23 April 1815
by Elizabeth Campbell“St. Georges day- our men fired 3 volleys in honor of the day- gave them a dram Some large openings are made in the river but the main body of ice remained yet fast.” – Miles Macdonell’s Journal
This passage intrigues me. The Governor of the colony, who is of Scottish descent, celebrates the day of the Patron Saint of England, and permits his mainly Scots-Irish workforce to indulge in a dram of liquor. No notice is taken of St. Andrew’s Day (30 Nov.) because “our men had got a drink lately” (on the 16 Nov.) and the men are refused rum on St. Patrick’s Day (17 Mar.). On New Year’s Day, Macdonell spent the day at the principal settler’s house, “to avoid the solicitations of people coming for Rum to drink.” Hogmonay, celebrated on New Year’s Eve, is one of the big occasions of the year for the Scots.
Does this policy of celebrating English high days only in a predominantly Scottish/Irish colony strike anyone else as odd? Any ideas as to why such a policy would be put into practice?
FYI, I thought the note about the ice was interesting, too, given this year’s ice and the effect it has had on flooding throughout the Red River Valley!
(references: pages 16994, 16940, 16938, 16971 and 16944, respectively, of the Selkirk Papers, M186, Manitoba Archives)
Tags: Miles Macdonell, Miles Macdonell's Journal, RRS customs, Special days at RRS
April 28th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
i suspect the english holiday was observed because of the dominance of england over scotland and ireland. i think at the time the scottish highlands were looked on largely as a recruiting ground for the british army and ireland as a source of labour.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Yes, I can see why the English day was observed – your comment makes sense in that respect. But surely allowing the Scots and Irish to celebrate their days would be a politic move considering the tensions within the settlement at the time? A bit of good will to keep the colonists and workers on side? It’s almost as if the colony was a proto-residential school for adults.