In the shadow of Rothesay Castle there’s a large open space where the Norman Stewart Institute used to be.

It’s now dotted with tables and chairs for a bit of rest or al-fresco dining, if the weather ever permits. There is also a series of panels commemorating how the town was “reinvented as the Victorian gem you see today, driven by men of vision and civic pride, and fuelled by the wealth of empire”.

One such wealthy expat, as the panel recounts, was Norman Stewart, who emigrated to the Americas in the 19th century, became wealthy, brought his nephews out, and funded the construction of the grand building in his name, in which there was a library and a billiards and snooker hall. Not sure if pool had been invented then.

Nowhere does it reveal the real truth of his fortune which was made, as it coyly puts it, “in the Virginia tobacco fields”. But it was a fortune built, of course, on slavery, as these other Scottish tobacco fortunes were. If they didn’t buy and sell slaves they took the profits from their servitude and misery.

In 1844, Stewart built a lavish townhouse in Richmond, Virginia – a historic building, a three-storey brick Greek revival-style pile. It’s now called the Stewart-Lee House because Stewart, who died childless, bequeathed the house to his nephew John, also from Rothesay, who rented the house to General Robert E Lee, the defeated commander of the Confederate army, after his surrender at Appomattox in 1865.

Lee was a bit stuck for a gaff at the time because his estate, Arlington House in Washington, had been seized by the victors who were intent on making sure that he could never return.

He was fortunate they didn’t execute him. President Abraham Lincoln had judged that doing so would just prolong guerrilla resistance.

Part of the grounds of Lee’s old mansion now house the Arlington National Cemetery, where military leaders, eminent politicians and presidents are buried, from John F Kennedy to brother Bobby, not forgetting the war hero Audie Murphy who single-handedly repelled a German tank invasion and went on to star in 44 Hollywood movies, most of them duds.

Old Norman Stewart was a ginger, and he was so embarrassed about it that he concealed his hair under a brown wig. He was also careful with the cash, or as one account puts it, about “his true Scotch thrift in having his servant unravel his old stockings to darn his new ones.” 

Nephew John was a staunch supporter of the losing side in the war. When Lee tried to pay rent for the Richmond house he wrote back and told him that he only accepted Confederate currency.

Anyway, Lee did a flit after two months because of the constant stream of well-wishers at the door, but whether he paid the rent or not no-one knows.

What can be said for certain is that cancel culture has yet to reach Rothesay.

Wembley wave
Italy played Austria in the last 16 of the Euros yesterday and as this was written before the game I don’t know the result or how the officiating team performed. They were all English, from referee Anthony Taylor to Stuart Attwell on VAR. But it’s fair to say the Italian press weren’t happy about it.

On the eve of the game, the Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport warned of the “incandescent climate” the Azurri – the Blues, the nickname of the Italian team – would face. “Watch the English referee” the front page headline screamed while the editorial warned at length about the danger of bias against the team from the Inglese, before adding a caveat at the end that no doubt they’d be fair – probably a sop to their libel lawyers.

What’s behind it is that the Italian prime minister Mario Draghi said the semi-final and final shouldn’t be played in London – not because of any home advantage but because of the dangers of Covid, thoroughly annoying Bojo.

But as we know all’s well and 60,000 will be at the final including hundreds of Uefa officials who won’t even have to isolate or prove they’re Covid-free, never mind pay. Forget the Mexican Wave, the Fourth Wave starts at Wembley.

It’s not just the Italians who hate referees but they take it a step beyond – there’s even a kids’ game called Akkiappa L’Arbitro, or whack the ref.

Words go viral
Quote of the week, from the German midfielder Leon Goretzka, whose late goal knocked Hungary out of the Euros, although with slight modification it could apply to Scotland or any other country. “It’s nice to have once again 82 million people who think they are the coach of Germany, rather 82 million virologists.”

Red alert
We’re not seriously picking a fight with Russia surely? If so, better start digging that bomb shelter and stocking up on tinned goods. Why, then, this stunt midweek – and it was a stunt! – with HMS Defender sailing through the Black Sea and close to the Russian naval port of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula? 

Crimea, where more than 70 per cent of people identify themselves as Russian, was annexed from Ukraine in 2014, a move that hasn’t been recognised internationally. 

When Defender set sail from Odessa on the planned route, the command – and, of course, the MoD and boss Ben Wallace – knew that it would provoke a Russian response. Which is why a BBC correspondent and a reporter from the Mail were invited – invited! – to come along for the jape.

In the same way that we buzz Russian military ships and aircraft if they come too close, they responded. The only point to this exercise was to prod the Bear and ratchet up hostility. Why? And why did the BBC go along with it?

Playing dumb
IT is reported that Harry and Meghan rejected the title Earl of Dumbarton for their son Archie because of four letters in it. I can confirm they also rejected Scunthorpe for the same reason.

Matt’s all folks
BORIS Johnson told Dominic Cummings that Matt Hancock is “f*****g useless”.

So far Gina Coladangelo hasn’t commented. How Hancock behaves sexually is of no interest to me (although sympathy to partners and children) except that he has most flagrantly and hypocritically flouted the rules he spent hours lecturing us about, as well as imposing on us, over social distancing. 

Hundreds of people, perhaps thousands, were kept away from hospital and deathbeds of their nearest and dearest while he was no doubt canoodling with his closest aide.

Marriages were cancelled. Relatives were prevented seeing loved ones in care homes. I mean, the trips of short-sighted Cummings are nothing in comparison. For this alone he should be fired.

Then there’s his own short-sightedness, or alleged lack of awareness, over the family company in which he has a 20 per cent stake, Topwood Ltd, which won a lucrative NHS contract.

It’s a document-shredding company. Truth has long since perished. But it’s all right that he broke the ministerial code because, as the Government’s adviser on ministerial standards Lord Geidt put it, he “acted with integrity”.

Add in his blundering incompetence and his casual connection to the truth, such as over PPE supplies – all of which should already have disqualified this over-promoted pipsqueak from office. But no-one resigns any more. They just apologise and trot out the mantra: “I will learn from this.” And move on.