What
We
Do
What the Order of Saint Stanislas does in Scotland
In Scotland, the Order of Saint Stanislas exists to turn fellowship into practical good. The Priory of Scotland brings together members, postulants, and friends of the Order to support charitable work, cultivate a spirit of service, and sustain a civilised social life rooted in tradition rather than display. We meet regularly through a small annual programme, anchored by our Investiture Weekend and complemented by regional gatherings, so that our work is not merely ceremonial, but lived: friendships formed, needs identified, and help given with discretion and intent.
Our activities in Scotland are deliberately practical. We raise and steward funds through Priory events and public-facing representation, and we direct that support to causes where it will make a clear difference, whether local initiatives in Scotland, emergency needs, or the wider charitable aims of the Order. Alongside this, the Priory provides a framework for cultural and heritage engagement: encouraging the preservation of memory, craft, and community life, and supporting initiatives that enrich the civic fabric of the places in which we live.
Those drawn to the Priory usually come for one of three reasons: the desire to contribute to charitable work in a structured and accountable way; the wish for fellowship that is dignified, convivial, and rooted in shared purpose; or an interest in the Order’s wider European tradition and its Scottish expression. If that resonates with you, we warmly invite you to attend an event, or enquire about membership and postulancy.
Recent Activities
The Priory of Scotland is an active part of the Grand Priory of the United Kingdom, and the Order Worldwide. Below is a small selection of our recent activities.
2025 Christmas Toy Drive
Our members collected over 200 individual toys and children's gifts to distribute to families in need this Christmas. Toys were distributed in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders
Priory Support for the Scottish Wildlife Trust
The Priory continuously supports the 'Saving Scotland's Red Squirrel' initiative, run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, through direct donations, as well as through location support for charity stalls at local markets
Tables and Stalls at Markets and Fayres
The Priory regularly sets up tables and stalls at markets and fayres, at which is offers products provided to the Priory, the proceeds of which entirely go to aid the Priory's charitable initiatives.
Stanislas Wreath placed on Remembrance Sunday
The Prior of Scotland, representing the Order, and in commemoration of the members of the Order, past and present, who have served in the Armed Forces, participated in the Remembrance Sunday Service in Dumfries
The Priory - Locally in Scotland
South West
Centred around our Priory H. Q. at Buittle Castle.
Representative: Prior James Cavendish of Buittle
South East
Centred in the Scottish Borders.
Representative:
Sharlene Kelly Forbes
Edinburgh
Centred at the Royal Scots Club.
Representative: Bartosz Skrzypczak
Glasgow
Centred at the Glasgow Art Club.
Representative: Tobias Casimir Parker
Aberdeen & the North Highlands
Centred at the Royal Northern & University Club.
Representative: Kim Lowe
St Andrews & Fife
Centred at the St Rule Club.
Representative: Collin Cooper
Perth & the South Highlands
Centred at the Royal Perth Golfing Society.
Representative: Rory Myatt
Historic Scots in the Order
Historic Scots in the Order
Sir Roderick Impey Murchison
1792-1871 Geologist
Scottish geologist and scientific administrator, long associated with major learned societies in Britain. He was awarded the Order of St Stanislas (1st Class) in 1846
Charles Mitchell
1820–1895 Engineer
Aberdeen-born engineer and shipbuilder who founded major yards on the Tyne. He is recorded as having been decorated with the Order of St Stanislas (2nd Class)
Archibald Forbes
War Correspondent
Born in Morayshire, and famed for reporting from major 19th-century campaigns. He is noted among the most-decorated correspondents of his day, including receipt of the Order of St Stanislaus (1st Class).
Admiral Sir Alexander Ludovic Duff
1862-1933. Royal Navy
Born in Aberdeenshire, a senior Royal Navy officer. He appears in the London Gazette list of allied decorations as having received the Order of St Stanislas, 1st Class (with Swords, gazetted 5 June 1917).
R-Admiral The Hon. Arthur Forbes-Sempill
1877-1962. Royal Navy
Scottish naval officer (born in Aberdeenshire), with First World War service including Jutland. He is listed in the London Gazette as receiving the Order of St Stanislas, 2nd Class (with Swords) (gazetted 5 June 1917).
Duncan Robert McLachlan
1871-1940. Engineer
Glasgow-associated engineer (Whitworth Register), recorded in wartime service contexts. He is recorded as an officer of the 2nd grade of the Order of St Stanislas in the Whitworth Register entry.
Lt-Col John Fraser Neilson, C.B.E., D.S.O.
1884-1962. Army Officer
Born in Glasgow and attached to the Imperial Russian Army during the Great War. His decorations include the Order of St Stanislas (Military Division, 2nd Class), recognised in the context of service 'while attached to the Imperial Russian Army'
Major J. E. Arrol-Hunter
1893 - ?. Army Officer
Glasgow-based and educated at Glasgow Academy; served with armoured car squadrons in theatres including Russia. He is documented as receiving the Russian Order of St Stanislas 2nd Class with Swords for service with the British Armoured Car Squadron in Russia.
Lieutenant John Mitchell, D.S.O., D.F.C.
1888-1964. RAF Officer
Born in Wilton, Scottish Borders; RAF officer who served in the post-WWI Russian theatre (South/North Russia intervention context). He is recorded as a recipient of the Order of St Stanislas, 2nd Class with Swords.
Major Henry David Cook Craig
1888-1920. Army Officer
Born at Ardentinny, Argyllshire; served with the British Military Mission in the Baltic / Russia context. He is recorded as receiving the Order of St Stanislaus, 2nd Class with Swords
Dr Alexander Hepburne Macklin, O.B.E., M.C.
1889-1967. Polar Explorer
Physician, polar explorer and military doctor. He is recorded as holding the Order of St Stanislaus among his awards in medical heritage sources, alongside his polar and military decorations.