Lady Dorothea Ruggles-Brise facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothea Ruggles-Brise
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Dorothea Ruggles-Brise in 1921
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| Born |
Lady Dorothea Louisa Stewart-Murray
25 March 1866 |
| Died | 28 December 1937 (aged 71) |
| Occupation | Music collector |
| Spouse(s) |
Harold Goodeve Ruggles-Brise
(m. 1895; died 1927) |
| Parent(s) | John Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl Louisa Moncreiffe |
Lady Dorothea Louisa Ruggles-Brise (born Stewart-Murray; 25 March 1866 – 28 December 1937) was a very important person in the world of Scottish traditional music. She was the daughter of the 7th Duke of Atholl. Dorothea became an expert and a collector of old Scottish tunes and songs.
Contents
Discovering a Love for Music
Dorothea Louisa Stewart-Murray was born in 1866. Her parents were John Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl, and Louisa Moncrieff. Her family had a long history of supporting musicians. They were even patrons of Niel Gow, a famous Scottish fiddler and composer.
Growing Up with Scottish Tunes
Because of her family's background, Dorothea grew up loving Scottish traditional music. This interest stayed with her throughout her life. She became a great expert on this type of music. She also started collecting many rare and old Scottish melodies. Even when she was young, she would perform these tunes herself.
A Life Dedicated to Music
In 1895, Dorothea married Harold Goodeve Ruggles-Brise. He was an officer in the Grenadier Guards. They lived together in London. A special pipe march was even composed for their wedding. It was called a 6/8 pipe march and was created by Aeneas Rose. He was the pipe-major of the Atholl Highlanders.
Collecting Important Music
Dorothea continued her deep interest in Scottish music. She was especially keen on its history. In 1904, she bought a huge music collection. It belonged to John Glen, a music publisher from Edinburgh. She first loaned this collection to the British Museum.
The National Library of Scotland Collection
Later, Dorothea gave John Glen's collection permanently to the National Library of Scotland. She did this to honor her younger brother, Lord George Stewart-Murray. He had died fighting in France in 1914. This collection is very large. It has about 900 items, including 6 old manuscripts. Many parts of this collection have been made digital. This means you can see them online.
Dorothea's Own Music Collection
Dorothea also built her own large music collection. It had about 600 volumes. This collection is now known as the Atholl Collection. It is kept at the A.K. Bell Library in Perth. You can find a list of all the music in this collection.
The William Dixon Manuscript
One very important item in her collection was the William Dixon manuscript. This is the oldest known source of bagpipe music from the British Isles. It is also the biggest source of Border pipe music from the 1700s. This old manuscript has a slight burn mark. When Dorothea wanted to buy it, the owner, Charles Macintosh, refused to sell it. Instead, he insisted she take it as a gift. When she hesitated, he put it on the fire! This made her accept the gift to save the manuscript.
Images for kids
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Dorothea Ruggles-Brise in 1921
