Become A Laird and Save A Scottish Castle
I am now a Laird of Dunans. Aye, now my heart is truly in the Highlands.
You may not be aware of this but even YOU could become a Laird or Lady of Scotland. No, you don’t have to be able to trace your lineage back to one of the ancient clans of Scotland. Its much easier than that.
I found out about this little legal loophole this Christmas when very good friends of mine gifted me with a handsome tin emblazoned with a photo of a bit of Kilt and Sporan and the headline: Become A Laird Or Lady Gift Box. In smaller type it said: No more Mr. or Mrs. I was certainly intrigued and found it simple as can be. The fee for the gift goes to a trust that has been established to restore the Dunans Castle and lands in Argyl, Scotland. (The Castle burned in 2001.) I went online and registered the gift and a few weeks later, got this
in the Royal Mail. Included in the box is a handsome poster of Dunans Castle as well as a history of the Castle and its ownership over the years.
The land was originally owned by the Campbell clan and was used as a hunting lodge but was most recently owned by the Fletcher clan until 1997. Ian Fletcher in the early 19th century transformed the estate into a castle. He commissioned the famous architect and bridge builder, Thomas Telford, to design and build Dunans Bridge, which today is considered an A-listed “building” of National or International Importance by the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. It was built to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. The defeat at Waterloo put an end to N
apoleon's rule as Emperor of the French. The present day proprietors are the Buchanan, McDonald and MacLaren clans.
The property also boasts the tallest tree in Scotland, a 160-year old Douglas Fir that is taller than Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Here are the perks of owning a one foot square plot of land on the Dunans estate:
Access to fishing rights on the Alt a Chaol Ghleann river, which is crossed by the Dunans Bridge.
Use of the Dunans Insignia
Access to Laird and Lady stationery
An e-mail address with yourname@Lairdofdunans.com
Various Levels of ownership are available and have additional perks bundled with them.
There are several locations and websites offering to make you a Laird or Lady (for a fee) of: Kincavel, Glencoe, Lochaber, Glencairn an so on. All bestow various rights on you as a land owner of their estate lands.
For now I can’t wait to get back to Scotland and visit my “ancestral estate” at Dunanas Castle and partake of a wee dram from my flask as I sit and watch the water of the Alt a Chaol Ghleann river roll by. Looks like Oban or Springbank would be the nearest distilleries from which to fill my flask and either sounds like a good dram on any day. Cheers from the Laird!
Other Media on Becoming A Laird or Lady:
http://www.highlandtitles.com/?gclid=CM796LyY9q0CFQsBQAodsUFjvg
http://scottishlaird.com/?gclid=CLfjvMyY9q0CFYZrKgodmnLpsQ
Laird of Dunans Tells A Tale of the Landed Gentry
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Copyright 2011 Mark Friedman
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