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拍品專文
The arms and crest on the guard are those of the Chief of Clan MacGregor, of whom the holder of the title, Sir John MacGregor-Murray (d.1822) was created a baronet on 3 July 1795. He was the son of the Major Evan MacGregor (d.1778) referred to in the inscription on the guard of the sword, who fought for Prince Charles Edward in 1745 at Culloden in the MacGregor regiment commanded by his eldest brother, Robert. He subsequently served with distinction in the British Army. The Battle of Glenfrouin (now Glen Fruan) was fought between the MacGregors, led by their chief, Alexander, and the Colquhouns, and ended in the massacre of two hundred of the latter. As a result King James VI (later James I of England) had an Order in Council passed outlawing the whole Clan MacGregor and forbidding anyone, on pain of death, from bearing the surname MacGregor. The two-handed claymore cut down by Evan was, according to tradition, the one carried in the battle by Alexander (who was subsequently hanged in Edinburgh). Sir John MacGregor-Murray's son, Evan John (1785-1841), the second baronet who changed his name to Murray-MacGregor on accession, served with great distinction in the British Army, first in Spain and Portugal, and then in India, eventually acting as aide-de-camp to both Kings George IV and William IV, rising to the rank of Major-General and obtaining many honours. During King George IV's famous visit to Edinburgh in 1822, he and his clansmen guarded the Scottish Crown Jewels ("The Honours of Scotland") and at the great royal banquet given by the King in Edinburgh, he personally proposed the loyal toast "The Chief of Chiefs - The King". The sword was altered to its existing form for the occasion of the royal visit (the scabbard allegedly to match that of a dirk presented to Major Evan MacGregor in 1745). It is shown in Denis Dighton's painting of the Regalia being removed from the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle, and in several portraits of Sir Evan in full Highland dress (see illustration), also showing the pair of pistols sold at Christie's South Kensington, 19 July 2001, lot 155. The name on the storage case is that of either the 4th or 5th Baronet
The sword was probably refurbished by Marshall & Sons of Edinburgh, the King's jewellers, who are known from the MacGregor archives to have supplied Sir Evan with a powder-horn, a gold buckle and a gold bonnet-broach
King George IV's visit to Edinburgh (stage-managed by Sir Walter Scott) gave enormous impetus to the Celtic revival of which the present sword is an important product. The process began under the influence of Scott's writings, and was continued through Victoria and Albert's passion for the Highlands
See The Rev. W. Betham, The Baronetage of England, vol. 4, London, 1804, pp. 308-9; G.E.C. (G.E. Cockayne), The Complete Baronetage, vol. V, Exeter, 1906, p. 303; I. Moncreiffe, The Highland Clans, London, 1967, p. 210; J. Prebble, The King's Jaunt, 1988, pp. 129-35, 217-19, 311-12
The sword was probably refurbished by Marshall & Sons of Edinburgh, the King's jewellers, who are known from the MacGregor archives to have supplied Sir Evan with a powder-horn, a gold buckle and a gold bonnet-broach
King George IV's visit to Edinburgh (stage-managed by Sir Walter Scott) gave enormous impetus to the Celtic revival of which the present sword is an important product. The process began under the influence of Scott's writings, and was continued through Victoria and Albert's passion for the Highlands
See The Rev. W. Betham, The Baronetage of England, vol. 4, London, 1804, pp. 308-9; G.E.C. (G.E. Cockayne), The Complete Baronetage, vol. V, Exeter, 1906, p. 303; I. Moncreiffe, The Highland Clans, London, 1967, p. 210; J. Prebble, The King's Jaunt, 1988, pp. 129-35, 217-19, 311-12