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December 25, 2020

To all our Members of CLAN MENZIES and MENZIES CLAN SOCIETY,

WE WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Stay Safe and See You in 2021!

December 2020

Have yourself a Dull, Boring and Bland little Christmas:

How the “Trinity of  Tedium” will be celebrating this year…

Read article

Jamie and Tommy Pringle hit the headlines of ’The Sunday Post’. Nothing dull or boring when these two are on the scene!

17/12/2020. Pics of Tommy Pringle with his son, Jamie Pringle, beside the sign of Dull, their hometown near Aberfeldy,
which has been twinned with Boring in the USA. Location: Dull near Aberfeldy.

November 2020

A discovery of Archibald Menzies
by Graeme Menzies

Our First Free Event on Zoom!
Sat, November 21, 2020 – 8pm (BST) UK

Go to our Youtube Channel to watch the Video of our very first Zoom Webinar including a Q&A and Discussion and a follow up Postscript of a unique Event created and presented by Graeme Menzies and co-hosted with Sue Barnes. Post Video production by Sue Barnes.

Using rarely seen images and revealing little-known facts, Graeme Menzies presented an overview of his discovery of Archibald Menzies.

Amazed to discover the Vancouver, Canada, bust of Archibald Menzies was the only one in the world, Graeme Menzies spent uncounted hours researching the personal story and background of one of the eighteenth centuries most brilliant – and most overlooked – botanists.

In this illustrated presentation, Graeme Menzies revealed the little-known and startling backstory of the Scottish gardener who navigated the halls of power as skillfully as George Vancouver charted the west coast of North America.

Graeme identified some remaining mysteries yet to be solved, and he challenges you to help tell the rest of the Archibald Menzies story.

Thank you Graeme and Sue for a successful and very informative night!

November 2020

The Menzies Clan Society Newsletter #17 has dropped in your inbox today.

Congratulations Alastair Menzies for a terrific edition, the third this year which is a record! It is jampacked with articles both of our historical past and current news from our members around the Globe. Beautiful images pull at the heart strings for Castle Menzies and the Scottish Highlands and here is a sneak peak from a post on Facebook.

October 2020

An Update on Archie’s Gravesite at Kensal Green Cemetry in London.

Fran Gillespie writes;

Hi everyone, I thought I’d send you the most recent photo of AM’s grave which as you can see is being beautifully cared for by the wonderful lady who has taken on the job. She has planted a fine heather. She still refuses to accept any remuneration and has asked that instead I donate the ££ pa earmarked for that purpose to some charities, so I’ll be doing that.

Best wishes,

Fran

September 2020

We all need a laugh in 2020!!!

September 2020

Our very own Anne Menzies Fergusson who lives in Hamilton, Canada makes the headlines in tackling the COVID pandemic one step at a time.
We are not surprised as Anne and her sister Rose are always the life of the party at our annual Gathering at Castle Menzies!

August 2020

MENZIES HISTORY IN THE MAKING!

Update for the Menzies Clan Gathering August 2020.

We are delighted to announce a Virtual Gathering this year, which will premiere on our new Clan Menzies YouTube Channel.

Since cancelling our Gathering in Scotland due to the current pandemic, Council Members have been busy producing a one-off Virtual Gathering!

This exciting free to access programme will take place on Saturday August 8th 2020
and will feature some of our traditional activities, with a twist!

Save the date and keep an eye on our website clanmenzies.org and social media feeds for updates on the schedule of events and
how to confirm your place at our Clan Menzies digital celebration.

Look forward to seeing you virtually!

Tom Stone
Menzies Clan Society Gathering Organiser

July 2020

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Do you follow our Facebook page Menzies Clan Society?

If so you will be familiar with our series WEEKEND READING. This is one of our latest posts for all our Dewar whisky lovers!

Thomas Robert Dewar 6 January 1864 – 11 April 1930 

Witty, charming, a born salesman and a natural extrovert – Tommy Dewar was the polar opposite of his more serious-minded brother, John. But this most colourful of Scotch whisky characters helped build John Dewar & Sons into the global success it remains to this day.

Gavin D Smith tells his story.

‘​A teetotaller is one who suffers from thirst, instead of enjoying it.’

In a buccaneering era for blended Scotch whisky, when colourful characters were not thin on the ground, Thomas Robert Dewar, better known as ‘Tommy’, was one of the most vivid.

Born in Perth in 1864, he was the son of John Dewar, from a crofting family in the hamlet of Dull, near Aberfeldy. John had left home to work in his uncle’s wine and spirits business in the city of Perth, ultimately becoming a partner in 1837.

He set up his own business on Perth High Street in 1846, going on to blend and bottle whiskies. His elder son John became a partner in 1879, a year before his father’s death, while younger sibling Tommy joined the family company – renamed John Dewar & Sons Ltd – around 1881, also becoming a partner.

The two brothers could hardly have been more different in character, with the serious and understated John preferring to steer clear of the limelight and oversee operations from Perthshire, while Tommy was a flamboyant charmer and born salesman, with a ready wit and endless style.

At the age of 21 he was dispatched to London to try to develop business there, arriving with the names of two contacts who were to introduce him to key figures in the capital. Dewar was undeterred when one turned out to be bankrupt and the other recently deceased.

Thanks principally to his personal charm, wit and social skills, Dewar’s blended Scotch was soon on sale in all of London’s most fashionable restaurants and hotels. From around 1893 it was available at the Savoy Hotel, and Tommy Dewar has the record as the guest who stayed the longest – having a serviced apartment there from 1904 until his death in 1930.

Dewar was the toast of metropolitan society, with his much-quoted fund of humorous maxims becoming known as ‘Dewarisms’. These included lines like: ‘A philosopher is a man who can look at an empty glass with a smile’, or: ‘We have a great regard for old age when it is bottled’, and: ‘Of two evils, choose the more interesting.’

In 1893 John Dewar & Sons Ltd received Queen Victoria’s Royal Warrant for the supply of whisky, and Tommy numbered the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, among his friends, along with Thomas Lipton, who did for tea what Dewar did for blended Scotch. The two travelled and sailed yachts together, being dubbed by the press ‘Tea Tom’ and ‘Whisky Tom’. Tommy Dewar owned only the third motor car – a Benz – to be registered in Britain, after those belonging to the Prince of Wales and ‘Tea Tom’.

​​‘​Keep advertising and advertising will keep you.’

Dewar was a master of publicity, and, at the Brewers’ Show in Birmingham during the 1890s, the Dewar’s stand – the only one representing a whisky company – was allocated a remote corner of the hall, so Dewar employed a bagpiper in full Highland dress to play loudly and draw attention to the stand. The fuss made by this shameless stunt duly found its way into the newspapers, giving the whisky brand invaluable exposure.

He exploited the great opportunities offered by print advertisements and also had an eye-catching illuminated sign installed on the old Shot Tower near Waterloo Bridge in London. Using 1,400 coloured light bulbs, six miles of electric cable and a programmed circuit, the ‘advert’ featured a Highlander who poured and drank glass after glass of Dewar’s whisky, while his kilt appeared to sway in the breeze. The advert was 68ft high and was said to be the largest mechanical sign in Europe.

Most innovative of all, however, was what is claimed to be the first motion picture advert, also featuring Highlanders, which was screened on a New York rooftop around 1898 to much astonishment.

With business thriving, the Dewar brothers decided to build their own distillery to guarantee supplies of malt spirit, having initially acquired the small Tullymet distillery near Ballinluig in Perthshire. They operated this until 1910, but in the meantime constructed Aberfeldy distillery between 1896 and 1898, just a few miles from their father’s birthplace. Royal Lochnagar, Glen Ord, Pulteney, Aultmore, Parkmore and Benrinnes distilleries were all added to the company’s portfolio during the next couple of decades. Dewar’s also had shares in Yoker distillery near Glasgow and, along with W P Lowrie, purchased Port Ellen on Islay.

‘​We should not say how’s business, but where is business.’

By 1891, agents for Dewar’s were in place as far afield as South Africa and Australia, and the following year Tommy Dewar embarked upon an epic two-year world tour, visiting every continent in the world. By the time he returned home he had appointed 32 agents across 26 countries and opened a New York office. Dewar’s White Label was soon the leading blended Scotch whisky in the USA, a position it still holds to this day.

Tommy Dewar’s travel journals were fashioned into an entertaining book, entitled A Ramble Round the Globe, published in 1894 and, three years later, he was appointed the youngest ever Sheriff of London. Politically, he was a confirmed Tory and was elected as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of St George’s in the East End in 1900, serving for six years before losing his seat to a Liberal.

Knighted in 1902, after the accession of King Edward VII to the throne, he was created a baronet in 1917 and elevated to the peerage as Baron Dewar of Homestall in Sussex two years later. Brother John, whose vitally important role in the success of the family firm should never be underestimated, had become the first ‘Whisky Baron’ in 1917, assuming the title of Baron Forteviot of Dupplin.

The family firm had merged with that of James Buchanan in 1915, though each kept its separate identity. What was titled Buchanan-Dewar Ltd was ultimately absorbed by the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) in 1925, with John and Tommy taking seats on the DCL board.

Like his fellow blended whisky entrepreneur and rival James Buchanan, Tommy Dewar embraced the life of an English country gentleman, owning and breeding racehorses, as well as greyhounds, poultry, waterfowl and pigeons. During the First World War he lent his pigeons to the armed forces, and they were used to carry messages on various battle fronts.

In racing circles his best horses were Challenger and Cameronian. Both were home-bred by Dewar, with Cameronian winning the 1931 2,000 Guineas Stakes and Epsom Derby, while Challenger became the leading sire in the US after being sold to a new owner following Dewar’s death. This occurred in April 1930, when he was aged 66, only five months after his brother John’s death. Tommy Dewar was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium and, as he had never married, the baronetcy became extinct with his passing.

One apocryphal story nicely sums up the character of Tommy Dewar. The Scottish singer and comedian Sir Harry Lauder was a friend and frequent visitor to Dewar’s Homestall Manor estate. Lauder was known to be careful with his money, and liked to get something for nothing. He asked Dewar if he could have some of the pigeons he had bred to take home with him to Scotland. Dewar obliged, and the birds were duly caged and sent north with Lauder by rail.

What Tommy Dewar had neglected to tell Lauder, however, was that he had given him homing pigeons…

Article by Gavin D. Smith for scotchwhisky.com magazine.

June 2020

May 2020

Important Announcement!

After careful consideration, the Clan Council has reluctantly decided that this year’s Clan Gathering will not take place.

Tom Stone, Gathering Organiser said: “Having looked at all the factors involving travel, accommodation and existing restrictions on social distancing, it was unanimously agreed that we should not hold this year’s Gathering. Our primary priority and responsibility is for the health and well-being of Clan members and that coupled with some economic uncertainties, influenced our decision.
Additionally, the Castle Trust currently has no plans to open the Castle to visitors until late Summer.”

We look forward to seeing you at the Gathering in 2021 and will be working on making this an even more special event than usual.

Look out for some social media-based activities around the days of the Gathering this year as we plan to live-stream some activity from Clan members who live near the Castle!

April 2020

The Menzies Clan Society Magazine 2019/20 Edition out now!

Click our cover to open and read-

April 2020

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

“Archie hits the Perthshire Daily Record”
by Graeme Menzies, Organizer

Ted and I wanted you to be the first to see this article about your bust project. We hope this piece from the Perthshire Daily Record will help raise awareness of the project and encourage more people to get on board. A few other media in Canada have also expressed interest in our project, and we hope in time others will share the word. Thanks again for your support – please share this article with your personal network!

Cheers,

Graeme and Ted

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/perthshire-plant-hunter-honoured-bust

April 2020

“Menzies Clan Gathering 2020”

Update on COVID-19:

The Clan Council is meeting in early May to discuss our annual Clan Gathering at Castle Menzies, as we have had many enquiries for the event in August.

Bearing in mind the current Coronavirus situation globally, it is very much hoped that we will continue to have a 2020 Gathering, circumstances permitting. However this will depend on Government recommendations regarding gatherings of this nature and indeed the safety and health of all MCS members attending and of the Castle staff.

We will update members by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on our website clanmenzies.org after the May Council meeting.

Thank you all for your understanding!

April 2020

Easter Greetings from Castle Menzies!

March 2020

A Message from:

Chief David R. Steuart Menzies of Menzies

27 March 2020

It is during times like this that friends, family and our communications are most important. It is the spirit which embodies the Clan philosophy and during times of hardship where it comes to the fore. It is now when we must support, with calmness, generosity and kindness whils’t we cannot socialise as normal and must keep our distance. We can all communicate via telephone, social media and video calls. Think not just of those close to you but of those you have lost touch with or someone who might be lonely and reach out to them too. My thoughts are with the Clan in these troubled times; together we will find strength and unity in our shared history.

I wish you all good health and be safe.

Vil God I zal.

April 2020

ARCHIBALD MENZIES; CASTLE OR BUST!

Please Donate To our Fundraiser!

www.gofundme.com/f/the-menzies-bust-project

$$ for Stage One have been raised. That was the easy part! We now need to raise over $10,000 to get Archie ready to fly to Scotland and take his rightful place in the Walled Garden at Castle Menzies.

To donate to this very worthy cause for all Clan Menzies members, please go to gofundme.com

March 2020

Due to the COVID-19 Virus pandemic, the following Events have been cancelled:-

On June 6, 2020

*Allegany County Celtic Festival

On April 4, 2020

*MCSNA Annual General Meeting 1pm (New York)

* Tartan Day Parade (New York)

Contact Representatives of Canada and North America for all event inquiries including any interest in new events, fundraising or event hosting /co-hosting.

February 2020

How wonderful does Castle Menzies look even with all the flooding happening this month! Image credit:©️2020 Eleanor Laurie, posted on Facebook.

January 2020

A big thank you MCS Member Brian Menzies of Brisbane, Australia for sending us a copy of your most recently published book

‘PAWKY JOHN: The Life and Times of a Colonial Publican’

to be donated to Castle Menzies library..

What a great read!

This meticulously researched, real-life account begins with a perilous journey in a migrant ship and traces
the life and career of John Menzies, a Scottish mill-worker who became a publican in Brisbane, Australia between 1862 and 1881.

There are tales of larceny, murder and hard drinking; nights of celebrations and sporting victories;
the travels of a Prince on a Vice-Royal visit; the scandal and politics of the town council;
and the battle of rules between Australian football and Rugby.

Surprising stories and images reveal the music, food, inventions, costume and mood of the times.
With the writing style retaining the flavour of the era, the author provides a fascinating insight
into life in mid-nineteenth century Queensland.

BOOK LAUNCH SPECIAL
Limited-Time Offer $29.95 purchase through

www.pawkyjohn.com

NEW BOOKMARKS
Every online purchaser will now receive a FREE Pawky John bookmark !

Facebook: Pawky John : The Life and Times of a Colonial Publican – History Book