I, too, was gifted some woodworking tools, not from a relative but from one of my patients when I was still working as an RN in a hospital before I became a District (visiting) Nurse. I carve to this day.

Thinking of disputes, my great grandad had quite a bit of family silver. Virtually all of it went to his youngest daughter and she left it to one of her nephews. She'd helped raise him when his mother had died young. They were the longest lasting of the old Highlanders, dying in the 1990s. When he died, his widow just took the lot down an antique shop and that was that!

The biggest shame is that some of the items were boxes 'n' stuff with plaques on given as presentation items to him. He ran a church choir and was on the school board. His job was as factor to the Farraline estate in Stratherrick from the mid 1890s to 1915 when he died.

As I mentionmed in my opening post, I have his gold watch and the only other items we have as a family are the silver top to a powder horn (my older sister has that as she and her husband are hunting folks), the silver plaque on its own from a ?box he had presented to him from another "singing class" (my mum has that) and the wooden box with which he used to collect rents from the farmers and crofters. The latter item I gave to one of my American cousins who lives in NJ. It has pride of place on her lounge mantlepiece.

I love the way this thread is meandering. It's always great to see how we put value on such diverse things. That some should be kilt-related is just grand. Oh, and btw, my late cousin's (the old boy mentioned above) army kilt got accidently sent to the Salvation Army store after he died. He had wanted me to have it, but somebody else got the benefit...c'est la vie!

Slainte

Bruce