The Patrick Matthew Violin

THE PATRICK MATTHEW VIOLIN 

The immortality of empirical facts and ideas resonates through people.


The Patrick Matthew violin, made by master Scottish violin maker Steve Burnett of Edinburgh, who is world famous for his superb Scottish hero tribute violins.


From a commission by Mike Sutton, "The Patrick Matthew" violin was made by Steve Burnett in 2023/24 to stimulate our cultural and scientific reasoning to weigh the independently verifiable empirical data that Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace plagiarized the entre theory of evolution by natural selection from Patrick Matthew's 1831 book On Naval Timber and Arboriculture.


This beautiful and superb sounding violin thereby celebrates the Scottish apple hybridizing expert, renowned orchardist and pomologist apple farmer Patrick Matthew, who made his 1831 bombshell breakthrough in scientific knowledge at the intersection of culture and science.

The Patrick Matthew ViolinDrawn bow on string makes musicWhat is it you’ll hear?Open up your ears pleasePray listen and draw nearThis instrument has storiesIts soul formed from the pastQuieten now to hear themThese tales resound at lastYou hear the sound of ScotlandOf wrongs at last put rightOf stolen truth and gloryOf facts here brought to lightYou hear a fallen heroOf fraudulent deceitA gentleman, a scholarAnd how that man did cheatYou hear of Patrick MatthewThe hero of the pieceWho wrote of evolution‘Ere Darwin’s book releaseHow Darwin took that gloryDenying he had knownOf Matthew’s published theoryOf life evolved and grownSteve Burnett used fine timberFrom Dolomites came spruceA master craftsman shapingThe best he can produce

Blending driftwood with wood fromAn ancient apple treeFrom Megginch Castle’s grounds inThe Carse of GowrieSo listen and take joy fromThe music in your earsSo sweet the sound of justiceUncovered over yearsHear stories now revealed hereBy academic sleuthAuthentic tones to move youSo sweet the sound of truth

By Andy Sutton 2024

With profound irony, the Patrick Matthew violin uses the arts of its maker, players and those who sing and play alongside it to convey the message that in the future our history will become more of a science than an art.  A history shaped and triangulated by new found empirical data. A history that speaks to us from proven facts rather beloved myths, indeed entrenched supermyths, which facts debunk.

Thoren Ferguson plays the Patrick Matthew violin in Megginch Castle under the portrait of John Murray Drummond (AKA JMD), friend of Patrick Matthew.


The violin is made from a fallen apple tree planted at Megginch Castle over 150 years ago, probably planted by the famous orchardist Patrick Matthew for his friend and neigbour JMD.


Filmed on 21st May 2023 with the famous violinist and TV and film actor Thoren Ferguson (playing the Patrick Matthew Violin), Hon. Catherine Drummond Herdman of Megginch Castle, master maker of the Patrick Matthew violin (and other highly renowned Scottish tribute violins) Steve Burnett of Edinburgh and top Press Association photographer Jane Barlow, the last photographer to photograph Queen Elizabeth II.

The Patrick Matthew violin played in the grounds of Megginch Castle, during the official photoshoot of Thoren Ferguson by Jane Barlow. on 21st May 2023

This is Music Trade Sustainability in Action:


(1) Take timber from an ancient fallen apple tree.
(2) Make it into a beautiful violin.
(3) Take it back to the ancient orchard from which it came
(4) Play it among the singing birds at its place of birth

The actor and professional violinist Thoren Ferguson plays The Patrick Matthew violin in the grounds of Megginch Castle, standing on the remains of the very fallen ancient apple tree form which master violin maker Steve Burnet of Scotland made the Patrick Matthew violin to celebrate the real first discoverer and originator of the theory of evolution by natural selection.

The back, and the sides of the violin, it's pegs, tailpiece and endpin are all made from the 150+ year old fallen apple tree from the grounds of Megginch Castle. The face of the violin is made of fine spruce from the Dolomites. 


John Murray Drummond (AKA JMD), friend of Patrick Matthew, owned the castle when the tree was planted there. The violin is made from that tree planted, probably, by the famous orchardist Patrick Matthew for his friend and neighbour.


Photographs by Andy Sutton 



Dr Mike Sutton with the Patrick Matthew violin 2024. Photograph by Andy Sutton.

                  Thoren Ferguson holding the Parick Matthew Violin

Photographer Jane Barlow looking at the remains of the fallen apple tree in the historic ancient orchard at Megginch Castle that Steve Burnett used to make The Patrick Matthew Violin.

The Patrick Matthew Violin, made by Steve Burnett.

More images of the Patrick Matthew Violin being played by Thoren Ferguson at Megginch Castle in Scotland are available from the Press Association Here

Archived image here https://archive.is/kDB39 And more Here

More Press Association Images Here (Archived Here)

This tune can be played as the tune to a song. The lyrics being Andy Sutton's Patrick Matthew Violin poem, which is on this page.

"The Patrick Matthew Violin Song"

From the fallen apple tree used to make the Patrick Matthew Violin a new sapling has grown. The new tree looks to be a crab apple tree. That is a fruit tree chosen by the "natural process of selection" as explained  by Matthew  in 1831. The fallen tree that produced an artificially selected apple variety had been initially grafted some 150+ years ago onto crab apple stock in the traditional old way. Why? because as Matthew explained, crab apple trees, being selected by nature are hardier and more circumstance adapted by nature to survive in the soil and climate and their ecological niche therein than artificially selected trees grown from pips.

The Scientific and History of Science Purpose of The Patrick Matthew Violin 



Top biologist scientists of the 20th century (e.g. Sir Gavin de beer, Ernst Mayer and Richard Dawkins) and naturalists of the 19th century (e.g. Charles Darwin, Alfred Wallace and Patrick Matthew) all agreed that in 1831 the Scottish apple hybridisation expert, orchard owner and forester, Patrick Matthew, was first into published print with the full and complete breakthrough theory of evolution by natural selection. Under the Arago ruling of priority in science that should have officially given Matthew full credit over Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, who later went into print with the exact same theory in 1858/1859 amazingly claiming to have each arrived at it independently. However, Darwin ignored the Arago priority ruling, as has the empirical fact denial so called "Darwin Industry" ever since. To back up their Darwin worshipping anti-fact extremism they have claimed, as did Darwin (who it is proven by document evidence knew otherwise), that Matthew’s theory was not read until Matthew published a letter in 1860 to claim priority. Today, with the benefit of BigData we now know even more evidence than existed back in 1832 about the fact Matthew's book was read by prominent naturalists of its day and its theory fully understood and recognized in published print about it.


We now newly know that Matthew’s (1831) book, On Naval Timber and Arboriculture, was read and then cited in published print by at least 30 people pre 1858. Several of them were acknowledged influencers of Darwin and Wallace and their influencers. These are independently verifiable empirical data facts of what is in the historical publication record. Just like fossils in the geological record. The problem is that our institutions of science are studiously failing to engage with these facts and are instead holding on to the beloved science myth of the story told by Darwin even though it is proven to be a complete myth.


The Patrick Matthew violin was commissioned by criminologist Dr Mike Sutton (now a retired from university life academic but an active writer, science book editor and Chief Editor of The Internet Journal of Criminology). Sutton is author of Science Fraud: Darwin’s Plagiarism of Patrick Matthew’s Theory (Curtis Press 2022).


Master violin maker Steve Burnett of Edinburgh made the violin from a fallen ancient apple tree in the grounds of Megginch Castle in the Carse of Gowrie. The castle neighbours Matthew’s old home (now demolished) and may well have been planted by Matthew as he was great friends with the castle owner. Both their names are engraved on a curling trophy in the Castle. Steve Burnett also made the bass bar of the violin from locally sourced driftwood.


Sutton commissioned Burnett to make The Patrick Matthew violin because of the makers notable tribute violins to other Scottish heroes.

Sutton asks us a most exquisite ironic telling question: “Is it not ironic that in what has come to be known as the post truth age that we have come to the point on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the death of Patrick Matthew that it falls to the arts to inform science that science and its history should be based on empirical facts and not made up beloved stories?”

Press Photographs of the Patrick Matthew Violin can be seen at Getty Images Here (archived here). Also here

Press Association Photographs by Jane Barlow of the Patrick Matthew Violin (here) Achieved HERE

And for sale on Alamy HERE. Archived HERE 

The Press Association is also licensing videos of Thoren Ferguson playing The Patrick Matthew:

1. Here 

The Press Association votes The Patrick  Matthew Violin, played by Thoren Fergusson as their "picture of the month for May 2024. HERE

Official press images of the Patrick Matthew Violin being held / played by the actor and musician Thoren Ferguson at Megginch Castle, Scotland, on May 21st 2024. Please note these are copyright licensed. Photographer Jane Barlow of the Press Association.


The words to two old songs are newly re-imagined to be played on the Patrick Matthew and Charles Darwin Violins at grass roots events when the instruments are taken on tour.



Darwin the Kidnapper (To be played on The Darwin Violin)

(Played to the old 1930 Lonnie Johnson blues tune of "No More Troubles


Stayed at home plagiarising ‘till eighteen fifty-nine.

Found a sweet theory, buried out of time.

You know I'm happy now, happy as I can be.

Boy, I b'lieve to my soul, its done put that thing on me.


Gimme your good ideas, to steal for this song.

I'm goin' to have my fun until I'm dead an' gone.

'Cause I'm happy now, an' I can't go wrong.

'Cause I got plenty money, I'm gon' carry this good work on.


I used to be like a dog, I was tied to a tree.

Now I got plenty ideas and Matthew's theory.

You know I'm happy now, happy as I can be.

If I die tomorrow, the world don't owe a thing to me.


I used to cry over my stealin', I was dumb as I could be.

Now I've got three books out, brought those new thrills to me.

I'm happy now, I'm happy now.

There's nothin' like a stolen song 'bout a stolen theory.


I got me two, three books written, sweet as can be.

I put that thing on them, and got a written guarantee.

That I can't go wrong, I mean I can't go wrong.

Nothin' like plenty money, good theories, lies, and song.


I got plenty fame by plag-risin, ev'ry day of the week.

All I do is walk around, eat, steal an' sleep.

You know I'm happy now, you know I can't go wrong.

'Cause I took plenty fools, Matthew’s theory and this song.




The Patrick Matthew Song


This song is to accompanied by The Patrick Matthew Violin (made by the master violin maker Steve Burnett) 

Performances of the Scottish heritage instrument will be by leading soloists and by players at grass roots levels upwards.


"You Who Lie With Darwin"

(AKA "The Patrick Matthew Song"

In the tune of "Scots Wha Hae")


To be played on The Patrick Matthew Violin



You who lie with Darwin dead,

Who Alfred Wallace astray led,

Welcome to your muddled head,

Theory thievery.


Yesterday's the day, not now the hour,

See the face of Darwin dour,

See approach old Linnean power,

Lies and plagiary.


You are just a fraudster's knave!

You will fill a dullard's grave!

Nothing but a liar's slave!

Full of credulity.


It's Patrick Matthew's Natural law,

Facts and empirical data draw,

Truth not Darwin's spin of yore!

Why not follow me?


Darwin lied and Darwin stole!

Alfred Wallace's same role!

BigData down their rabbit hole,

Found dysology!


Lay the theory stealers low!

Myths fall, facts their foe!

Matthew's words in every blow!

It's Scotland's theory!


Visit the Patrick Matthew Blog to see the three Patrick Matthew songs


Nature finds a way.


In this official Press Association video of The Patrick Matthew Violin being played in Scotland by Thoren Fergusson you can see a crab apple tree sapling sprouting from the fallen tree. Part of that old fallen tree was used to make the violin.


For centuries orchardists have grafted artificially selected new apple varieties onto crab apple root stock. Why? Because crab apple trees have been naturally selected by nature in the wild as most circumstance suited to survive. No wonder the orchardist Patrick Matthew discovered the theory apex science fraudster Darwin (not an orchardist - just a liar and plagiarist) stole and called his own. 


Click the image to see and hear the violin being played.