Welcome to our Scottish Newsletter - Issue 1.

St. Andrews Day - A Day to Remember

We would like to take this opportunity to say hello to our fellow Scots with Saint Andrews day fast approaching. Scots people and their ancestors are spread throughout the world, wherever Scots gather together Saint Andrews's day will be celebrated. You could say that we Scots like to wander but our thoughts are never far from hame.

What a fascinating and interesting place Scotland is!

What's in a name? Scotland ~ believed to have derived from the Celtic word "Scuit" meaning to rove/wander. During the 4th & 5th centuries, Irish Celts known as Scots settled here & gave their name to the country. Before this the Roman name for Scotland was Caledonia.

Also approaching is Hogmanay ~ a Scots tradition celebrated all over the world. In the past, common throughout Scotland, was the tradition of firing guns at midnight followed by men setting out to first foot all those houses to which they knew they would get a warm welcome. First footing is still popular today. The minimum requirement of a first footer is a bottle of whisky and a bannock or oatcake and this tradition is almost universal. The most common of all Hogmanay traditions has as its root the belief that New Year must begin on a happy note, with a clean break from all that may have been bad in the previous year thus the tradition of setting a New Years Resolution was founded.

One of Scotland's unique attractions ~ set in secluded woodland gardens deep in the forest of Ettrick 29 miles from Edinburgh is Traquair Castle, the oldest inhabited Castle in Scotland, which closed its main gates in 1745 after the visit of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. The then Fifth Earl of Traquair wished his guest a safe journey and promised that the gates would not be opened until the Stuarts were restored to the Scottish throne. Today, 256 years later the gates remain closed. The gates pillars are surmounted by two carved stone bears hence the name 'The Bear Gates.'

On our doorstep we have a historical figure in Betsy Miller ~ born & raised in Saltcoats. In 1847 at the age of 55 Betsy became the first woman captain of a British Ship to be registered in the British register of tonnage after taking over her father's ship. She captained the ship and her 14-man crew, sailing from Saltcoats to Dublin, until 1862 when she retired at the age of 70. Betsy saw her life out in comfort in her hometown of Saltcoats.

As Rabbie Burns would say 'Man to man, the world, o'er shall brithers be for a' that'.

Baxters Jewellers
P.O. Box 8631
Saltcoats
Ayrshire
KA21 5YF
Scotland, UK.
VAT Registration: 293 487 808
Tel: +44 (0)1294 469241
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