Mystery of 180-year-old medal solved
The Royal Scottish Highland Games Association (RSHGA) got a surprise this week when a message arrived from the USA seeking help to identify a 180-year-old family heirloom.
Bruce Williams of New York contacted the RSHGA to say that 40 years ago, when visiting family in Inverness, he was given a silver plaid brooch with an inscription that has been a mystery for decades. The front is engraved with thistles, the date “1845” and initials “D.C.H.F.S”. The back is engraved in an elegant script “To Jas McPherson for Pibrochs”.
Being a bagpipe player himself, Bruce was keen to find out more and was delighted when Alasdair MacDonald at the RSHGA was able to immediately identify the awarding body as the ‘Dunkeld Caledonian Highland Friendly Society’. Alasdair was also able to point to a press article from the Perthshire Advertiser of 10th July 1845 which reported that at the meeting of that society, a “handsome silver Brooch” was presented for Pibroch to J. McPherson, Fonab. In a twist to the tale, it was also reported that he was judged to be the “best attired Highlander” and awarded “a silver-mounted Snuff-Mull”.
Further research revealed that Jas. McPherson was one of the Pipers to Lord Glenlyon of Blair Atholl; other contemporary press reports show him winning more Pibroch competitions. Bruce was delighted to hear all this – the search is now on for the Snuff-Mull!
