Over the 43 years or so of the Society's existence, from time to time members have very kindly donated books and objects of interest to members. As we have no building of our own, it is difficult to display these things, which are kept in our storage facility, apart from at occasional exhibitions.
The best we can do at the moment is to create a virtual gallery so our Interim Secretary, Stanley Bird, and the present writer have made a modest start HERE.
The first item up is a mid-19th century framed painting of the assumed arms of Bishop John Murdoch (1796-1863). Prior to the Restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in 1878 (nearly thirty years after that in England), episcopal authority was exercised in Scotland by two Vicars Apostolic, one for the Western District, of which Bishop Murdoch was the first, and one for the Eastern District.
The painting is rather sumptuously done in a continental manner, although the painter has mistakenly given a bishop the galero and tassels of an archbishop (the Church codified this in 1832) in the tincture of a Cardinal.
The arms are those of Murdoch of Camloddan from Volume 1 of the PRAABS:
Argent two ravens hanging paleways with an arrow through both their heads fessways Proper.
As always, fuller details on the bishop and all other Scottish bishops can be found in Dr David Bertie's excellent book which can be bought HERE.
Reminder: Entries for the HSS Photographic Competition close a week today!
