The more research I do into the Kirkpatrick clan, the more I love and respect ‘em. No doubt there were exceptions, but for the most part I’m finding tales of love, strength, dignity and loyalty. Those who knew them seemed to be unwaveringly devoted to them. The Kirkpatricks as a whole lived life with a wicked sense of humour, strong family ties and a mighty work ethic.
My grand-uncle, Samuel T. Kirkpatrick’s “words for posterity” pretty much sum up the family code: “Live life with enthusiasm, with moderation, with service, and sympathy for less fortunate people in the world.”
More examples of the Kirkpatrick viewpoint:
Family legend tells that when many Native children in Canada were being put into residential schools the B.C. Kirkpatricks refused to break up their families in this way. They chose to remain strong family units, teaching their children how to play musical instruments and become industrious, contributing members of society. (Most of us Western Canadian Kirks have at least a smattering of Native blood.)
Another family legend tells of how some of the first American generations went south to Georgia, then came back north again because they were disgusted with the idea of slavery.
Going back even further to old Scotland, we see this about Sir James Kirkpatrick (d. 1804) in Records of the Closeburn Kirkpatricks by Major-General C. Kirkpatrick:
The Dumfries Weekly Journal of the 12th June 1804 described him as “the representative of an ancient and respectable family, which had inherited that estate in succession, for upwards of seven hundred years. Descended from this ancient race, he was inferior to none of his predecessors in that generous spirit and fortitude by which they were distinguished. Mild, gentle and courteous in his manners, he possessed at the same time that firmness and stability of mind which made him tenacious of his purposes, constant in his friendships, and steady in his principles. His principles were no other than the two great sources of human excellence – piety to God, and benevolence to men”. etc.
In another obituary reference to him it was said:- “His publick character was strongly marked by disinterestedness [free from bias or partiality] by generosity and by a firm determined spirit. Possessing in a high degree all the publick and social affections, he was always amongst the first to promote any measure which he considered as of general utility and never suffered his own private interest to stand in the way of what appeared to him to be a publick good. Warm and stead in his friendships, he never deserted those to whom he once attached himself, nor declined any exertions, however inconvenient for himself, that could [be] beneficial to them.
When I was tramping through graveyards in Scotland, over and over again I saw words like “deeply loved” and “we miss thee, dear” on Kirkpatrick gravestones.
But the story that has moved me the most in my genealogical studies so far is the tale of Alexander Richard Kirkpatrick of Dublin, Ireland (1813 – 1891). He was a scholar at Cambridge and was called to the Bar in 1840, according to Chronicles of the Kirkpatrick Family written by Alexander de Lapere Kirkpatrick.
From the book:
Mr. Kirkpatrick was beloved by all who knew him, rich and poor; the grief evinced by the latter at his funeral was very striking, and many and most touching were the tokens received by his family of their affection for him. Whilst on his other properties it was said by both Priests and others that they had never seen such deep and widespread grief, extending even to the children. He was carried to his grave by his own tenants, several of them quite poor, who had come a long distance, and at no small cost, but they looked on him as a Father and a Friend.
Wow. Would that we all could be remembered this way upon our passing.
From the book Records of the Closeburn Kirkpatricks by Major-General C. Kirkpatrick, C.B., C.B.E.:
When the loch [at Closeburn Castle] was drained in 1859, a number of relics were found. Amongst those, was an oak canoe 12 feet long in a good state of preservation. This was sent to the Antiquarian Museum in Edinburgh. The tradition is it was used to carry the dead of the Kirkpatricks across the loch to the family tomb in Closeburn kirkyard.
The 3rd Baronet [Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick] had the family coat of arms carved over the gateway of the tomb, with the Grierson fetlock impaled (his wife’s coat of arms; the addition conforming to heraldic custom).
The words engraved on the stone, read;- “vanitas omnia vanitas” [vanity, all is vanity], and inside, on the walls over the gateway, is inscribed:-
“Nos, nostraque Morte dobemus
Majoribus posterisque
De Closeburn Baronetus
Extratruendum curavit. 1742″.
“Sic transit gloria mundi”.
Signifying, Sir Thos. Kirkpatrick Baronet of Closeburn caused this to be created A.D. 1742.
“We and our relatives
have all to die.”
Thus earthly glory passes”.
Hardly an original thought, but a true prophecy, for his house went up in flames six years later, and he lost all his possessions.
Detail of one of the engravings on the Kirkpatrick mausoleum at the old Closeburn kirkyard.
This is the same mausoleum I wrote of in this post – the one of the skull wearing glasses!
When I first began researching my family history, I was brought again and again to John and Carol Kirkpatrick’s website. Although the homepage needs a serious facelift, it’s what’s inside the site that makes a visit worthwhile.
Judging by the surname list and the name index, this site must have hundreds, if not thousands of pages of fabulous information. With it, I was able to take my family tree back several generations from where our records ended. I found my grandparents’ information onsite and even emailed John to give him my own information, which he added.
From what I can tell, this site is constantly evolving and being updated as visitors contribute information. With it, I have been able to find where my tree joins with distant cousins’ trees, for instance, or with someone’s whom I’ve met through this blog. The notes give interesting stories and background info and sources are scrupulously named.
One caveat is that it doesn’t look as though the site is being updated any longer. Pages are starting to look dated and my last email to them has remained unanswered for some time. Still, for the sheer volume of Kirkpatrick information, jpkirkpatrick.com is a priceless resource.
Kirkpatrick family researchers have read the story many times about how Sir Roger Kirkpatrick aided Robert the Bruce in killing Comyn in Greyfriars Church. But could we have spun the story just a little? Could it be the that great Bruce was in fact an opportunist and that things didn’t happen exactly the way we have handed the story down through the ages?
The records are pretty explicit about how our family crest was given to us by the Bruce in gratitude for our loyalty (the Kirkpatrick and Bruce families had been close for generations), and perhaps the words “Mak siccar” were actually uttered by Sir Roger, but what about the circumstances surrounding the murder itself?
Undiscovered Scotland, in its article on Robert the Bruce, paints a slightly less than flattering picture:
By the end of 1305 there were signs that Edward I believed that Bruce was plotting against him: but Bruce’s repeated switching of sides meant he was also little trusted by many in Scotland. Bruce, it seems, was planning to seize the arguably vacant crown of Scotland for himself. His main obstacle in Scotland was John III Comyn. On 10 February 1306 the two met to discuss their differences in the safe and neutral Church of the Grey Friars in Dumfries. It seems they disagreed, either because both wanted the Scottish crown for themselves, or because Comyn refused to lend his support to Bruce’s planned uprising against the English. Robert Bruce drew a dagger and stabbed Comyn in front of the high altar of the church. Bruce fled the church, telling waiting comrades outside what had happened. One of them, Sir Roger Kirkpatrick, went back in and finished off the seriously wounded Comyn.
It is unlikely that Bruce had gone to the meeting intending to murder the leading member of the most powerful family in Scotland: and certainly not in a place that caused revulsion in an age well used to savagery. But the die was cast and Bruce had no choice but to press on with his plans, in very different circumstances to those he had hoped for. His first move was to take the strongholds of the Comyns in Southern Scotland. His second was to confess his crime to the Bishop of Glasgow and receive absolution, on condition that as King he would be suitably respectful of the church. There is strong evidence that Bruce’s plans – the murder of Comyn aside – were supported in advance by many in the Church in Scotland.
And this segment from the fabulous A History of Scotland series from BBC tells a similar story.
So, which is it? Did Sir Roger voluntarily and impulsively state “I make sure” before finishing off Comyn? Or did the Bruce send him in afterward, possibly at the urging of the clergy, to do the dastardly deed? And does it really matter? After a faulty start, Robert the Bruce went on to become one of Scotland’s great heroes who did much to garner her independence from England.
A repost from an old blog of mine that still has a lot of valuable advice in it. I should follow my own advice! ;)
I am sitting here in my office, feeling only slightly less overwhelmed than I did yesterday. I feel scattered, with several things I want to study up on, emails I need to write, websites I need to work on, marketing I need to begin, a manual I need to complete – well, you get the picture.
Starting a new venture is exciting and fun, but a little scary, too. Time to dust off some tried and true coping strategies I have used over the years to stay organized and prioritized. Maybe some of these will help you.
Create that To Do List: This really is the number one life saving tip of the day, simple as it sounds. Not only does it help you prioritize, it also “clears your head.” Write down every, single thing you can think of, from developing a marketing plan to watering the plants. For huge tasks, break them down into manageable steps. Then number them from most to least important.
Act on the To Do List: While purging your mind and organizing all your items on paper is a great psychological boost, it’s only ink on paper until you actually start working it. Start with No. 1 and work your way down. You will not get everything done on day one, but even if you only get the top three items completed you will have made great progress. That’s the three most important things that needed attention now out of the way! The To Do List is a morphing thing, growing, shrinking and changing shape as your days progress. Tomorrow you’ll add new tasks, re-prioritize, then start marching right on down that list again. What a sense of accomplishment that gives at the end of the day!
Bust that Procrastination Habit: Fear and old baggage and all kinds of nasty things can sabotage us, causing us to procrastinate. Feeling overwhelmed can also stop us from moving forward (that’s where the To Do List comes in handy). I used to be the Queen of Procrastination and only with a lot of diligence and hard work have I been able to overcome it. I still struggle with it at times, but I’ve come a long way. Some things that help me are:
Reverse engineer your goals: Take stock of where you are now and where you want to be in a year, five years and ten years. Dream big and don’t worry about how you’re going to get there just yet. Then start breaking your goals down into sub-goals, then sub-sub-goals. Decide what you can begin working on TODAY and add it to your To Do List. Even the tiniest move forward on a long-term goal can be very inspiring. Write the outline of your book or sign up for that class you need TODAY.
Don’t try to do it all at once. As they said on What About Bob? , “Baby steps. Baby steps.” This goes with No. 1 above. Keep your general focus on the end result, but your day-to-day focus on the incremental steps needed to achieve it. Treat it like a job and try to do at least one thing per day that takes you closer to your goal.
Reward yourself: Aside from the great sense of accomplishment you will feel from advancing toward your dreams, an occasional treat to celebrate your progress will also provide a psychological boost. Go get an ice cream cone or spend a lazy afternoon with a book at your favorite coffee shop.
Surround Yourself With Good people: There will always be nay sayers and jealous folks in your life who will try to keep dragging yourself back to where they are, but you don’t need to let them. Seek out the friends who make you feel good about yourself and who can offer good advice or even just act as sounding boards. Entrepreneurial people will be able to brainstorm with you, strong and positive people can be your pillars of strength when you are feeling overwhelmed. Likewise, you can offer support to them!
Keep Balanced: A new venture is like a new lover; you want to spend all your time with it, to the exclusion of everything else. Force yourself to keep a reasonably balanced approach to everything. Make time for family and friends, your spiritual needs, recreation and renewal – even if you have to schedule them into your calendar or add them to your To Do List. This will help avert hurt feelings and stress on you. A balanced life is a far more rewarding one, don’t you agree?
Be Gentle With Yourself: Sure, you may need to boot yourself in the butt now and then to get motivated. What I am talking about here, though, is to not beat yourself up if you fail to do what you expect yourself to do. We all occasionally fail at something, some of us more often than others. Be gentle with yourself and forgive yourself. Give yourself permission to get up, dust yourself off and try again.
I am sure there are many more ways people keep themselves organized and focused, but these are my basics. I’d be interested in hearing any ideas others come up with.
There now. I can scratch “Write Blog Entry” from my To Do List!
If you’re like me, you’re getting seriously fed up with all the media hype about H1N1. I guess when the MJ hoopla died down they had to find something to rant about to sell papers.
As more and more friends and family get (and get over) the flu, I’m noticing that it’s really no more intense than a lot of other flus we’ve had in the past. Most are sick for a few days and that’s it.
So, why all the hype? Follow the money trail and you’ll see. Who stands to benefit from this so-called crisis? Well, from where I’m standing, it looks to be the media and the pharmaceutical companies that make the vaccines.
I stumbled upon a little blog post today that echos my sentiments. There are a growing number of us who are saying, “Wait a minute. This is stupid.” Davey Wavey is one of them. He did a little research and says, “…more than 20,000 Americans die of the flu each year anyway. And that’s from the days before H1N1.” Hello.
Read the rest of Davey’s blog post here. (Warning, some buff male bodies in the right-hand column. Let’s just say that Davey Wavey’s blog is not one you’d expect a straight, 50-something grandma to frequent. Hee hee…)
When I was in Scotland I found an old mausoleum that had some carvings around the inside wall. One of them was of a skull that seemed to be wearing glasses. I have searched the ‘Net and can’t seem to find an explanation – does anyone know anything about this type of carving?
Around the walls there was also an inscription that said in Latin, Sic Transit, Gloria Mundi, which apparently means, “And so the glory of this world shall fade.”
Interesting puzzle, no? Any input would be welcome! By the way, the mausoleum was apparently erected in 1742.
Well, the longer I keep this blog running, the more I realize that the majority of the visitors here are looking for solid information on research into the Kirkpatrick family history. I say, good on ya! There is so much misinformation out there and I want to help you (and me) figure out what’s true and what’s not.
To that end, I’m thinking of forming a “community” for us here – a place where we can discuss our research and share our branches of the family tree. You wouldn”t have to be a genealogy buff to participate – do you know your own branch and the place where you live? You do? Then you’re in! Of course, if you can offer tidbits of research that may help us all figure out where we’re from, you would be welcome to share that, too.
I would be interested to hear if there is a call for that kind of thing. Are you interested?
One of the things I really wanted to see when we were in Scotland last year (and which will be on my must-see list for our next visit) was Rosslyn Chapel. This gorgeous structure has become the topic of much debate and even some controversy over recent years. The St. Clair family (now more commonly known as Sinclair) began work on the chapel back in 1446.
One of the first St. Clairs to settle in Scotland was allegedly “William the Seemly.” He is said to have brought a portion of the True Cross or ‘Holy Rood’ to Scotland, according to the Rosslyn Chapel website. Wikipedia says that in a later generation, William Sinclair, Second Earl of Caithness, was “the person reputed to have brought Enochian Magick to Scotland.” Whoa!
Believe it or not, there is a Kirkpatrick connection to Rosslyn, found in the marriage of Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick to Margaret Sinclair, daughter of the famous St. Clairs. Here is what Alexander de Lapere Kirkpatrick has to say in his Chronicles of the Kirkpatrick Family, published in the 1800’s:
Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn [son of Henry, who married Dame Elizabeth Grierson, daughter of the Baron of Lagg] m. Margaret Sinclair, dau. of the Lord of Rosslyn, d. 1515, succeeded by his only son, Thomas…
There sure were a lot of Thomas Kirkpatricks back then – and Rogers!
More about Sir Thomas is given in Records of the Closeburn Kirkpatricks, written by Major-General C. Kirkpatrick in the early 1900’s. He says:
Thomas was taken prisoner at the battle of Solway Moss 1542. He married Dame Margaret Sinclair, daughter of the second Earl of Caithness [the Enochian Magick guy mentioned above]. According to sasine record he was succeeded by his son Roger.
But here’s where it gets confusing. The Chronicles, quoted above, says that our Sir Thomas died in 1515 and Burke’s Landed Gentry of Scotland agrees. But this quote says he was captured in 1542, which would have been impossible if he died in 1515, and Kirkpatrick of Closeburn (unknown author) says it was Sir Thomas’ son, another Thomas, who married Margaret Sinclair:
Sir Thomas, who, on the 22nd June, 1515, got a Brief from the King’s Chancery to be served heir to his father, married Margaret Sinclair, daughter of the second Earl of Caithness, who was killed at the battle of Flodden, 1513, and sister of the third Earl who was killed in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain possession of the Orkney islands, to which he alleged a claim…
Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick was one of that convention of Prelates, Earls, and great Barons, appointed to meet in Edinburgh, 24th June 1545, (Keith’s History) which led to the signal successes of that year, when the English army was defeated at Ancram, their generals killed, and above 1000 men made prisoners; which was followed up by an inroad into England, and avenged by the Earl of Hertford, who ravaged the western borders of Scotland; the result being great misery inflicted on both countries, without any advantage to either.
He died in 1560, without issue [offspring], and was succeeded by his nephew Roger. In the following year his widow, Dame Margaret Sinclair Lady Closeburn, granted a discharge of her jointure, to her dearest and best beloved nephew, Roger Kirkpatrick of Closeburn.
Because of the detail of this last quote, my inclination is to accept it as the accurate one, but more research will be needed to prove it.
Not much else is known of Dame Margaret but here’s an interesting tidbit; Margaret Trudeau, wife of the late Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, was also Margaret Sinclair. I wonder if there’s a connection.
One of the highlights of our trip to Scotland last year was Edinburgh. We happened to hit town during the Fringe Festival and the music, people and vibrant sights are burned in my memory (and stored on my harddrive) forever.
The Scots are brilliant and resourceful, so it comes as no surprise that they are eying urban agriculture as an important way to address “the many problems associated with the globalisation of the food system, urbanisation and increasingly intensified agriculture.”
According to the summary of Jake Butcher’s dissertation to the University of Edinburgh, a “recent increase in urban food production has been stimulated by both the recognised advantages which it brings in terms of health, recreation and urban sustainability and by the solution which it represents to the many problems associated with the globalisation of the food system, urbanisation and increasingly intensified agriculture.”
A repost from an old blog of mine that still has a lot of valuable advice in it. I should follow my own advice! ;)
