Catherine Glover – the fair maid of Perth
The facts of yesterday’s football are not just about Man City and Chelsea hammering FA cup victories, or of Arsenal losing to Southampton. It is not just about Rangers returning to the top of the Scottish Premier.
Scotland has its Glovers. They’re mostly in Perth. Catherine Glover was Simon Glover’s daughter, who was a skilled craftsman renowned for his work in the field of glove-making. She has brought some diversity of gender to the story. You can read how in the middle ages she kept two men at bay. Her modesty is now a folk story which you can read here.
Yesterday was for those who’ve followed my Perth and Fife holiday – all about the Scottish Glovers success in the Scottish Championship. To me St Johnstone are my Scottish Yeovil!
I will not overstate the importance of religion to the Arbroath v St Johnstone result but here is the comment of a former Perth and now St Andrews resident
On April 11, 1951, the stolen Stone of Destiny was left for the police at the high altar of the ruined Arbroath Abbey by Scottish students who had taken it from Westminster Abbey.
St Andrews Cathedral was laid to ruins at about the same time, about twenty years after your Henry VIII “dissolved” a lot of monasteries. He also ruined a few in the Scottish borders (eg Kelso and Jedburgh) but Arbroath and St Andrews were further away.
Following its dramatic 1950 Christmas theft, placing the ancient Scottish symbol of monarchy at the site of the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath was a symbolic, nationalist statement.
One of the Arbroath Red Lichties’ chants used to be “We’re no bams, We’re the shams, We’re the mental Arbroath fans.”
I have made inquiries into “bams” and received from my St Andrews correspondent this explanation
Bampot (often shortened to bam) is a Scottish slang term used to describe an idiot, a fool, or someone acting in a chaotic, daft, or objectionable manner.
I could not discover why the Red Lichties consider being a “sham” a good thing but a former resident in Perth has sent me this to complete our understanding of the Arbroath chant.
What there appears to be is a rivalry between Perth and Arbroath for who stands for Scottish monarchy (such as the union retains).
As my train journey down from Pitlochry, Farringdon , Paddington, Slough and Windsor (on five trains) allowed. I followed the dramatic development not just of the games, but of the chances of anyone but St Johnstone going up.
My correspondent had this to say
Today’s been better for Perth than for Andy and Rob.
But it’s not over till it’s over.
The vagaries of this promotion system give Partick, Arbroath and Dunfermline a chance though their seasons have been very different (certainly in terms of results)
Rob (Reid) and Andy (Young) support Partick and have suffered as much as anyone over recent seasons.
An upturn in diversity
Scotland’s tale is of us gentlemen – I recognise the lack of diversity in the conversation but remember this Scottish holiday as remarkably fair because of the other sex! Behind us men are the women we try to impress!
I am now back in Eton and in a warmer and more female environment!
I come from a family of four boys. We were all delighted that we all picked up on a Whats App call from my son and his partner to tell us of their engagement.
We hope to see another family continue a 50 years tradition – enjoying a timeshare in Kinloch Rannoch at the end of March.
There may be another “Fair Maid of Perthshire”! To end – here is the Glover’s House in Perth
