The Barony of Seabegs

Ancient

Roman Coins

The Barony of Seabegs lies directly on the Antonine Roman Wall, enjoying the best-preserved portion of the wall, which is in Seabegs Wood, near Falkirk, in the central lowlands of Scotland. For this reason, the area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. The barony’s unique setting spurred the current baron, George Burden of Seabegs, to start collecting ancient Roman coins, which he did over several decades. The collection grew to contain gold, silver and bronze coins of almost every Roman emperor, from Augustus to when the Roman Empire collapsed. In 2016, the baron donated his entire collection to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Canada’s second-smallest province enjoys rich ties to Scotland. Its name is Latin for New Scotland, and was named by Sir William Alexander, who was given the land by King James IV of Scotland (King James I of England) in 1621. Settlers were sent from Scotland to help establish the land and their traditions remain strong in present-day Nova Scotia. The Baron of Seabegs’ donation, dedicated to his late mother, and his deep knowledge of the collection, on which he has been invited to present at Dalhousie University, speaks to Scotland’s rich heritage. It creates linkages from the Roman Empire to the settling of the New World, and captures Scotland’s global footprint, beyond its borders.

The Barony of Balvaird

National Youth Orchestra of Scotland

The Barony of Balvaird is the former seat of the ollam rig, the King’s Poet, a hereditary title granted by the Scottish kings of old. These bards were composers of verse, who sang their poems to the musical accompaniment of instruments like the lyre. It is said that there were bards at Balvaird since before the Romans came, and in fact its name is from the Gaelic Bail’ an bhaird — place of the bards. The current baron, Brady Brim-DeForest of Balvaird Castle, was inspired by this element of Balvaird’s history, and wanting to honor this unique heritage, became in 2020 the Principal Harp Chair Sponsor, for the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. The Baron also provides financial support to the Scottish Ensemble, Scottish Arts Trust, and the Royal Celtic Society, among others.

The Barony of Otterinverane

AnNUAL Fellows  

& SCHOLARSHIPS 

Committed to promoting Scottish history, culture, legal system, and land preservation through education, the current Baron and Baroness of Otterinverane recently established an annual scholarship grant for graduate students and academics. The grants support research, throughout the value-chain leading to peer reviews, editing and publication in academic journals. The first “Otterinverane Fellow”, David Durie, 1st Class Honours LLB from the University of Dundee in 2019 and Scotland representative at the 42nd Telders International Law Moot, was completing his journal article in the Fall of 2021.

Further, interested in promoting scholarly work in younger students as well, Otterinverane, with its roots in Argyll, has established Youth Fellowships. The program sponsors essay competitions on Scottish history, culture and nature at the grammar and high school levels in Argyll. Winning entries and their authors are featured as “Otterinverane Youth Fellows” and provided with a certificate. The Youth Fellowship program is coordinated with enlisted schools and overseen by the Younger of Otterinverane.