Balmoral Castle lies in an amazing part of Scotland. The scenery is magical. On the mountains around the estate, snow is still visible in late April. Who would’ve thought that Annie Lennox has this royal connection.
Royal Gillies
Prince Albert purchased the Balmoral Estate for Queen Victoria in 1852. She had fallen in love with the Scotland and wanted a more permanent base there.
From early days gillies (or ghillies) and gamekeepers played a crucial role in the royal pastimes of hunting and fishing. The word ‘gillie’ comes from the 16th century Scottish Gaelic word ‘gille’ for lad or servant. They were the ‘keepers of the great outdoors’ and helped the gentry and royals stalk deer and beat grouse. Their countrymen skills were used in hunting, fishing and shooting and they were responsible for the management of nature by keeping in it harmony.
Annie Lennox’s Family Tree
The popstar and humanitarian, Annie Lennox’s grandfather, William Ferguson worked on the Balmoral Estate in the early 1900s when King George V was on the throne.
He was a gillie and gamekeeper. He may have loaded cartridges in double barrelled shotguns to hand to the game bird shooters, who would’ve been King George V. George was known for bringing down four or five birds before they even hit the ground. He was that good! So he kept the gillies busy no doubt.
Living on the Balmoral Estate
Living on the Estate would’ve been an excellent life, and the staff would’ve dined on salmon more frequently than we do today.
Annie Lennox remembers the first time she ate salmon. Her grandfather had caught the fish in the River Spey and her grandmother grilled it with a little bit of butter.
“It was the most extraordinary flavour, and I have never forgotten that. I don’t think anything has ever matched it since.”
Invited in to Dance
Gamekeepers spent most of their time out on the estate, but were invited into the castle itself for the staff balls. According to the family, Annie’s grandfather was a very good dancer. It was at one of these Gillies’ Ball that it is believed that William Ferguson was invited to accompany the current Queen’s mother on the dance floor. As Annie’s grandmother, Dora Jane, had not been invited to the ball, she snuck onto the balcony. She was able to watch the man who was courting her at the time, lead Queen Elizabeth across the dance floor.
Dora had worked at the Estate as a dairymaid. This is where she met William Ferguson. After four years of courting, he proposed, and she left her job to start married life.
And how different Annie Lennox’s life has been, but having a royal connection must be very exciting.
My grandparents did not have any royal connections (that I know of – who knows!), but my grandmother’s baking was a very special part of family life. This is a Cape Brandy Pudding she would have made.
