In the corner of an outhouse she was clearing ahead of moving home, Anne-Mary Wharton spotted a box she thought needed investigating.
Inside, she made the intriguing discovery of a set of bagpipes with a bloodstained tartan bag cover.
Her find set off a series of other discoveries she later described as a story of “rifles, romance, shinty and World War One”.
Historian with a passion for shinty
Mrs Wharton, nee Paterson, who has died aged 86 after a short illness, was the last remaining member of a distinguished family from Beauly.
She was a renowned historian and author with numerous publications to her credit and a passion for shinty.
Her grandparents had been notable business owners in Beauly as seed merchants and ironmongers until 1916.
Her father William was also a leading figure in shinty and left a considerable legacy of photographs from his time travelling as a Camanachd Association official.
But it was other relatives who provided the most famous story which was told on stage and ensured the family will be remembered in the Highlands and beyond.
Anne-Mary’s two uncles, Alastair and Donald Paterson, both played in Beauly’s 1913 Camanachd Cup-winning side before going to war.
They also both died at the time of the Battle of Festubert in 1915.
Donald was a noted piper and composed a tune, The Beauly Shinty Club, in memory of the club’s great triumph.
The tune was written on a small sheet of paper which Anne-Mary discovered in the box in her outhouse many years later.
Famous pipes played all over the world
Donald’s pipes were recovered from the battlefield at Festubert.
They were later put into the care of Duncan MacGillivray, a renowned piper and part of a famous musical family from Culrossie, near Tain, who were related to the Patersons.
The wartime pipes have since been played all over the world.
They were a centre piece of performances of the stage show Shinty Heroes, by Duncan MacGillivray and shinty historian and broadcaster Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan.
In 2018 Duncan was part of a group that travelled to First World War battle sites, including Festubert, where the pipes were played for the first time since the conflict.
Anne-Mary could not make that trip, but she did eventually make her way to the graveyard in Rouen where Alastair is buried.
Donald’s remains were never found but he is commemorated on battle memorials.
In 2020, Duncan MacGillivray also played the pipes at the 80th anniversary of the Second World War battle at St Valery en Caux.
Another extraordinary Paterson family story later emerged across the Atlantic with the help of Dr Margaret MacKay, a Canadian who became head of the School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh.
Her research revealed that Alastair Paterson had a secret relationship with a teacher in Beauly, Annie Munro, in the pre-war years.
Annie ended up in Canada and Dr MacKay later established she was her maternal grandmother.
Passing marks the end of an era
Hugh Dan MacLennan said: “Anne-Mary’s passing represents the end of an era in terms of the family’s history in the Beauly district, and is recognised by the Camanachd Association.
“She more than played her part in unravelling and remembering the past.
“She was a giant of a figure in terms of her work, her diligence, and her sincerity.
“in addition,she was kindness personified and will be hugely missed by people, families, and communities and from Beauly to Canada.
“The shinty community extends its condolences to everyone who knew her, worked with her and shared her enthusiasm for her sense of belonging and understanding of the past.”
Anne-Mary, who was pre-deceased by her husband Ian Wharton a few years ago, wrote numerous books about railways.
At the time of her death, she was working to complete another volume about Alexander Matheson and his work involving Highland railways and distilleries.
It is hoped that there will be some way of completing that work in her honour.
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