New title could honour Scots and strengthen Union

Published on Friday 3 July 2009 22:20

THE pictures of Prince Philip laughing with the Company of Archers this week made me reflect that we have not embellished Scotland's honours system with any imagination since Sir Walter Scott created them. This week the Queen authorised a new honour for those who fall in the service of the Crown. The Elizabeth Medal will be valued.

I offer some ideas to create more pleasure and patronage for Scots. The awards of CBEs, MBEs and OBEs gives a warm glow to their recipients – and perhaps more to their spouses and families. I suggest the Order of the Thistle has lesser ranks than its august knights. Let there be lower orders of this ancient and venerable Scots honour.

Inventing entirely new honours would not work. We would have to adapt existing ones or revive echoes of defunct ones. My jolliest notion is to reanimate the dormant Scots title of thane. The rank lingers in our shared memory through Shakespeare. The thanes of Cawdor and Glamis are immortal, even if we remember little of its rather banal origins – a tax-collecting, middling property right.

I rate every Royal Burgh as worthy of a thaneage, but it could be awarded to those who were too patriotic or provincial to accept a life barony. I do not envisage an assembly of the thanes of Scotland convening as a second chamber over the Numptorium of Holyrood, but they could meet for Royal Garden Parties and parades.

The reanimation of our thanes would enhance the public life of Scotland – and extend greater political patronage for the First Minister. Thane, or thegn, is actually only the Anglo Saxon for minister. For all his adroitness, Alex Salmond will be a transient presence in the role but I think that behind the forensic mind of the economist beats the romantic heart of a Scot whose mission is to differentiate us from the English.

It might be argued that the Gaelic titles mormaer and toisech could be dusted off and awarded to those in Gaeldom who perform some service to the Crown or public life. But I feel the fantasy world of chieftains and tartan may be enough for the Gaeltacht population to digest.

GWS Barrow was the great scholar of the thanes of Scotland. It is suggested the earliest recorded name is the splendid Hywan Macmallothen of Dairsie in Fife. The territorial designations of all thanes were much the same as what we term Pictland – Fife, then northwards up the east coast to Inverness.

When Scots kings awarded thaneages it was to a "unit of demesne with judicial powers". We live in an entirely different landscape. Scotland's major quangoes are the new baronage. I regard Scottish Natural Heritage and Sepa, guardian of our drains, as having powers as terrifying as any chain-mailed thane.

Perhaps the dreary title chief executive could be swapped for thane for our more swaggering civil servants. Should the boss of Historic Scotland not be a thane, ex officio?

I always admired the persistence of the late Sir Iain Moncrieff of that Ilk to insist on using his Ilk-itude. I do think those who claim seniority to a surname should no longer be so coy about using this ghost of a title. It may only really impress the more gullible sort of woman and American tourists, but it is authentic and it is ancient.

I think lesser Thistles would add to the merriment of the New Year and Queen's Birthday lists. The recreation of, say, 50 thanes of Scotland – for genuine distinction – would be a blessing. I argue this as a stern, unbending Unionist, but it works for an SNP soul, too. There is a simple test of these ideas. Would Sir Walter approve? I think he would chuckle with pleasure.