For over three decades, Duncan McAra CStJ has been a dedicated member of the Order of St John, serving in a variety of roles that reflect both his commitment to the Order’s charitable work and his deep interest in its history. He was admitted as a Serving Brother in 1995, promoted to Officer in 1996, and to Commander in 1999.
In the late 1990s, Duncan served as Secretary of the Edinburgh Area Association Committee, including seven years as Fund-Raising Social Events Organiser. He has also undertaken ceremonial roles, notably serving as Priory Sword Bearer from 2014 to 2016.
In March 2007, he attended a Gifford Lecture at the University of Edinburgh delivered by Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith, a former Librarian of the Priory of Scotland (1966–1977). Since 2014, Duncan has held the voluntary post of Priory Librarian at the Chancery of the Priory of Scotland.
Following the extensive 2024/25 refurbishment of the Chancery, which included installing a lift to improve accessibility, Duncan supervised the unpacking and re-shelving of the Library’s collection from secure, temperature-controlled storage. His responsibilities include acquiring new books and journals, digitising the author-index card catalogue, and producing blog posts highlighting the Library’s treasures and the wider history of the Order (www.pearlsfromthepend.wordpress.com).
Duncan has also shared his expertise beyond the Library, giving talks to historical and literary societies across Scotland and hosting visits by members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, scholars from the Malta Study Center, Saint John’s University (Minnesota), and PhD students from the University of St Andrews, including Thomas Ware and Rory McLellan (now a Cataloguer and Manuscript Researcher at the British Library).
In August 2024, Duncan featured on Antiques Road Trip (Series 28, Episode 5: Treasures of Scotland) on BBC One, discussing Order history with presenter Mark Hill. The episode also included a demonstration of first aid equipment and techniques by Deborah McKinnon, Priory Delivery Officer for PAD & CPR, in the Chapter Hall. The episode is available to view on YouTube.
