Puffin's is a private members' luncheon club, established in the 1960s by the historian Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk. Named after his first wife,

Diana Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll Diana Denyse Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll (5 January 1926 – 16 May 1978) was a British noblewoman. Early life Diana was the only child of Josslyn, Earl of Errol and his first wife Lady Idina Sackville. She was born in Kenya. Their home was a ...

(whose nickname was '

Puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

'), it started as an informal social gathering of Scots clan chiefs and

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

s at

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

History

Originally, Puffin's met weekly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays in Edinburgh. It now convenes monthly on a Thursday, both in Edinburgh and London. Membership is strictly by invitation and open only to those whose

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

fought at the

battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton or Brainston Moor was fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and resulted in an English victory ...

or "would have had they been there". It is believed that Puffin's throughout the 1960s and 1970s counted half the crowned heads of Europe in its circle, being variously described as distinguished and eccentric. In addition to former

King Zog of Albania Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 18959 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as King ...

, Prince Juan of the Asturias and

Archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

Otto von Habsburg Otto von Habsburg (, ; 20 November 1912 4 July 2011) was the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in November 1918. In 1922, he became the pretender to the former thrones, head of the House of Habs ...

(the last Austro-Hungarian Imperial Crown Prince), among other notable members were Prince Giulio Rospigliosi, Don Fernando Fitz-James Stuart, the actor

Terence Stamp Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938) is an English actor. Known for his sophisticated villain roles, he was named by ''Empire (magazine), Empire'' as one of the 100 Sexiest Film Stars of All Time in 1995. He has received various accolades in ...

, writers Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor and

Donald Adamson Donald Adamson, (30 March 1939 – 18 January 2024), was a British literary scholar and historian. Books which he wrote include ''Blaise Pascal: Mathematician, Physicist, and Thinker about God'' and '' Balzac and the Tradition of the European ...

Sir Nicholas Fairbairn Sir Nicholas Hardwick Fairbairn, (24 December 1933 – 19 February 1995) was a Scottish politician and advocate. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Kinross and Western Perthshire from October 1974 to 1983, and then for Pert ...

, Sir Donald Cameron, Sir David Stirling,

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

s Sir Fitzroy Maclean and Sir George Dick-Lauder, the

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named after Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male ...

, the

Marquess A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...

es of Ailsa and of Lothian, ex-British PM Lord Home of The Hirsel, the

Earl of Selkirk Earl of Selkirk is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, used since 1646. It has rules of inheritance subject to unusual and unique provisions. History The title was created on 14 August 1646 for William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton, Lord W ...

, Lord Burton,

Lord Dacre Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, each time by writ. History The first creation came in 1321, when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multo ...

Lord Lovat Lord Lovat () is a title of the rank Lord of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for Hugh Fraser by summoning him to the Scottish Parliament as Lord Fraser of Lovat, although the holder is referred to simply as Lo ...

and

Lord Strange Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that ...

, who attended from time to time. Nowadays among its membership are

the founder ''The Founder'' is a 2016 American Biographical film, biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel (filmmaker), Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film depicts the story of h ...

's two sons, the Earl of Erroll and

the Hon. ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...

Peregrine Moncreiffe of that Ilk Peregrine(s), or (Latin) ''Peregrinus'' may refer to: The arts * '' Passing of Peregrinus'', a 2nd-century satire by Lucian * "The Peregrin", a story in '' The Psychotechnic League'' series * "Peregrine", a song by Donovan on the 1968 album '' Th ...

David Campbell Bannerman David Campbell Bannerman (born 28 May 1960) is a British politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England from 2009 to 2019. He is currently Chairman of the Conservative Democratic Organisation and The ...

MEP and former MPs Major Narindar Saroop,

Viscount Thurso Viscount Thurso, of Ulbster in the County of Caithness, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 June 1952 for the Scottish Liberal politician and former Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, 4th Bar ...

and

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, (31 July 1942 – 28 November 2023) was a Scottish Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh West and then as a member of the Scottish Parliament ...

, and

clan chief The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard ci ...

s including the

Earl of Crawford Earl of Crawford is one of the most ancient extant titles in Great Britain, having been created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1398 for David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford, Sir David Lindsay. It is the premier earldom recorded on the Union Roll. ...

and the

Earl of Lauderdale Earl of Lauderdale is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The current holder of the title is Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale. History The title was created in 1624 for John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, Berwickshire. The se ...

, savants as well as various businessmen.

References

{{reflist Gentlemen's clubs in Scotland Clubs and societies in Edinburgh

History

See also

References