History...Every now and then, it's rather fun to pick up Sir Walter Scott's Journal or peruse a collection of letters and find out what was happening on a particular date during his life. We haven't done this yet with the Treasures of Abbotsford Blog and this story is a perfect reminder of why we should! <br />
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Today's gem of a letter was penned by Archibald Constable, Scott's publisher of the time. It was addressed to the author at his Edinburgh home on Castle Street and composed on 31st May 1822.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_wp-wAGABTQu0LslblDs1kS1LRDNIQtQovw3uvXk-A6TMurLycyyUx8onxwLeBD-bMyzwiDr_fvxq9XTylhvBIlK6Bm-yCnZ7nZ_k80dHsFiajhS1q0CAbzxgWyNzbBcCfbSYHyask8/s1600/constable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_wp-wAGABTQu0LslblDs1kS1LRDNIQtQovw3uvXk-A6TMurLycyyUx8onxwLeBD-bMyzwiDr_fvxq9XTylhvBIlK6Bm-yCnZ7nZ_k80dHsFiajhS1q0CAbzxgWyNzbBcCfbSYHyask8/s320/constable.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rather portly Archibald Constable</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Ostensibly, the letter serves as an update on the reception and sales of his latest novel, <i>the Fortunes of Nigel, </i>and Constable claims with somewhat feigned surprise that 'the press is at work again,' meaning that avid readers had already devoured the first print run, quite literally acquiring their copies 'hot off the press.' The picture painted is reminiscent of the hype surrounding a new release in the Harry Potter franchise, or even the latest Apple gadget:</div>
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<i>' A new novel from the author of Waverley puts aside, in other words puts down for a time, every other literary performance. The Smack Ocean, by which the new work was shipped, arrived at the wharf on Sunday; the bales were got out by one on Monday morning, and before half-past ten o'clock 7,000 copies had been dispersed from 90, Cheapside.' </i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE5NkP4JjyhVzqqB-IawPxJLGzRDLrdYT9vZecldG9cvbXvTSQYaAiML3FEzoHJqKpDH5JWOkD3rSVvjRVfitZy8G_VMMeWmMbLQijthjfHyr7yJ1G_bBZml5L2Wk749iJzvf_UZiyck/s1600/minton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE5NkP4JjyhVzqqB-IawPxJLGzRDLrdYT9vZecldG9cvbXvTSQYaAiML3FEzoHJqKpDH5JWOkD3rSVvjRVfitZy8G_VMMeWmMbLQijthjfHyr7yJ1G_bBZml5L2Wk749iJzvf_UZiyck/s400/minton.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granted, this is a Victorian piece of Scott memorabilia, but I love these Minton tiles featuring scenes from the Waverley novels. Not easy to come by so I shouldn't think I'll be fashioning my home with them any time soon!<i></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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Constable's letter is interesting to me for another reason, serving as a reminder of the number of Scott's high-profile friends and associates that contributed to the diversity of the Abbotsford collections. Archibald speaks of visiting the shop of a Mr. Swaby in Warden Street. Now, I assume this is Warden's Close in Edinburgh's Grassmarket, but I could well be wrong considering he has just been talking about book sales in London. He states that he had been directed to the premises of this 'curious person' Swaby, by his son, Thomas, in order to have a closer look at an antiquated portrait of a monarch spotted there. After some discussion they decide that this is a rare jewel, an unknown portrait of King James IV (perhaps painted by Maynard Wewyck), and Constable forwards it to Scott, trusting that 'ere long, [he] will see it in the Armoury at Abbotsford.' </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQS1TZcncKaO4r-iN7ZLcFpu4sFfbR0OQHUjQ7gjncviBGmJ3TsuTfSZBNE5FSnUsnZL4yNY_Q9jN3RUN5eWHsFWrR7uH7mRnlNz8nmoI39fM5xdCtFyVHZzYCTIX7wdTeeb5AbEPzDc/s1600/flodden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQS1TZcncKaO4r-iN7ZLcFpu4sFfbR0OQHUjQ7gjncviBGmJ3TsuTfSZBNE5FSnUsnZL4yNY_Q9jN3RUN5eWHsFWrR7uH7mRnlNz8nmoI39fM5xdCtFyVHZzYCTIX7wdTeeb5AbEPzDc/s400/flodden.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Abbotsford Armoury Wall, complete with James IV portrait purchased by Constable</td></tr>
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There are several things going on here, but primarily the portrait is a reminder of one of the greatest successes in their long partnership, the epic poem<i> Marmion</i>: <i>A Tale of Flodden Field</i> published in 1808, the first work in literary history for which the author received a monetary advance from his publisher. Constable is well aware that Scott aims to furnish his baronial home with objects that tell stories, specifically his own version of history if he can help it, and he is keen to contribute to the creation of this shrine to storytelling. His motivation for doing so may well lie in his knowledge that Scott's collecting and his writing have a powerfully symbiotic relationship, as of course do a writer and his publisher. </div>
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When I read this letter, it is not without a raised eyebrow and a smirk as the publisher recommends where in a home such artefacts should be displayed, but perhaps they were more 'jack of all trade' folk in the 1820s! His other purchases that day are no less important to our collection: 'two large elbow chairs, elaborately carved, in boxwood...Swaby assured me they came from the Borghese palace in Rome' and 'a slab of mosaic pavement, which I also destine for Abbotsford.' </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZEtRJOk0KoLwA_mjo77F2QecFV__OKPtMQ8Um9sVRqRCIGmQ9vSQJPv4Y_7hT2e9hDLeUsJ835MW9YctRDrVe5e_zuuI2tgf_RkgMXs5CLVZfL6YDDOykF81n4sE45dKmBOc5fM1vnE/s1600/borghese.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZEtRJOk0KoLwA_mjo77F2QecFV__OKPtMQ8Um9sVRqRCIGmQ9vSQJPv4Y_7hT2e9hDLeUsJ835MW9YctRDrVe5e_zuuI2tgf_RkgMXs5CLVZfL6YDDOykF81n4sE45dKmBOc5fM1vnE/s320/borghese.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Borghese Palace, original home of our beautiful boxwood chairs </td></tr>
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Constable encourages Scott to accept the pair of chairs as furniture of a calibre appropriate for the Library at Abbotsford, and the mosaic as a hearth-stone for one of the fireplaces. The chairs do indeed still stand either side of the fireplace in the library today but, thankfully, Archibald's mosaic slab forms a handsome table top rather than a hearth, preserving the exquisite piece from excessive wear and tear over the last two centuries. Supposedly there were originally ten Borghese chairs, six of which went to Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire and still stand in their Picture Gallery there to this day. I would dearly like to know where the other two have ended up!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWpZsOqFZaJrsis0oaGaBAXoFLDIalr2Fe6wSr_ZtofbJ3N_u64bYDhhvmWveq42FhWLCTRCfIOVGOzMbmYqnM7nYYTPXQFZKKdZFWHDl8GI0f7KpGMcE7Vsk4-kdHVYtFHuzWo55Bvo/s1600/Abbotsford+library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWpZsOqFZaJrsis0oaGaBAXoFLDIalr2Fe6wSr_ZtofbJ3N_u64bYDhhvmWveq42FhWLCTRCfIOVGOzMbmYqnM7nYYTPXQFZKKdZFWHDl8GI0f7KpGMcE7Vsk4-kdHVYtFHuzWo55Bvo/s320/Abbotsford+library.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Abbotsford Library. You can see one of our Borghese chairs to the left of the fireplace</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9i5KfH4nkgcZTpa4r17EAoDToPJNk473Kp4zRq07k6k0U8hPNIijva9f7WChXYm0lJgaENtnZZNO2qFaNljNl4gzXN2EnMeJtpKodiauq2KI-02aPQLLPUa7XiXyGz0xer7KPcmeyos/s1600/Picture+Gallery_64_0_1003_682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9i5KfH4nkgcZTpa4r17EAoDToPJNk473Kp4zRq07k6k0U8hPNIijva9f7WChXYm0lJgaENtnZZNO2qFaNljNl4gzXN2EnMeJtpKodiauq2KI-02aPQLLPUa7XiXyGz0xer7KPcmeyos/s320/Picture+Gallery_64_0_1003_682.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belvoir Castle has a very different interior to Abbotsford, but if you look closely you can see something familiar!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Hopefully this post illustrates how archival material can help bring collection pieces to life - in just one letter, we have mapped out where these pieces were purchased, by who and for what reasons. If only we were so lucky with mapping the stories of all of our gabions and curiousities! If you think you might know the whereabouts of Swaby's or indeed the other two Borghese chairs, please do get in touch and help us build a clearer picture of this fascinating springtime exchange one hundred and ninety-three years ago. </div>
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<i>'It occured to me that these three articles might prove suitable to your taste, and under that impression I am now induced to take the liberty of requesting you to accept them as a small but sincere pledge of grateful feeling. Our literary connexion is too important to make it necessary for your publishers to trouble you about the pounds, shillings and pence of such things.' </i>Archibald Constable, 31st May, 1822. </blockquote>
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Kirsty Archer-Thompson<br />
Heritage and Engagement Manager<br />
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Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-23657008843847821692015-05-16T20:55:00.001+01:002015-05-31T17:01:23.859+01:00Scott on Waterloo<i>'Bones of horses , quantities of old hats, rags of clothes, scraps of leather and fragments of books and papers strewed the ground in great profusion...'</i><br />
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This was the sight that greeted Sir Walter on his visit to the battlefield in August 1815. Indeed, he had felt full of such fire to make the trip that the venture would see him take his very first steps on foreign soil. The words themselves, although a reflection of Sir Walter's own experiences, come from the eponymous narrator of <i>Paul's Letters to his Kinsfolk</i>, a strange work that purports to be a series of letters penned for five different recipients back home. In effect, this short work is Scott's closest brush with journalism. A brand new edition of this fascinating text, along with <i>The Field of Waterloo</i> and 'the Dance of Death,' was published at the end of April this year and we were delighted to assist Penguin Random House with the cover! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AoIMXDQ9HHLNhEmsgPf8_bAVn3UxQRQvEkEi3Z5loAo4jN4NaBoWEkUtWpDqu0RL4-iHiCN79ue-W5qchg5zxYY99JsvqDjUFmYBfkRGLqN18zuuzYoDSPpH6OT4zEs0srINExryE-o/s1600/$_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AoIMXDQ9HHLNhEmsgPf8_bAVn3UxQRQvEkEi3Z5loAo4jN4NaBoWEkUtWpDqu0RL4-iHiCN79ue-W5qchg5zxYY99JsvqDjUFmYBfkRGLqN18zuuzYoDSPpH6OT4zEs0srINExryE-o/s400/$_57.JPG" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Cover Photograph showing the Soldier's Book and Tricolour Cockade from the Abbotsford Collections</td></tr>
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On the evening of Tuesday 12th May we were very fortunate to welcome Dr. Paul O' Keeffe, the editor of this new publication, to Abbotsford to introduce his new book and talk a little more about Scott's battlefield visit in the run up to the bicentenary of Waterloo next month. The evening was a wonderful, theatrical affair (with belly laughs aplenty), but it was not without a suitable dose of the macabre.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHDZPuJOAaX7mV5AG7jhihgJVMIpv0qDyBCl8bKcbKLS4MBYjdzo-CNvhlSfN46T-L_oBDrKv5STwOqbyprzbQSpLCDe29mjsbiZVkaZ0tP93IWpGaPczm4s2wSaq8e7a-zMNbr4PlEA/s1600/Paul+o+keeffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHDZPuJOAaX7mV5AG7jhihgJVMIpv0qDyBCl8bKcbKLS4MBYjdzo-CNvhlSfN46T-L_oBDrKv5STwOqbyprzbQSpLCDe29mjsbiZVkaZ0tP93IWpGaPczm4s2wSaq8e7a-zMNbr4PlEA/s1600/Paul+o+keeffe.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very charismatic Paul O' Keeffe as Ruskin at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival</td></tr>
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Battlefield tourism seems a pretty alien pastime to our modern sensibilities; nowadays when we visit the sites </div>
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of previous conflict, say the Somme, Culloden or Waterloo, we are fuelled by a thirst for knowledge or a need to pay our respects. Curiousity and the sense of reaching out and touching history was certainly still a motivating factor for visitors to Waterloo in 1815, but when you consider that a few intrepid onlookers started arriving the morning after the battle, presumably jostling with the local peasants ransacking valuables from the dead, something quite different was at work. There was a powerful sense that Waterloo was the key battle of the time and tourists were eager to acquire souvenirs from the field. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfdKMQXxgTvGFefg5wKxY9Y_si0_lkDv8ZZyO7c3dc3XARP3zcvuGlfuGyd76k302nezaS2b5Sf3aK5AAcLn1lb3Qoz9O4sA3uHnclnfbVGBTVshRQjdK6Z-VrdMxZEpYMNoWnaHdwJI/s1600/Imperial+Plaque.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfdKMQXxgTvGFefg5wKxY9Y_si0_lkDv8ZZyO7c3dc3XARP3zcvuGlfuGyd76k302nezaS2b5Sf3aK5AAcLn1lb3Qoz9O4sA3uHnclnfbVGBTVshRQjdK6Z-VrdMxZEpYMNoWnaHdwJI/s400/Imperial+Plaque.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napoleonic Plaque displayed in the Abbotsford Entrance Hall</td></tr>
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O'Keeffe had the audience grimacing suitably as he evoked the dizzying stench of poorly buried mass graves, human bodies slowly baking just below the surface in the stifling heat of summer. The battlefield area was relatively small and could be explored easily on a day excursion from Brussels but once visitors arrived, they would have found it essential to have packed both quantities of snuff and an iron constitution!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French Cuirassier's Steel and Brass Breast and Back Plate and to the right, a copy of the Imperial Eagle Standard </td></tr>
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By the time Sir Walter Scott arrived on the scene, the craze for Waterloo relics had spawned a veritable marketplace where nearby villagers successfully flogged weaponry and cuirasses to awestruck tourists. The bodies had been long stripped but not long buried and Scott encounters an eerie landscape strewn with paper and rags. He set about picking up smaller relics and arranging the purchase of more impressive artefacts over the duration of his trip. One of his most treasured acquisitions, a French soldier's book now in the Abbotsford collections, is photographed on O' Keeffe's book cover. In amongst the cuirasses, sabres, pistols and Napoleonic totems, it is fitting that this little book has been given pride of place. With papers flitting in the breeze before him as far as the eye could see, these military <i>livrets</i> were far from a rarity but they offered a tangible link with an individual life. Scott finds his soldier's book to be a very personal snapshot of a life snuffed out, 'and with it, all his earthly hopes and prospects.' </div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Kirsty Archer-Thompson</div>
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Heritage and Engagement Manager</div>
Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-17653523353092635542015-04-22T15:46:00.001+01:002015-05-31T17:03:21.663+01:00Bookish Banter<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On the 23rd April many countries around the world will be celebrating World Book Day (something that the UK has done in recent years a month earlier). This date was originally chosen to coincide with the date of William Shakespeare's death, probably the most famous wordsmith in history. In honour of Sir Walter's lifelong admiration for the Bard, I thought bookish banter should be the order of the day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Over the past week or so we have been beavering away, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">armed with our trusty gloves, archival tape and camera,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> condition-assessing the books on display in our free to access exhibition in the Abbotsford Visitor Centre. Walter Scott's library at Abbotsford is a rare thing indeed, and not just because Sir Walter thought it the 'handsomest room in Scotland'! Most personal libraries of writers, statesmen and academics end up dispersed or at the very least, depleted after the death of the original owner as items are discarded or claimed by various living relations. Particularly significant collections may be absorbed in their entirety into larger museum or institutional collections. The fact that Scott's library remains wholly intact and that the volumes sit on their shelves in the very position they occupied during the author's life, is remarkable, and one of the many reasons that we now treat the collection as a conservation library. Direct access to the books, even for researchers, is something strictly governed to ensure their long-term survival. For this reason, one of the most rewarding parts of my work is selecting a handful of these books for public display, offering visitors a rare glimpse inside the front covers. In the last changeover alone we added an edition of </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tam o' Shanter</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> annotated in Robert Burns' own hand, a manuscript revealing Scott's first attempts at copying Icelandic sagas and one of the world's first historical novels, <i>Guerras civiles de Granada</i>. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott's 1791 edition of <i>Tam o' Shanter</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now, it would of course be a travesty for the literary property of a lifelong bookworm such as Scott not to form a significant part of the exhibition on his life and work. However, from the standpoint of a Heritage team, paper is one of our more high-maintenance friends! Every January we have a complete changeover of all the books displayed in the Visitor Centre and then every three months, all those books have to be assessed to see how they are coping with display, with very few books permitted to remain on display for more than six months at a time. On the face of it, this may seem nonsensical. How could a book visibly change in a matter of months whilst locked away in a case?! You'd be surprised. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZa3IRVP1WBaBeLySYxtTWGShlaFfyDYaPhno0cWt6QqxoyyXQx_YpRJ8NYYpJVPeUW655AMEkzVIxVds9LLIEI24UgPc2hBBRJW0KIHVJVkBni-cR5Ee755vM1VlIQRiLrL9CmL7qws/s1600/Scott's+Portcullis+and+Motto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZa3IRVP1WBaBeLySYxtTWGShlaFfyDYaPhno0cWt6QqxoyyXQx_YpRJ8NYYpJVPeUW655AMEkzVIxVds9LLIEI24UgPc2hBBRJW0KIHVJVkBni-cR5Ee755vM1VlIQRiLrL9CmL7qws/s1600/Scott's%2BPortcullis%2Band%2BMotto.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott's personal bindings displaying his portcullis symbol and motto: <i>Clausus Tutus Ero</i> (roughly translates to 'Closed in I am safe), quite appropriate for the contents of a conservation library! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When shelved, the books at Abbotsford are kept in an stable, environmentally controlled setting, packed fairly tightly with a gap at the back to ensure adequate air flow. Some of the books owned by Scott are contemporary with his life and writings but others were antiquarian treasures even by his standards. For books, the display process is all about finding the right angle for pitch and opening that puts the least strain on the binding. Sometimes, fascinating books we would love to display simply don't make the cut because they're too fragile. Others need to be carefully monitored to ensure they don't start to warp or gape when you attempt to close them and this is what we've been checking and photographing over the last few days for those books currently on open display. Pages also need to be turned to try and mitigate the damaging effects of UV light. For those books that are already showing any signs of structural deterioration at this three months check, it is the end of the road for their display and replacements on a similar theme must be sought. And thus the cycle continues.... but we wouldn't have it any other way! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19zBsx8qhebS2nbPRMPZiJT4Du8cMIOj3D0EAW5J1j4xLK3ra9UrDt95KO5fkWLsSBNOZlUJka81W6qxqtYwByIIwRwZfOKihi_DoQEN8CNGV948tVGT7FvIdH0kFCt50wB3YYv1B4fg/s1600/Halidon+Hill+from+bottom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19zBsx8qhebS2nbPRMPZiJT4Du8cMIOj3D0EAW5J1j4xLK3ra9UrDt95KO5fkWLsSBNOZlUJka81W6qxqtYwByIIwRwZfOKihi_DoQEN8CNGV948tVGT7FvIdH0kFCt50wB3YYv1B4fg/s1600/Halidon+Hill+from+bottom.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The visual warning signs that a volume is not suited to prolonged display - Scott's copy of <i>Halidon Hill.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The moral of the story is this: if you are a particular fan of an exhibition or museum that displays rare books, make sure you return every few months because you're always likely to see something new. For Abbotsford this time will come in the summer, so why not come and see our latest discoveries for yourself? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thanks for reading!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kirsty Archer-Thompson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Heritage and Engagement Manager </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span>Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606952370413931988.post-72617410325409728142015-04-13T13:15:00.000+01:002015-05-31T17:02:32.599+01:00Welcome to our Blog!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Hello and a very warm welcome to our very first blog post on behalf of the Abbotsford Heritage and Engagement team! Here at Sir Walter Scott's 'Conundrum Castle', quite literally stuffed to the rafters with antiquarian treasures, we thought it was high time that we shared some of the more quirky and unusual things that we intrepid souls in the Curatorial Department experience on a daily basis. Over the coming weeks and months we will try and shed some more light on particular objects in the collection, discuss potential research projects and interesting unanswered questions and share amusing anecdotes of the weird and wonderful things we end up turning our hands to. Now, as is so often the case with museums and charitable institutions, we are a busy team of two and will be seeking funding and voluntary support to allow us to really develop this blog to act as a tool for anyone who is curious (or indeed serious) about Scott to get something really meaningful from following us. In the meantime, we will try and share as much as we can.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The digital reconstruction of Robert the Bruce's tomb </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Abbotsford has been open to the public following a major restoration project for almost two years now, so you might be wondering 'why start a blog now?' Well, this week seems like a particularly good time to start sharing our stories as we celebrate the opening of our new 2015 exhibition: 'The Lost Tomb of Robert the Bruce.' This exhibition is the fruit of our first collaborative project with a number of other Scottish heritage bodies, making sharing new ideas and research something that is right at the forefront of our minds. Now, of course, it is our aim that readers will come to the house and see the display for themselves so don't expect to read too many exhibition spoilers here! What I do want to discuss is why I think Scott would have been pleased as punch to have the remaining fragments of the Bruce's tomb here in his beloved home, particularly as so many of the other fragments are far more ornate that the one he managed to acquire!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The remaining medieval marble fragments found when work was beginning on building the new parish kirk at Dunfermline in 1818 </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now, considering his penchant for augmenting history with myth, particularly with regard to reimagining the past of his native Scotland, it will come and no surprise that King Robert I fascinated Scott. 2015 is actually the bicentenary of <i>The Lord of the Isles</i>, one of his final poetical works and one that focuses on the exploits of the exiled Bruce in the seven years leading up to the famous victory at Bannockburn. Not only do we now know that he managed to acquire a piece of the Bruce's impressive marble tomb long since destroyed, but he also proudly displayed a cast of the monarch's skull here at Abbotsford. We know that the original cast of the skull was made by the sculptor, William Scoular, following the exhumation of what was believed to be the King's remains in 1818 whilst building work was going on at Dunfermline Abbey. This cast is now kept in the Anatomy Department of the University of Edinburgh and we know that further casts were taken from this original, one of which proved irresistible to the magpie eye of Sir Walter Scott.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Another rather fun fact is that Scott also seems to have had a hand in bringing that famous scene of the industrious spider inspiring the downtrodden king into the popular consciousness, along with the sentiment of the popular expression 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.' The spider story appears in </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Tales of a Grandfather,</i><span style="text-align: justify;">written primarily for his beloved six year-old grandson, John Hugh Lockhart and published in 1828:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> "<i>Bruce, seeing the success of the spider, resolved to try his own fortune; and as he had never before gained a victory, so he never afterwards sustained any considerable check or defeat. I have often met with people of the name Bruce, so completely persuaded of the truth of this story, that they would not on any account kill a spider; because it was that insect which had shown the example of perseverance, and given a signal of good luck, to their great namesake." </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Although this was the first time this parable of perseverance had entered the public sphere in any major way, the first reference to this small arachnid catalysing events in Scotland's history is buried in an account by David Hume of the exploits of the 'Black' Douglas, Bruce's ally. Now it turns out that Scott has a 1644 edition of this particular book in his library here at Abbotsford: <i>The history of the house and race of Douglas and Angus written by Mr. David Hume of Godscroft </i>, along with a host of other antiquarian historical books on the subject, so we can be pretty sure of where his inspiration for the moral lesson came from! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Throughout Scott's writings you get the sense that he was captivated by the romanticised outlaws of the past and he collected items connected with them, sometimes very spuriously, as if they were magical amulets or totems. As Scotland's most famous warrior king, the tomb fragment is one of the most powerful example of this activity in relation to a monarch and I am positive that the great man himself would be thrilled to see the remaining fragments on public display together; sadly all that now remains of a once grand medieval monument to rival the French tombs of old. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You can visit 'The Lost Tomb of Robert the Bruce' free of charge with a house admission ticket until November 30th 2015. To find out more about visiting us, click <a href="https://www.scottsabbotsford.co.uk/">here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Kirsty Archer-Thompson </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Heritage and Engagement Manager </span></div>
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Abbotsford Collectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17266803649145670662noreply@blogger.com0