The Clan Marjoribanks Society Gatherings

April 2024 Worldwide Meeting of the Clan Marjoribanks Society

A video of the meeting on Zoom can be found here.

• Introductions and Notices:
  • Clan President Rachel Marjoribanks introduced the agenda.
  • Clan Secretary Caroline Morris announced the Scottish Games in Greenville, South Carolina, USA on May 24-25 2024, featuring a parade and a society tent at the university.
• Greenville Scottish Games and Clan Society Activities:
  • Caroline detailed the society’s involvement in the games, including tent arrangements, refreshments by Carol, and decorations by Kimberley.
  • Former Clan President Patricia Baillie Strong praised previous events, emphasizing their appeal.
• Council Member Introductions:
  • Each member introduced themselves and highlighted their roles:
    • Rachel Marjoribanks: Coordination
    • John Marjoribanks: Genealogy
    • Caroline Morris: Network expansion
    • Kimberley Bruce: Financial management and managing the tent
    • Carol Leake: Research collection maintenance
  • Vice President Lee Plumbley, Web site manager Jonathan Baillie Strong and DNA genealogy project leader James Green III were unable to be present.
• Membership Management and Communication:
  • John, Kimberley, and Rachel discussed consolidating mailing lists, favoring email communication despite inbox overload concerns.
• Digitizing Archives and Developing Website:
  • Plans were made to digitize documents for the Marjoribanks website.
  • Kimberley would seek technical advice from a genealogy group, and Rachel would coordinate with Jonathan Baillie Strong on content uploading.
• Future Directions and Next Steps:
  • Rachel highlighted membership and website development as priorities.
  • John suggested offering exclusive online content to enhance membership value.
  • All members expressed enthusiasm for advancing initiatives and increasing society involvement.

October 2023 Worldwide General Meeting of the Clan Marjoribanks Society

Chief Andrew Marjoribanks, President Patricia Baillie Strong, Secretary Caroline Morris, US treasurer Kimberly Bruce, Genealogist John Marjoribanks and his wife Andrea, webmaster Jonathan Baillie Strong and Newsletter editor Stuart Baillie Strong introduced themselves. Ten others from the USA, Canada, UK and New Zealand also introduced themselves. Three apologies were received. A video of the meeting can be found here.

Summary minutes of the October 2022 General Meeting are shown below. Detailed minutes are available from the Secretary Caroline.

Patricia announced her resignation as president of the Society and said she had created a nominating committee who had nominated Rachel Marchbanks for the presidency and Lee Plumley for the Vice President position. Patricia therefore nominated Rachel Marchbanks for president, Lee Plumley for vice president, and Robin Duffie for US Membership Chairman. They were voted nem. con.  and accepted by the meeting.

Caroline gave a report on the US Clan March Bank Society activities, including a dinner and the search for a parade chairman.

John provided a financial report for the UK branch and proposed opening a digital bank account. Kimberly presented the financial report for the US branch. Both were accepted by the meeting.

John provided a report on the succession of the chief of the Clan Marchbanks, explaining the criteria for inheriting the arms and the distinction between the heir line and the heir male. He explained, for example, in order for the Chief’s eldest child, Katie, to inherit the arms of the Chief she would have to keep the Marjoribanks surname and would need to matriculate with the Lord Lyon’s office within a year and a day of her father’s death. If she did not do so, the same procedure would be followed for each of the possible chiefs. John stressed the importance of maintaining a clear lineage and avoiding disputes, citing as an example the challenges faced by Clan Logan over many years in trying to identify their rightful chief.

 Stuart discussed the ancestral maternal lineage of the Chief using autosomal DNA matches for Patricia and other cousins of the chief.   Stuart discussed the DNA matches and their relationships to Mary Ord Logan, Elizabeth Leslie, and Mary Cook, who are all female ancestors of Andrew. Stuart expressed interest in obtaining DNA from the Chief’s wife Fiona and/or her cousin Robin Marjoribanks to learn more about their Marjoribanks lineage separate from that of Chief.

John presented the history of various families that the chief had married into, including the Cooks, Leslies, and Logans. He described the academic achievements, connections to royalty, and personal relationships of these families, highlighting their significance in the chief’s lineage.

The meeting also discussed future meetings, notification procedures, and the proposal for a book called “The Chiefs Book.” Andrew circulated the details of the book for everyone to consider buying for the Marjoribanks clan.

The next meeting for the Clan was planned for April 28, 2024 and the next AGM on October 13, 2024.

April 2023 Worldwide Meeting of the Clan Marjoribanks Society – Presentation on Heraldry by John Marjoribanks

John Marjoribanks. the clan genealogist, gave a presentation on Heraldry on Sunday, 16th April 2023 on the Internet using Zoom.  There were about 20 participants worldwide.  A video of his meeting can be found here.

October 2022 World Wide Clan Marjoribanks General Meeting on the Internet

Members of the Clan Marjoribanks Society joined a worldwide General Meeting of the Clan Marjoribanks on Sunday 16th October 2022. This meeting was held on the Internet by Zoom. A video of the meeting can be found on the Marjoribanks YouTube channel using this link.

About 20 people took part from all over the world.

The meeting began with a warm welcome from the Chief, Andrew Marjoribanks, followed by acknowledgments for any apologies received.

The minutes of the previous General Meeting were then discussed and unanimously approved. President Patricia Baillie Strong, presented her report, highlighting the society’s achievements and activities over the past year. Secretary Caroline Watts Morris provided a comprehensive report on the society’s administrative matters. This was followed by financial reports from both the UK and US branches, detailing their respective financial standings. John Marjoribanks presented the Genealogical Report , shedding light on the latest research and findings regarding Marjoribanks family history. Stuart Baillie Strong presented the DNA project report with an update on the ongoing genetic research within the community. The Marjoribanks website was discussed, including its maintenance and potential improvements.

The election of Office Bearers took place, ensuring the society’s leadership positions were filled. Carol Leake resigned as US treasurer and Kimberly Bruce was elected in her place.  Carol was given a round of applause for her outstanding work in the past and was elected as Clan archivist.  All other office bearers agreed to continue in their roles.

The next meeting of the Clan Marjoribanks Society was announced with the date of Sunday, 16th April 2023 with the subject, a presentation on Heraldry by John Marjoribanks.

The floor was then opened for Any Other Business, allowing members to raise additional topics or concerns.

August 2017 Clan Meeting at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

The Scottish Government declared 2017 another ‘Homecoming Year’ to
encourage family and friends to visit the Old Country. Visit Scotland’s
theme for the year was “Heritage, Archaeology and History” of which the
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo held on the esplanade of the castle, Edinburgh, Scotland in  the summer was a signature event.

The theme of the 2017 Tattoo was ‘A Splash of Tartan’, connecting Scotland’s national textile – in all its pedigree and variety – with Scotland’s seafaring past, present and future. In line with this theme, Brigadier Allfrey, the the Chief Executive of the Tattoo, asked us all to wear our clan tartan for the parade. Photographs taken by a professional photographer, Ian Georgeson, can be found here.

Our performance was on Saturday 12th August, at 10.30 pm. 40 people associated with the Marjoribanks clan came, joined by MacNeil and the Macrae clansmen.

We were ushered into the Great Hall of the castle.

Where we were given a performance by the Royal Marines drum band.

We paraded onto the Castle Esplanade,

The three Clans took their places and joined the Salute Taker for the salute by the Guard of Honour.  The clan chiefs took a ceremonial dram with the Pipe Major.

We then took our seats to see the rest of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our clan to take part in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, such a spectacular event in a very special setting.

June 2014 Clan meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland

The 2014 Clan Marjoribanks Society General Meeting was held on 28^th June 2014 at the home of Patricia and Stuart Baillie Strong in Edinburgh, Scotland. Present were Andrew Marjoribanks of That Ilk, Fiona Marjoribanks, John, Andrea and Rachel Marjoribanks, Patricia, Stuart and Jonathan Baillie Strong, Iona Binns, Anne Humphreys, Katharine Cousland, Cynthia Allan, Katie and Glen Laishley, Kirsty, Graham, Molly and Poppy Galbraith, Faith, Mark, Anna and Flora Sinclair.

A video of this meeting can be found at here.

After coffee, tea and cakes, Molly, the Chief’s eldest granddaughter rang the Bathgate bell to start the proceedings. Andrew, the Chief, welcomed those present.

The Minutes of the last General Meeting in 2009 were unanimously approved.

 President’s report

Patricia Baillie Strong, the President, summarised what had been happening in the last five years. She acknowledged the enormous legacy left by the late clan genealogist, Roger Marjoribanks, whose role had been taken on by John Marjoribanks. She thanked all the committee for their time and commitment.

 Report from the US

Patricia read out the Minutes of the last annual meeting of the US Clan Marjoribanks Society held in the Reedy River Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, in August 2013. About 40 people had attended and all enjoyed themselves.

 Financial report

John Marjoribanks, the UK treasurer, submitted the UK financial statement for the last five years. This showed the Clan had £800.5 in the Bank. John proposed lowering the annual subscription to £8 individual or £15 family membership. This was unanimously approved. John encouraged those present to pay their annual dues by cash, cheque or standing order. Katharine suggested that some of the cash reserves of the Clan should be used to defray a part of the costs for somebody representing the UK visiting the US Marjoribanks Society meeting. John also read out the most recent US financial report, which showed a positive balance of $891.47.

Genealogical report

John, the Clan genealogist, reported that he had taken over voluminous genealogical records from Roger Marjoribanks. He had become Roger’s literary executor and had got Roger’s article on Sir John Marjoribanks of Lees published in the “Book of the Old Edinburgh Club.” John also arranged for permission for a memorial to Roger at the Marjoribanks Burial Aisle in Coldstream. John had produced a booklet of portraits of the eleven Marjoribanks chiefs from 1673 to the present day but three were missing: Andrew (9^th Chief, from 1704 to 1711), Alexander (13^th Chief, from 1830 to 1864) and Alexander (15^th Chief, from 1868 to 1923). John asked if anyone had pictures that he could use. He also upgraded the Booklet “A Visitor’s Guide to Places of Family Interest in Scotland.” Both booklets were made available at the meeting.

Stuart Baillie Strong said that 23 people were part of the Marjoribanks DNA Project on Family Tree DNA run by James Green III. Andrew confirmed that this project proved that the Marjoribanks of Lees and the senior branch stem from the same ancestor back in the 16^th century. Stuart believed that the autosomal DNA test could be valuable for family tree genealogy, particularly for females.

John had asked a heraldic artist, Anthony Maxwell to redraw, based on the original specifications, the Marjoribanks badge, which can be used by any clan member. John suggested the Clan could get clan badges made and sell them at cost afterwards. Fiona mentioned that she was impressed by some of the large clan badges that some wives of Chiefs wear.

Publicity

Stuart and Jonathan Baillie Strong had changed the software used to maintain the Marjoribanks website to WordPress which is much easier to use. Stuart would be glad to update the website with any items that members thought useful. Katie Laishley said she would try to open up the Marjoribanks Facebook to make it easier for people to contribute to it. She would also add a link to access the Clan website. John felt that Facebook and other social electronic sites on the web could encourage younger people to engage with the clan. There is also a Marchbank Facebook page run by Amanda Long in the US. Faith Sinclair said that she had a little Marchbank student in her class

Anne Humphreys and Iona Binns suggested that an article about the Gaelic Bard, their grandfather George Marjoribanks, be included in the next newsletter. He had led a very colourful life.

Some web pages on the Internet include the myth of the origin of the Marjoribanks name. This has been disproved. John proposed this should be rectified by Jonathan, webmaster. Anne thought it was rather a shame to do this and Cynthia Allen suggested that it could be regarded as a funny story.

Lord Tweedmouth/Friends of Guisachan

Stuart described how the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland plans to hold a 150^th anniversary of the founding of the golden retriever by Lord Tweedmouth (Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks). A group called The Friends of Guisachan had raised money for a statue of a golden retriever adjacent to the memorial to Lord and Lady Tweedmouth at Guisachan and asked if clan members would contribute. The Chief, Andrew had agreed to attend the dedication on 10^th August, 2014 at Guisachan and make a short speech.

Election of office bearers. The following office bearers were then unanimously elected:

President                                                                                  Patricia Baillie Strong

Secretary                                                                                      Caroline Morris

Genealogist, UK Treasurer, Membership Secretary    John Marjoribanks

US Treasurer                                                                             Carol Leake

US Newsletter Editor                                                             Lynda Flowe

Newsletter Editor                                                                    Stuart Baillie Strong

Webmaster                                                                            Jonathan Baillie Strong

Social Media Secretary                                                          Katie Laishley

John suggested that the existing committee be expanded. He encouraged younger members to join as it was run exclusively by the older generation. He requested help to update the membership list. John would coordinate with Fiona and Stuart to reorganise membership lists and write to people inviting them to join. Katie would assist in the committee electronically.

Next meeting

It was recommended that the next meeting should be in a couple of years in the UK since five years was thought too long between meetings (It was held in 2017). Hopefully, this should tie in with some important event attracting members from abroad and around the country. Different possibilities were discussed. Anne suggested holding a family barbecue in a different part of the country.

John would like there to be more committee meetings in preparation for the next gathering. Hopefully, we could hold more joint gatherings with the US branch of the Clan Marjoribanks Society.

Patricia closed the meeting at 6.30 p.m. and the meeting finished with refreshments. Members went on to an excellent dinner at an Edinburgh restaurant nearby.

Some Photographs of the 2014 gathering:

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July 2009 Gathering, Edinburgh, Scotland

The 2009 Clan Marjoribanks gathering was held on July 25th, 2009 at the home of Patricia Baillie Strong in Regent Terrace, Edinburgh, Scotland. This date coincided with The Scottish Gathering celebrations in Edinburgh that weekend. Twenty people attended the Meeting and eighteen marched in the Parade up the Royal Mile from Holyrood Palace to the Castle in the evening.

The Chief Andrew Marjoribanks welcomed all those present and started the Meeting at 11.0 a.m. by ringing the Balbardie bell. He mentioned how Robert Marjoribanks in Canada and his wife Nancy had more or less run the Clan Marjoribanks Society single-handedly for many years until retiring in 2005 due to ill health. Bob’s departure had meant a big loss for the Clan and caused the first major upheaval since the founding of the Society in 1987.

The outgoing President Katharine Cousland, said that the original manufacturer of the Marjoribanks tartan (Dalgleish Mills) has now gone out of business but John Marjoribanks said that any Scottish weaver will make up the tartan as it is registered in the official list of Scottish tartans. Zazzle is an American company on the web that will supply Marjoribanks brooches.

The outgoing secretary, Patricia Baillie Strong, said she had saved the membership list digitally on the web (Google documents) so that it can be accessed by all the committee wherever they are.  450 people had been invited to the Gathering and the Marjoribanks General Meeting in Edinburgh.

The following were proposed, seconded and elected as Office Bearers of the Clan Marjoribanks Society.
President:                                                   Patricia Baillie Strong
Secretary:                                                   Caroline Morris
US Treasurer:                                           Carol Leake
Genealogist and UK Treasurer:         Roger Marjoribanks
US Newsletter Editor:                           Amanda Long
UK Newsletter Editor:                          John Marjoribanks
Publisher:                                                 Stuart Baillie Strong
After the Meeting, the Committee decided to appoint Jonathan Baillie Strong as Webmaster to develop the Clan Marjoribanks Society web page and to encourage younger people to join the Society, for example, by using webpages like Twitter and Facebook. Bill Jackson and James Green III were the leaders of the Marjoribanks DNA genealogy project.

John Marjoribanks proposed several changes to the previous Constitution adopted on 9th June 1990. Several amendments were considered and agreed. The key ones were:

1. 1. • that, on the basis of advice from the Lord Lyon, the name be changed from “The Marjoribanks Family” to the “Clan Marjoribanks Society”;
      • that, in order to leave greater discretion in the hands of the Editors, the requirement that “The Marjoribanks Letter” should be produced “at least once a year” should be an aspiration rather than an imperative;
      • that there should be a Treasurer (USA) and a Treasurer (UK) to reduce difficulties with money transfers;
      • that there should be an Editor (USA), an Editor (UK) and a Publisher for “The Marjoribanks Letter”: the two editors would solicit and edit contributions and the publisher would put the newsletter together and handle distribution;
      • that, rather than being bound to hold a General Meeting every year, the frequency of meetings should be left to the Council to determine: it was clearly the will of the meeting that all meetings of Marjoribanks Kin should be within the framework of the Society, although not necessarily all would be constituted a General Meeting of the Society.

The new President, Patricia Baillie Strong thanked the outgoing President, Katharine Cousland for her hard work and dedication.

  Some Photographs of the 2009 gathering: