Notebook - Scotland

Betts, Jerry. Highland Scot Settlers in North Carolina: 1732-1776, The Highlander, Sep/Oct 2003

It was early in the 1730s when Scots began to leave the Highlands in favor of "The New World."  However, it was only after the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden in 1745 - and the resulting British attempts to destroy the clan system - that the pace of emigration became significant.

Most of the earlier setters in North Carolina had come from Virginia and South Carolina because North Carolina's shallow and treacherous coastline was difficult for large ships to navigate. The Scots among these early settlers were primarily Lowlanders.

Highlanders had settled along the Cape Fear River as early as 1724. In 1729, however, the colony of North Carolina was royalized, making the disposal of unclaimed lands the responsibility of crown officials.  The decision was made to award land grants (of 320 or 640 acres) to individuals in the colony who could show themselves capable of cultivating the acreage, and in about 1732 the first real settlement was established.

Governor Gabriel Johnston, a Lowlander who arrived in the colony in 1734, is believed to have encouraged Highlanders to emigrate and settle in North Carolina. A search of the records reveals that the first Highlanders to be awarded land grants were James Innes, Hugh Campbell and William Forbes.  The first large group of Highlanders to make their way up river was a group of 350 from Argyllshire. That was in 1739, only five years after Johnston arrived.

Estimates of the number of Highlanders émigrés during the period between 1763 and 1775 vary widely, from fewer than 10,000 to nearly 30,000. But the number was high enough to cause concern back home and calls were made for the government to slow the exodus. The result was that several requests for land grants were denied by the Board of Trade. Additionally, several Highland landlords, attempted, unsuccessfully, to prevent their tenants from leaving.

As a rule, they tried to arrive in the early winter so that they could survive on food from the previous crop while securing acreage and making it ready to till in the spring. The first order of business was to fell enough longleaf pines to erect a log home chinked with clay.  (Clapboard homes only appeared later, after sawmills were built). The land that lay along the streams were cultivated while the area farther back was used for grazing.

Interestingly, the settlers did not fell trees in order to clear land for cultivation; instead, they removed a ring of bark which would kill the tree.  Highland settlers grew Indian corn, wheat, oats, peas, beans, flax and sweet potatoes. Crops were rotated: corn was grown for two or three years, beans or peas for a year and wheat for two or three years. In addition to crops, settlers also raised horses, cattle and hogs.  A few farmers also had additional occupations, such as blacksmith, surveyor, tailor, weaver, shoemaker, wheelwright, fisherman or kelp burner.

By 1764 there were 40 sawmills and gristmills on the Cape Fear River. It is also documented that during the 18th century, North Carolina exported more naval stores than any other colony, such as tar, pitch, turpentine, rosin, masts and spars.

Some settlers were tenant farmers. Payment was one-third of the crop. Additionally the colony attracted indentured servants who paid for their passage by laboring an agreed upon number of years, usually three to five.  Though slaves were not as numerous inland as on the seaboard, approximately one-fourth of Highlander families owned slaves. The average number of slaves was 4.7 per family.

By 1768, the settlement of Cross Creek boasted 84 lots and a flour mill. Over time, it became a market center, with merchants bringing products such as needles, buttons, thread, buckles, silk, nuteg, salt, pepper, molasses, rum, powder, hinges and hoes upriver from Wilmington.

Churches, mainly Presbyterian were built. The first minister to preach at Cross Creek was Scotch-Irish and, speaking no Gaelic, he suspected that parishioners understood nothing of his sermon.  The first contracted minister, on James Campbell, arrived from Argyllshire in 1756.  Because the population was dispersed throughout the region, Campbell traveled among a number of different churches.  He also taught school.

From the time of their arrival, the Highlanders were politically active. James Innes was a Hanover County Justice of the Peace as early as 1734. Additionally, he was captain of the troops sent by North Carolina to the West Indies during the war of Jenkins' Ear and was one of the few to survive Admiral Vernon's disastrous assault on Cartagena. Later, holding the rank of Colonel, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the expedition against the French and Indians in the Ohio Valley at the outbreak of the French & indian War.

During the American Revolution a surprisingly high number fervently opted for the Loyalist cause. Late in 1775, the British General Gage sent two officers General Donald McDonald and Colonel Donald McLeod to conscript Highlanders. On February 15, 1776, thirteen hundred Highalnders were mustered and marched off to Brunswick near the mouth of Cape Fear to be properly armed and trained. The plan was that they would be joined by seven regiments of Regulars from the British Isles under General Cornwallis. The Patriots met this group at Moore's Creek Bridge and defeated them. 50 were kiled and 880 were captured and put in jails.  Their families at Cross Creek were left to fend for themselves against raids by Whigs who pillaged and burned the Loyalists' farms, causing much suffering.

In April 1777, the Provincial Government passed a law allowing Loyalist property to be confiscated and those who refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Revolutionary government to be banished. Many Highlanders left North Carolina, seeking safety in such places as Florida, the West Indies, Britain and Canada, primarily Nova Scotia.

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Carr, Joseph. Evidence that Demands a Verdict, The Highlander, Jan/Feb 2001

Errors abound in genealogical research. So much so, in fact, that major databases are so significantly corrupted their value is severely diminished.

In an article in National Genealogical Society Quarterly ["Merging Identities Properly: Jonathon Tucker Demonstrates the Technique," NGSQ, 88, (June 2000):111-121].  Thomas W. Jones addresses this issue. He claims the error occurs most frequently when researchers use the names alone for identifying ancestors and extending lineages. The tests for the sameness of the record hinges on two factors.

1. is research on this person complete (to ensure the identity is unambiguous)?
2. do the evaluation and conclusions meet all five elements of the NGS Genealogical Proof Standard?

These elements are: 

1. a reasonably exhaustive search
2. reliable sources, completely and accurately cited
3. sound analysis and correlation of evidence
4. a convincing rebuttal of contradictory evidence
5. a carefully reasoned conclusion

Of these, the first and fourth are cited in the article as being particularly problematical. The search may have been exhaustive, but there is no real way to conclude all the available evidence is present. For example, many Scots were Presbyterians. In the Presbyterian Church the church reords belonged not to the church, but rather to the pastor. If the pastor moved on or disposed of the records (or if his descendants disposed of the records after his death), then they are lost. 

The fourth problem, dealing with contradictory evidence, should be placed o the notebooks of all genealogical researchers! The fact is, two different people are bound to generate some contradictions. It could be in the dates of importance (birth, marriage, death) or it could be in the location of the person. The contradictions should be worked out before a claim is made!

Recommended by the National Genealogical Society, May 2000. Appreciating that publishing information through Internet Web sites and Web pages shares many similiarties with print publishing, considerate family historians -

• Apply a single title to an entire Web site
• Eplain the purposes and objectives of the website
• Display a footer at the bottom of eage page containing title, author and contact information
• Provide complete contact information
• Assist visitors by providing navigation on each page
• Adhere to NGS "Standars for Sharing Information with Others" 
• Include unabiguous source citations
• Label photographic and scanned images
• Identify transcribed, extracted or abstracted data as such
• Include identifying dates and locations when providing information about specific surnames or individuals
• Respect the rights of others who do not wish information about themselves to be published
• Provide website access to all potential visitors by avoiding enhanced technical capabilities that may not be available to all users, remembering that not all computers are created equal.
• Avoid using features that distract from the productive use of the website
• Maintain the website at frequent intervals, keep the information current, links working
• Preserve and archive for future researchers 

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Christmas in Scotland in the Early Days, The Highlander, Nov/Dec 2001

Christmas Eve Divination - fortunes were read for all single people by dropping an egg into a glass, then the eggs were mixed with oatmeal and milk to bake cakes. If the cake broke during firing it was considered bad luck.

Yule Fee - payment made to a town official, especially the town drummer or minstrel

Christmas Old Wife - Cailleach Nollaigh or Yeel Carlin names given to a tree stump carved in the shape of an old woman. It represents cold and death and was thrown into the fire on Christmas Eve to ensure that death would pass the family by in the coming year.

Rowan - burning rowan is a sign of burning away mistrust and jealousy

Letting Yule In - the first person to open the door on Yule morning would prosper best that year.

Gifts - part of the Roman Saturnalia and was also carried out during the Kalends - a period of three days when gifts were given in Rome in honor of Strenna, a goddess.

Peter's Payment - in Uist on Christmas Day the men fish and give the catch to the poor and elderly as a tribute to St. Peter.

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Dearborn, David. Resources for Scottish Genealogy at NEHGS, New England Ancestors, Holiday 2004. 

Although Scottish immigration to New England was small when compared with the numbers that came to the Carolinas, Pennsylvania or eastern Canada, a significant percentage of people with New England ancestry have at least some Scottish lines.  

The earliest Scots to settle here did not do so willingly, but arrived as prisoners in 1651 and 1652 aboard several ships, victims of the British policy of deportation (or "transportation,' as it was long called).  They were defeated conscript soldiers captured by Cromwell at the Battles of Worcester and Dunbar, and were put to work for a term of years at the Saugus Ironworks and elsewhere. 

More important genealogically were the Scots-Irish, who arrived in New England primarily between 1718 and 1740.  Like their counterparts in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern colonie, the New England Scots-Irish created an arc of settlement along the hilly inland frontier, acting as a bulwark against attack by the French and Indians. The names of some of the towns they established, such as Bangor and Belfast, Maine; Londonderry and Antrim, New Hampshire; and Orange and Colrain in Massachusetts, bespeak their Ulster origin. 

Falley, Margaret. Irish & Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research: A Guide to the Genealogical Records, Methods & Sources of Ireland, (2 vols. Evanston, Ill., 1962). 

Sinclair, Cecil. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestry Research in the Scottish Record Office, Revised Edition (Edinburgh, 1997)

Tracing Scottish Local History: A Guide to Local History Research in the Scottish Record Office (Edinburgh, 1996). 

Cory, Kathleen. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry, 2nd Edition (Edinburgh, 1996). 

Irvine, Sherry. Your Scottish Ancestry: A Guide for North Americans (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997)

Milner, Paul & Linda Jonas. A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Scottish Ancestors, Betterway, 2002.

Stevenson, David & Wendy Stevenson. Scottish Texts and Calendars: An Analytical Guide to SErial Publications (London & Edinburgh, 1987).

Humphrey-Smith. Cecil. The Phillimore Atlas & Index of Parish Registers, (3rd ed. Chichester: Phillimore, 2003).

Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland, (Edinburgh: Murray & Gibb, 1872) - see website

Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (2 vols. 2nd edition 1851; reprinted 1989); Volume 2.  

Groome, Francis, ed. Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (new edition, 3 vols., London, 1903)

Volume 2

Volume 3

Black, George. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning & History, 1946

Scottish Genealogy Society. The Scottish Genealogist, journal - the society also publishes special editions such as pre-1855 Gravestone Inscriptions. 

Highland Family History Society. Highland Family History Society / Comunn Sloinntearachd na Gaidhealtachd Journal 

Stuart, Margaret & James Paul. Scottish Family History: A Guide to Works of Reference on the History & Genealogy of Scottish Families, (Edinburgh, 1930, reprint Baltimore: GPC, 1978).

Scott, Hew, et al. Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae: the Succession of Ministers in the Church of Scotland from the Reformation (9 vols. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd).  

Volume 2

Volume 7

Addison, William. A Roll of the Graduates of the University of Glasgow, from 31st December 1727 to 31st December 1897, with Short Biographical Notes (Glasgow: MacLehose, 1898)

List & Index Society. Source List of Manuscripts Relating to USA & Canada in Private Archives, 1970.

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Dobson, David. Directory of Scots Banished to the American Plantations, 1650-1775, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983. - available on Ancestry.

• Duncan, James - Grange, covenanter, banished 16 Aug. 1670.
• Duncan, James - Balquhan, thief, banished at Stirling 21 May 1729
• Duncan, James or Davidson - shoemaker,  Cairngressie, Kincardineshire, deserter from Colonel Morris's Highland regiment, cattle thief, banished for 7 years at Aberdeen, 8 Sep. 1763
• Duncan, John - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported on Two Brothers from Liverpool 26 Apr. 1716 for Jamaica, landed on Montserrat, June 1716. 
• Duncan, John - 14, apprentice carpenter, Dundee, Jacobite in Ogilvy's regiment, prisoner at Carlisle and York, transported 1747 (?)
• Duncan, John - servant to Captain John Kinloch, Perthshire, Jacobite in Ogilvy's regiment, prisoner at Canongate and Carlisle, transported 1747(?)
• Duncan, John - fisherman, 42, Montrose, Jacobite, drummer in Ogilvy's regiment, captured at Carlisle, prisoner at Carlisle and York, transported 1747(?)
• Duncan, John - Jacobite, transported on the Johnson from Liverpool, landed at Port Oxford, Maryland, 5 Aug. 1747
• Duncan, John - Jacobite, transported on Gildart from Liverpool, landed at Port North Potomack, Maryland, 5 Aug. 1747
• Duncan, Peter, labourer, 32, Dundee, Jacobite in Ogilvy's regiment, prisoner at Canongate and Carlisle, transported on the Gildart, from Liverpool. Landed at Port North Potomack, Maryland, 5 Aug. 1747
• Duncan, Robert - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool on Elizabeth & Anne to Virginia or Jamaica, 29 June 1716
• Duncan, William - 15 gardener, Edinburgh, Jacobite in Duke of Perth's regiment, prisoner at Carlisle, Chester, Whitehaven and Liverpool, transported 1747(?)
• Gentle, . . . - carter, Falkirk, robber, banished for 14 years 1773
• Robertson, Alexander - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on the Scipio, 30 Mar. 1716
• Robertson, Alexander - 40, labourer, tenant to Robertson of Struan, Jacobite, prisoner at Monklands, Stirling and Carlisle, transported from Liverpool to the Leeward Islands on Veteran, 5 May 1747, liberated by a French privateer and landed on Martinique, June 1747
• Robertson, Daniel - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on Scipio 30 Mar 1716
• Robertson, Daniel - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Jamaica on Two Brothers 26 Apr. 1716, landed on Montserrat June 1716
• Robertson, Donald - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to South Carolina on the Susannah 7 May 1716
• Robertson, Donald - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Maryland on the Friendship 24 May 1716, sold to THomas Robbins in Maryland, 20 Aug. 1716
• Robertson, Duncan - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on the Scipio 30 March 1716
• Robertson, Duncan - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Jamaica on the Two Brothers 26 Apr 1716, landed on Montserrat June 1716
• Robertson, Francis - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on the Scipio 30 Mar 1716
• Robertson, George - 21 weaver's apprentice, Logginish, Perth, Jacobite in Lord George Murray's regiment, prisoner at Inverness and Tilbury transported from London to Jamaica or Barbados 31 March 1747
• Robertson, James - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on the Scipio, 30 March 1716
• Robertson, James - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Jamaica on the Two Brothers 26 Apr. 1716, landed on Montserrat June 1716
• Robertson, James - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to South Carolina on the Susannah 7 May 1716
• Robertson, James - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Maryland on the Friendship 24 May 1716, sold to Joseph Hopkins in Maryland 20 Aug. 1716
• Robertson, John - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on the Scipio, 30 March 1716
• Robertson, John - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Jamaica on the Two Brothers, 26 Apr. 1716, landed on Montserrat June 1716
• Robertson, John - Jacobite caputred at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Maryland on the Friendship, 24 May 1716, sold to Thomas McNemara in Maryland 20 Aug. 1716
• Robertson, John - 19, labourer, Inverness, Jacobite prisoner at Inverness, transported from Liverpool to the Leeward Islands on the Veteran, 5 May 1747, liberated by a French privateer and landed on Martinique June 1747
• Robertson, John - Stratherrol, Jacobite captain in Ogilvy's regiment, prisoner at Stratherrol, Dundee, Carlisle and Chester, transported 1747(?)
• Robertson, John - postman, thief, banished to the West Indies for life, at Glasgow, 17 May 1776
• Robertson, Leonard - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Maryland on the Friendship, 24 May 1716, sold to Thomas Doccora in Maryland 20 August 1716
• Robertson, Malcolm - Jacobite transported from Liverpool on the Johnson, landed at Port Oxford, Maryland, 5 Aug. 1747
• Robertson, Neil - cordwainer, Logerait, Perthshire, Jacobite in Lord George Murray's regiment, prisoner at Carlisle and Chester, transported 1747 (?)
• Robertson, Patrick - Royalist soldier captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston on the John & Sarah, 13 May 1652
• Robertson, Patrick - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Maryland or Virginia on the Friendship, 24 May 1716
• Robertson, Richard - banished, transported from Port Glasgow on the Thomas of Glasgow, landed at James RIver Upper District, Virginia, 5 Jun 1773
• Robertson, Robert - journeyman wright, Edinburgh, housebreaker, prisoner in Edinburgh Tolbooth, banished for life at Edinburgh, 22 Dec. 1774
• Robertson, Rowland - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Virginia on the Godspeed, 28 Jul 1716, sold to Thomas Jameson in Maryland 18 October 1716
• Robertson, Thomas - farmer, Windyedge, Aberdargie, Perthshire, Jacobite captain, prisoner at Canongate and Carlisle, transported 1747 (?)
• Robertson, William - 20, weaver, Spinei, Morayshire, Jacobite in Lord Lewis Gordon's regiment, prisoner at Inverness and Tilbury, transported from Liverpool for the Leeward Islands on the Veteran, 5 May 1747, liberated by a French  privateer and landed on Martinique June 1747
• Robertson, William - 17, labourer, Perth, Jacobite in the Duke of Perth's regiment, captured at Carlisle, prisoner at Carlisle and York, transported from Liverpool for the Leeward Islands on the Veteran 5 May 1747, liberated by a French privateer and landed on Martinique June 1747
• Robertson, William - 14, pickpocket, banished for 7 years, at Perth 5 May 1775
• Robinson, Alastair - royalist soldier captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston on the John and Sarah 13 May 1652
• Robinson, Alexander - 35 Angus, Jacobite in Ogilvy's regiment, prisoner at Inverness, ship and Tilbury, transported 1747
• Robinson, Charles - royalist soldier captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston on the John & Sarah 13 May 1652
• Robinson, Daniel - royalist soldier captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston on the John & Sarah 13 May 1652
• Robinson, Daniel or Donald - Jacobite, prisoner at Stirling and Carlisle, transported from Liverpool on the Gildart, landed at Port North Potomac, Maryland, 5 Aug. 1747
• Robinson, David - 70, labourer, Jacobite, prisoner in Carlisle, transported 1747(?)
• Robinson, Duncan - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to South Carolina on the Susannah, 7 May 1716
• Robinson, James - royalist soldier captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston on the John & Sarah, 13 May 1652
• Robinson, James - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Jamaica or Virginia on the Elizabeth & Anne, 29 Jun 1716, landed at York, Virginia, unindentured
• Robinson, John - royalist captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston on the John & Sarah 13 May 1652
• Wilson, Andrew - royalist soldier captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston on the John & Sarah, 13 May 1652
• Wilson, Andrew - founder, Aberfoyle, Perthshire, thief, banished for life at Perth May 1770, transported from Port Glasgow on the Crawford landed at Port Oxford, Maryland 23 Jul 1771
• Wilson, Andrew - tailor, rioter in Dumfries, banished for 7 years, transported from Port Glasgow on the Matty, landed at Port Oxford, Maryland, 17 Dec. 1771
• Wilson, Christopher - royalist soldier captured at Worchester, transported on the John & Sarah, from Gravesend to Boston, 13 May 1652
• Wilson, Henry - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Maryland on the Friendship, 24 May 1716, sold to John Gresham in Maryland 20 Aug. 1716
• Wilson, James - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to South Carolina on the Wakefield 21 Apr. 1716
• Wilson, John - royalist soldier captured at Worcester, transported from Gravesend to Boston, on the John & Sarah, 13 May 1652
• Wilson, Patrick - writer in Edinburgh, banished for illegally effecting a marriage, transported from Leith 15 Jund 1671
• Wilson, Patrick - prisoner in Edinburgh Tolbooth, transported from Leith Nov. 1679
• Wilson, Peter - schoolmaster, Edinburgh, banished for life for illegally carrying out a clandestine marriage 18 Mar. 1768
• Wilson, William - Galloway, covenanter, prisoner in Leith Tolbooth, transported from Leith to East New Jersey by George Scott of Pitclochie on the Henry & Francis, 5 Sep. 1685, banished on 18 Aug. 1685
• Wilson, William - tinker, Spittal, thief and pickpocket, banished for 7 years at Jedburgh, 24 Sep. 1766
• Wilson, William - Hattonslap, thief, banished for life at Aberdeen Sep. 1775
• Wilson, William - horsethief, banished for life at Glasgow, 20 Sep. 1775
• Wolfe, William - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to Antigua on the Scipio, 30 Mar. 1716
• Duncan, John - Jacobite captured at Preston, transported from Liverpool to St. Kitts on the Scipio, 30 March 1716

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Fall, Kevin. Medieval Sovereigns of Scotland, Part I, The Highlander, Nov/Dec 2003

The House of Alpin - Kenneth the Hardy, 843-859 - Kenneth crossed the Irish sea to claim lands in Argyllshire. By right of kinship, he also laid claim and conquered the eastern lands of the Picts.

Donald I, MacAlpin's brother, 843-849

Constantine I, MacAlpin's eldest son 863-877

Eochaid, MacAlpin's grandnephew 877-889

Donald II, Constantine's son 889-900

Constantine II, 900-942

Malcolm I, Donald's son 942-954

Indulf 959-962

Dubb, Malcolm's son 962-967

Cuilean, Indulf's son 962-967

Kenneth II, 971-995

Constantine II 995-997

Kenneth III, Dubb's son 997-1005

Malcolm II, 1005-1034 - expands kingdom into Lothian

House of Dunkeld - Duncan I 1010-1040 - He married the daughter of the English Earl of Northumbria introducing Saxon influence into the Scottish kingdom. They had two sons Malcolm and Donald Bane. 

Duncan was an impetuous man, whose hereditary claim to the throne was threatened by his powerful cousin, MacBeth, Moramaer (Thane - holding lands granted by a king) of Moray. 

MacBeth 1040-1057 - married Gruoch, granddaughter of Kenneth III.  Duncan I sons Malcolm and Donald Bane killed MacBeth at the Battle of Lumphanan.  Lulach, Gruoch's son by her first marriage succeeded MacBeth, but he was killed in battle the next year. 

House of Canmore - Malcolm III 1058-1093 - the most exalted of the Gaelic kings (ceann mor means great chief), son of Duncan I.  Married twice 1) a Norse Thane, son Duncan and 2) Margaret a Saxon refugee, sons Edmund and David

Donald Bane 1093-1094 - Malcolm III's brother, allied with William the Conqueror

Edgar the Peacemaker 1097-1107

Alexander the Fierce 1107-1124, Edgar's brother, married Henry I daughter

David I 1124-1153

Malcolm IV 1153-1165

William the Lion 1165-1214

Alexander II 1214-1249

Alexander III 1249-1286

Regents for Alexander's granddaughter Margaret 1286-1306 who was murdered in 1290 on her way to Scotland to begin her reign

The next half decade saw Scotland deteriote into baronial feuding, with no fewer than 12 noble claimants to the crown. The end result was that the governing members of the kingdom submitted the issue to Edward I of England who agreed to arbitrate on condition that he be acknowledged as overlord of Scotland. 

Eventually the choice came down to John Balliol, John Comyn and Robert Bruce.  King Edward chose Balliol who ruled for four years.  Edward I became known as the Hammer of the Scots for his relentless campaigns and intrigues directed at his northern neighbors.  

In 1297 William Wallace (remember Braveheart) emerged as Scotland's first patriot leader. After the fight at Stirling Bridge, when an English force of 2,300 men was put to rout and all of Lothian reed of the tyrannical Sassenach, Wallace became known as Guardian of Scotland. His guerilla resistance was fierce.

Following Wallace's defeat at Falkirk in 1298, King Edward appointed a trio of guardians for the conquered land. Two of them were destined to forever alter the course of events and set in motion the foundations of a Scots nation.

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Fall, Kevin. Medieval Sovereigns of Scotland - Part II, The Highlanderi, Jan/Feb 2004

The House of Bruce - Robert Bruce 1306-1329 - second Earl of Carrick, he sided with King Edward after Wallace's death, but seized the opportunity for leadership by killing his rival John, the Red, Comyn.  Bruce and his followers were outlawed and headed north.  He was crowned Robert I March 25, 1306.  He and his followers came out of the highlands when Edward I died in 1307.  Robert the Bruce consolidated Scotland under his reign.  

Bruce's great victory at Bannockburn gave birth to the Scots nation and guaranteed King Robert's throne. In 1320, King Robert published the Declaration of Arbroath, affirming Scotland's independence and sent it on to Pope John XXII. 

David II 1329-1371 son of Robert the Bruce, fled to France, leaving the country in the hands of Robert the Steward.  Died without a male heir. 

The House of Stewart - Robert II 1371-1390, son of Robert the Bruce's daughter Princess Marjory and founder of the last royal house of Scotland. The dynasty's name was taken from Robert's hereditary title as High Steward of the kingdon. 

Robert III 1390-1406 - born John Stewart in 1327, he took the name Robert III when crowned king. 

James I 1406-1437 - sent as hostage to England and raised at the court of Henry IV, he married Joan Beaufort. 

James II 1437-1460 - James of the fiery face - had a large scarlet birthmark on his right cheek, crowned at age 6.  He was an enthusiastic student of artillery and cast numerous, but unreliable bronze cannons.  Beseiging Roxburgh Castle, James insisted on sighting and setting off one of these guns himself. The charge exploded in a cracked barrel and the king became famous for being the only Scots monarch to blow himself up.

James III 1460-1488 - inept king, killed at the battle of Sauchieburn. 

James IV 1488-1513 - married Margaret Tudor daughter of Henry VII, eventually went to war on the side of France against Henry VIII and killed at the Battle of Flodden Field.

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Foster, Wayne. Scottish Marriage Customs & Superstitions, The Highlander, Jan/Feb 2001.

Bride - originated from the Celtic goddess Briganta or Brigit; goddess of fire, the hearth, healing, marriage, childbirth and poetry.  She was much like Persephone, imprisoned in winter in Ben Nevis by the Blue Hag, Cailleach. Bride was rescued on the first day of February by a young god named Angus who rode a white horse.

Dreams - girls put mugwort root under their pillows to dream of their future husbands.
Leap Year - women can propose to men
Cryin' Siller - money paid for the calling of the banns, it means pledge, so those who wished to be married had to leave money or something of value such as clothing which was forfeited if a penny wedding with music and dancing took place.
Nuts - nuts were believed to be magical, two nuts were burned representing the bride and groom, if they burned quietly and evenly, the marriage would be happy.  If they spit, crackled and burst, the marriage would be rocky.
Hen Night - comes from women plucking chickens the night before the wedding in preparation for the feast
Salt - spread upon the floor of the new home for luck
Kissing the bride - not always just the groom a stampede broke out and occasionally shots were fired and the church bells rung, not just to celebrate, but to drive off evil spirits
Tossing rice / confetti / rose petals - symbols of fertility
Throwing a shoe - the father of the bride would throw his shoe at the couple transferring his authority / responsibility to the son-in-law

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Galbraiths Gather at Culcreuch Castle & Initiate Proceedings to Seek a Chief, The Highlander, Nov/Dec 2002

Meeting at Culcreuch Castle in Fintry, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Galbraiths from both sides of the Atlantic enjoyed five days fo fellowship and clan history from May 19 to May 23, 2002.  The gathering organized by the Clan Galbraith Association. 

The castle itself, now a hotel, was the home of Galbraith Chiefs from about 1390 until 1630 when the 17th Chief who had mortgaged Culcreuch to his brother-in-law, was unable to repay the debt. He lost the castle and subsequently emigrated to Ireland. His son James, and grandson, another James, remained in Scotland, landless and in near poverty.  The two Jameses, the 18th and 19th Chiefs, were the last Galbraiths known to have held the chiefship.

Clan members visited the ruins of Craigmaddie Castle in Milngavie, which dates to about 1240 and was the home of Sir William Galbraith of Buthernock, the 4th Galbraith Chief. They also visited Loch Lomond area where Galbraiths have dwelt for centuries and viewd Inch Galbraith a small island in the loch on which the ruins of an ever-smaller Galbraith castle are still visible. 

The most important item taken up at the business meeting was a discussion regarding the selection of a new chief. With the death of James, the 19th Chief, the Galbraith chiefship came to an end more than 300 years ago.  The procedure set forth by the Lord Lyon, King of Arms for choosing a chief in such a circumstance is lengthy and involves an exhaustive  genealogical search for descendants of the last chiefs of the Culcreuch line.  If none can be found the search would move to descendants of the various cadet lines stemming from younger sons of earlier Galbraith chiefs. There were a number of such cadet lines. While the Clan Galbraith Association can facilitate the choosing of a new chief, those allowed to vote in the actual selection of a new chief must be landowners in Scotland or armigers, men allowed to bear the clan's coat of arms. 

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Gracie, James. Hamilton Mausoleum, The Highlanders, May/Jun 2004

Anyone driving along the M74 freeway in Lanarkshire between Glasgow and the south might be puzzled to see a peculiar stone building in some parkland near the town of Hamilton. It has a hughe dome sitting atop a cylinder which in turns sits on a large square base.

It is, in fact, Hamilton Mausoleum, one of the most unusual buildings in Scotland. The mausoleum was built in the 19th century by a member of one of Scotland's noble families, the Dukes of Hamilton.

The Dukes of Hamilton are the premier dukes of Scotland, though, curiously enough, they are not heads of Clan Hamilton.   The Hamilton's surname is Douglas-Hamilton and the family can trace its origins right back to an English knight called Walter Fitzgilbert de Hameldune who fought alongside Bruce at Bannockburn. In 1455, James de Hamilton was created the first Lord Hamilton. His subsequent marriage to Princess Mary, sister of James III, introduced royal blood into the family. The result was that, for a time, Lord Hamilton's grandson, the second Earl of Hamilton, was next in line to the throne after James V.

The fourth Earl of Hamilton, James had the dubious distinction of being killed in a duel in London. . . . And for an even more dubious distinction, there was a male Hamilton in the 18th century, brother of the fifth duke, who was named after his godmother, Queen Anne. This made him Lord Anne Hamilton.

Perhaps the most eccentric member of the family was Alexander Archibald Douglas Hamilton, the tenth duke . . . a proud and vain man and well deserved his two nicknames of "Il Magnifico" and the "Very Duke of Very Dukes." . . . As the direct Stuart line had come to an end in 1807, Alexander considered himself the rightful king of Scotland. He began the construction of the mausoleum.

In the crypt of the Hamilton Mausoleum, provision had been made for all the bodies from the transept as well as for numerous as-yet-unborn descendants. But Alexander himself wished to be laid to rest in the chapel above, in the sarcophagus of an ancient Egyptian princess, which he had bought while a trustee of the British Museum. . . .

In August of 1852, the duke died at his house in Portman Square in London. A short while before, he had bought spices and other ingredients for embalming his body, and the process was duly carried out by a Mr. Pettigrew.  People were scandalized. a

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Gracie, James. Paisley Abbey, The Highlander, Mar/Apr 2002

Paisley Abbey was founded by a forebear of the great Stewart family. The abbey sits foursquare in the middle of Paisley, Scotland's largest town (as opposed to city).

The last real abbot of Paisley was one John Hamilton, who also held the position of Bishop of Dunblane, and later Archbishop of St. Andrews. He christened the infant, James IV, in Stirling in 1566.

But Abbot John was a man who enjoyed the intrigue and plotting of political life. He got himself embroiled in the murder of Lord Darnley, Mary, Queen of Scots' husband, for which he was executed.  His dismembered body was taken back to Paisley Abbey.

Just after the Reformation, Lord Claud Hamilton was appointed commendator of the abbey. A commendator was, in effect, a lay abbot who looked after the business affairs of an abbey. Lord Claud was the last real abbot's nephew and the fifth son of the 2nd Earl of Arran, forerunner of the present-day Duke of Hamilton.

Claud, however, was an ambitious man which was rewarded in 1587 when he was created Lord Paisley in his own right. From him are descended the Dukes of Abercorn, clan chiefs of the House of Hamiliton.

The Hamilton family eventually sold the Place of Paisley to Lord Dundonald, head of the Cochrane family.  The Hamiltons bought the Place back in 1764.

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Grice, Chris. Gregor MacGregor, Prince of "Poyais," The Highlander, Jan/Feb 2002

The Clan Gregor, the Children of the Mist, have enlivened history with many fascinating characters.   Captain Gregor MacGregor of the Black Watch, otherwise known as His Serene Highness, Prince Gregor I of Poyais was one.

Gregor's father was Laird of Inverardine, in Breadalbane, and his grandfather was Gregor the Beautiful, who in 1743 had been chosen, with one other of all their regiment, the Black Watch, to demonstrate the prowess of Highland troops to His Majesty George II.

Gregor became a captain in his grandfather's regiment shortly after his 20th birthday.  Shortly thereafter he sold his commission and set sail for Caracas, Venezuela to join Simon Bolivar in 1811. Gregor was very successful in South America.  Bolivar invested Gregor with the insignia of the Order of Liberators and gave him the hand of in marriage of his beautiful niece, Dona Josefa Govera.

At the height of his success, he returned to Britain for a time, but by 1819 had returned to South America in search of fresh fields for his talents.  He recruited a new army, 900 strong, borrowed ships from Bolivar and launched an attack on the rich settlements of Panama and Costa Rica. With just two boats and 150 men, he captured the well-defended treasure port of Portobello. Then he sailed north, to the coast of Nicaraugua, and landed on the deserted shoreline.

It was known as the Mosquito Coast, 500 miles of desolate and fever-ridden jungle, yet it had until recently been a British protectorate.  Gregor MacGregor decided on a drastic career change. He searched out an aged chief and obtained from him a grant of territoy, 10,000 square miles of jungle and swamp, and declared himself Gregor I, King of the Poyais Indians. Then he set sail for England.

Astonishingly, the Court of St. James and the Foreign Office, who should have known better, fell for his story.  A Poyaisian legation was established, a charge d'affaires appointed and Gregor began to sell commissions in the non-existent Poyaisian army.

He raised a loan of £200,000 from a respected bank, on the strength of the worthless lands on the Mosquito Coast. An order of chivalry, the Order of the Green Cross, was set up and knighthoods granted in Gregor's name. Poyaisian bank notes were issued, bearing, in Gaelic, the MacGregor clan slogan: rioghal mo dhream - Royal is my race.

In 1822, Prince Gregor and his princess moved to Edinburgh. The timing was immaculate, George IV was to visit his northern capital . . . In the midst of all this junketing, Prince Gregor appeared as a real Scots success story. The Edinburgh public's enthusiasm for his idyllic realm outdid even that of the Londoners. More brochures were printed, emigration centres were opened up and land in Poyais was sold at four shillings an acre. Seventy thousand ore Poyaisian bank notes were printed in Edinburgh, which were eagerly snapped up by the emigrants. In no time at all, seven shiploads of settlers embarked at Leith.

The first 200 emigrants arrived off the Mosquito Coast in September 1822, at the spot where Gregor's capital should have been. When no city was seen, the settlers assumed it was a navigational error, and asked to be put ashore nonetheless. They made themselves a camp and sent out scouts to find Poyais City. While the fruitless search took place, a hurricane struck and drove the ships out to sea. After the hurricane came the rains, then unbearable heat, with Yellow Jack and Malaria in its train.

By the time word of the settlers' plight reached John Young, Colonial Agent in British Honduras, 500 miles to the north, two out of three were dead of disease and exposure. Young despatched a ship to rescue the survivors and sent another to Britain to reveal the real truth about the Principality of Poyais. Young's report was widely published, but Gregor tried, even now, to bluff it out.

Gregor, Prince of Poyais, decided to skip the country to avoid the consequences.  He went to France, where in 1825, he tried the same trick on the gullible French public.

Two years later, Gregor returned to London, hoping the heat would have died down. He was wrong, for he was soon seized and imprisoned for fraud. He managed to talk his way out of this prison and returned to France, where he soon found himself behind bars again. His stay here was even shorter, but he now faced a bleak futre, penniless and with no source of income.

In 1839, the Government of Venezuela came to his rescue. To show their gratitude for Gregor's part in the liberation of their country, they offered him citizenship and a pension and welcomed him with honour. He died there peacefully in 1845.

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MacRae, Roderick. Celtic Roots - A Foundation for Genealogical Research, Part I, The Highlander, Sep/Oct 2003

Scotland is best thought of as an overlay of many cultures, one on top another, which gives the country its distinctive personality and regional differences. The islands we know as "Britain" have been inhabited for nearly 10,000 years.  

ca. 1000 BC the Celts arrived and began to divide into distinctively different language groups 

500 BC were well established in Britain, Alba and Eirean. Celtish was the common language spoken from the Balkans to the Atlantic coast. They fought and traded with the Greeks (who gave them the name "Keltoi" meaning "raiders"). 

387 BC Celts sack Rome

The Celts knew themselves only by their tribal names. The highest authority was the Chief, the "father" of the tribe. They devised an uning usual system of philosophy and learning under the direction of "men (or women) of learning" called Druids. Celts had begu

By 1000 BC the Celts had begun to divide into distinctively different language groups. The Caledone tribe was an early immigrant to the north of Alba. By the time the Romans named them the Picts, their language had diverged so greatly from continental Celtish as to be unrecognizable.  The Pritani tribe were the first to populate Britain proper and it was by their name that the islands become known as the Pritani Isles.  Another group had migrated overt the Pyrenees Mountains into Iberia and their language came to be known as Gaelic. The Gaels somehow managed a sea voyage to arrie in Eirean by 500 BC.

By the beginning of the Christian calendar, 1 AD, the islands were inhabited by three distinct Celtic groups, speaking different languages but rooted in a common stock. They owned no government.

When the Romans arrived in Britain their military organization was superior to the Celtic resistance and they practiced the strategy of intermarrying with the Celtic tribal leaders. Within a few years they governed all of modern England, most of modern Wales and Cornwall and north into Alba to the Strathclyde Valley.

Over the ensuing centuries a new Romano-Celtic Culture emerged with Latin as a prinicpal language overlaying the older Britonic tongue.

During this same period the Gaels in Eirean began to invade the lightly populated west coast of Alba and by 450 AD, erected their own kingdom of the Dal Riada in Kintyre. This tribe became known as the Scoti (another name loosely meaning "raiders").  They did recognize their head as "King of Scots" (not King of Scotland), Alba, by middle of the first millenium is now populated by three distinct groups with three distinct languages. In the northeast is the kingdom of the Picts with its seat at Scone in modern Perthshire. In the west are in the Scots with their seat at Dunadd in modern Kintyre. South of the River Clyde are the Romano-Celts speaking Latin and Britonic.

Another interesting development to keep in mind at this time is the dramatic rise of Christianity in Eirean. When Christian missionaries arrived (in the person of Patrick) the Gaels wholeheartedly accepted Christian preaching and promptly created their own model of the church. The church was based upon the local abbey which was wholly independent. The abbeys were endowed by local chiefs or landed gentry and became self-sufficient communities.

By 400 AD the Roman empire had begun to disintegrate from internal corruption and expansion of the wild Germanic tribes to the north. Roman troops were brought home from Britain and the Romano-Celtic aristocracy was left to fend for itself. They did recognize a central kingship (a chap named Arthur Pendragon was involved in this) but it was a tenous hold. Two Germanic tribes, the Angles and the Saxons, had begun to arrive in Britain (some had been invited as mercenary troops by disaffected Romano-Celtic lords)  In a short time the south of Britain was inhabited by the Saxons and the north by the Angles.  Thus, another new language, Anglish, is overlaid on the existing Latin/Britonic. By the 800s AD Anglish is widely spoken throughout Britain up to the Strathclyde in Alba. The Britonic speaking Celts have retreated to Cymru (Wales) and Cornu (Cornwall).  The culture and language retains a strong footing in Wales long into the future.

In the north the Scots have continued to expand their kingdom and, in due course will come to dominate all of Alba. In the year 843 AD Kenneth MhicAlpine (the son of the Dal Riada King of Scots) lays claim to the throne of Pictland.

Although a central king is recognized in Scotland, the real authority remains with the tribal chiefs and little can be done without their support. The ancient Celtic custom of electing the king still prevails and it is the chiefs who form the council of elders.

Another invader is about to enter the Celtic world. By the 700s AD the Norse and other peoples of Scandinavia had begun to run out of land for an expanding population. They also had discovered how to build a truly seaworthy boat that could safely sail the open oceans. Thus, they set out to go "viking" (raiding!) and the name stuck.  Although the Vikings did strike fear into the hearts of coastal peoples in Ireland and Scotland, they also came as settlers and traders. A fairly large Viking settlement developed at Dublin in Ireland and extensive farm settlements in the isles and west coasts of Scotland.

This is the first intrusion of a foreign people into Gaelic Ireland. And, of course, it will add another language to the already complicated mix among the peoples of the British Isles. The Scottish kingdom seems to develop an accepting working relationship with the Norse princes who settle in Scotland.

Throughout this changing landscapes of peoples, culture and language, the old Celtic roots seem to survive in one form or another as the modern world emerges. The nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are recognizable by 1000 AD. Agnlish is a prominent language (with a heavy mix of Latin and Britonic) in the south. Gaelic (with the influence of Anglish and Norse) is spoken in the north. 

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MacRae. Roderick. Notes from the Mailbag, The Highlander, May/Jun 2004

I continue to receive questions concerning clans and septs and I'll review some [of] the general issues. The truth is that a great many Scots do not descend from a clan heritage at all. This is no shame and demonstrates the great diversity of Scottish culture. Modern clan societies are generous in their inclusion of a variety of names, which may carry linkage to the original clan, however tenuous. Clan societies often possess private records that are available nowhere else that can be helpful in the genealogical quest.

While the idea of family / clan organization has been a Celtic tradition since the dawn of time, the actual form of the Scottish Clans as we know them today dates, at best from about the 12th century. Names purporting to be older are conjecture.

A clan represents a core family, and one person only cannot be recognized as Chief (or the father) of the entire clan. SOns and brothers may diverge and, if stable and possessing lands, may become a cadet branch of a clan with the head styled as Chieftain. All members of these families would carry some version of the clan name (there might be many variant spellings).

Septs are quite another matter. Sept families were not descended of the clan stock but occupied clan lands and swore allegiance to the Chief. The name would be entirely different from the clan. Septs, however, are counted as a part of the clan because of their allegiance. Some septs have risen in power and land holdings as the principal clan fades. Thus, the MacRaes, while originally a sept of the MacKenzies, are recognized as an independent clan in modern times, in possession of old MacKenzie lands and entitled to their own Chief.

However, a great many Scots lived in village and urban areas and proffered no allegiance to the clans. In fact, most southern Scots dreaded the "wild Highlanders" descending upon them in times of unrest.

Another topic I continue to receive questions about is the origins and meanings of Scottish personal names.  As I have noted in previous articles, Scotland is composed of many cultural overlays; the past is not obliterated and lives on, but the present becomes richer and more complex as new cultures are added. There are six distinct sources for personal names in Scotland:

Celtic (Gaelic / Britonic) - Donald, Rory, Finlay, Kenneth, Ewan, Calum, Duncan, Farqhuhar
Latin/Greek - Alexander, Magnus, Andrew, Jacobus (James), Marcus, Michael, Hector, Paul
Christian - Christopher, Peter, John, Thomas, David
Anglo/Saxon - Roderick, Gary, Richard, William
Norse - Torquil, Tormad, Ronald, Sorlie
Norman - Hugh, Robert, Charles, Bruce, Alan

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MacRae, Ruairidh Og. What's in a Name - A Look at Gaelic By-Names, The Highlander, Sep/Oct 2002

A Gaelic by-name is not a true nickname as we commonly use in English.  A nickname is a name "in place of."  Thus, "Butch" might be substituted for "James." The nickname bears no relation ot the true given name and often distinguishes a son from a father. The Gaelic by-name is a "modifier" which is 

attached to a given name and cannot be used separately.

Historically, the Scots were fond of giving treasured family names in succession to their children (there are some rules for this). Thus, it might happen that five interrelated Duncan MacRaes (uncle, cousin, grandchild, etc.) might be living in the same glen at the same time. What utter confusion might result if some further distinction were not used. So Duncan, the baby, would be called Duncan Og (the younger).  His uncle, with a great shock of black hair, would be called Duncan Dubh. His cousin, with a crop of freckles, would be called Duncan Breac. 

By-names were commonly given for physical characteristics (hair, stature, age, etc.) But sometimes the by-name would result from an event or a place of residence. Thus we might find Ian nam Casteil (John of the castle) or Eddy Loupinour (Eddy from the barley field at the loop in the river).  The addition of the by-name often carried with it a tale or insight into that person. 

To avoid all confusion, the Gaels were also fond of reciting their full patronymic (father's line of descent) as a part of their name. Thus, we might encounter an ancestor whose name was Donnachaidh mohr MhicGillechroisd glas VhicAlaister bain. In English, we would render this as Big Duncan the son of gray Christopher the son of fair Alexander. With a name like this, Duncan certainly understood his place in the family and the community.  

Common by-names:

Donnachaidh Bain (bahn) - fair Duncan, probably light complexion or hair, maybe disposition

Alister Ruadh (roy) - red Alexander, prominent red hair

Cailen Dubh (doo) - Black Colin, probably hair or complexion or on rare occasion temperament

Seamus Mohr (more) - Big James usually stature, but maybe the elder

Foinlaidh Beag (beg) - Little Finlay smaller of stature or the younger

Ruairidh Og (oich) - Young Roderick, either age or family order

Ian Breac (breck) - freckled John; breac connotes dappled or broken, also used for tartan or places

Dubhglas Cuil (cool) - thin Douglas

Coinnich Buidhe (booey) - yellow Kenneth; probably blond Nordic hair

Domhnuil Glas (glahs) - gray Donald, probably hair

As these by-names came to be translated into English, we find real problems. Even in Scottish literature, for example, the by-name often becomes a "real" or middle name. Rob Roy MacGregor did not carry the middle name "Roy" but the by-name "ruadh." Robert Louis Stevenson's hero, Alan Breck Stewart of Kidnapped was named "breac" for his freckles.

There is a Highland village named Roy Bridge in English. However, the Gaelic signpost clearly says Drochaid Ruadh which means red bridge.  Names were also changed in the new world by clerks who didn't speak Gaelic. Within the MacRaes the given name Foinlaidh (Finlay) was very common in Scotland, yet often disappears in immigration. However, the name Philip, which was unknown in the Highlands, suddenly appears as a common MacRae name in the American South.  I think the immigration clerks could not understand the Scottish sound of the Gaelic and picked a similar sounding English name. 

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McGilp, David. Kilmartin - Home of Scotland's First Kings, The Highlander, Nov/Dec 2001

Your history begins at Dunadd, the majestic hill fort dominating the flat expanse of Crinan Moss in the Kilmartin Valley on the west coast of Scotland.  Around 500 AD legend maintains that a migrating tribe from Dal Riata (the area roughly corresponding to the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland) colonized the lands now known as Argyll, fortifying the site that has come to be regarded as the capital of the ancient kingdom.

The strange carvings near the summit of Dunadd - in particular the rock-hewn footprint - have long been associated with the investiture of the earliest Scottish kings. It is popularly assumed that the king would place a foot in this during the inauguration ceremony in a symbolic gesture of connection with the land. There are other features: the faint outline of a boar, an enigmatic inscription in Ogham (an early form of writing from Ireland) and a rock-cut basin, possibly used to ceremonially dispense wine or holy water.

Dunadd Footprint

Staggering archaeological finds - pottery, glass, herbs, spices and exotic pigments - attest to trade links with southern Europe and even Asia, identifying the community at Dunadd as an internationally significant commercial entity more than 1,000 years ago.

There are more than 30 nearby forts and duns and 20 crannogs (ancient lake dwellings), the existence of which demonstrates the area's tense and varied settlement history.   The Kilmartin Valley contains an extraordinarily dense cluster of prehistoric sites: cup- and ring-marked rocks, standing stones, Neolithic and Bronze Age burial cairns - it is widely regarded as Scotland's richest prehistoric landscape.

A rare linear cemetery of stone tombs is the centerpiece of the ceremonial landscape and points to a culture advanced enough to perceive an afterlife and make preparation for it. This curious feature comprises four round cairns and one chambered cairn, positioned on a rough north/northeast-south/southwest axis oer a distance of approximately a mile.

The remains of individuals of high status were inhumed in cists, or stone coffins, with a variety of grave goods ranging from flint arrowheads and other stone tools to intricately decorated pottery vessels and elegant jet black necklaces.

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Milner, Paul. Online Scottish Research Using Original Records & Major Indexes, New England Ancestors, Holiday 2004.

Those of us researching men and women in or from Scotland are luckier than most when it comes to using the Internet. We have online access to original records and large comprehensive indexes, thanks to a number of excellent websites that are growing each year.  

Scotland's People - census, census indexes, vital records 1855+, Old Parish Register Index
Scottish Documents - wills & testaments indexe 1500+
National Archives - 

• discharged soldiers 
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Statistical Accounts of Scotland

Scottish Archive Network 

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Nelson, Kay. Georgetown's Ninian Beall, The Highlander, Nov/Dec 2001

The Georgetown section of Washington, DC has a remarkable Scottish background. For it was a group of canny Scots who, as early as the 17th century, saw the advantages of a 60-acre plot along the Potomac River and converted it from an abandoned Indian trading village into an influential business and cultural center.

One of the two orignal proprietors of the town was Ninian Beall (pronounced Bell), a tall, red-headed and resourceful Scot. Sent to the American colonies as a political prisoner, he not only worked out his servitude, but also became a businessman, military officer, public official, religious leader and prominent landowner.

Born at Largo, Fifeshire, in about 1625, the son of Dr. James Beall, he was named for Saint Ninian, patron saint of the Lowlands. Probably a Celt, he later referred to himself as Ringan, the Celtic word for Ninian (pronounced Ringing).  Many of his official papers reveal he was a man of good education.

By the age of 25, Beall was fighting as a cornet of cavalry in the army that David Leslie raised to oppose Oliver Cromwell. Captured by the British in the devastating 1650 Battle of Dunbar.  By 1658 he was in Calvert County, Maryland.

He married Ruth Moore, daughter of a lawyer and planter and he obtained 50 acres which he called Soldier's Fortune. Beall's devotion to his homeland can be seen in the names of his holdings: Ringan, Largo (now the site of Capital Center), St. Andrews, Fyfe and Edonboroguh (sic).

He was a surveyor, planter, manufactured flour and iron, military leader, civic leader, Indian fighter.  He was eventually appointed Commander-in-Chief of Maryland's Provincial Forces.

Ninian Beall died in 1717 at his home in Maryland at 92. Beall and his wife, Ruth Moore, had 12 children and nearly all of the married into families that contributed to the growth and prosperity of Maryland and Georgetown.

Early Maryland records show Beall's ancient family name of Bell spelled in a variety of ways. One writer explains this was due mainly to the way the Scottish pronunciation of vowels sounded to the English ear. Thus, the names Beal, Beale, Beall or even Beil, Bale and Bel.

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Robertson, Barrie. A Campbell Chief is Remembered at Càrn Chailein, The Highlander, Nov/Dec. 2002

It is among the lonely hills of mid-Argyll between the Firth of Lorne and Loch Awe that a particular cairn records the death of a clan chief who was slain there in an old clan fight of long ago. 

The cairn is called "Càrn Chailein," which if translated to the English means "Cairn of Colin."  The Gaelic title of the chiefs of Clan Campbell is MacChailein, son of Colin, and down through the centuries they take this hereditary title from their ancestor Cailein Mór, Great Colin, the one who the ancient cairn commemorates.  This marks the spot where Cailein Mór, fell in a bloody fight against the MacDougalls in 1293.

The two clans were to meet to discuss a boundary dispute.  The MacDougalls were late and the impatient Campbells decided to take a little MacDougall territory.  When the MacDougalls arrived, battle ensued.  An archer is said to have fired his arrow from a great distance and either due to excellent aim or good fortune mortally wounded Cailein Mór, the Campbell chief. 

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Robertson, James. The Descendants of King Robert Bruce, The Highlanders, Jan/Feb 2002

Assuming a turnover of three generations a century, 21 have passed since the time of King Robert Bruce. To give his Grace of Scotland the sociologists conservative average of 2.4 children and the same for his children's children, by now he should have about 5,033,164 descendants. The late Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk reckoned taht some 30,000 Scots could trace their ancestry back to Bruce, but this still leaves more than five million unaccounted for.  There is a good chance that you will be one of them. 

The Highlander spoke Gaelic. If you ask in that language from where someone comes you sa "Co as a tha sibh?" which means literally "who are you from?"  

Clan genealogies traced themselves back to Viking and Irish kings, but unlike these, descent from King Robert Bruce are established facts.  The first Stewart king was Robert II whose mother was the elder daughter of Bruce. In the male line the Stewarts produced a clan in Appin, a collection of chieftains and lairds in Atholl and many aristocratic magnates in the Lowlands. In the female line, princesses and their offspring provided wives for great men throughout the nation. 

In Atholl, by using the surname Stewart as the marker, it is easy to trace the Bruce connection and see how it permeated the whole population. The great majority of these Stewart lairds were of royal descent. Their sons and daughters married into the families of other local chieftains - the Robertsons of Clan Donnachaidh, the Fergusson, the Menzieses, the Campbells of Bredalbane and the Murrays who became earls and later dukes of Atholl through marriage to the daughter of the last Stewart earl.

The key is linking into the families of the lairds or chieftains who intermarried generation after generation and whose genealogies are known, often through land charters. In turn, these connect into the chief's line and hence into the royal family.  For example, Clan Donnachaidh's 4th chief married Lady Margaret Stewart, the 5th married twice - the first time to a great-great granddaughter of Robert II and second to a niece of James II. Most of the cadet families of the clan descend from the chief's line after 1506 and thus have this double dose of Robert Bruce. Through James I who married Joanna Beaufort, great grandhcild of Edward II of England, the Robertsons can link into the Plantagenet royal house of England and thus descend from such genealogical colossi as John of Gaunt, Charlemagne and even, through Eleanor of Castille who was queen to Edward I, Mohammed's sister.  Like many hundreds of thousands of Highland descent, the Robertsons are thus of the Blood of the Prophet.

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Sandison, Bruce. The Trossachs - Clan Gregor Country, The Highlander, Jul/Aug 2003

The Trossachs command a special place in my mind.  Not only for their supreme beauty, but also because of the central role they have played in Scotland's story. This is the domain of Clan Gregor, "the children of the mist," robbed of their lands by rapacious Campbell neighbours, outlawed by King James VI in 1603, persecuted and hunted like animals. This is the land of Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734), the most famous and redoubtable of his clan. On the plinth of his statue in Stirling are written the words, "My foot is on my native heath, and my name is Rob Roy MacGregor." . . . 

Rob Roy MacGregor lies asleep in the old churchyard on the Braes of Balquhidder at the east end of glorious Loch Voil. At his side lie his wife, Mary, his second son, Coll, and his youngest son, Robin Oig. While Roby Roy died peacefully in his bed, his son Robin met an altogether harsher fate.  Convicted of kidnapping the 20-year-old Jean Kay from Edinbilly near Balfron in Stirlingshire and forcing her to marry him, Robin paid the price of his crime on the gallows in Edinburgh on February 14, 1754.

Loch Lomond marks the western boundary of the Trossachs. 

Inversnaid was a less peaceful place prior to the arrival of the literati, entirely due to the activities of Clan Gregor. Their exploits involved the removal of everything and anything not securely nailed down, including cattle, cash and cutlery. In an effort to subdue the clan, the government built a fort there. As soon as the fort was completed the Macgregor's attacked and burned it to the ground. As soon as the fort was rebuilt, the Macgregor's, led by Rob Roy's nephew attacked again and destroyed the fort. . . . 

The road from Inversnaid climbs past Loch Arklet to reach Stronachlachar on the shores of Loch Katrine. Thereafter, this road, which winds around the loch, is closed to motor vehicles but offers the possibility of a memorable 10-mile walk back to The Pier at the east end of Katrine. Along the way you will find Rob Roy's birthplace at Glengyle at the foot of Meall Mor (2,451 feet). The initials GM and the date 1704 are carved on the lintel above the door. Rob Roy's mother is buried in the little graveyard here. . .  

The eastern boundary of the Trossachs enfolds the lovely Loake of Menteith, graced by the Island Inchmahome with its 13th-century Augustinian priory. . . . As a child, the future Mary Queen of Scots found sanctuary on Inchmaholme before being hurried off to safety in France - beyond the avaricious grasp of King Henry VIII of England who was determined taht she should be betrothed to his sickly son, Edwards

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Some Scottish Surnames, The Highlander, Jul/Aug 2000

The number of Scottish surnames beginning with Mac or its contracted forms Mc or M' is striking. These are of Gaelic origin, mac meaning "son of."  In English they are used for both sexes but in Gaelic only for males, the female equivalent being Nic, "daughter of."  Thus:

Seamus Mac Coinnich - James MacKenzie
Anna Nic Coinnich - Anne MacKenzie

Some of the Mac- names commonly found in Scotland today in fact came over from Ireland in comparatively recent times, especially with the waves of Irish immigrants who came to the industrial Lowlands in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Examples of these are McGhee and McLaughlin (the usual Scottish spelling being MacLachlan).

The contracted forms of Mc and M' are found more frequently with Irish names, though both are also used with Scottish. M' is however, much less common than it was a generation or two ago.

For those spelled Mac- there is the further problem of whether the second part should have a capital letter or not. There is wide disagreement on this point, even among Gaelic speakers. One argument is that a personal name should have a capital but not, for example, a trade name: thus MacDonald, but Macintyre. Another is that since these names are in anglicized form, there should be no capital letter in the middle of a word. The first of these has been applied in this list, but practice remains highly variable.

Quite a large number of Scottish surnames are of Norman-French origin, such as Bruce, Cumming (or Comyn), Fraser, Grant, Hay, Lindsay, Sinclair.  They are descended from Norman-French nobles, who were granted land by the medieval kings of Scotland.

Bruce - a family of Norman-French origin, the name "de Brus" (from Brix in Normandy) altering to become "the Bruce" in the name of Scotland's most illustrious medieval king, Robert the Bruce.

Cunningham - from the area in the north of Ayrshire whree they owned lands

Hay - a Norman-French name from La Haye in Normandy.

Innes - from the coastal area in Moray.

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Stewart, Ann. Battle of Glen Fruin, The Highlander, Sep/Oct 2003

Today, when you stand on that windswept, heather-clad hillside, it is still possible to see how Glen Fruin, the Glen of Sorrow, would have looked on that bleak February morning 400 years ago.   The heather was crisp underfoot when the McGregors left Loch Longside and traveled over the hill descending into Glen Fruin.

From the shores of Loch Lomond, Clan Colquhoun headed up the glen to settle an old score, which no one remembers. Alexander Colquhoun arrived with 400 men and 300 horses.  Alastair McGregor had 300 men, including some Carmerons and McFarlanes, all veterans of many raids and battle hardened. 

Few McGregors died in the fight, but many of the Colquhoun's did. Following the battle the McGregors put all to the torch and the sword, taking goods and beasts as was the right of the victor. An indictment later brought against their chief stated "600 kye and oxens, 800 sheep and goats and 14 score of horses." Fires burned long and the women wept, hugging their children to them, hiding out in the cold, dark night.  

40 student spectators from a school in Dumbarton were killed by Allan Og MacAtruach.  He was hanged for his crime and the Clan McGregor was absolved of collective responsibility. 

Alastair McGregor was hung for that day's work at the Cross of Edinburgh along wiht four of his clansmen. The clan was outlawed and their lands forfeited to the King.