Musings of former Provost of St John’s Cathedral
This week reader Jane Lendrum sent us this contribution to share.
The photograph is from her father’s papers. Charles McAlester Copland was Provost of St John’s Cathedral in Oban from 1959-1979.
Ms Lendrum told us: ‘I was going through some papers belonging to my late father. Among them I found this photograph, which I thought you might be interested in.
‘The signed photograph was given to my father by the late MacNeil of Barra in 1969, a year before his death. ‘With this photograph is a piece typed by my father referring to the burial of the said MacNeil.
‘Dad used to regale us with this tale of the solemn occasion at Kisimul Castle when the coffin was being lowered into the grave and it didn’t fit the space prepared. They had to reconvene the next day once some of the stone had been chipped away to accommodate the coffin.’
The following is the typed script that Charles McAlester Copland attached to the photograph.
‘We must have met them [MacNeils] somewhere and stayed with them in the delightfully restored castle.
‘He made me promise to take his funeral.
‘The call came when we were on holiday in the south. I left the family and the car in Manchester Airport, flew to Glasgow; flew to Tiree and waiting two hours celebrated for the three and four piskies on Tiree.
‘Caught the big MacBrayne for Barra and met the mourners and the coffin. ‘At Barra, the coffin to go in rowing boat to castle: very heavy. RC priest now with me: made sure coffin did not fall through boat before we went in.
‘He had got all ready, cement-lined hole in chapel and stone ready except for date. Lyon Herald at service. All well till came to lower coffin. Lead then oak, too long by a few inches. We decreed the committal would be next day.
‘They chipped out three inches and all went well.’