A. J. Morton
Encyclopedia
A. J. Morton is a writer and researcher specialising in the history of the west coast of Scotland. He has been a consultant, contributor or writer for The Sunday Times
, Irvine Times, Fortean Times
, The Sunday Post
, and The Herald
.
He is credited with the identification of an unrecorded medieval power centre in the west of Scotland
. The burgh of Irvine
, he told the Scotland on Sunday
in 2010, was an important region of administration between the 12th and 16th centuries, and was possibly a temporary capital of Strathclyde
after the sacking of Dumbarton Rock by the Vikings in 870.
and literary studies. He has made several notable discoveries.
His research has been reported by the London Daily Mail
, Sunday Times, The Sun, Sunday Express, Evening Times
, Daily Record
, Sunday Herald, USA Today
and BBC Radio
.
In 2008, he identified the true author of famous Robert Burns
poem "The Master's Apron". Written by a 19th century American statesman, Henry O. Kent, the poem is no longer associated with Robert Burns. Dr. Corey E. Andrews of Youngstown University, USA said:
"A.J. Morton makes a convincing case that 'The Master's Apron' is not the work of Robert Burns. His research demonstrates that Henry O. Kent wrote this masonic poem almost a hundred years after Burns's death."
titled A new account of the varied associations linking the Kyrk of Kylwynning & the Heid Burrough of Irrwine in Templar-Cunynghame. Because it contained new research on the military orders (The Knights Templar
and Knights Hospitaller
) and a medieval craft guild in the west of Scotland, the paper was popular, and was well received by the academic community.
MSP
Irene Oldfather
brought A.J.Morton's research to the attention of the Scottish Parliament
in Nov. 2009 saying:
"Kilwinning could rival Rosslyn Chapel
as a major tourist attraction..."
Dr. Gerard Carruthers of Glasgow University called the paper "a highly nuanced, empirical and sane approach to an area that has been all too often hijacked by sensation-seekers, conspiracy theorists and fantasists. An excellent piece of historical research.”
Since portions of the paper were first published, an archaeological dig has taken place, the mainstreet has had a multi-million pound makeover, and the search has begun for the grave of Robert the Bruce's Chancellor Bernard of Kilwinning
.
, Ayrshire
, had discovered the location of the Holy Grail
. According to The Sun, Morton thinks "Indiana Jones
would have been better off trawling for the goblet in the streets of Kilwinning."
Morton has denied any connection between his research and the Holy Grail. The Irvine Times wrote, "AJ has hit out against some sources who have misinterpreted his findings. He said he would 'adore' Irvine and Kilwinning becoming historical tourist traps, but said he believed the Grail myth was 'a fantasy'".
claimed A.J.Morton had been speculating on the whereabouts of Evonium
, an early medieval power centre on the west coast first mentioned by Hector Boece
. According to Boece, the Stone of Destiny was originally kept at Evonium before it was moved east. A.J.Morton has identified Irvine, Ayrshire as a possible candidate. He has justified this by bringing attention to the political and royal importance of Irvine in the 12th century:
According to the Scotland on Sunday:
John Balliol, the Royal Lord of Cunninghame and the last Scottish king to be crowned on the Stone before it was seized and taken to England in 1296, was a hereditary overlord of the town. Morton has concluded that Evonium would have been more likely to be in Ayrshire
, closer to the Irish coast, rather than in a remote part of Argyll, suggesting that the town's name, and the fact that it was once known as the capital of Cunninghame, might itself be a clue.
A.J.Morton said:
We can't be certain that Evonium actually existed, so we can't properly identify the Stone's western home, or say with any certainty that Irvine is most definitely Evonium. What is certain is that the Irvine district was enormously important in the middle ages. The most intriguing evidence concerns Irvine’s links with early monarchs and officers of Norman Scotland.
. The letters O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V. & D.M., the Times explained, were probably created for, by, or in memorial of, Viscount Anson and his wife Mary Vernon-Venables. Morton, in an Irvine Times interview, said:
It is highly unlikely the Shugborough Inscription has anything to do with the Holy Grail. It is possible, indeed very likely, that Mary Venables-Vernon of Sudbury Hall, the Baron Vernon of Derbyshire, the honourable Edward Vernon-Harcourt and the 1st Viscount Anson of Orgreave (a hamlet United with Overley) and Shugborough were somehow involved in the creation of the original “Shugborough Code”. Or are all those Vs just a coincidence?
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, Irvine Times, Fortean Times
Fortean Times
Fortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing and then I Feel Good Publishing , it is now published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. As of December 2010, its circulation was approximately 18,000...
, The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
, and The Herald
The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
.
He is credited with the identification of an unrecorded medieval power centre in the west of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The burgh of Irvine
Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
, he told the Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
in 2010, was an important region of administration between the 12th and 16th centuries, and was possibly a temporary capital of Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
after the sacking of Dumbarton Rock by the Vikings in 870.
Published works
As an essayist, Morton has published two papers in Glasgow University's Scottish Literary Journal, the premier peer reviewed journal of Scottish literatureScottish literature
Scottish literature is literature written in Scotland or by Scottish writers. It includes literature written in English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Brythonic, French, Latin and any other language in which a piece of literature was ever written within the boundaries of modern Scotland.The earliest...
and literary studies. He has made several notable discoveries.
His research has been reported by the London Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Sunday Times, The Sun, Sunday Express, Evening Times
Evening Times
The Evening Times is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The paper, an evening sister paper of The Herald, was established in 1876. The paper's slogan is "Nobody Knows Glasgow Better"....
, Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
, Sunday Herald, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
.
In 2008, he identified the true author of famous Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
poem "The Master's Apron". Written by a 19th century American statesman, Henry O. Kent, the poem is no longer associated with Robert Burns. Dr. Corey E. Andrews of Youngstown University, USA said:
"A.J. Morton makes a convincing case that 'The Master's Apron' is not the work of Robert Burns. His research demonstrates that Henry O. Kent wrote this masonic poem almost a hundred years after Burns's death."
Thesis
In 2009 he privately circulated a thesisThesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
titled A new account of the varied associations linking the Kyrk of Kylwynning & the Heid Burrough of Irrwine in Templar-Cunynghame. Because it contained new research on the military orders (The Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
and Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
) and a medieval craft guild in the west of Scotland, the paper was popular, and was well received by the academic community.
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
Irene Oldfather
Irene Oldfather
Irene Oldfather is a Scottish Labour politician, and was the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Cunninghame South constituency from 1999 until 2011.-References:...
brought A.J.Morton's research to the attention of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
in Nov. 2009 saying:
"Kilwinning could rival Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Roman Catholic collegiate church in the mid-15th century...
as a major tourist attraction..."
Dr. Gerard Carruthers of Glasgow University called the paper "a highly nuanced, empirical and sane approach to an area that has been all too often hijacked by sensation-seekers, conspiracy theorists and fantasists. An excellent piece of historical research.”
Since portions of the paper were first published, an archaeological dig has taken place, the mainstreet has had a multi-million pound makeover, and the search has begun for the grave of Robert the Bruce's Chancellor Bernard of Kilwinning
Bernard of Kilwinning
Bernard was a Tironensian abbot, administrator and bishop active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland, during the First War of Scottish Independence...
.
Holy Grail
In July 2009, The Sun, Evening Times and Daily Mail claimed that Morton, during his research into a 12th century abbey in KilwinningKilwinning
Kilwinning is a historic town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is known as The Crossroads of Ayrshire. The 2001 Census recorded it as having a population of 15,908.-History:...
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, had discovered the location of the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
. According to The Sun, Morton thinks "Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
would have been better off trawling for the goblet in the streets of Kilwinning."
Morton has denied any connection between his research and the Holy Grail. The Irvine Times wrote, "AJ has hit out against some sources who have misinterpreted his findings. He said he would 'adore' Irvine and Kilwinning becoming historical tourist traps, but said he believed the Grail myth was 'a fantasy'".
Stone of Destiny
In December, 2010, The Scotland on SundayScotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
claimed A.J.Morton had been speculating on the whereabouts of Evonium
Evonium
Evonium, claimed to be the coronation site and seat of government of 40 kings, is a purported lost city in Scotland, first described by Hector Boece in the 15th century. Long associated with the village of Dunstaffnage in Argyll, writer A. J. Morton has suggested that if it actually existed it...
, an early medieval power centre on the west coast first mentioned by Hector Boece
Hector Boece
Hector Boece , known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Aberdeen.-Biography:He was born in Dundee where he attended school...
. According to Boece, the Stone of Destiny was originally kept at Evonium before it was moved east. A.J.Morton has identified Irvine, Ayrshire as a possible candidate. He has justified this by bringing attention to the political and royal importance of Irvine in the 12th century:
According to the Scotland on Sunday:
John Balliol, the Royal Lord of Cunninghame and the last Scottish king to be crowned on the Stone before it was seized and taken to England in 1296, was a hereditary overlord of the town. Morton has concluded that Evonium would have been more likely to be in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, closer to the Irish coast, rather than in a remote part of Argyll, suggesting that the town's name, and the fact that it was once known as the capital of Cunninghame, might itself be a clue.
A.J.Morton said:
We can't be certain that Evonium actually existed, so we can't properly identify the Stone's western home, or say with any certainty that Irvine is most definitely Evonium. What is certain is that the Irvine district was enormously important in the middle ages. The most intriguing evidence concerns Irvine’s links with early monarchs and officers of Norman Scotland.
The Shugborough Code
In January 2011 the Irvine Times revealed that A.J.Morton had solved the Shugborough inscriptionShugborough inscription
The Shugborough inscription is a sequence of letters - O U O S V A V V, between the letters D M - carved on the 18th-century Shepherd's Monument in the grounds of Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England, below a mirror image of Nicolas Poussin's painting, the Shepherds of Arcadia...
. The letters O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V. & D.M., the Times explained, were probably created for, by, or in memorial of, Viscount Anson and his wife Mary Vernon-Venables. Morton, in an Irvine Times interview, said:
It is highly unlikely the Shugborough Inscription has anything to do with the Holy Grail. It is possible, indeed very likely, that Mary Venables-Vernon of Sudbury Hall, the Baron Vernon of Derbyshire, the honourable Edward Vernon-Harcourt and the 1st Viscount Anson of Orgreave (a hamlet United with Overley) and Shugborough were somehow involved in the creation of the original “Shugborough Code”. Or are all those Vs just a coincidence?
External links
- Robert Burns Ode Penned by American - Sunday Times
- Stone of Destiny from Ayrshire not Perthshire - Scotland on Sunday
- Searching for the Holy Grail - Sunday Times
- Nikola Tesla in Scotland
- BBC Interview with A.J.Morton
- A.J. Solves mystery of the 39 Steps - Irvine Times
- Film Crew in Kilwinning on the Trail of the Holy Grail - Irvine Herald
- Expert says Holy Grail is in Kilwinning - The Sun
- Expert never said Holy Grail was in Kilwinning - Irvine Times
- Did Irvine Give Birth to the First Scottish Spud - MediaUK
- Father of Burns lived in Irvine Valley - Clyde & Forth Media
- Locals Dig Start of Abbey Tower Project - Ardrossan Herald
- Kilwinning Community Archaeology Project
- A.J.Morton Official Website