Glenbuchat Heritage

36 Stephen Walker and family visit Strathdon

Stephen Walker and Family visit Strathdon

In April 2025, Stephen walker, his son in law AJ and his grandchildren Betty and Daisy came from Andover in New York State USA to visit Glenbuchat to see the land of his forebears. Stephen is a descendant from James Walker, brother to Alexander Walker the polymath, Gardner and fiddler of Newe Castle.

Click for Alexander Walker Album Introduction

The photos above show.

1. Stephen Walker alongside a photo of his relative Alexander Walker.
2. Stephen and family at the ‘Lost’ sign Strathdon
3 At ‘Broomwood’, home of Alexander Walker at Newe
4 Stephen and family with Kim Hardie at House of Newe
5 Stephen looking at original Alexander Walker publication
6 Stephen and Family in the ruins of the Family Farm House
7 Stephen and family on the top of Tap O’ Noth


Stephen has noted the family background saying:
‘My lineage comes down through Alexander's brother James. He had a son, James, born by Christian Lipp in December 1836, baptised in Rhynie Jan 1837. James the father, of New Forrest, was not present, probably because he had already gone to America. A witness to the baptism was James Walker in Bogancloch. Your website has a little follow up to Alexander's autobiography, by an anonymous correspondent. This letter to the editor states that Alexander's grandfather was James, who as a young soldier had rescued the Duke of Gordon on some unnamed foreign battlefield. I am wondering if this might be James of Bogancloch? Lots of James Walkers in the family tree, right down to my brother.’

John Walker
Birth Unknown
Death ABT 1821 Rhynie Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Spouse and
Margaret Wilson 1783–1868
children
James Walker 1810–1896
Walter Walker 1814–
John Walker 1816–
Ann Walker 1817–
Alexander Charles Walker 1819–1905

James Walker
Birth 1810 Rhynie Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Death 4 NOV 1896 Brandon, Rutland, Vermont, USA
Parents
John Walker –1821
Margaret Wilson 1783–1868
Spouse
Christian Lipp 1815–1895
children
James Walker 1836–1917
George Walker 1843–1863
William Walker 1845–1863
Isabel "Bell" Walker 1847–1928
Ann Walker 1850–
Henry Walker 1853–1898

Stephen Walker is no stranger to Scotland culture. He plays the bagpipes. Has been to Scotland a number of times and he is a silversmith wo specialises in Celtic Jewellery.

Stephen’s web site is:

Click for Stephen’s web site

Details from the web site:
Family owned and operated since 1984, we are a craftsman run workshop specializing in authentic Celtic jewellery and mixed metal designs. We specialize in Celtic knotwork wedding rings, crosses, brooches and much more in Sterling Silver and Gold. Our workshop and gallery is located in the Village of Andover in rural Allegany County of Western New York State. We sell our own work as well as the creations of a few other Celtic designers and jewellers from Scotland and Ireland.

Stephen Walker, the master jeweller at Walker Metalsmiths, was propelled into his career as a craftsman when his teenage years were centred around bagpipes and the local bagpipe band in his hometown, the Allegany Highlanders. Making the regalia of piper’s uniforms soon transitioned to making jewellery. For well over forty years creating Celtic themed jewellery in silver and gold has been his primary vocation. For a short time, between high school and college, he made his living as a bagpiper, busking, or playing on the street for donations.

My great-grandfather, John Walker, was born in Scotland quite near a splendid specimen of Pictish stone sculpture in Chapel of Garioch, Aberdeenshire. The Maiden Stone is a ten-foot-high, three-foot-wide pillar of red granite carved with a ringed “Celtic” cross on one side and five panels of symbols on the reverse. One of the irregular edges is incised with a pattern of knotwork and the other is a meandering path of another type of Celtic ornament known as key pattern.

John Walker, who emigrated to the United States as an adult, was the son of James and Margaret Walker. James was an employee of the Great North of Scotland Railway. At the time of John’s birth in 1865 James would have been working from the Pitcaple railway station, a mere two miles from this excellent example of Pictish art. James was born in nearby Rhynie, another site that has yielded a great deal of Pictish art. He is buried in Fyvie, only a few yards from a group of Pictish stones built into the wall of St. Peter’s Church. I would like to think this stuff is in my blood.

The Picts were a medieval society that inhabited northeast Scotland in the 3rd to 10th centuries. Their mysterious history has been difficult for scholars to understand due to a lack of surviving written records, but the Picts have left an enormous record carved in stone. The style of their monuments puts them firmly in the greater Celtic culture, showing artistic themes closely kin to the sculpture, metalwork, and manuscript art of the contemporary Irish.

Key patterns have also been described as maze or labyrinth designs. The similarity to Greek “fret” patterns is often noted. These angular, straight sided spirals bear similarity to the ornaments of many cultural traditions around the world, however the style and conventions of Celtic or Insular key patterns allow for great variation and creative complexity.

For reasons we can only speculate about, key patterns were generally overlooked during the 19th century Celtic Revival. Key patterns appear in such classic Celtic art treasures as the Book of Kells and the Ardagh Chalice, however they are relatively rare in modern manifestations of the ancient style. This situation is changing. A rise in Scots who look back to Pictish ancestry have taken up the notion that key patterns are a special reference to that heritage. Perhaps that is true in our own times as it has begun to be used as a reference to the Pictish past, but key patterns are just as much an element of medieval Irish Celtic art.


From Facebook
Stephen was born to second and third generation Scottish American's. His mother's father, William Watt and his father's grandfather, John Walker both came from Aberdeenshire, a part of Scotland rich in Celtic and Pictish art. They settled in New York State and Vermont respectively, near the turn of the century. Susan's grandmother Delany was from County Tipperary in Ireland before emigrating in her teens to Auburn, NY. Her father's side of the family came to the US from Scotland by way of Nova Scotia.

Stephen was originally attracted to Celtic design by way of Celtic music. At age 14 he found his life revolving around the Allegany Highlanders Bagpipe Band. He went from crafting pipe band regalia to jewellery and art metal during his teens with the guidance of his art teacher Scotty MacCrea. Stephen later graduated from Syracuse University, where he met his wife Susan, in 1980 with an art degree in Metalsmithing which was followed by a Master of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1982. His master work was focused primarily on Mokume-Gane and Married metals which is part of the inspiration for our multiple metal frame pieces today. During this time Susan received her BA in Marketing and a Master's degree in Education.

In 1983 Stephen and Sue returned to his hometown to raise their family in the quiet community in the Allegany foothills of Andover, NY. Over the years Stephen slowly grew his business from 3 designs sold by catalogue to the bustling workshop and retail location that is here today. Meanwhile Susan was teaching math at Alfred State College and growing their family to include Andrew, Jeanne, Margaret, Donald, William, and Stephen J. In the mid 90's Susan also joined the family business using her background in business and marketing to run the business end of things so Stephen could focus on his artistry. Today Walker Metalsmiths is a community minded business that runs both a craftsman workshop, retail gallery, and thriving online business.

Stephen enjoys training his apprentices and passing on his skills to the next generation. He also is an avid member of the local Ski Patrol and is trained in mountain rescue. He's a long-time member of the Andover Lion's Club and supports many other community projects including the Andover Block Party and school fundraisers. He also still plays bagpipes and marches in the 4th of July parade.

Susan was a member of the Andover School Board for 25 years before retiring. She enjoys reading, crochet, and tending her lilac and blueberry bushes. Her main enjoyment, and Stephen's as well, is their family, which now includes 5 grandchildren. Stephen and Susan can often be found playing hooky from work in the afternoons to take Betty and Daisy to the local playground or taking a long weekend in Vermont to visit Sylvia, AJ, and Mason.