10 August 2022 – WILLIAMS WRITINGS

Glamis Castle was once the talk of the courts around Europe due to its supposed dark and terrible secret.

The childhood home of the Queen Mother was also once said to be home to a ‘monster’.

At the turn of the 20th century, the rumours of a secret chamber and a monstrous heir were so strong that many accounts were written of the Monster of Glamis.

Said to be the deformed son and heir of the 12th Earl of Strathmore, the unnamed Bowes-Lyon child is was recorded as having died on the day of his birth but many believed he actually survived to become a “barrel-chested” monster with “toy-like” arms and legs.

The mystery left a dark and terrible stain on not only the reputation of the family but also put an immense strain on them.

The grandfather of the Queen Mother, Claude Bowes-Lyon and the 13th Earl of Strathmore once reportedly said: “If you could even guess the nature of this castle’s secret, you would get down on your knees and thank God it was not yours.”

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The Sporran

Original sporrans dating from the fourteenth century and onwards can be viewed at many Scottish museums. The history and evolution of the sporran can also be traced through early British military paintings and portraits of Highland soldiers; these later sporrans start to show more elaborate decoration.

From the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century sporrans were generally fitted with metal clasps, usually made from brass, or for clan chiefs, occasionally silver. The elaborate metal workings of some of these clasps are indeed miniature works of art. The goat-haired, sporran molach or hairy sporran was introduced by the military in the eighteenth century. These sporrans often had flap-tops and large tassels and featured a variety of furs and hair such as fox and horse, or occasionally sealskin, all set off with a badger’s head.

But what is it that a Scotsman actually keeps in his sporran? Well, one sporran on display at the National Museum in Edinburgh features a clasp of brass and steel with four concealed pistols inside, the contraption being designed to be discharged should anybody attempt to open the locked purse, thus either killing or maiming the thief.

The modern sporran, or sporan – Gaelic, has evolved a long way from the doeskin bag containing ammunition or daily rations and many now feature stainless steel and even plastics! Despite modern enhancements however, sporrans retain their basic design principles and carry everything from car keys to mobile phones.