BADENOCH: IT'S HISTORY, CLANS, AND PLACE NAMES (original) (raw)
Ruthven in Badenoch: the excavation of a Highland garrison
1998
Excavations in 1983 brought to light physical evidence for the later medieval castle, including the well, and shed new light on the layout of the military barracks which replaced it after the 1715 Jacobite Rising. The project was funded by Historic Scotland.
2006
HIGHLANDERS FROM HOME: THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE HIGHLAND SOCIETY AND THE GAELIC SOCIETY OF LONDON TO GAELIC CULTURE 1778-1914 This thesis examines the contributions made to Gaelic culture by the Highland Society of London from 1778 and the Gaelic Society of London from 1830. Their members were scathingly called 'Cockney Gaels' and their roles have been essentially ignored by both other Highland societies in urban Scotland and by the academic world. Yet these expatriate London Gaels provided leadership for addressing deficiencies and key issues in the homeland. They turned recognition of problems into concerted action, with varying degrees of success. Individual members of both societies were Members of Parliament, and also enjoyed close support from their societies. By harnessing the power of central Government they were able to bolster and encourage initiatives to improve the life of the Gaels in the homeland. London was an energy centre where much was happening, and the Lon...
Church Dedications in Badenoch and Strathspey Revisited
Scottish Church History, 2021
The article takes its start from Prof. G. Barrow's 1988–9 ‘Badenoch and Strathspey, 1130–1312. 2: The Church’, and looks again at the evidence for pre-parochial dedications to saints in the light of recent archaeology and historiography. Strong ecclesiastical affinity with an Irish or Gaelic style of Christianity can be observed. Different options for a Sitz im Leban for this Gaelic connection are discussed and the eighth century is proposed as a plausible context for when the dedications in this region developed. No account of the conversion of the region is attempted. Whatever the state of the church before the battle of Dun Nechtain in 685, thereafter the kings of Fortriu, a Pictish realm and hegemony with increasing Gaelic characteristics, relied heavily on the Gaelic churches of Argyll, Perthshire and Atholl to structure and resource Christianity in this area of their kingdom. Yet if resources came from the south, control was based to the north, where centres of power have been identified at Portmahomack, Rosemarkie, Burghead and Kinneddar.
The First World War and the 20th century in the history of Gaelic Scotland: a preliminary analysis
2014
This thesis considers the place which the First World War and the trends in 20th century Gaelic history associated with its aftermath have in the study of the modern Highlands. The conflict's treatment in established academic works like James Hunter's The Making of the Crofting Community is discussed to highlight the way that the continued emphasis of the land issue into the 20th century, because of land hunger's 19th century prominence, has marginalised the First World War. Because of this, the War's significance in undermining the social cohesion and cultural certainties which supported Highland land politics is overlooked. As a consequence, the trajectory of 20th century Highland history, which is a movement away from the themes which defined the 19th, is obscured. The preconceptions about Gaelic culture which cause this are examined. Considering the post-war trends of Highland history leads to an exploration of the precedents which existed for them in the pre-war...
THE FAMILY OF 'le CHEN' (Cheyne) AND THEIR LANDS IN NORTHERN SCOTLAND
This paper provides historical, genealogical and heraldic information relating to the family of 'le Chen' (Cheyne) in northern Scotland, from the time of the Norman Conquest onwards. The primary focus is the branch of the family who were lairds of Inverugie. However, information is also provided regarding the 'cadet' families of Essilmont, Leagarth, Pennan, Pitfichie, Ranniestoun, Straloch, Tangwick and Vaila. Consideration is given to the lands which formed the estate of Inverugie and to the other estates possessed by the 'le Chen' lairds. Some details of the family's staunch adherence to the Roman Catholic Faith are given, especially regarding the ecclesiastical establishments which they helped to found. Finally, there is a collection of some of the heraldry used by the various individuals who bore the Chene/Cheyne name.
Donald of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross: West-Highland Perspectives on the Battle of Harlaw
In beginning this article it seems necessary to reaffirm the truths which William Mackay made in his landmark speech at the last centennial of Harlaw in 1911. Back then, MacKay was challenging the prevailing discourse which presented the clash between the Celtic 'barbarity' of the 'Highlands' and the Saxon 'civility' of the 'Lowlands'. By sacrificing their lives to halt Donald of the Isles' Attila-like march into Aberdeenshire, the noble knights of the North-East not only prevented the sack of their burgh, but actually preserved Scottish civilisation from savage yet 'unknown' Highland 'terrors' which threatened to envelop the nation in darkness. Indeed, for some writers Harlaw was even more important event in Scotland's destiny than Bannockburn. 2 MacKay was thus swimming decidedly upstream against the popular ethnological and racialist tide of historical thinking when he delivered his message. 3 Scholars today enjoy no such problem, and recent advances in historical research into Harlaw are rendering such attitudes obsolete. Yet it is also evident from the recent anniversary of 2011 that vestiges of this thinking retain popularity within Aberdeen and the wider non-academic community, which makes it all the more urgent to transmit the major points of scholarly consensus on the context of the battle, its outcome and its participation.
Studia Hibernica (no.50), 2024
Presented here is a transcription and translation of a late sixteenth-century poem by ollamh Maoilín Óg Mac Bruaideadha on the historical migration of the Clann Ghormáin from Leinster to Thomond, where they settled in Ibrickan under new overlords, the Uí Bhriain. From these beginnings, Clann Ghormáin advanced themselves to a prominent position in the lordship of Thomond, which lasted until the loss of their estates in the mid-seventeenth century. An analysis of the seanchas-genealogy elements of the poem by Maoilín Óg alongside evidence contained in contemporary administrative records reveals the landholdings, proprietorial status and familial relationships of this important Gaelic Irish lineage.