Scottish expert solves mystery of 181-year-old bagpipe brooch that stumped its US owner for over 40 years

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

Bruce Cameron Williams, 77, a New York state resident and bagpipe player, spent decades trying to decipher the initials engraved on a silver brooch he received from a distant relative in Inverness in 1983. The Royal Scottish Highland Games Association's Alasdair MacDonald cracked the puzzle swiftly, identifying the letters "D.C.H.F.S." as the Dunkeld Caledonian Highland Friendly Society, the brooch's 1845 awarding body.

An 1845 Perthshire Advertiser article confirmed the brooch was a prize for pibroch awarded to a J. McPherson of Fonab, who was also judged best attired Highlander that day.

McPherson was subsequently identified as one of the pipers to Lord Glenlyon of Blair Atholl, adding aristocratic lustre to the heirloom's history.

Williams said he had written to everyone he could think of and 'Googled again and again' for years before finally contacting the association.