Chipk
Elite Member
Ok there will be scoffers. That’s ok, I understand. Personally if I hadn’t done this myself I would doubt this myself.
But it’s true. 100%.
I posted earlier about a thin silver disc I found. At first I thought it was a can lid but the bail on it made me give it a second look. And a third and a fourth. Took me an hour of scrubbing baked on muck away and then repeated baths in boiling water, baking soda and salt in aluminum foil to remove tarnish so I could see details.
As I reported it’s obviously Scottish in origin. There is a lion, thistle, heather, sword, the Scottish National Motto and the Gaelic phrase “I Mak Sichr” which means “I Make Sure”. This phrase caught my eye because it is on the Kirkpatrick Family Crest and I am a Kirkpatrick.
This phrase was credited to Sir Roger Kirkpatrick in 1306 when he helped Robert The Bruce become King of England. Kirkpatrick was 3rd cousin to Bruce and his best friend. He was also 1st cousin to William Wallace (Braveheart). Bruce had a rival for the Scottish crown, a man called The Red Comyn. They agreed to meet in a church where SUPPOSEDLY each would be safe. However Bruce pulled a dagger and wounded Comyn and fled. When Kirkpatrick learned Comyn was not dead, he uttered the phrase (I Make Sure) and went and killed Comyn.
Look it up. All historical.
So I see that phrase and wondered if there might be a relationship of that disc to my ancestors. But I immediately dismissed it as highly unlikely.
Well part of the engraving included a line saying “TOUCHAND I PEARCE” which we assumed was a name. We Googled every combination of that name without results.
I posted the story and pictures on a number of forums and sites including several Scottish Facebook sites. And yesterday I got an answer.
It seems we were reading it wrong. It actually says “TOUCH AND I PEARCE (PIERCE)” meaning touch me and be stabbed. Apparently my ancestors were pretty aggressive and vicious. Furthermore she guided me to a site which explained this was the Kirkpatrick family motto BEFORE the Comyn incident.
I had never known this. And it seems I actually found some sort of family relic!!!
Now it’s known that a lot of Scotsmen were sent to this area to help fight the Spanish in the 1500s and 1600s. Did a kinsman lose this here and centuries later I recovered it? Karma? Destiny? Pure dumb luck?
Ok. Begin scoffing. I don’t blame you. But this is ALL true.
I’m still in shock and have a lot of research to do. What is this? What is it’s purpose? How old is it? I’ll probably never know.
But it’s true. 100%.
I posted earlier about a thin silver disc I found. At first I thought it was a can lid but the bail on it made me give it a second look. And a third and a fourth. Took me an hour of scrubbing baked on muck away and then repeated baths in boiling water, baking soda and salt in aluminum foil to remove tarnish so I could see details.
As I reported it’s obviously Scottish in origin. There is a lion, thistle, heather, sword, the Scottish National Motto and the Gaelic phrase “I Mak Sichr” which means “I Make Sure”. This phrase caught my eye because it is on the Kirkpatrick Family Crest and I am a Kirkpatrick.
This phrase was credited to Sir Roger Kirkpatrick in 1306 when he helped Robert The Bruce become King of England. Kirkpatrick was 3rd cousin to Bruce and his best friend. He was also 1st cousin to William Wallace (Braveheart). Bruce had a rival for the Scottish crown, a man called The Red Comyn. They agreed to meet in a church where SUPPOSEDLY each would be safe. However Bruce pulled a dagger and wounded Comyn and fled. When Kirkpatrick learned Comyn was not dead, he uttered the phrase (I Make Sure) and went and killed Comyn.
Look it up. All historical.
So I see that phrase and wondered if there might be a relationship of that disc to my ancestors. But I immediately dismissed it as highly unlikely.
Well part of the engraving included a line saying “TOUCHAND I PEARCE” which we assumed was a name. We Googled every combination of that name without results.
I posted the story and pictures on a number of forums and sites including several Scottish Facebook sites. And yesterday I got an answer.
It seems we were reading it wrong. It actually says “TOUCH AND I PEARCE (PIERCE)” meaning touch me and be stabbed. Apparently my ancestors were pretty aggressive and vicious. Furthermore she guided me to a site which explained this was the Kirkpatrick family motto BEFORE the Comyn incident.
I had never known this. And it seems I actually found some sort of family relic!!!
Now it’s known that a lot of Scotsmen were sent to this area to help fight the Spanish in the 1500s and 1600s. Did a kinsman lose this here and centuries later I recovered it? Karma? Destiny? Pure dumb luck?
Ok. Begin scoffing. I don’t blame you. But this is ALL true.
I’m still in shock and have a lot of research to do. What is this? What is it’s purpose? How old is it? I’ll probably never know.
JK
