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| Thursday 7th August 2008 |  | |||||||||||||
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Scotland Magazine section Scottish ClansThe most ancient earldom in ScotlandJames Irvine Robertson turns his attention to the Clan Sutherland, one of the country’s most ancient (and notorious) clans Like all clans, the Sutherlands have had their ups and downs. For the best part of two centuries, they were cadets of the Gordons. The horrors of the Sutherland Clearances are part of the folklore of the Highlands, spread around the world by those forced from their homes. And yet, Lord President Fo... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 35 published on 15/11/2007 Cummings and goingsThis issue, James Irvine Robertson turns the spotlight on the Clan Cummings In 1268 David de Strathbogie, the 9th Earl of Atholl, went on a crusade – he died in Tunis the following year. His absence gave his northern neighbour, Comyn of Badenoch, a chance to encroach into Atholl and build a stronghold, Cummings Tower, and this still lies at the heart of Blair Castle. This ... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 34 published on 30/08/2007 A noble and ancient family (Sinclairs)James Irvine Robertson looks at the history of the Sinclairs, a clan with its roots deep in the soil of Scottish history The origin of the Sinclairs, in the male line at least, is conventional enough. The first of the family was said to be a kinsman of William of Normandy and came over with him to acquire England in 1066. This progenitor took his name from St Clair sur Epte, a village heavily contested in the days f... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 33 published on 22/06/2007 A clan of impeccable pedigree (Clan Macpherson)James Irvine Robertson looks at the history of the Clan Macpherson Are there national characteristics? Certainly Sassenachs (English or Lowland Scots) used to think that Highlanders were different from themselves and one of those differences was that the Teuchter (Highland Scot) was always droning on about his ancestors. The main reason for this perception was th... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 32 published on 13/04/2007 With a strong hand (Clan MacKay)James Irvine Robertson reveals the history of the once powerful Clan MacKay You were a Clan Chief who owed money. So what? The traditional way to deal with a dun was to welcome him, show him a gibbet, and say that the strawstuffed effigy swinging there was the last debt collector who had the temerity to ask for payment. If that did not make him run away, then your clansmen... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 31 published on 16/02/2007 To conquer or die (Macdougal)James Irvine Robertson turns his attention to one of the oldest clans in Scotland, the clan Macdougall Son of the Black Stranger is the meaning of Macdougall. It is doubtful whether the original of the clan was that dark and he was certainly not that strange since his family had been amongst the most powerful in Scotland for generations. He was a descendant of Somerled the Viking, progenitor of the ... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 30 published on 01/12/2006 Virtue mine honour (Clan Maclean)This issue James Irvine Robertson considers the Clan Maclean Although the usual fanciful pedigrees locates the clan originally 150 miles north east at Glen Urquhart in Moray, the Macleans are from the west coast island of Mull. Gillean of the Battle-Axe, the first of the clan on record, fought against the Vikings in 1263 on the beach at Largs on the occasion... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 29 published on 25/10/2006 Sons of grace (Clan MacRae)In this issue, James Irvine Robertson studies the Clan MacRae If you were one of the world’s richest potentates and wanted to buy a Scottish estate, you would, presumably want it to have the requisite number of salmon, grouse, and stags. You would probably also want your holiday home to be set in the most beautiful part of this most beautiful country. And tha... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 28 published on 20/09/2006 A bloody clan co-operative (Clan Chattan)Clan Chattan is a coalition of small clans from the Highlands. James Irvine Robertson Clan Chattan (pronounced ‘Hattan’) – the Clan of the Cats – is unique. It is not just one clan, but a coalition of more than a dozen occupying the central Highlands and who acknowledged the chief of the Mackintoshes as their Captain. But it was only a matter of time before the Macphersons challenge... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 27 published on 09/06/2006 At the core of history (Clan Drummond)In the latest in our series James Irvine Robertson looks at Clan Drummond Most clans have two origins; one in history and one in legend. The latter says that the Drummond family was founded by Maurice, grandson of the King of Hungary, who captained the ship whose passengers included the family of Prince Edgar, claimant to the throne of England. Edgar was usurped by King H... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 26 published on 21/04/2006 Warriors loyal and true (Munro)The history of the Munro clan includes tales of witchcraft and strange rental payments. James Irvine Robertson reports One of the surprising aspects of Highland clans is their variability. Some clans descended from Picts; others from French mercenaries. Some clan leaders were national figures who guided the destiny of the Nation. Other chiefs led little more than robber gangs who preyed upon the cattle of their ne... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 25 published on 17/02/2006 On a historical Roller coaster (Clan MacNab)James Irvine Robertson looks at the history of Clan MacNab Land charters are the skeletons on which much Highland history is based. In them you can find out who owned what, from when and, usually, who your ancestors were. The witnesses to such charters can also reveal who was up and who was down. Few clans have a more colourful story than the MacNabs but, ... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 24 published on 05/01/2006 Holding sway around the Tay (Menzies)In the latest in our series on clans, James I Robertson looks at the Menzies Land was at the foundation of the wealth and power of the clans of Scotland. But Highland land today and for many years past has yielded precious little. If a clan today has a chief still living in his castle with smiling estates around it, then his forebears must have married money or one of them ... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 23 published on 14/10/2005 A complex clan (Clan Fraser)In this issue James Irvine Robertson looks at Clan Fraser There is a senior and a secondary branch of Clan Fraser, whose chief is Lady Saltoun, with the 18th Lord Lovat chief of the cadet clan, the Frasers of Lovat. The progenitor of both families, a de Frisselle, originated in France, and was one of those knights who came to England to make themselves for... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 22 published on 10/08/2005 Northern warriors (Clan MacLeod)James Irvine Robertson looks at the durability of Clan MacLeod As had been known since time immemorial, the MacLeods are of Norse origin and descend from Leod, son of Olave, brother of Magnus, the last king of Manthe, King of Man. A few mavericks believed that the clan rose from the indigenous peoples of the west, and recent DNAtesting of clan members gives a ... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 21 published on 10/07/2005 Great clansmen (Cameron)The Cameron clan comes under the spotlight in this issue. James Irvine Robertson reports The image of a clansman is recognised across the world as personifying Scotland. No other country, particularly a small northern European country, has a similarly powerful symbol of its nationhood. The reality has not existed for 250 years and it is a tribute to the colourful blend of romance, hono... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 20 published on 10/04/2005 Clan at the cutting edge of history (Murray)James Irvine Robertson looks at the history of the clan Murray King David I (1084-1155) was sent to the English court when he was 11 (his sister, Princess Matilda of Scotland, had married the English King Henry I in 1100). When David inherited the throne of Scotland from his brother in 1124, he returned north with a remarkable group of men whose fathers and gra... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 19 published on 20/3/2005 The great survivors (MacGregors)No clan has suffered more than the MacGregors. But as James Irvine Robertson reports, it has survived and is flourishing That the clan survives is astonishing, that it flourishes even more so, for its history and the record of oppression against it is unique in the Highlands, and dreadful. For two and a half centuries they were persecuted. At times the name was banned; anyone who killed a MacGregor was entitled to hi... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 18 published on 8/1/2005 A clan spanning the generations (Robertsons of Clan Donnachaidh)In the latest of his series, James Irvine Robertson looks at his own clan name – one of the oldest families in Scotland THE Robertsons of Clan Donnachaidh are the oldest family in Scotland, said the Historiographer Royal W.F. Skene in the middle of the 19th century. Since every family is as old as every other one, this is Victorian shorthand for the family that can trace its origins back the furthest. And Clan Donna... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 17 published on 29/11/2004 The clan of the gods? (Mackenzies)In the latest in our series on great clans of Scotland James Irvine Robertson considers the Mackenzies In England the aristocracy, if grand enough, may be able to claim some ancestor who came over in 1066 with William the Conqueror. The Highland clans routinely trace back another 500 years to the kings of Dalriada or Columba and thence back to the kings of Ireland. But the Mackenzies reckon they can ... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 16 published on 15/9/2004 The most royal of families (Stewarts)In the latest in our series on the great clans of Scotland James Irvine Robertson looks at the Stewarts The historic House of Stewart takes its name from the medieval office of hereditary Great Steward of Scotland, a title which is still held by their descendant in the female line, H.R.H. Prince Charles. Before they came to Britain 1,000 ago, members of the family were noble Bretons, hereditary Stewa... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 15 published on 18/7/2004 Bravest hearts of them all? (The Campbells)James Irvine Robertson continues his series on the great clans of Scotland. This issue:The Campbells In 1822, the great Highland historian David Stewart of Garth wrote: “It is rather humiliating for those who have made politics their sole study to find that no less art, sagacity, address and courage has been displayed in the petty contests of illiterate mountaineers, than in their most refined sche... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 14 published on 2/5/2004 Lord of the isles (Donald)In the first in a new series on the great clans of Scotland James Irvine Robertson traces the history of the dominant clan Donald The story of Clan Donald is the history of the Highlands. Other clans have had their moments but, for generation after generation, Clan Donald was pre-eminent. Their chiefs were Lords of the Isles, independent of Scotland with diplomatic links to the courts of Europe. It took nearly a millennium bef... By James Irvine Robertson from Issue 13 published on 25/3/2004 Scottish ClansThe image, history and reality of Scotland's famous clans Clans – the word evokes images of tartan-clad Jacobites, fired by a fierce local and national patriotism, brandishing broadswords as they rush joyously to war, urged on by the skirl of the pipes. Is that an accurate reflection of the clan system? Despite its obvious exaggeration, that slightly car... By Gerald Warner from Issue 2 published on 5/6/2002 |  | ||||||||||||
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