94-674: Glenbranter is a hamlet and former estate, once owned by Sir Harry Lauder , on the northwest shore of Loch Eck in the Argyll Forest Park , on the Cowal Peninsula , in Argyll and Bute , West of Scotland . The River Cur passes the main entrance to the hamlet, it flows under the two arch bridge called Bridend . Built around c1806, as part of the road reconstruction between Strachur and Ardentinny . The bridge has been designated since August 1980 (LB18186). Lauder bought
188-935: A Free Church named after him there. James Anderson lists 39 Covenanting "martyrs" who were imprisoned on the Bass: Patrick Anderson , William Bell , Robert Bennet of Chesters , John Blackadder , Sir Hugh Campbell , Sir George Campbell , John Campbell , Robert Dick , John Dickson , James Drummond , Alexander Dunbar , James Fithie , Alexander Forrester , James Fraser , Robert Gillespie , Alexander Gordon , John Greig , Thomas Hog , Peter Kid , John Law , Joseph Learmont , William Lin , James Macaulay , John M'Gilligen , James Mitchell , Alexander Peden , Michael Potter , John Rae , Archibald Riddell , Robert Ross , Thomas Ross , Gilbert Rule , George Scot , Alexander Shields , William Spence , John Spreul (apothecary) , John Spreul (town clerk) , John Stewart , and Robert Traill . Charles Maitland held
282-653: A Covenanter who attempted to assassinate the Archbishop of St Andrews . Mitchell was tortured, imprisoned on the Bass Rock and eventually also executed. A pibroch was written by Iain Dall MacAoidh (MacKay), commemorating Neil Bhass' imprisonment and escape from the island, entitled "The Unjust Incarceration". It also featured as the cover photograph of the 1967 album "Gateway To The Forth" by Jimmy Shand & his Band. The Bass Rock appears as background in
376-605: A Lassie , A Wee Deoch-an-Doris , and Keep Right On To The End of the Road , which is used by Birmingham City Football Club as their club anthem. He starred in three British films: Huntingtower (1927), Auld Lang Syne (1929) and The End of the Road (1936). He also appeared in a test film for the Photokinema sound-on-disc process in 1921. This film is part of the UCLA Film and Television Archive collection; however,
470-641: A brief visit on 25 July. Lauder departed Sydney for the USA on board the liner SS Ventura on Saturday 27 July 1929, a ship he was familiar with. In 1934–5, his brother John spent 10 months with him in Scotland. Sir Harry Lauder's 1925 reception in South Africa has never been equalled in that country. En route to Australia, he and his wife arrived in Cape Town at Easter. Over twenty thousand people had lined
564-675: A castle on the island from an early date. Sir Robert de Lawedre is mentioned by Blind Harry in The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace as a compatriot of William Wallace , and Alexander Nisbet recorded his tombstone in 1718, in the floor of the old kirk in North Berwick : "here lies Sir Robert de Lawedre, great laird of the Bass, who died May 1311". Five years later his son received that part of
658-547: A decade. On 8 January 1910, the Glasgow Evening Times reported that Lauder had told the New York World that, during his mining career: I was entombed once for 6 long hours. It seemed like 6 years. There were no visible means of getting out either – we had just to wait. I was once right next to a cave-in when my fire boss was buried alive. As we were working and chatting a big stone twice as big as
752-599: A fourteen-year-old in 1428. He was kept there as a hostage after his father, Aonghas Dubh (Angus Dhu) of Strathnaver in Sutherland , was released, as security. According to one website Following the murder of King James at Perth in 1437 Neil escaped from the Bass and was proclaimed 8th Chief of the Clan Mackay. After almost 600 years, the Lauders lost the Bass in the 17th century during Cromwell's invasion , and
846-631: A harsh punishment. An extraordinary chapter in the Bass Rock's history was its seizure by four Jacobites imprisoned in its castle, which they then held against government forces for nearly three years, 1691–1694. In 1688 the Catholic King James VII had been deposed by and replaced by William III of England and Mary II of England . During the ensuing years, supporters of exiled King James, known as ‘ Jacobites ’, fought unsuccessful wars of resistance in Scotland and Ireland, where Catholic allegiances were strongest. The Bass Rock's castle
940-753: A million dollars worth of bonds for Canada's Victory Loan . Through his efforts in organising concerts and fundraising appeals he established the charity, the Harry Lauder Million Pound Fund, for maimed Scottish soldiers and sailors, to help servicemen return to health and civilian life; and he was knighted in May 1919 for Empire service during the War. After the First World War, Lauder continued to tour variety theatre circuits. In January 1918, he famously visited Charlie Chaplin , and
1034-654: A reconsecration of the restored and ancient St Baldred's chapel on the Bass. In 1576 it was recorded that the church on the Bass, and that at Auldhame on the mainland, required no readers, doubtless something to do with the Reformation . During the 15th century James I consigned several of his political enemies, including Walter Stewart , to the Bass. In this period, many members of the Clan MacKay ended up there, including Neil Bhass MacKay (Niall "Bhas" MacAoidh), who gained his epithet from being imprisoned there as
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#17327832985861128-449: A trunk came tumbling down on my mate from overhead, doubling him like a jack-knife. It squeezed his face right down on the floor. God knows I wasn't strong enough to lift that rock alone, but by superhuman efforts I did. This gave him a chance to breathe and then I shouted. Some men 70 yards away heard me and came and got him out alive. A chap who worked beside me was killed along with 71 others at Udston, and all they could identify him with
1222-594: Is a short walk from the A815 road . The estate was the location of a work camp in the 1930s, part of the MacDonald National Government 's Instructional Centres scheme . Men were given three months' "training" on a workfare -like scheme. This Argyll and Bute location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sir Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder ( / ˈ l ɔː d ər / ; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)
1316-507: Is credited with giving the then 21-year-old portrait artist Cowan Dobson his opening into society by commissioning him, in 1915, to paint his portrait. This was considered to be so outstanding that another commission came the following year, to paint his son Captain John Lauder, and again another commission in 1921 to paint Lauder's wife, the latter portrait being after the style of John Singer Sargent . These three portraits remain with
1410-542: Is crossed by a curtain wall , which naturally follows the lie of the ground, having projections and round bastions where a rocky projection offers a suitable foundation. The parapets are battlemented , with the usual walk along the top of the walls. Another curtain wall at right-angles runs down to the sea close to the landing-place, ending in a ruined round tower, whose vaulted base has poorly splayed and apparently rather unskilfully constructed embrasures . The entrance passes through this outwork wall close to where it joins
1504-432: Is entitled simply The Bass , and gives a long description of the island, which is described as "just the one crag of rock, as everybody knows, but great enough to carve a city from". It was an unco place by night, unco by day; and there were unco sounds; of the calling of the solans [gannets], and the plash [splash] of the sea, and the rock echoes that hung continually in our ears. It was chiefly so in moderate weather. When
1598-477: Is fertile and supports a wide variety of plants. These include the Bass mallow which is otherwise only found on a few other islands, including Ailsa Craig and Steep Holm . Due to its imposing nature, prison and connection with Scottish history, the Bass has been featured in several fictional works. Robert Louis Stevenson had at least one strong connection with the Bass, as his cousin, David Stevenson , designed
1692-516: Is home to a large colony of gannets . The rock is uninhabited, but historically has been settled by an early Christian hermit , and later was the site of an important castle, which after the Commonwealth period was used as a prison. The island belongs to Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple , whose family acquired it in 1706, and before to the Lauder family for almost six centuries. The Bass Rock Lighthouse
1786-624: Is one of the very greatest countries in the world." Lauder was next in Australia (with his wife and her mother) in 1919, arriving at Sydney on 1 March on board the Oceanic Steamship Company 's liner S.S. Ventura , from San Francisco , and he was in situ at the Hotel Australia when he was formally notified that he was to be knighted upon his return to Britain. His next visit was in 1923 when his brother John
1880-572: The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra . Possibly Lauder's strongest connections were with Australia. Both Lauder, his wife and son, brother Matt and his wife, were all in Australia when World War I broke out. Their brother John had already emigrated, about 1906, to Kurri Kurri (and, later, Newcastle ), New South Wales, and Matt's eldest son John would also emigrate there in 1920. Lauder wrote that "every time I return to Australia I am filled with genuine enthusiasm.....it
1974-655: The Cowal peninsula in Argyll on the 13 October 1916, then sold it to the Forestry Commission in 1921. The estate later became part of the Argyll Forest Park established in 1935. The Invernoaden Estate house, in Glenbranter was demolished in 1956. Freemasonry He was initiated a Freemason on 28 January 1897 in Lodge Dramatic, No. 571, ( Glasgow , Scotland) and remained an active Freemason for
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#17327832985862068-854: The East Lothian coast including the Islands of the Forth . To the west are Craigleith , and the Lamb , Fidra and finally to the west of Fidra, the low-lying island of Eyebroughy . These are also mainly the result of volcanic activity. To the northeast can be seen the Isle of May off the coast of the East Neuk of Fife. Bass Rock stands more than 100 m (330 ft) high in the Firth of Forth Islands Special Protection Area which covers some but not all of
2162-611: The Glenbranter Estate on 13 October 1916; he sold it to the Forestry Commission in 1921 and it became part of the Argyll Forest Park in 1935. The Estate House was demolished in 1956. There is a memorial to Harry Lauder's son, Captain John Currie Lauder , of the 8th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders , who died at Pozières on 28 December 1916, during the First World War . The monument
2256-525: The Howard & Wyndham pantomime at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow , for which he wrote I Love a Lassie , made him a national star, and he obtained contracts with Sir Edward Moss and others. Lauder then made a switch from music hall to variety theatre and undertook a tour of America in 1907. The following year, he performed a private show before Edward VII at Sandringham , and in 1911, he again toured
2350-737: The Lord Provost of Edinburgh hosted a luncheon at the Edinburgh City Chambers to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Lauder receiving the Freedom of the City . On 4 August 2001 Gregory Lauder-Frost opened the Sir Harry Lauder Memorial Garden at Portobello Town Hall . BBC 2 Scotland broadcast a documentary, Something About Harry , on 30 November 2005. On 29 September 2007, Lauder-Frost rededicated
2444-678: The kilt and the cromach (walking stick) to huge acclaim, especially in America. Among his most popular songs were " Roamin' in the Gloamin' ", "A Wee Deoch-an-Doris ", "The End of the Road" and, a particularly big hit for him, "I Love a Lassie". Lauder's understanding of life, its pathos and joys, earned him his popularity. Beniamino Gigli commended his singing voice and clarity. Lauder usually performed in full Highland regalia— kilt , sporran , tam o' shanter , and twisted walking stick, and sang Scottish-themed songs. By 1911 Lauder had become
2538-715: The 1942 film Random Harvest , Greer Garson plays a member of a travelling troupe. She sings "She Is Ma Daisy" and tells jokes doing an impression of Lauder. Websites carry much of his material and the Harry Lauder Collection, amassed by entertainer Jimmy Logan , was bought for the nation and donated to the University of Glasgow . When the A199 Portobello bypass opened, it was named the Sir Harry Lauder Road . On 28 July 1987,
2632-424: The 2021 Stella Prize . The island is a volcanic plug of phonolitic trachyte rock of Carboniferous ( Dinantian ) age. The rock was first recognised as an igneous intrusion by James Hutton . Hugh Miller visited in 1847 and wrote about the rock's geology in his book Edinburgh and its Neighbourhood, Geological and Historical: with The Geology of the Bass Rock . It is one of a small number of islands off
2726-507: The Bass Rock, at that time the world's largest colony. In 2022 more than 5,000 dead birds were counted on a single day, following a whole-island drone survey undertaken by the University of Edinburgh , in a colony that normally had 150,000 birds. Susan Davies, chief executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre, said, "We know many more birds died before and after that. The scale of impact was heartbreaking to see." The soil
2820-669: The Bass for James VII for a brief period after the Scottish Convention declared him to be deposed. However, some of the prisoners were there for many minor misdemeanors. In 1678 Hector Allan, a Quaker in Leith was sentenced to a period on the Rock for "abusing and railing" (i.e. verbally insulting) Rev Thomas Wilkie of North Leith Parish Church. Although this was then commuted to imprisonment in Leith Tolbooth, this seems
2914-560: The Burslem Golf Course & Club at Stoke-on-Trent , which had been formally opened exactly a century before by Harry Lauder. In the 1990s, samples of recordings of Lauder were used on two tracks recorded by the Scottish folk / dance music artist Martyn Bennett . The Corkscrew hazel ornamental cultivar of common hazel ( Corylus avellana 'Contorta') is sometimes known as Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, in reference to
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3008-639: The December 1916 death of his son on the Western Front ; Lauder led successful charity fundraising efforts, organised a recruitment tour of music halls and entertained troops in France with a piano. He travelled to Canada in 1917 on a fundraising exercise for the war, where, on 17 November he was guest-of-honour and speaker at the Rotary Club of Toronto Luncheon, when he raised nearly three-quarters of
3102-603: The Gloamin' (1928 autobiography), My Best Scotch Stories (1929), Wee Drappies (1931) and Ticklin' Talks (circa 1932). Lauder made his first recordings, resulting in nine selections, for the Gramophone & Typewriter company early in 1902. He continued to record for Gramophone until the middle of 1905, most recordings appearing on the Gramophone label, but others on Zonophone . He then recorded fourteen selections for Pathé Records June 1906. Two months later he
3196-674: The London National Portrait Gallery (ref:NPG D2675). On 19 June 1891 Lauder married Ann, daughter of James Vallance, a colliery manager in Hamilton; their only son, Captain John Currie Lauder, was educated at the City of London School followed by a degree from Jesus College , Cambridge University . John became a captain in the 8th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders , and was killed in action on 28 December 1916 at Pozières . Encouraged by Ann, Lauder returned to
3290-640: The Scots"), published in 1521. Today, the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick has solar-powered cameras located on the island which beam back live close-up images of the seabirds to large screens on the mainland, just over a mile away. The images are sharp enough for visitors at the Seabird Centre to read the ID rings on birds' feet. The Seabird Centre has a range of cameras located on
3384-606: The United States never performed on Sundays. Lady Lauder died on 31 July 1927, at 54, a week after surgery. She was buried next to her son's memorial in the private Lauder cemetery on the 14,000 acre Glenbranter estate in Argyll, where her parents would later join her. Lauder's niece, Margaret (1900–1966), subsequently became his secretary and companion until his death. Lauder bought the Glenbranter Estate on
3478-611: The United States where he commanded $ 1,000 a night. In 1912, he was top of the bill at Britain's first ever Royal Command Performance , in front of King George V , organised by Alfred Butt . Lauder undertook world tours extensively during his forty-year career, including 22 trips to the United States—for which he had his own railway train, the Harry Lauder Special, and made several trips to Australia , where his brother John had emigrated. Lauder was, at one time,
3572-586: The adjacent island of Craigleith and within nearby Edinburgh , namely Arthur's Seat , Calton Hill and Castle Rock . The Bass does not occupy the skyline of the Firth quite as much as its equivalent in the Clyde, Ailsa Craig, but it can be seen from much of southern and eastern Fife , most of East Lothian, and high points in the Lothians and Borders, such as Arthur's Seat , and the Lammermuir . The island
3666-581: The attempts of the hero – David Balfour – to gain justice for James Stewart – James of the Glens – who has been arrested and charged with complicity in the Appin Murder . David makes a statement to a lawyer, and goes on to meet Lord Prestongrange – the Lord Advocate – to press the case for James' innocence. However his attempts fail as he is once again kidnapped and confined on the Bass Rock, until
3760-504: The birds were harvested for their eggs and the flesh of their young chicks, which were considered delicacies. It is estimated that in 1850 almost 2,000 birds were harvested from the rock. Other bird species that frequent the rock include guillemot , razorbill , shag , puffin , eider and numerous gulls . The natural history of the rock was written about almost five hundred years ago in John Mair 's De Gestis Scotorum ("The deeds of
3854-465: The castle of the Bass, Walter Stewart, the eldest son of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany , his cousin. The person who received the payments for the prisoner's support was Sir Robert Lauder", whom Tytler further describes as "a firm friend of the King". The second-last Lauder laird, George Lauder of the Bass died in his castle on the Bass in 1611. In May 1497 King James IV visited the Bass and stayed in
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3948-434: The castle subsequently (in 1671) became a notorious gaol to which for many decades religious and political prisoners, especially Covenanters were sent. The island has been called the Patmos of Scotland. Alexander Shields the Covenanting preacher, imprisoned on the island, later described the Bass as "a dry and cold rock in the sea, where they had no fresh water nor any provision but what they had brought many miles from
4042-404: The castle with a later Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass (d.bef Feb 1508). The boatmen who conveyed the King from Dunbar were paid 14 shillings. George Lauder of the Bass entertained King James VI of Scotland when he visited the Bass in 1581; the king was so enamoured that he offered to buy the island, a proposition which did not commend itself to George Lauder. The King appears to have accepted
4136-503: The children to be with her family in Arbroath. To finance his education beyond age 11, Harry worked part-time at a flax mill. He made his first public appearance, singing, at a variety concert at Oddfellows' Hall in Arbroath when he was 13 years old, winning first prize for the night (a watch). In 1884 the family went to Hamilton, South Lanarkshire , to live with Isabella's brother, Alexander, who found Harry employment at Eddlewood Colliery at ten shillings per week; he kept this job for
4230-412: The continent." Subsequently, says Tytler , "Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass was one of the few people whom King James I admitted to his confidence." In 1424 Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass, with 18 men, had safe conduct with a host of other noblemen, as a hostage for James I at Durham . J. J. Reid also mentions that "in 1424 when King James I returned from his long captivity in England, he at once consigned to
4324-483: The country walks of David Balfour, to identify Dean , and Silvermills, and Broughton , and Hope Park, and Pilrig, and poor old Lochend – if it still be standing, and the Figgate Whins [the area near Portobello ] – if there be any of them left; or to push (on a long holiday) so far afield as Gillane or the Bass. So, perhaps, his eye shall be opened to behold the series of the generations, and he shall weigh with surprise his momentous and nugatory gift of life. Chapter XIV
4418-422: The country, and when they got it, it would not keep unspoiled". He is reported to have escaped by dressing in women's clothing but this occurred from the Edinburgh Tolbooth rather than from the island's gaol. James Fraser of Brea gave a fuller description including eating fruit from the island's cherry trees. John Blackadder , and John Rae , died on the Bass and were buried at North Berwick. Blackadder had
4512-477: The crooked walking stick Lauder often carried. The Bass The Bass Rock , or simply the Bass ( / b æ s / ), ( Scottish Gaelic : Creag nam Bathais or Scottish Gaelic : Am Bas ) is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland . Approximately 2 km (1 mi) offshore, and 5 km (3 mi) north-east of North Berwick , it is a steep-sided volcanic plug , 107 m (351 ft) at its highest point, and
4606-447: The death duties on this amounted to £207,581. After personal bequests to family totalling £27,000 the residue went to Margaret Lauder. Lauder's first command performance before Edward VII is satirised by Neil Munro in his Erchie Macpherson story "Harry and the King", first published in the Glasgow Evening News of 14 September 1908. In the 1941 film " Babes on Broadway ", Mickey Rooney, imitating Lauder, sings "She Is Ma Daisy." In
4700-519: The difficult task of unloading a coal ship on the rocky landing stage. The garrison had no choice but to depart on the coal ship. When news spread on the nearby Scottish mainland, Jacobite supporters made covert boat trips to the Bass Rock with supplies and with men who wished to join the defenders. Word reached King James, exiled in France under the protection of Louis XIV , and ships from France brought supplies, including two large rowing boats from King James. The Jacobites used these boats to mount raids on
4794-552: The disc is missing. In 1914, Lauder appeared in 14 Selig Polyscope experimental short sound films. In 1907, he appeared in a short film singing "I Love a Lassie" for British Gaumont . The British Film Institute has several reels of what appears to be an unreleased film All for the Sake of Mary (c. 1920) co-starring Effie Vallance and Harry Vallance. He wrote a number of books, which ran into several editions, including Harry Lauder at Home and on Tour (1912), A Minstrel in France (1918), Between You and Me (1919), Roamin' in
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#17327832985864888-406: The entrance there was a tower that formed a simple keep/bastion and to which had been added a gabled chamber in the 17th century, which, though of restricted dimensions, must have been comfortable enough, with blue Dutch tiles round its moulded fireplace, later very much decayed. The keep and the living quarters within the walls were taken down to provide stone for the lighthouse in 1902. A well at
4982-405: The family. The chapel appears to have been rebuilt by the Lauder family several times. A papal bull dated 6 May 1493, refers to the parish church of the Bass, or the Chapel of St Baldred, being noviter erecta (newly established) at that time. On 5 January 1542 John Lauder , son of Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass , was recorded as "the Cardinal's Secretary" representing Cardinal David Beaton at
5076-461: The family. The same year, Scottish artist James McBey painted another portrait of Lauder, today in the Glasgow Museums. In the tradition of the magazine Vanity Fair , there appeared numerous caricatures of Lauder. One is by Al Frueh (1880–1968) in 1911 and published in 1913 in the New York World magazine, another by Henry Mayo Bateman , now in London's National Gallery, and one of 1926 by Alick P.F.Ritchie, for Players Cigarettes, today in
5170-436: The feudal barons the Lauders of the Bass ; and his mother, Isabella Urquhart MacLeod née McLennan, was born in Arbroath to a family from the Black Isle . John and Isabella married on 26 August 1870. Lauder's father moved to Newbold, Derbyshire , in early 1882 to take up a job designing porcelain , but died on 20 April from pneumonia. Isabella, left with little more than John's life insurance proceeds of £15, moved with
5264-440: The following description (original spelling): ane wounderful crag, risand within the sea, with so narrow and strait hals [passage] that na schip nor boit bot allanerlie at ane part of it. This crag is callet the Bas; unwinnabil by ingine [ingenuity] of man. In it are coves, als profitable for defence of men as [if] thay were biggit be crafty industry. Every thing that is in that crag is ful of admiration and wounder. The family had
5358-470: The highest-paid performer in the world, and was the first British artist to sell a million records; by 1928 he had sold double that. He raised vast amounts of money for the war effort during the First World War, for which he was knighted in 1919. He went into semi-retirement in the mid-1930s, but briefly emerged to entertain troops in the Second World War. By the late 1940s he was suffering from long periods of ill-health. He died in Scotland in 1950. Lauder
5452-465: The highest-paid performer in the world, making the equivalent of £12,700 a night plus expenses. He was paid £1125 for an engagement at the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre in 1913 and was later considered by the press to earn one of the highest weekly salaries by a theatrical performer during the prewar period. In January 1914 he embarked on a tour that included the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada . The First World War broke out while Lauder
5546-436: The island against William III's government for nearly three years. The final page summarises the differences between this fictional account and actual events: the names of the main characters have been changed to justify novelist inventions about their personalities, but otherwise the story largely follows the historical facts. The novel takes the form of invented letters and journal entries by different characters in order to tell
5640-422: The island which until then had been retained by the Church because it contained the holy cell of Saint Baldred . A century later Wyntown 's Cronykil relates: "In 1406 King Robert III , apprehensive of danger to his son James (afterwards James I ) from the Duke of Albany, placed the youthful prince in the safe-custody of Sir Robert Lauder in his secure castle on the Bass prior to an embarkation for safer parts on
5734-400: The islands in the inner and outer Firth. The Bass Rock is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in its own right, due to its gannet colony. It is sometimes called "the Ailsa Craig of the East". It is of a similar age (c.340 million years), geological form and petrology to nearby North Berwick Law , a hill on the mainland and to Traprain Law . There are related volcanic formations on
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#17327832985865828-405: The islands of the Forth and also broadcasts the images live on the internet. The centre also has exclusive landing rights to the island from the owner Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple and operates a range of boat trips going around, and landing on, the island throughout the year, weather permitting. In mid-June 2022 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in the northern gannets connected to
5922-425: The lighthouse there. Amongst his earliest memories were holidays in North Berwick . He often stayed at Scoughall Farm , whence the Bass can be seen, and local lore is credited as the inspiration for his short story The Wreckers . Catriona is Stevenson's 1893 sequel to Kidnapped . Both novels are set in the aftermath of the Jacobite risings , in the mid-18th century. The first part of Catriona recounts
6016-434: The mainland for more supplies. They used the castle's cannon to waylay some passing ships. William III's government sent two large warships to bombard the castle but its position high above a sheer rock face made it impregnable. A naval blockade of the Bass Rock was then attempted instead which made access to fresh supplies increasingly difficult for the defenders. Their numbers had fallen since some were captured during raids on
6110-456: The mainland – there had been possibly 20 defenders at most. Furthermore, prospects for the Jacobite cause elsewhere in Britain had become hopeless. However, William III's government was itself in despair at how to end the Bass Rock siege. In early 1694 the Bass Rock prisoners’ leader, Captain Michael Middleton, negotiated a visit by government representatives to discuss a solution. Middleton guessed that his adversaries lacked any means for estimating
6204-419: The mainland, large regions of the surface appear white owing to the sheer number of birds (and their droppings, which give off 152,000 kg of ammonia per year, equivalent to the achievements of 10 million broilers ). In fact the scientific name for the northern gannet, Morus bassanus , derives from the rock. It was known traditionally in Scots as a "solan goose". As on other gannetries, such as St Kilda ,
6298-456: The mainland. The fortress was abandoned by the government in 1701, and on 31 July 1706 the President of the Court of Session, Hew Dalrymple, Lord North Berwick , acquired the Bass by charter, ratified by an act of Parliament, the Bass Rock Act 1707 in March 1707), for a purely nominal sum, and the island has been ever since in the uninterrupted possession of the Dalrymple family. Its inaccessibility became to mean something impossible with
6392-501: The number of defenders or their reserves of food, in view of the covert comings and goings to the island by ships from the mainland or from France. Accordingly, he stage-managed the visit to give a deceptive impression of strength on both counts. The ruse succeeded. On 18 April 1694 the Jacobite defenders accepted the very attractive surrender terms which they were offered – freedom, free transport to France if they wished, and release from prison for people who had been caught helping them from
6486-422: The only comedic performer to appear on the label primarily associated with operatic celebrities. Lauder is one of three artists shown on Victor's black, purple, blue and red Seal records (the others being Lucy Isabelle Marsh and Reinald Werrenrath ). His final recordings were made in 1940, but Lauder records were issued in the new format as current material when RCA Victor introduced the 45rpm record. Lauder
6580-432: The other. The main defences are entered a little farther on in the same line, through a projecting two-story building which has some fireplaces with very simple and late mouldings. The buildings are of the local basalt , and the masonry is rough rubble; there are, as is so frequently the case, no very clear indications for dating the different parts, which were in all probability erected at different times. A little beyond
6674-496: The repertoire by 1900. In March of that year, Lauder travelled to London and reduced the heavy dialect of his act which according to a biographer, Dave Russell, "handicapped Scottish performers in the metropolis". He was an immediate success at the Charing Cross Music Hall and the London Pavilion , venues at which the theatrical paper The Era reported that he had generated "great furore" among his audiences with three of his self-composed songs. In 1905 Lauder's success in leading
6768-532: The rest of his life. He spent his last years at Lauder Ha (or Hall), his Strathaven home, where he died on 26 February 1950, aged 79. His funeral was held at Cadzow Church in Hamilton on 2 March. It was widely reported, notably by Pathé newsreels. One of the chief mourners was the Duke of Hamilton , a close family friend, who led the funeral procession through Hamilton, and read The Lesson. Wreaths were sent from Queen Elizabeth and Sir Winston Churchill. Lauder
6862-501: The saying: Ding doun Tantallon ,— Mak a brig to the Bass. The island plays host to more than 150,000 northern gannets and is the world's largest colony of the species. Described famously by naturalists as "one of the wildlife wonders of the world" (often credited to David Attenborough), it was also awarded BBC Countryfile Magazine's Nature Reserve of the Year, following a nomination by Chris Packham, in 2014/15. When viewed from
6956-440: The situation with good grace. George was a Privy Counsellor – described as the King's "familiar councillor" – and tutor to the young Prince Henry . In 1848 it was reported that there were "about a score and a half" of sheep grazing on the island. By 1870 it was claimed that "twenty-five sheep could be grazed on the grassy top of the rock". The Lauders built a fortification not far above the island's only landing-place. The slope
7050-548: The stage three days after learning of John's death. He wrote the song "The End of the Road" (published as a collaboration with the American William Dillon , 1924) in the wake of John's death, and built a monument for him in the private Lauder cemetery in Glenbranter . (John Lauder was buried in the war cemetery at Ovillers , France). Lauder was a devout Christian and with the exception of engagements in
7144-597: The streets for hours beforehand and it was reported that every policeman in the city plus mounted police were required to keep order. All traffic came to a standstill. He played for two weeks at the Opera House to packed audiences every night, figures "which staggered the management". He moved on to Johannesburg where his reception was equally amazing, described by a reporter who said "never, as long as I live, shall I forget it!" Lauder wrote most of his own songs, favourites of which were Roamin' In The Gloamin' , I Love
7238-518: The tale. A detailed diagram of the Bass Rock and its castle is supplied to show the locations of places mentioned. The Bass Rock is a key location in The Fanatic by Scottish author James Robertson . The novel tells the story of a tourist guide in modern-day Edinburgh who becomes obsessed with two characters from Edinburgh's past: Major Thomas Weir, a presbyterian who was eventually executed for incest, bestiality and witchcraft; and James Mitchell,
7332-413: The time has now arrived when something should be done by the law of the land to improve the lot and working conditions of the patient, equine slaves who assist so materially in carrying on the great mining industry of this country." Lauder often sang to the miners in Hamilton, who encouraged him to perform in local music halls . While singing in nearby Larkhall , he received 5 shillings—the first time he
7426-453: The top of the Bass, where today the foghorn is situated, provided freshwater for the island's occupants. Halfway up the island stands the ruin of St Baldred's Chapel , which is sited upon a cell or cave in which this Scottish Saint spent some time. Although the Lauders held most of the Bass Rock, this part of it had remained in the ownership of the Church until 1316, when it was granted to
7520-513: The trial is over, and James condemned to death. The book begins with a dedication to Charles Baxter, a friend of Stevenson, written in his home in Western Samoa and says: There should be left in our native city some seed of the elect; some long-legged, hot-headed youth must repeat to-day our dreams and wanderings of so many years ago; he will relish the pleasure, which should have been ours, to follow among named streets and numbered houses
7614-578: The two leading comedy icons of their time acted in a short film together. His final tour was in North America in 1932. He made plans for a new house at Strathaven , to be built over the site and ruin of an old manor, called Lauder Ha'. He was semi-retired in the mid-1930s, until his final retirement was announced in 1935. He briefly emerged from retirement to entertain troops during the Second World War and make wireless broadcasts with
7708-474: The waves were anyway great they roared about the rock like thunder and the drums of armies, dreadful, but merry to hear, and it was in the calm days when a man could daunt himself with listening; so many still, hollow noises haunted and reverberated in the porches of the rock. Scottish writer Bruce Marshall used Bass Rock as the miraculous destination of the "Garden of Eden", a dance hall of dubious reputation in his 1938 novel Father Malachy's Miracle . The book
7802-484: Was a Scottish singer and comedian popular in both music hall and vaudeville theatre traditions; he achieved international success. He was described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador", who "... by his inspiring songs and valiant life, rendered measureless service to the Scottish race and to the British Empire." He became a familiar worldwide figure promoting images like
7896-525: Was a retreat for early Christian hermits ; St Baldred is said to have lived there around 600 AD. The earliest recorded proprietors are the Lauder of the Bass family, from whom Sir Harry Lauder is descended. According to legend, the island is said to have been a gift from King Malcolm III of Scotland . The crest on their heraldic arms is, appropriately, a gannet sitting upon a rock. The 15th-century Scottish philosopher and historian Hector Boece gave
7990-573: Was back at Gramophone, and performed for them in several sessions through 1908. That year he made several two and four-minute cylinders for Edison Records . Next year he recorded for Victor in New York. He continued to make some cylinders for Edison, but was primarily associated with His Master's Voice and Victor. In 1910 Victor introduced a mid-priced purple-label series, the first twelve issues of which were by Lauder. In 1927 Victor promoted Lauder recordings to their Red Seal imprint, making him
8084-555: Was born on 4 August 1870 in his maternal grandfather's house in Portobello, Edinburgh , Scotland, the eldest of seven children. By the time of the 1871 census he and his parents were living at 1 Newbigging Veitchs Cottages, Inveresk . His father, John Lauder, was the grandson of George Lauder of Inverleith Mains & the St Bernard's Well estate, Edinburgh. He claimed in his autobiography that his family were descendants of
8178-530: Was constructed on the rock in 1902, and the remains of an ancient chapel survive. The Bass Rock features in many works of fiction, including Lion Let Loose by Nigel Tranter , Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson , The Lion Is Rampant by the Scottish novelist Ross Laidlaw and The New Confessions by William Boyd . Most recently it features prominently in The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld , which won
8272-518: Was his pin leg. I wasn't there that day. Lauder said he was "proud to be old coal-miner" and in 1911, became an outspoken advocate, "pleading the cause of the poor pit ponies " to Winston Churchill , when introduced to him at the House of Commons and later reported to the Tamworth Herald that he "could talk for hours about my wee four-footed friends of the mine. But I think I convinced that
8366-443: Was interred with his brother George and their mother in the family plot at Bent Cemetery in Hamilton. In 1932 he had placed the land at Strathaven where Lauder Hall would stand, and its park, in the name of his niece and secretary, Margaret Lauder to avoid high death duties should he die, as he wanted it preserved as the family seat and a museum to himself. This proved to be a wise move as although he left moveable estate of £358,971,
8460-539: Was on hand in Sydney, with their nephew John (Matt's son), to welcome Lauder, his wife and her brother Tom Vallance, after a four-year absence from Australia. He visited and stayed with his brother John in Newcastle on several occasions, two well-known visits being in 1925, when he gave several performances at Newcastle's Victoria Theatre for three weeks commencing on 8 August, and again in 1929 arriving in Newcastle for
8554-417: Was one of the last places in Scotland to be surrendered to William III's new government, being handed over in 1690 by governor Charles Maitland. William III's government then chose it as a prison for its Jacobite opponents. In 1691 four captured Catholic Jacobite officers were imprisoned there. On 18 June 1691, they managed to seize the Bass Rock's castle while the much-depleted garrison was outside its walls for
8648-666: Was paid for singing. He received further engagements including a weekly "go-as-you please" night held by Mrs. Christina Baylis at her Scotia Music Hall/Metropole Theatre in Glasgow. She advised him to gain experience by touring music halls around the country with a concert party, which he did. The tour allowed him to quit the coal mines and become a professional singer. Lauder concentrated his repertoire on comedic routines and songs of Scotland and Ireland. By 1894, Lauder had turned professional and performed local characterisations at small, Scottish and northern English music halls but had ceased
8742-500: Was the basis for the German film Das Wunder des Malachias a 1961 black-and-white film directed by Bernhard Wicki and starring Horst Bollmann , although the film did not specify Bass Rock as the destination of the offending dance hall. Jane Lane ’s 1950 Fortress in the Forth is a historical novel based on the actual 1691–1694 seizure of the Bass Rock castle by four Jacobite officers imprisoned there and their subsequent defence of
8836-423: Was visiting Australia. During the war Lauder promoted recruitment into the services and starred in many concerts for troops at home and abroad. Campaigning for the war effort in 1915, he then wrote "I know that I am voicing the sentiment of thousands and thousands of people when I say that we must retaliate in every possible way regardless of cost. If these German savages want savagery, let them have it". Following
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