One of the main Scottish ports for departure was "Greenock," which
is near Glasgow. But many of the Scottish emigrants departed from
Liverpool, England also.
There are ALWAYS boundary changes in
Scotland, at least that's the way it seems!
Boundaries are mostly based on old church parish boundaries, which have
remained fairly intact over the centuries. While parishes as local
organisational units have been dropped, the boundaries have continued to be
utilised for County boundaries, District boundaries, Parliamentary
constituency boundaries, and so on.
County boundaries have had oddities, such as detached portions, whereby a
small part of one county is stuck like an island inside the area of another
county! Most of these have been sorted out during the last hundred years,
but still cause confusion for genealogists who don't know the details.
Scotland in divided into three parts.
The Highlands, The Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands.
There are sub regions within these, and the islands are usually
considered in the the Highlands.
The three divisions are because in the middle there is a rift valley.
To the North there is the Highland Fault, running roughly from
Stonehaven to Hellensburgh,
To the south roughly from Dunbar to Ardrossan or Ayr is the Lowland
Fault, - Don't take this literally and draw lines on the map and say
that anywhere to the North and West of these lines is absolutely in
The stylized Logo of BBC Scotland will give you the idea.
"Some of the Celts wore 'bronze helmets with figures picked out on
them, even horns, which made them look even taller than they already are . . .
while others cover themselves with breast-armour made out of chains. But most
content themselves with weapons nature gave them: they go naked into battle.'
Before it began, however, they indulged in a performance that was bound to
confuse their enemies more than anything they had seen before. It started with
one or more of them leaving the ranks and challenging the bravest of the
enemy to a duel.
As Diodorus recounts: 'At the same time they swing their weapons about
to intimidate their foe; if anyone accepts the challenge, the Celtic
warriors break into a wild singing, praising the deeds of their fathers and their own prowess,
while insulting and belittling their opponents, to take the edge off them
before the battle begins.' It was a ritualized psychological warfare, of a kind still
employed in pub-brawls in Alpine village-inns or Breton fishermen's taverns. But there was
more to it. After this prelude, the Celts would begin their own moral
'Weird, discordant horns were sounded', there was a chorus of shouting from
their 'deep and harsh voices', swords were beaten rhythmically against shields,
rage and war-lust were systematically whipped up. At last the first warrior broke
ranks and stormed forward. At the same time, on the flanks, squadrons of four-wheeled
war-chariots started moving, usually manned by two warriors. One drove the horses,
while the other hurled javelins at the enemy cavalry. When he had thrown them
all, he would jump out and join the battle on foot, while the chariot was turned
around, to be kept ready in case a retreat was necessary."
(From The Celts by Gerhard Herm)
In the periods prior to the modern era, kilts were generally removed before
battle and left behind the lines. Typically, a man wore the peasant-type
long shirt which came nearly to his knees and it was in this garment that
Trews were worn by the horsemen who were generally chiefs, chieftans and
lesser nobility, the common soldier having no horse.
A dirk is single-edged, a dagger two edged. A dirk was primarily an armour
piercing device. Daggers have cross bars between the haft and the blade,
dirks do not as it would tangle in the tartan.
Edward Longshanks is known as the hammer of the Scots. Perhaps there is an
allusion here to the war hammer. Large blocks of wood were banded together with a copper strap and mounted
on an axe-like handle. Picture a huge mallet. The hammer was swung in a
circular plane horizontal to the ground to gain momentum and then targeted
to smash and buckle the knees of horses and men to bring them down.
AN EXTREMELY ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF SCOTLAND'S PEOPLE
Picts were the indigenous folk
covered in Blue Woad but nothing much else
who came after the ice age (10,000 BC) presumably from
Continental Europe/Asia and whom ancients and modern anthropology might
link to Scythians (its a stretch). The Romans tried to kill them off,
failed to finish the job and built two walls instead.
Scots were an IRISH tribe who settled/invaded the Lowlands,
Vikings came along after that taking over a good part of
Ireland and much of the Highlands and adding their blond/blue-eyed/big
body genes--also giving us Highland Games. Somewhere in
there the Picts bit the dust.
Laing and Laing "The Picts and the Scots" (Alan Sutton Pub 1994
ISBN 0-7509-0677-4)suggests that the Romans invented term "PICT" and used it broadly, to
describe any north Briton who was struggling against Roman domination. That
they might not have been tribal groups as such, but the ruling class of
certain Celtic tribes in the north. The Gaelic Irish knew them as Cruithni
which in Brythonic Celtic was Pritani or Priteni in which the word Britain
originates. If I'm not mistaken there were also Cruithni or Picts in north
Ireland. This culture in north Britain can be traced to the Bronze Age. The
language of the Picts seems to have been essentially British Celtic, like
that of the rest of the island.
In the New Stone Age, two colonizing groups settled
Scotland: Mediterraneans and Europeans from the continent
across the North Sea. In the centuries before the birth of Christ,
new settlements were made by the Celtic tribes, who worked with
iron. Their chieftains built hill forts, in defence against the Romans
Before the withdrawal of the Roman legions Scots from Ireland
were establishing power in what is now Argyll. Soon after the
Angles (germanic tribes) began to occupy Lothian and the Britons
who had lived under Roman rule were driven westward. Thus
by 600 A.D. four peoples were living on the Scottish mainland
The Picts occupied most of the Highland, (except for the Scots
colony in Dalriada (later Argylle) The Western lowlands called
Strathclyde were held by partially romanized Britons and the
s.e. lowlands (Lothian) held by the Angles.
Encyclopedia Americana - International edition.
Anglo Saxon Chronicles.
These were written
by Anglo Saxon monks in England, documenting a thousand years of
history, ending with Henry II. There are seven manuscripts and
two fragments. They begin in pre-Roman time.
Here is the beginning: "The island of Britain is eight hundred
miles long and two hundred miles broad. Here on this island are
five languages: English, Brito-Welsh, Scottish, Pictish, and
Latin. The first inhabitants of this land were the Britons,
who came from Armonica, and at first occupied the south of
Britain. Then it happened that the Picts came from Scythia in
the south, with longships, not many, and came at first to
Northern Hibernia [Northern Ireland]. They asked the Scots
if they might live there, but they would not let them, because
they said that they could not all live together there. The
Scots said, "We can give you advice, nevertheless; we know of
another island east of here where you may dwell if you wish,
and if anyone withstands you, we will help you, so that you may
accomplish it." Then the Picts went into this land, to the
north, and in the south the British had it. The Picts asked for
wives from the Scots and this was granted on the condition that
their royal ancestry always be traced from the woman's side; they
have long since held to this. After some years it happened that
some of the Scots went from Hibernia to Britain and overcame
part of the land. Their war-leader was named Reoda, and because
of him they are called Daelreodi." (p 18)
"The Anglo Saxon Chronicles" Translated and collated by Anne Savage,
published 1997 by CLB, copyrighted 1984 by CLB International,
Goldalming, Surrey ISBN 1-85833-478-0
Lynch, Michael: Scotland A New History ISBN 0-7126-9893-0
Smout T.C: A History of the Scottish People 1560-1830 ISBN
Smout A Century of the Scottish People 1830 -1950 ISBN 0-00-686141-5
Manufacture of Scottish
History, Ed Ian Donnachie & Christopher Whatley. Polygon 1992 ISBN 0
7486 6120 4.
This not only has an extensive Bibliography - though only minimal
references - but it also critically examines the development of
Scottish Historiography, and attempts to examine various ideas which
are more complicated than are often believed.
Highland Papers - edited by J.R.N. MacPhail, K.C. A selection of Donald
Gregor's materials as well as documents from other sources comprise this
volume (a publication of the Scottish History Society), whose purpose was
to make available "some of the original material and recorded tradition on
which knowledge of Highland history is based."
Vol. III - (1920) reprint, 338 pp., index, paper, $27.00 #M018
Vol. IV - Numerous writs (1334-1632) of the Campbells. (1934) reprint, 290
pp., index, paper, $27.00 #M019
HERITAGE BOOKS, INC.
1540-E Pointer Ridge Place
Bowie, MD 20716
If you do a search using "highland clearances" you will find a wealth of
information - other places would be "Clan Sutherland" or "Clan McKay".
They have links to a lot of Highland data.
If you can rent microfilm from a Family History Center, the LDS in Utah
have the following about Airdrie:
#0874250 John MacArthur, "New Monkland parish, its history . . ." (1890)
#1239003 "The Book of Airdrie" by many contributors, 1954
Angus and Forfarshire
There was, certainly until recently, a very active Clackmannanshire
Field Studies Society which did a lot of work on local history. You
will be able to get details of this and other societies from
Clackmannanshire Council's main library which will be listed at:
Fife Family History Society
Kirkaldy Book - Kingdom of Fife
The Parishes of Fife Scotland
Galloway is the southwestern part of Scotland, it borders
Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Dumfriesshire. Some of the hills are
over 2,000 ft high. Some miscellaneous material extracted from various sources:
- 397-432 AD St. Ninian evangelized from Whithorn in what is now
Wigtownshire. Stone church ruins there
- 400-500s AD Kirkmaiden stones, earliest stone memorials to Christians, at
Drummore, Mull of Galloway, Wigtownshire. On view at Kirkmaiden church
- 600s Galloway. Christian Britons in Galloway overcome by Northumbrian Angles
Late 600s after the Synod of Whitby the Roman practice was set up at
Whithorn in the old Celtic monastery
- 900s Galloway. Norsemen overran coastal lands and gave place-names like
Wigtown, Gaitgil, Borness...
King David I of Scotland addressed a proclamation to "my whole Kingdom
Scottish, English, Anglo-Norman,
- 1100s Fergus, Lord of Galloway, had castle on high rock with clay and
wattle hurdles, overlooking the Solway Firth
Galloway men joined David I in the invasion of ENG although the Galloway
men had no armor
- 1161 Galloway Fergus of Galloway, d. at Holyrood as a canon. Fergus
endowed monastic foundations at Whithorn, Soulseat, Tongland, etc.
Galloway invaded 3 times by Malcolm IV; Galwegians were Gaelic speaking and
had hated the feudal system
Malcolm IV succeeded by his brother William the Lion (1214)
Gilbert son of Fergus killed older brother Uchtred and later Roland son of
Uchtred assumed the lordship of Galloway and in 1200 accompanied King
William to London to do homage to King John. Roland's son Alan
also did homage to King John. Alan was one of leading barons at Runnymede
in 1215 signing of Magna Charta. Alan was last of the native Lords of
Galloway, d. 1234, son John d.; Alan left 3 daughters all married
to Norman barons, also a natural son, Thomas, whom the Galwegians declared
for. Conquest followed and the lands of Galloway passed from the native
owners to others. It had been against Brehon law for daughters to inherit
lands and have lands pass out of the father's family
- 1297 Scots defeat ENG at Stirling Bridge
- 1300 Edward I "the Hammer of the Scots" invaded Scotland
In Galloway, William Wallace took Wigtown Castle and Cruggleton Castle.
Wallace betrayed, captured, turned over to English by Sheriff of Dumbarton
- 1305 Execution of Wallace by English
- 1307 Loudoun Hill battle; almost all Scottish castles in hands of ENG;
garrisons at Stirling, and in south,
Dumfries, Caerlaverock, Dalswinton, Lochmaben, Tibbers, Buittle,
Kirkcudbright, Wigtown, Stranraer
Robert I captured Turnberry Castle, cleared his earldom of Carrick, went
south into Galloway to headquarter
at Glentrool. Bruce's father was Lord of Annandale and the earldom of
Carrick (in Galloway s. of Ayr) was
inherited through marriage. Bruce had castle on Loch Doon.
Bruce's hiding place in Glentrool (Galloway hills) was discovered and
Edward I's Gallovidian governor, Sir Symer de Valence took offensive but
Bruce won his first victory, 1307 Glentrool
Edward I hanged Robert I's brothers Neil Bruce at Berwick and Thomas and
Alexander at Carlisle.
- 24 June 1314 Battle of Bannockburn: Robert I's Scots rout the English
under Edward II; 30,000 of their number dead upon the field, 2/3 as many
- 1320 The Arbroath Declaration, letter to the Pope asserting Independence
of Scotland, nobles affixed seals
Robert I visited Whithorn to pray; he d. 1329
Scottish Kings were main pilgrims to Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Galloway,
because there were no roads to the great abbeys in the region
Lordship of Galloway was settled on Margaret of Denmark, widow of James II
and she and son James III visited St. Ninian's church, Whithorn
- 1497 James IV visited Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Galloway, by way of Loch Ryan
James IV visited Whithorn, traveled on foot, prob. came by Dalry, (means
the Royal Vale)
- 1511 Whithorn made a royal burgh by James IV
- 1513 James IV of Scotland d. age 40 at Battle of Flodden against English;
succeeded by his infant son James V for whom his mother Margaret Tudor
Galloway James V visited Whithorn, age about 14. 1533 James V visited
Battle of Solway Moss on southern border of Scotland; Henry VIII defeated
James V. Mary Queen of Scots b. Aug 12, ascended throne 6 days later,
after death of her father James V
- 1560 Church of Scotland founded. Treaty of Berwick between Elizabeth I
and Scottish reformers.
- 1561 Mary Queen of Scots returned to Scotland from France to rule after
her husband died
Mary visited Whithorn; son James VI visited St. Ninian's church, Whithorn,
- 1603 Elizabeth I (1533-1603) d., James VI of Scotland, her cousin, became
James I of ENG and IRE reigned to 1625. 1609 James I obtained n. IRE fr.
certain nobles. Proclamation for Invitation to Settlers, 28 Mar 1609
Scots to Ulster were fr. Dumbarton, Renfrew, Ayre, Galloway, Dumfries.
Chief seat was County Londonderry