World Watching : Scots and castles

Professor Shin Matsuzono, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Scottish people are raising political consciousness based on their long history and rich culture

Blair Castle

The inside of the castle where swords are displayed on the walls all around

A parade of private soldiers

The design of the Clan Murray tartan

As part of my work, I often travel through Britain, looking for manuscripts (such as letters and diaries) that were written by British peers. Blair Castle, which I would like to introduce to you today, is one of the places I’ve visited. Many of the castles and country houses do not have good access in Britain. However, this castle is an exception. You can go there on foot from the nearby station (although it takes about 20 minutes from the front gate to the castle building). Moreover, it is amazingly beautiful. So I strongly recommend this place for sightseeing.

Blair Castle and its owner, the Duke of Atholl, are very nice sources for learning about Scotland, especially about the Highland where a unique culture has developed. Part of the castle was made in the 13th century and it has been about 550 years since the ancestor of present Duke of Atholl (the surname of the duke is Murray) started to rule the region. Soldiers were permanently stationed at the castle until the 18th century and they were there for warlike reasons. The Duke is still allowed to have a private army even now. Of course, they are only ceremonial, but there is still strong cohesion among the Murray clan under the Duke of Atholl. The traditional Scottish clothing, the skirt-like kilt, has a tartan pattern. It is certainly beautiful. Moreover, its tartan has minutely decided pattern. Even the colour of each vertical and horizontal thread is determined. This minuteness is reasonable when you realize that the tartan pattern was used to distinguish enemies and allies during the close contact battles.

Blair Castle and its estates have become a favourable place for local people and tourists for many leisure activities such as pony riding, fishing and hiking. On the other hand, it has remained as a symbol of Scottish pride. A young man who I ran across in the castle was protesting the restoration and popularization of Scots language. (Scots language is one of the Celtic languages that are scattered over Ireland and Wales.) Actually, these movements have been influential and traffic signs are beginning to be written both in English and Scottish. Moreover, Scottish textbooks and cassette tapes and TV programs that are done in Scottish are not rare these days! However, the parliament which was restored in Edinburgh was not enough to satisfy the young man. He insisted on the independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom. The castle is not just a cultural heritage site. It is not exaggeration to say that the castle and other cultural heritage sites are sources of the nationalism of Scottish people.

Blair Castle
[URL] http://www.blair-castle.co.uk/