THE REGALIA OF SCOTLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3396, 16 April 1919, Page 59

THE REGALIA OF SCOTLAND.

A STUDY IN ROMANCE

Scotland is pre-eminently a land of romance. Its lonely glens", its inaccessible mountains, its ancient castles,' ite ruined palaces, tell with equal eloquence of days that were glorious, days that are no more. Its well-fought fields whose sorrows ■ and triumphs poet and painter have portrayed, its many-storied rivers that have nnweariedly sung through centuries of blood and revolution alike tell of those "old, unhappy, far-off things and battles Ions; ago." Indeed the traveller can go nowhither in Caledonia and be far removed from the standing stones of our ancient history. A dour, thrawn, silent folk we may be, but the eloquence of our land more than atones for our asserted defects. If we were asked to choose from our national memorials one which should be as a symbol of our glory and romance, and which should in itself comprise centuries of daring and of high-souled devotion to duty, we should without hesitation choose the Regalia of Scotland. Not only are they ancient, not only Jiave they played their part in stormy fames, but they were hidden at peril of life and were recovered; were lost when Scotland ceased to be.a separate kingdom and were again found. —The Honours of Scotland.— As we see them in the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle, we are looking upon actual thinge used in bygone times; we are beholding the symbols of our national independence, with whose ultimate recovery the name of our greatest Scotsman is imperishably associated. The Regalia, or, as they were often termed, the Honours of Scotland, consist of the Crown, the Sceptre, and. the Sword. The Crown is the most a'neient, dating probably as early as 1329, in the reign of David 11. Probably also it underwent an alteration of form in the reign of King James V. The Sceptre was made in the reign of the latter king, while the Sword of State was presented in the year 1507 to James IV by Pope Julius 11. These Honours were used at the coronation of our kings, and as emblems of royal authority were jealously guarded. The right to their. custody was in the Earl Marischal of Scotland, whose high office of State was hereditary in the family of Keith. The Acts of our Parliament 'were ratified by a touch of the Sceptre, given by the King or his Commissioner. Our narrative begins in the stirring times of Cromwell. The year is 1651 and the month January. Charles ll> having convinced the nation that they should accept him to rule over them, is awaiting his coronation at Scone. Thither for that purpose are brought the Regalia, and ■on January 1 this merry fellow is solemnly seated on the throne of his fathers. Meanwhile news is brought of the rapid advance of Cromwell's troops; Charles decides to invade England: him we have no further concern with save to state that he met his fate at Worcester field. At the moment the Honours are in danger, and Parliament on its rising on 6th June orders the Earl Marischal to transport them to his picturesque Castle of Dunnottar, "thair to be keepit by him till further ordouris." In August the English sit down to besiege the castle. The Removal from Dunnottar. — ' Now, the Governor of Dunnottar a valiant soldier named George Ogilvie. His garrison numbered only 47 "and two serjeants," a force altogether insufficient for the defence Of the castle. Presently the besieged are straitened for supplies, and it becomes evident that the surrender is only a matter of time. The Earl Marischal is himself a prisoner in London, and the responsibility for the safety of the Honours falls on his Governor's shoulders. Ogilvie had a wife, who was in garrison with him. They two took counsel together, and she was left with the burden of securing the treasure. Mrs Ogilvie had a friend, Mrs Grainger $ the wife of the Rev. James Grainger, the minister of the neighbouring parish of Kinneff. We are now in the beginning of 1652, when the castle is being sore put to by the besiegers. One day early in March Mrs Grainger and her maid set out for Stonehaven to make purchases, doubtless leaving her husband to meditate his Sabbath sermon. Among her purchases were some bundles of flax, which were carried by the maid. So mistress and maid amble homeward. Presently they come to the Castle of Dunnottar. It is most fitting that Mrs Grainger should visit her friend Mrs Ogilvie. Permission is readily given by the English commander. Mistress and maid enter the castle to confer with Mrs Ogilvie. Soon they leave, but not alone, for they' take the Honours with them. It is said that Mrs Grainger carried out the crown in her lap; it is more probable that it was carried out with tho sword and sceptre in the maid's bundle of flax. In any case, they are free of the castle, and are soon home at the manse of Kinneff.

What an evening for -worthy Mr Grainger! Never hitherto had he been guilty of anything more exacting than the composition of his weekly sermon. Through the time curtain of threo centuries we see him hurrying hither and thither in cruel uncertainty. Weary are

the hours of that short spring day; night has never been more desired. At last the darkness falls on the countryside, and the minister becomes a dissembler. He makes for the church, not wtih his slow and stately Sabbath step, but warily, like that thief in the night about -whom he has so often warned his hearers. He enters the building. Listen to him. across the gulf of the vanished years: "I raised the pavement stone just before the pulpit, and digged under it ane hole, and put the crown and sceptre there, and filled up the hole." Then speaks the natural Adam of the man: "I-layed ,down the stone just as it was before, and removed the mould that remained, that none would have discovered the stone to have been raised at all."' The sword he hides "at the west end of the church amongst some common saits."

For eight long years the Honours lay hidden in the church. Occasionally worthy Mr Grainger visited them to renew their wrappings and to gaze upon the signs of his great daring. Then ■at the Restoration they were unearthed. They had suffered somewhat. In his effort to hide the scabbard of the sword of state " in ane sackful of cods," the minister had folded it "in twa because of its length and greatness." Thus a new scabbard had to be provided. We pass now to the year 1707. Great events are afoot. The Scottish Parliament is in its last session. Indeed the sword of state performed its last legislative office by ratifying the Treaty of Union on 16th January. Parliament itself was dissolved on 28th April, thus making " the end of an auld sang." For the last time the regalia were solemnly takerTto the castle. There they vanished from the sight and knowledge of men.

By the close of the century their dubious existence had been almost forgotten. Interest then revived; men began to inquire -whether the Honours had been carried to England or were still lying hidden in the castle. To set this doubt at rest a Royal Commission was appointed in 1794 "to search for certain documents likely to throw light on the mystery. For this purpose the Commissioners were empowered to open and inspect the Crown Room. The building is ancient, having been erected in 1615. Later in the century it is twice referred to as the "Crown Chamber." Surely here of all places might they be sought with some prospect of success. The Commissioners opened and inspected the room. Scott tells us that the dust of a century was still on the floor and the ashes of the last fire were still in the chimney. No papers were found.. Instead the Commissioners saw a great oak chest, " fastened by two locks," for which there wa3 no key. They, " being doubtful of the propriety of forcing the same," left it unopened; and, securing the room with additional fastenings, they again left it to solitude and silence. —Scott's Triumph.— So things remained until 1817, when a second Royal Commission received authority to open the mysterious chest. The warrant named certain gentlemen as Commissioners, including "' our trusty and well-beloved Walter Scott, of Abbotsford, Advocate." We have read its interesting manuscript minutes, preserved in the General Register House, and only lack of space prevents us from quoting more than a few sentences. On 4th February, 1818, nine of the Commissioners meet at the Castlo. They proceed to their duties, " having previously required the attendance of Andrew Wilson, smith, and Robert Brown, carpenter, with their necessary assistants." They enter the Crown Room j again they see only the large chest in which the regalia were supposed to be deposited. It is an anxious pioment for Scott. The Commissioners had sprung from one of his conversations

with the Prince Regent two years before, and in the interval much of ins time and thought had been given to the mystery. The chest is struck; it gives forth a hollow, empty sound, ominous to the ears of all. The locks defy all persuasion, whereupon the workmen forcibly open the chest. The great lid swings back, and the box is open. At the bottom lie the regalia, "in perfect pi-eservation." One hundred and eleven years have passed since they vanished, and now they are found. The Royal Standard is hoisted, and the news is "greeted by a multitude of persons assembled on the Calton Hill." Scott's triumph was complete. At a subsequent visit, drawings and descriptions were made by several artists, among whom we recognise the Rev. John Thomson, of Duddingston, ' whole talents as a painter," say the Commissioners, " are of.a distinguished order." He made a drawing "of the crown in perspective." The regalia are returned to the chest; the room is strengthened against fire and robbers; and Scott's friend, Captain Adam Fergusson is appointed to the charge of the treasure. One last glimpse must suffice. On the 12th November, _ 1818, the Archduke Maximillian of Austria, " having signified his desire to see the regalia," receives the necessary authority. Again the room is opened ; the Honours are placed on a table "with candles for the purpose of exhibition," and his Royal Highness is duly satisfied—loo years ago!— James Fisher, in the Weekly Scotsman.