The Yellow London Lady
I want to tell you about a fiddle called The Yellow London Lady. It is
connected to the story that I was telling you about the scientific
experiment on Schiehallion in 1774.
When they were finished, the scientists held a party in a bothy on the
mountain. One of the locals – Duncan Robertson – was present. He was a
fiddler. He took his fiddle with him.
The bothy went up in flames and the fiddle disappeared in the fire.
That left Duncan bereft. How was he going to buy a new fiddle?
When he returned to London, the head of the scientific experiment,
Nevil Maskelyne – the Astronomer Royal – found a new fiddle. He sent it
to Duncan. Duncan was really happy. He called the fiddle ‘The Yellow
London Lady’. It must have been somewhat yellow. It doesn’t look so
yellow today. But it’s two hundred and fifty years old – or more.
When Duncan was old, he gave a friend of his the Yellow London Lady.
But he made a condition – that his friend would have to leave the
fiddle to another man called Duncan Robertson. From that time, it has
gone between men called Duncan Robertson.
One of those men went to Australia. He left the Yellow London Lady with
his mother in Rannoch. She loaned it to a man called Alasdair a’
Phìobaire who was famous as a musician. Alasdair was taking part in a
music competition in Liverpool.
He won the competition. But he drank too much afterwards. He spent all
his money. He had nothing to get home. He took the fiddle to a
pawnbroker in order to get money. The Rannoch people were angry. They
sent Alasdair back to Liverpool to get the Yellow London Lady.
He went there. But again he drank too much and he fell, breaking the neck
of the fiddle. It was mended and today it is in good condition in the Clan
Donnachaidh Museum in Perthshire.
A’ Bhan-Lunnainneach Bhuidhe
Tha mi airson innse dhuibh mu fhidheall air a bheil A’ Bhan-Lunnainneach
Bhuidhe. Tha i co-cheangailte ris an eachdraidh a bha mi ag innse dhuibh
mun deuchainn saidheansail air Sìth Chailleann ann an seachd ceud deug,
seachdad ʼs a ceithir (1774).
Nuair a bha iad deiseil, chùm an luchd-saidheans pàrtaidh ann am bothan air
a’ bheinn. Bha fear de mhuinntir an àite – Donnchadh MacDhonnchaidh – an
làthair. Bha e na fhìdhlear. Thug e an fhidheall aige leis.
Chaidh am bothan na smàl agus dh’fhalbh an fhidheall anns an teine. Dh’fhàg
sin Donnchadh troimhe-chèile. Ciamar a bha e a’ dol a cheannach fidheall
ùr?
Nuair a thill e a Lunnainn, lorg ceannard na deuchainne saidheansail, Nevil
Maskelyne – an Reultair Rìoghail – fidheall ùr. Chuir e gu Donnchadh i. Bha
Donnchadh cho sona ris an rìgh. Chuir e an t-ainm air an fhidhill ‘A’
Bhan-Lunnainneach Bhuidhe’. Feumaidh gun robh i car buidhe. Chan eil i a’
coimhead cho buidhe an-diugh. Ach tha i dà cheud gu leth bliadhna a dh’aois
– no barrachd.
Nuair a bha Donnchadh sean, thug e a’ Bhan-Lunnainneach Bhuidhe do charaid
dha. Ach chuir e cùmhnant air – gu feumadh a charaid an fhidheall fhàgail
aig fear eile air an robh Donnchadh MacDhonnchaidh mar ainm. Bhon uair sin,
tha i air a dhol eadar fir air an robh Donnchadh MacDhonnchaidh.
Chaidh fear de na daoine sin gu Astràilia. Dh’fhàg e a’ Bhan-Lunnainneach
Bhuidhe aig a mhàthair ann an Raineach. Thug ise air iasad i gu fear
Alasdair a’ Phìobaire a bha ainmeil mar neach-ciùil. Bha Alasdair a’
gabhail pàirt ann an fharpais-chiùil ann an Liverpool.
Bhuannaich e an fharpais. Ach dh’òl e cus an dèidh làimhe. Chosg e an
t-airgead gu lèir aige. Cha robh càil aige airson faighinn dhachaigh. Thug
e an fhidheall gu geall-cheannaiche no pawnbroker airson airgead
fhaighinn. Bha muinntir Raineach feargach. Chuir iad Alasdair air ais a
Liverpool airson a’ Bhan-Lunnainneach Bhuidhe fhaighinn.
Chaidh e ann. Ach a-rithist dh’òl e cus agus thuit e, a’ briseadh amhaich
na fìdhle. Chaidh obair càraidh a dhèanamh oirre agus an-diugh tha i ann an
staid mhath ann an Taigh-tasgaidh Clann Donnchaidh ann an Siorrachd
Pheairt.
