Hamilton And Young

WHAT IS JAMIE’S BIRTH SIGN? Another interesting fact I gleaned from Diana’s excellent ‘Outlandish Companion’ is the birth sign of Jamie! Do you know it? It’s TAURUS! He was born on the 1st May.... Now by a weird crazy coincidence (really?) Sam’s birth sign is also TAURUS! (born 30th April) Wow - fact mirroring fiction! Taureans are renowned as one of the strongest birth signs with some very well-known traits - reliable, practical, ambitious, sensual with an eye for beauty. Good with finances, generous, dependable, down to earth, patient, independent and persistent. OK, they have a few faults (don’t we all!) such as stubbornness and a tendency to be a wee bit possessive, but, hey, nobody’s perfect! Jamie and Sam share their birth sign with some very famous strong-minded men and women - Queen Elizabeth II - the longest serving monarch in the world, William Shakespeare, famous bard, Catherine the Great of Russia, creative people such as Stephen Baldwin, George Clooney, Al Pacino, June’s favourite James Bond - Pierce Brosnan, Jack Nicholson, Tim Roth, Audrey Hepburn, Renee Zellweger, Barbra Streisand, Cate Blanchett, Shirley MacLaine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Katherine Hepburn, Penelope Cruz, Cher, Andie MacDowell, Shirley Temple, the very cool Joanna Lumley, Jerry Seinfeld, the great Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Frankie Valli, Scottish tennis star, Andy Murray, and Andre Agassi, Karl Marx the inventor of communism, (oh and Lenin!), the great broadcaster David Attenborough, Sigmund Freud who sorted us all out, Florence Nightingale who invented modern nursing, and many many more! So he’s in great company! Kindest regards from Scotland, Gordon PS if you feel I’ve been a wee bit generous to Taureans could it be because of my own birth date!!!
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REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE 5th NOVEMBER! Great news for all Outlander fans in the UK - Season 4 premieres on November 5th, twenty four hours after you guys over the pond see it! November 5th in Britain is also known as ‘Bonfire Night’ or ‘Guy Fawkes Night’. This is a night when we have bonfires and set off fireworks to celebrate the events of November 5th 1605 when extremists were foiled in their attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament and Scottish King James (who had recentl...y become King also of England). In what became known as ‘The Gunpowder Plot’, Catholic extremists stockpiled enough barrels of gunpowder in the basement of Parliament to blow up the entire building and all its occupants. The King was due to open Parliament on the 5th, but following a tip-off the authorities searched the building in the early hours and discovered the gunpowder and arrested Guy Fawkes, one of thirteen conspirators, who was guarding the barrels. So, ever since then, every 5th November we have bonfires and fireworks to celebrate the fact that the plot was foiled and King James saved! As children we used to repeat this rhyme - “Remember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot. We see no reason Why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot!” So, there will be fireworks in Britain when Outlander Season 4 airs! Kindest regards, as ever, from Scotland. Gordon
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CROSS STITCH v OUTLANDER? Ever wondered why Diana’s first novel was called ‘Outlander’ when published in the USA, yet called ‘Cross Stitch’ in the UK? I did! And so did many of the Outlander fans we have met over the years! I was always being asked this question in the shop where we had a copy of ‘Cross Stitch’ on display. ... Of course, the answer (as many of you will know!) was there all the time - clearly outlined in Diana’s ‘Outlandish Companion’. Apparently, Diana had used ‘Cross Stitch’ as a working title for her first book, a book she was only doing as an experiment anyway, and was convinced would never be published. When Diana sold the book in America, the publisher told her they couldn’t call it that, as everyone would think it was about embroidery! She was asked to think of another title. Apparently a lot were suggested, none suitable. Diana had liked ‘Sassenach’, but it was felt no-one would be able to pronounce it! Diana then came up with ‘Outlander’ which is what ‘Sassenach’ means in Scots Gaelic! The book was imminently about to go to press - the new title was accepted enthusiastically! A year or so later, Diana sold the book in the UK. The UK publisher told her they couldn’t call it ‘Outlander’ as in Britain that specifically meant someone from Australia or South Africa! He asked if Diana had any other titles. She responded by saying the original title had been ‘Cross Stitch’. He said ‘Perfect!’ So, in the UK, ‘Cross Stitch’ it became! As such are momentous decisions made! Kindest regards, as ever, from Scotland. Gordon
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Outlander fans who fancy learning a bit of Gaelic, perhaps this course could be for you! Kindest regards. Gordon

MRS YOUNG’S COOKBOOK! June’s homemade strawberry jam in production! Lovely! Could it be she likes strawberries because of their link to the Fraser Clan? Or maybe because they taste so nice?... Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon
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SEEING SCOTLAND IN A NEW LIGHT? Apologies for the fact I haven’t been posting for a while, and also have been a bit tardy in replying to messages and emails, but I recently had to have cataract surgery on one of my eyes so have been out of circulation! As those of you who have already gone through this will know, it is a relatively simple procedure, taking only about twenty minutes and not requiring a stay in hospital. Mine went very well, so a big thanks to the highly effic...ient team at the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion, part of our wonderful National Health Service here in the UK. A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision, including faded colors, blurry vision and trouble with bright lights. They often develop slowly over a number of years and are part of the ageing process (blast!) I had to put a Sickness Note into my boss (June) to ask for some time off work, not least because I can’t drive! So, I haven’t been in to the office recently, and we’ve not been out and about on any travels. However, one of the advantages of the new lens they install in your eye is that everything is very bright and colourful! So, when I do get back to driving I’m looking forward to seeing Scotland in a whole new light! Kindest regards, as ever. Gordon
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LOVELY EVENING IN EDINBURGH! June and I are having a nice evening sitting in our garden, enjoying a lovely sunset! This is the first night of the 2018 Edinburgh Military Tattoo, so the people who are there watching it at Edinburgh Castle tonight will have had a spectacular sky, as well as a spectacular show! Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon

WELCOME TO SCOTLAND! Great to meet up again with Texan Outlander fans Tamela and Tina (and their husbands!) who are just starting their tour of Scotland. Really enjoyed your company last night, guys, have a fantastic time! Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon

GO FOR A WALK IN SCOTLAND! Yesterday was such a lovely day that June and I decided to go for a walk in the afternoon. Scotland is blessed with many walks, some long (such as the West Highland Way that takes about a week to do) but there are many much easier ones, where you can enjoy a couple of hours out in the open. The walk we took would follow the River Esk in Midlothian and East Lothian right down to the sea at a town called Musselburgh. The walk is quite easy, mostly o...n a tarmac path, and was about eight miles. The good thing is you are either in parkland or countryside for almost all the way, so you have this wonderful feeling of being away from everything, enjoying lovely views of nature. Musselburgh is a bustling town with a harbour, beach and racecourse. We treated ourselves at the end of the walk to an ice cream at the famous Luca’s ice cream parlour (three points if you can name what the large ice cream on the left - my one - is called in Scotland!) There’s lots of information available online where you can find out details of walks in Scotland. VisitScotland have some here https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/acti ve/walking/ but many local authorities and towns have their own websites. So, if you like walking, or perhaps have always wanted to try it, then come to Scotland! Kindest regards, as ever. Gordon
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INVERNESS OUTLANDER MAP Great to see the free Inverness Outlander Map produced by Inverness Outlanders. For too long there’s been a shortage of genuine information for Outlander fans visiting Scotland, so full marks to the team for making this available. If you’re touring up that way, then very worthwhile picking one up as it’s got a lot of worthwhile info on sites in Inverness and the surrounding area. Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon.

THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE MONARCH IN SCOTLAND. June and I really enjoyed a visit to Holyrood Palace this weekend, an important historic property we pass almost every day on the way to work but hadn’t explored for quite a few years! Holyrood Palace, or to give it its proper name, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the Monarch in Scotland. It is very much a working royal palace, and HM The Queen is in residence there every year at the starting of the... summer. Holyrood Palace started with the founding in 1128 of an Abbey by King David 1 of Scotland. There are two legends as to how the ‘Abbey of the Holy Rood’ got its name. ‘Holy Rood’ means Holy Cross and it was either from a vision that King David had one day whilst out hunting when he saw a stag with a glowing cross between its antlers, or from a relic of the True Cross, known as the Holy Rood, which had belonged to Queen Margaret, David's mother. Either way, the Abbey was founded and soon prospered, becoming an important ecclesiastical and political centre. King Robert the Bruce held a parliament there in 1326, and it became the wedding venue and final resting place for several Scottish kings. The Abbey is now a ruin but you can still see what a wonderful church it must have been. Royal chambers were added to the Abbey very early on, and in 1503 King James IV decided to convert these chambers into a palace. James had recently married Margaret Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII of England, and constructed his new palace around a quadrangle and added on gardens. Subsequent monarchs extended and rebuilt the palace, and in 1603 Charles 1 stayed there for his Scottish coronation in the Abbey. In 1660 King Charles II set about extending the Palace to ensure it glorified Scotland and emphasised Edinburgh's royal and government role. Holyrood Palace has witnessed many important historical events over the centuries including Mary Queen of Scots’ turbulent reign, and the six week stay by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745 when he held court there. It’s wonderful to walk around the apartments and stand where these events actually took place - you can still see the room where a heavily pregnant Queen Mary witnessed her secretary, David Rizzio, being dragged from her presence and brutally stabbed to death by Scottish lords, or walk through the gallery where Bonnie Prince Charlie held court and met many of the fashionable young ladies of Edinburgh! On a more contemporary note, you can stand in the room where HM The Queen welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland in 2010 and see the gift he gave her. As it is a working palace, and home to the Queen, you are not allowed to take photos inside the palace, so we are not able to show you the splendours of the royal apartments, but we heartily recommend you visit it if you are in Edinburgh! Walk in the footsteps of history! Kindest regards, as ever, from Scotland. Gordon
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SAM'S EARLY CAREER! Interesting article in The Scotsman about Sam's early career (plus some nice photos!). https://www.scotsman.com/…/sam-heughan- s-career-and-roles-b… Kind regards. Gordon

SCOTLAND’S ANCIENT UNIVERSITY When asked which is the oldest university in Scotland, many people will reply Edinburgh or Glasgow...but in fact Scotland’s oldest university (and the third oldest in the English speaking world) is St Andrews. Founded in 1413, this celebrated academic institution has, over its 600 years of continuous existence, made an immense contribution to the intellectual and cultural life of both Scotland and the wider world. Ranked very highly today, it wa...s of course the university selected for the education of Britain’s future king, Prince William, and where he met his wife-to-be, Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge. The town of St Andrews is located on the east coast of Scotland, about 50 miles from Edinburgh. It is named after Scotland’s patron saint, the apostle Saint Andrew, and very early on became the ecclesiastical centre of Scotland. Its name is derived from the town's claim to be the resting place of bones of the apostle. According to legend, a Greek monk St Regulus (or St Rule), was told in a dream to take the bones of St Andrew to the ends of the Earth. St Rule ended up in Scotland at a Pictish settlement on the shores of Fife which is now the town of St Andrews. A monastery was built to house the relics, and in 1070 King Robert I ordered the construction of St Regulus Church. It’s 33 metre tall tower, St Rule’s Tower, still stands today. The church became a magnificent cathedral that was an important destination on the medieval pilgrimage trail. It is estimated that in the Middle Ages St Andrews received about a quarter of a million pilgrims each year! Adjacent to the cathedral grew the mighty St Andrews Castle, home to some of Scotland’s early kings, and the site of the very first congregation of the Protestant Church of Scotland. Both buildings are now ruined, but you can walk around them and still get a feeling of their former grandeur. St Andrews is a charming town with a wealth of history and educational & ecclesiastical heritage. Its lovely cobbled streets contain many fine buildings, along with a great selection of shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs. And if that wasn’t enough...it is of course (for all you golfers!) the famous home of golf! Pay it a visit if you can! Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon
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JUNE’S WAY TO GET THROUGH DROUGHTLANDER! June says this is the only way she can get through Droughtlander! Champagne and Scottish cheeses (including a Clava Brie) at Edinburgh’s new Grand Hotel! Tell Starz to get that programme back on the air soon...! Kindest regards from (a hot & sunny) Scotland. Gordon

THE FORGOTTEN ENGLISH ARCHITECT OF LOS ANGELES! To all our SoCal friends (and all others who know and love LA) read this fascinating article about the forgotten English architect who shaped the city. John Parkinson was the son of a Lancashire mill worker, yet he ended up designing many of Los Angeles' iconic buildings. LA was a backwater with a population of barely 50,000 people when John Parkinson arrived in 1894, with no formal education, no contacts, and just a few dollar...s and a tool box to call his own. By the time of his death he had designed many of the city's iconic buildings, including the city's first skyscraper, the first luxury hotel, the Homer Laughlin Building (now home to the Grand Central Market), high-end department store Bullocks Wilshire, the Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, and Los Angeles' City Hall. A true example of the American Dream! Read it all here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canad a-44703708 Kindest regards. Gordon
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WATCH OUT FOR THIS SCAM! Thanks very much to an Outlander fan for alerting us to a scam business which appears to be mimicking us. She has received an email allegedly from a business called “Lallybroch Celtic Outlander Inspired Store By Hamilton And Younge”, supposedly based in Hamilton, Ontario. Just to let you know it’s definitely not us, so please bin the email! Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon

SCOTLAND’S LOVELY ‘CONTINENTAL’ MARKET TOWN! Scotland is enjoying beautiful weather at the moment (great for any fans that are here just now!) and I was fortunate during the week to have to visit the lovely historic market town of Kelso. Kelso is in the Scottish Borders, about fifty miles south east of Edinburgh, and is much admired for its cobbled market square, which I always think gives it a very ‘continental’ look! The square is dominated by the grand Town Hall (whose cl...ock still chimes the hour!), the imposing Cross Keys hotel, and is surrounded by lots of lovely shops, coffee houses and eateries. Off the square run many attractive streets with fine local shops selling a wide range of quality products. The ruins of Kelso Abbey, founded in 1128, are in the town. Once one of Scotland’s largest and richest medieval abbeys, it suffered greatly during the wars with England and unfortunately only the ruins of its West Tower remain. The town sits on the majestic River Tweed, one of Scotland’s best known and most picturesque rivers, and there are fine views of it from the Kelso Bridge. And of course no trip to Kelso would be complete without a visit to the magnificent Floors Castle, situated on the edge of the town. Built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam, it is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe and a very popular tourist destination. Add to this Kelso Racecourse (if you’re a horse racing fan), plus the lovely surrounding countryside and you can see why Kelso is such a lovely market town to visit! Kindest regards, as ever, from Scotland. Gordon
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TRICKY DECISION FOR JUNE! A tricky decision for June on Sunday evenings - Poldark and Handmaid’s Tale on at the same time...on different channels! What to watch?? Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon

EDINBURGH’S ‘QUAINT’ STREET After a very busy period recently, I found time today for lunch in one of Edinburgh’s quaint streets - Victoria Street. Edinburgh has many lovely quarters outwith the main tourist area, but Victoria Street, which links George IV Bridge to the historic Grassmarket, is a wee gem. Built in the early 1800s, it gently winds it way down to the Grassmarket and is full of interesting shops, restaurants and bars. A few to look out for are -... WALKER SLATER - long established tweed clothing specialists for men & women. Where I get my tweed suits! IAN MELLIS - for the finest selection of cheeses. THE BOW BAR - if you fancy a great pint in a real pub! MAISON BLEUE - my destination for lunch today! Superb dining in a lovely setting. Rustic Chic! I know many Outlander fans have or are visiting Edinburgh on repeat occasions, and I think you would enjoy a wee walk down this quaint street! Kindest regards from Scotland. Gordon
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Would love a piece, I started reading the books in the beginning early 80s and again when the series started I found them on my dusty bookshelf and enjoyed them again. I have never been to Scotland, actually never been to the UK but I plan to. I did the next best thing I married a Welshman who promises me we will get there one day. It is 24 years later and four grown up children and I havent got there yet but I will.

When I came to Edinburgh I had already planned a visit. I bought the Outlander's inspired ring at Linlithgow Castle and the thistle ring. Both are well made and very nice. I went to the shop neat Canongate Kirk the following day to buy a tankard, which is now on my desk in Milano. I also would like to but Mackintosh inspired series, but it will be a good occasione to come back to Edinburgh for a second time. Thank you H&Y!

Loved the shop, service was fantastic got 2 beautiful gifts from it

Loved going to visit the shop on our trip to Edinburgh could've happily brought most of the shop home with me especially the life size Jamie cut out!!!

Just purchased my first Hamilton and Young piece and I absolutely love it!!! Been wanting to order something for awhile, went on vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and got it!!! Thank you for making such wonderful pieces!!! #scottishthistlependant � SouthCarolina

I just want to thank Valentina and Hamilton & Young for such brilliant service! A much awaited parcel of gifts for an Outlandish friend got delayed in the post and I was so worried it wouldn't arrive on time for her special birthday. So they sent me a second one by special delivery just to make sure. I'm so grateful! Thank you!

I have several pieces from Hamilton and Young, it's my favourite jeweller!

2 new pairs of earrings purchased yesterday, even better they were on offer, but think they're well priced normally so this was a massive surprise.

I love the shop and look forward to my next trip to Edinburgh to go again, until then I'll have to console myself shopping from their website

I found out about Hamilton & Young through my love of Outlander and loved the jewellery they designed. I told my girlfriend about them when she was planning her Scottish wedding here in Canada and couldn't find a jewellery store who had the wedding rings she was looking for. Well she found them at H & Y and the customer service she received was incredible! They ended up having to send her three sets of rings to get the sizing right and she doesn't have to return the other two sets until she goes to To Scotland in June. They are amazing! Thanks guys!

I can not say enough about how amazing this place is! I was in Edinburgh in April and stopped in. They have amazing jewelry, including beautiful Outlander pieces and the prices are great!. For Christmas, I decided to get my children signet rings. I messaged Gordon and quickly received a response. He was so great! The sizes that I needed were not listed but after messaging him, he was able to place the order. I was shocked at how quickly I received my order and am thrilled with how amazing they look! There was even a few little surprises including a handwritten message from Gorden. Such a lovely touch! I would definitely recommend this place and will definitely purchase from here in the future!