St. Andrew’s Society

The St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia was founded in November 1747 for the purpose of giving aid to the large numbers of distressed Scots who were then arriving in Philadelphia, many of whom were fleeing England’s harsh suppression of the Highlands after the failed Jacobite uprising of 1745.  Each month, these prominent Philadelphians, who proudly referred to themselves as being “from that part of Britain called Scotland,” would gather at The Tun tavern to receive petitions from and give aid to their fellow Scots.

Being Scottish, and therefore sorely vexed by the process of giving money away, the members sought relief after their charitable endeavors in copious amounts of The Tun’s generous fare.  At a meeting held at the tavern on September 3, 1755, thirty members consumed “two hams, a round of beef, a sirloin of beef, four tongues, a dozen of fowls, a side of lamb, 10 pounds of veal, 3 pigeon pies, 2 pounds of butter, 5 pounds of cheese, and 10 six penny loaves.”   Nor was drink neglected.  On December 1, 1788, 45 gentlemen of St. Andrew’s downed “38 bottles of madeira, 27 bottles of claret, 8 bottles of port wine, 2 bowls of punch, plus Welsh rabbit, bread and cheese.”  Clearly, The Tun set a handsome table then, as it will again.

But all was not fun and games.  The members of the St. Andrew’s Society were serious men, and leaders in business, politics, academia, and the military.  Early members included six signers of the Declaration of Independence, among them James Wilson, now credited as the true architect of the Constitution.  Other founding members included John Witherspoon, who saved the failing College of New Jersey and transformed it into the Princeton University we know today.  And among the Society’s most cherished relics is the sword carried by the physician and warrior General Hugh Mercer, pictured below, and with which he fought to the death against a file of British troops after the Battle of Princeton.