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KINSHIP IS IMPORTANT

Blood being thicker than water: a stirpes party for 2014

Robert M. Scott and Andrew Threipland, 2 grandsons of Robert and Alice McNair Scott have been plotting for some years to host a gathering of Robert and Alice’s grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren here at Fingask Castle, Scotland. We would like to find a time when schools in Africa, America, Australia, Germany, Norway and Britain are all on holiday. We are particularly keen to attract children, who are well catered for here. At the moment Andrew has available in his diary all the weekends in July & August 2014, however, on investigating school break-ups, we find that only 11-13 July 2014 might work for all. If you would like to come, but that date is impossible PLEASE let us know asap.

What we are planning is a week-end where all of us cousins stay at Fingask Castle with Andrew, who lives an hours drive from Balwyllo Farm, Angus, from where Robert McNair Scott’s father at the age of 17, left during the Scottish Diaspora, to make his fortune in the East in 1851.

In honour of the Scottish side of our family we are planning a dinner with Scottish reels on the Sunday night, with a rehearsal for those of us who may not reel regularly, or at all, on the Saturday evening. During the weekend, day trips can be arranged to Balwyllo and other sites of family or other interest.

There are a number of self-catering cottages of different sizes at Fingask which Andrew will be happy to allocate for free for the weekend to families on a first come basis. Details and pictures of the cottages may be found on the Fingask Castle website. Fingask can accommodate up to sixty people and there is accommodation in the area, from the basic to the luxurious, for many more.

We are thinking of getting a bolt of McFarlane/McNair tartan (McNairs are a subclan McFarlane) so that everybody can have a portion on their persons. We can have McNair ties, kilts or trews made up for men and skirts and jackets for women, children are encouraged to have them as well.

Getting to Fingask is not difficult: from London there are happy over-night trains to Dundee and/or Perth from Euston station. From London City Airport (located in the middle of the Thames) there are regular daily flights to Dundee. Fingask Castle is about 15 minutes by car from the Dundee airport, Gill, Andrew’s assistant, will be glad to arrange for taxi pick-ups. If numbers justify we may hire a plane for the journey to Dundee from London, if you might be interested in this please let us know, and we can investigate. Guests can also fly to Edinburgh airport; about 50 minutes drive from Fingask.

In the first instance we would be grateful if you would let us know, WITHOUT commitment, whether you might be interested in joining us, and please send comments & ideas for this stirpes gathering (stirpes is Latin for stirrup, a line of descendents from a common ancestor). Also, please forward this announcement to other siblings, great and great, great grandchildren and copy us with their names & coordinates, including e-mail addresses.
We do hope you will consider joining us, please respond by e-mail to both of us:

Robert McNair Scott: Robert McNair Scott, scottrmcn@cs.net. Son of Thomas Mc Nair Scott, eldest son of Robert & Alice

Andrew Murray Threipland: Andrew@fingask.org Son of Leslie Murray Threipland, youngest child of Robert & Alice.

Fingask Castle
Rait
Perthshire PH2 7SA
Telephone: 01821 670 777
andrew@fingaskcastle.com