Past Chieftains

CHIEFTAINS of
THE MANILA ST ANDREW’S SOCIETY

(as listed in the Manila Club Historical Archives compiles by
Angus Campbell 23/9/91 and updated by Heather Price June 2007)

Elected In      Name
(As the Caledonian Club)
1903 George Gilchrist
1905 George Gilchrist
1906 R. S. Menzies
1910 Alexander Yuill
1911 John Thomas Babington MacAulay McLeod
1916 R. D. Fergusson
(As the Manila St Andrew’s Society)
1925 James Walter Cairns
1930 Donald Marshall
1936 E.C.r Thomas
1949 Robert Orr Ferguson
1957 Robin F.R. Duncan
1958 Iain McKerchar
1960 Gordon Weatherstone MacKay
1961 Mark Pringle
1962 Alexander T. Brooks
964 G.C.M. (Jock) Grossett
1965 Ian P Bruce
1966 James F. G.Tait
1967 John Leiper Wood
1968 David Omand MacDougall
1969 James Kirk Steele
1971 Brian r N Murray
   James Smillie
1972 Robert Walker Campbell
1973 Alexander T Brooks
1974 Alexander T Brooks/ Douglas Sexton McIntosh
1976 Robert Iain James Naylor
1977 Alexander Benjamin Jeffs
1978 Robert Strachan McDonald
1978 John Matheson (woccle) Cleland
1980 Victor Hawkins
1981 Kenneth Charles Stuart
1982 David Russel
1983 William McDougall
1984 Malcolm Bell
1985 Ian Reid
1986 Graeme Munro
1987 Ross Moodie
1988 Guthrie Haxton
1989 Alan Walkingshaw
1990 Percy Weatherall
1991 Eric Milne
1992 David Wallace
1993 Martin Fraser
1994 Eric Milne
1995 Grant Gordon
1996 Alan Caldwell
1997 Fiona Galloway
1998 Alistair Knox/ Seamus Gallacher
1999 Heather McKerchar Price
2000 Heather McKerchar Price
2001 Heather McKerchar Price
2002 David Wallace
2003 John McCann
2004 John Milne
2005 Scott Fowler
2006 Scott Fowler
2007 Hamish Andrew Moore
2008 Hamish Andrew Moore
2009 Hamish Andrew Moore
2010 Ian Meikle
2011 Andrew Prentice (Part of the year)
  Hamilton McLeod (Completed the term)

King Kenneth I

(843-858) "Kenneth the Hardy"

Kenneth Mac Alpin is generally considered the first king the united Scots of Dalriada and the Picts, and so of Scotland, north of a line between the Forth and Clyde rivers.

Ancient Gaelic-speaking people of northern Ireland settled in western Scotland sometime in the 5th century AD. Originally (until 10th century) "Scotia" often denoted Ireland, and the inhabitants Scotia were Scoti. [This is of course based upon the area of Ireland where the Scoti dwelt]. This ancient Dalriadic land, later the area of Argyll and Bute, where these Scots settled, became known as the kingdom of Dal Riada the counterpart to Dal Riata in Ireland. St. Columba introduced them to Christianity and helped raise one person, Aidan, to the kingship Scottish Dalriada in 574.

This is echoed by the later inauguration of the Lords of the Isles, whose own inauguration ceremonies at Finlaggan on Islay purposely recalled the kings of Dalriada. Other centres of this ancient seat, (seemingly to be connected with the tribute of grains), are at locations of other ancient royal forts, notably: Dunollie (Oban), Tarbert and Dunaverty (Kintyre).

They then expanded eastward into what came to be known as the Forest of Atholl and Strathearn (from the river Earn) and northward into the area of Elgin. The union of the lands of modern Scotland began in 843, when Kenneth MacAlpin, then King of the Dalriada, became also king of the Picts and Scots (within a few years, joined "Pict-land" to "Scot-land" to form the kingdom of Alba).

By 1034, by inheritance and warfare the Scots had secured hegemony over not only Alba but also Lothian, Cumbria, and later Strathclyde--roughly the territory of modern mainland Scotland, except for the far north and the western Isles. In the 12th century the kingdom was divided into Scotland, Lothian, and Galloway; later Scotland came to be the name for the whole land, and all its inhabitants came to be known as Scots, whatever their origin.

The 11th century Duan Albanach, Scotland's earliest Gaelic poem, still gives the country this name, and it remains the Gaelic term for Scotland to this day. But 'Scotland' superceded it in the new language of the Lowland administration, whilst Alba (Albany) was relegated to the title of a royal dukedom in 1398.

Ciniodh (Kenneth) MacAlpin, known aslo as "Kenneth the Hardy", was believed born around the year 810 AD, but later took the Christian name of Kenneth. His father, Alpin MacEochaid, was king of Scots in name only, as at that time some of the area around Dalriada was actually ruled by the Picts of Caledonia.

His mother is said to have been either a daughter of Achalas, King of Argyllshire or a princess of the royal lines of the Picts. In either case, he was born into a strong royal bloodline. On his father's side he could lay claim as righful heir to the throne of Dalriada and his mother's bloodline gave him the right to petition for the throne of South Pictland, or Caledonia, to use the Roman term.

By Pictish marriage custom, inheritance passed through female (matriarchal descent) and Kenneth's maternal ancestry probably provided some claim to the Caledonian throne, to which now he applied himself.

Though a marriage to the daughter of Constantine (his second cousin) increased his standing, his petition was not accepted during the next four ascensions of the Caledonian Crown. Now Kenneth's sovereignty of Dalriada was regarded as an obstacle to his becoming Ard-righ (High King) of Alban just as there is was sometimes a tendency to prevent the merging of two ancient noble families or houses.

The Pictish nobles seem to have resisted his claim and it appears to have taken several years for Kenneth to gain rule over all of the Picts. In the reign of Drust, the last Pictish King of Caledonia, it is said that Kenneth planned and executed an episode that is now known as 'MacAlpins treason'.

Less than eight years had passed since the disastrous defeat by the Vikings in c. 839 and Caledonian rule was still greatly weakened. The country was largely occupied by Viking forces, and he could not mount any serious challenge to their forced authority. It was in those conditions, c. 847 AD, that Kenneth invited the seven remaining Mormaers (Earls) of Caledonia to court to discuss his claim to the throne.

According to legend, a great banquet was held at Scone which had become the sacred centre of Pictavia, and the guests were plied with food and wine. Late in the evening, after the guests - including Drust the King - were sufficiently inebriated, they were attacked and slaughtered by Kenneth's men in a scene right from a Shakespearean tragedy and treachery.

This is but one version of "MacAlpin's Treason", of which, as with many oral traditions, there are many. One version of the story tells of the benches, on which the mormears were seated, being pulled out from under them, dropping them into a killing pit. Such was the way of Kings of Scotland in this era.

Kenneth cleared the way for his claim to the throne of Caledonia and was crowned not long after in the Pictish monastery of Scone on the ancient Stone of Destiny. This traditions exists, to the present day, the Coronation Stone for all the British monarchs, becoming King of the Picts as well as the Scots (although officially there is only a king/queen of all Britian).

The Stone of Destiny (or Scone) has a sacred, religious and ceremonial heritage to the Scots dating back to the 6th - 7th century when the stone, then called the Li Fail and once used to crown the Irish kings at Tara. Allegedly, the stone was brought by Fergus (MacErc) to Dalriada.

There are a great many legends about the origins of the stone, but despite the legendary claims it seems to have been quite an indigenous rock. Over time it became known as the Stone of Scone, in reference to its new location in Scone. (The seat of Alba). Kenneth MacAlpin, now king of the Scots and the Picts, and the whole of Scotland north of the Forth and Clyde established Alba, the first united kingdom in Scotland.

Kenneth has a skillful reputation in politics as well as warfare, at a time when being a successful warrior was the only way to hold on to power. It is said that he was proclaimed king at Scone, a masterstroke as this was in the centre of Pictish territory, and brought with him the Stone of Destiny.

He ruled until his death as Kenneth I, King of Alba, the New Kingdom created by the combination of the two previous nations. During this time he seems to have made some further conquests against factions of the resisting Picts and possibly invaded Lothian, Dunbar and Melrose. After attacks on Iona by Vikings he removed relics of St. Columba, probably in 849 or 850, to Dunkeld, which became the headquarters of the Scottish Columban church.

Kenneth I died in 858, near Scone in Pictish territory, and was buried on the island of Iona. Upon his death in c. 858, his brother Donald became King and ruled as a member of the House of Alpin. Kenneth MacAlpin was the founder of the dynasty that ruled Scotland for centuries.

As usual with early history there is more than a touch of myth and legend surrounding him. It isn't wholly accurate to say that he united the Picts and Scots for the first time, as several kings had already done so. The significance of Kenneth's reign is that after him the Picts and Scots stayed united. Nevertheless, he remains one of the most important of early Scottish rulers and the most important leader of a young and struggling nation.

http://skyelander.orgfree.com/alpin.html

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