A LEADING Sir Walter Scott expert who starred in a documentary which follows the crowning of a millionaire landowner as the first chief of a clan in more than 300 years said parts of the inauguration could be “historically authentic”.
Professor Alison Lumsden, a senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and co-director of the Walter Scott Research Centre, who featured in the Meet the Buchanans documentary, said there could be “some truth” in the authentication of how the clan's inauguration was held.
The feature-length documentary follows the planning of the inaugural three-day bonanza and ceremonial regalia, where Mike Buchanan is crowned as the clan’s first chief in around 340 years.
The “off-beat” film aims to explore the hidden world of wealth and privilege, while providing a sideways look at how Scottish tradition, heritage, and identity are created, as it follows Mike’s family throughout the three-day bash.
Lumsden was invited to attend the Clan Buchanan inauguration after Mike’s wife Paula found some old letters from Scott to their family's ancestors who lived on the Cambusmore Estate, Perthshire.
Paula wanted Lumsden to speak about how Scott had depicted Scottish clans in his writing at the celebration.
“At first, I kind of was a bit cautious to do that because, to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what was involved with the inauguration and what it was about,” Lumsden said.
She added: “I said yes, but I wanted to see the letters first.
“So, I went to Cambusmore to look at the Scott letters and to get a sense of them so that I could include some of that in the talk that I gave.”
Lumsden explained that there was a “clear connection” between the legendary Scottish writer Scott and the family at Cambusmore, as he had visited the estate a “fair few times” and had written to them as well.
She added that Scott (above) “may well have” drawn on some inspiration from Cambusmore Estate for his world-renowned narrative poem, Lady of the Lake.
Lumsden said that Paula, who is seen in the documentary as the driving force behind the idea of the inauguration, shared some parallels with Scott in how she interrupted Scottish tradition.
She said: “I've worked in academia my whole adult life, and what you do get quite often is ‘Scott was just making up things, that he made up this, and then he made up that’, but none of that is entirely true.
“Scott's not just making up things, he's drawing on traditions.
Lumsden added: “Certainly, he popularises those things, because those things are spread around the world are large due to Scott, but he's not making them up out of nothing.
“And I think the other thing that's interesting is, I think that was similar with the Buchanans.”
Paula decided to host an inauguration for her husband after reading about how clan chief crowning ceremonies predated the monarchy and were an “amazing” big celebration.
After doing more research and with the help from other Buchanans on the other side of the world in Australia, Paula set about trying to authentically recreate as much as she possibly could for the inauguration.
Her planning included commissioning a new set of clan jewels, coronet, sword, rod, and even a stone throne for her husband to sit on for the big occasion.
Lumsden said: “I mean, we have no idea what actually happened in the dim and distant past when a chief was made a chief, but Paula was looking at some authorities and accounts of the Highlands that said they sat upon some kind of stone and that something was placed on their head.
“So, she was looking at those kinds of authorities and thinking, ‘OK, that's what we've got to go on, so this is what we'll do with it’.
“I think that there is some sort of grain of truth, or actually sometimes there is more than a grain of truth, and then it is how it is interpreted.”
Lumsden added: “Scott was often accused of having made up a version of Scotland, and I think that's a curious concept because it presupposes that somehow there's a real Scotland out there that we can all agree upon and that Scott's doing something else.
“I'm always very curious as to know what that real Scotland that we all agree upon is meant to be.”
The documentary is now touring across Scotland along with a Q&A panel including the film's producer and co-director, Barbara Orton, and personalities from local heritage and history groups, and contributors to the film, including Lumsden.
Viewers will witness “tartan-mad” Buchanan enthusiasts from countries like America, Australia, and even Mexico descend onto the Perthshire estate to take part in the celebration and learn more about their family roots.
Orton said that the film delves into how history feeds into establishing traditions, how these traditions feed into establishing a country's identity, and how this identity is portrayed to the world.
The Bafta award-winning producer added that the film shows how people make different interpretations of history and how that results in different traditions being formed.
Orton said: “Alison's contribution contextualises some of the big themes in the film.
“It's exploring how history is made (up), in this case - as ancient sources were in such short supply.
“I had come across the 'The Invention of Scotland' the famous book, by historian Hugh Trevor Roper, his ideas underpinning some of the historical themes in the film for me, which Prof Alison so eloquently explores, while at the same time managing to tie this into the modern search for connection and belonging theme that I hope has been brought out in the film.
Orton (below) added: “Paula's source for the ceremony came from a description of an 'inauguration' ceremony of Pictish chiefs as the basis for their Clan inauguration ceremony.
“Found in the book 'The Clans, Septs, and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands' by Frank Adams. She reads it out from this very book in the film.
“The Pictish chief is led by the clan bard to a stone, where he sits. She elaborates it into a modern throne, with their family crest. But who knows where Frank A got his info?”
